1 It doesn't get any better than this
This is an incredible book. The illustrations are unbelievably detailed. I used to live in SF and still I could study this book for hours. Even if you have been to every place in the book, you will still learn something. This is the perfect gift for anyone traveling to San Francisco and/or Northern California. I can't recommend this book enough.
2 An excellent guide for a first-time visitor
This guide was very helpful for my recent trip to SF and easily the best of the three I carried. Detailed maps, readable and accessible local information, and informative articles with the beautiful illustrations made this the easy choice over Lonely Planet and its more detailed maps made it a first choice over National Geographic's San Friancisco guide for me. You will need another map for a better detailed overview give if you plan to drive in the city since none of these guides provide that.
3 Great handbook for SFO visitors - great graphics and photos
I love the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide series - and other books from DK - Dorling Kindersley (...). The travel guides are very handy, the details in the guides are very interesting and very well done with great page layouts and plenty of pictures and graphics explaining architectures of popular buildings and maps of neighborhoods in good detail and style. A great buy for anyone visiting San Francisco and those already living there too to get to know their city better (in fact, now I make sure I buy a DK guide for every location I visit!).
There is a version that comes with a larger map and quick cue cards in a leather binder/pouch as well. Great to carry around or gift but costs slightly more. Worth it.
4 Added comment
The Eyewitness Guides are great visual tools. They tend to lack hotel/restaurant information, but the sight seeing info is tops. No surprise with the emphasis on visuals.
One additional benefit - you can use the great pictures to fill in you travel scrapbooks.
5 Useless
Full of pretty pictures and clever graphics but when it came to real information about the places we were seeing we were left on empty.
6 5 stars for info on the city; 3 for hotels, restaurants etc
I highly recommend this unique travel guide for the purpose of getting to know San Francisco's history, neighborhoods, attractions, etc. However, the book is only so so as to hotels and restaurants because it is not revised often enough. The book includes numerous zoomed in maps with three dimensional renderings of key neighborhoods. There are many photographs and illustrations. The text is very informative. Each neighborhood is intricately described and its attractions well presented. This book truly is spectacularly illustrated and defies description. You have to see the intricate neighborhood by neighborhood renderings and cutaway illustrations of key landmarks to truly appreciate this wonderful book. Use this book to get to know and love San Francisco. However, use something updated yearly such as the Mobil Travel Guide (or even the internet) to search for the best accomodations. Also, please note that some newer attactions such as the new Pac bell Stadium, are missing due to the infrequency of updating. Despite it's shortcomings, this travel guide is outweighed by its strengths and is well worth purchasing.
7 Needs revising
Although pretty to look at this book lacks depth. I would have enjoyed exploring more out-of-the-way places that are not on the average tourist track. Many of the restaurants listed are out of business. Eyewitness hits the high spots but is in need of an update.
8 Oooh! Pictures...nice pictures!
Browsing through these eyewitness guide books are almost as fun as going to explore the city itself. With a 3-D cutaway of the Transamerica building, pictorial timeline of the history of San Fran back to 10,000 B.C., and beautiful presentation of the best of San Fran's eats, the city by the Bay never looked so good. Another unique aspect of these guidebooks are the neighborhood by neighborhood 3-D birdseye depiction of streets and buildings with highlighted points of interest. It's amazing that so much information can be packed into such a concise package while making room for the wonderful pictures throughout. I used this book to plan several day trips to the State's most beautiful and unique city around, even laying out a great all day mountain bike romp through Bagdhad by the Bay. If you are scared off thinking that this book is only surface fluff and glossy pictures, don't be, a give it an "A" for content as well. Fodor's can't hold a candle to it. Lonely planet may be more thorough but lacks the fascinating pictures and 3-D reps. If you are spending any time in San Fran, get this book...you won't be sorry.
9 Fodors doesn't stand a chance
These are by far the most unique travel guides ever produced. The Eyewitness Travel Guides are filled with glossy pages packed with information. No other resource will take the time to acquaint the traveler with a rather thorough history of the San Francisco area. This is a great way to begin a travel guide.
Unlike others, ETG's use an extensive amount of colorful pictures to help you position yourself in the city. San Francisco is not a large city (geographically speaking). It is rather easy though to find yourself lost in the complex grid of one way streets and endless bumps and hills. The guide divides the city into each of the thriving districts and is quick to point out the main spots of interest, along with other things a sight-seer wouldn't have thought of. The drawn maps detailing a block or two of a particular area are incredibly helpful.
The only negative is in regards to restauraunts listed. Due to the time between writing and publishing, many restauraunts are no longer in business. These guides are priced a little above most other books but, are well worth the extra money.
10 The Best Travel Guide Series
The Eyewitness Travel Guide is in my personal opinion one of the best, if not the best, travel guide series out there. Aside from the stunning illustration in the book, the book is extremely organized, usually giving you a brief history of the location, followed by a systematic review of the destination by sections. I particularly appreciate the "Tours" section that I found in the SF and New York guides. Various detailed walking tours or driving tours were planned out and clearly marked on maps and specific sights were highlighted so that you know what you are seeing. Many guides tell you what you need to see and do while this serie of guide SHOW you what you are seeing and also point out specific aspects of the sights. For this SF and N. Cal guide, I only gave it a 4 stars because I feel that the guide is rather weak on the N. Cal section. Specifically, many major sights in N. Cal were only given brief 1 page description, which with illustration taking a significant part of the page layout, does not do a thorough job highlighting the various sights in N. California. You will probably want to supplement this guide with another guide if you intend to visit other N. Cal sites.
11 A good guide to have
Dorling Kindersley makes the best travel guides hands down. They are extremely well illustrated, have extensive and detailed maps up to date information on hotels (rates, rooms etc), restaurants (costs and reservation policies), and sites to see.
The travel guides have wonderful pictures, well researched histories and facts about San Francisco(about Lombard street, Cable Cars, Angel's Flight....), what wines to look for and taste (not just divided between Napa and Sonoma but also by vineyard but also by year), detailed walking tours, information on famous sites (Alcatraz, the sea lions at Pier 39 and some of the top wineries to visit in Napa and Sonoma). DK also makes a guide that covers all of California and I own both - unless you are simply going to San Francisco, I suggest buying the California guide over this one - they have almost the same information. The European guides for each city have more detail than this guide but it is still a good buy.
The guide covers travel information, driving directions, the best places to shop and eat, where to get good deals and SOOO much more. The book give you wonderful ideas on how to best see each area in a limited time or really enjoy it if you are there for more than a few days. The book also covers things to do that many tourists might over look as well as telling you what is worth your while and what to skip.
This is one of the best guides available on the market. It is perfect if you are planning to go to a few cities in a limited time or for more in depth information when planning a longer trip.
12 Good guide
I was one month in San Francisco and i used this guide a lot. Its pictures, maps and useful information helped me to have a nice vacation. I recommend this guide as a basic tool.
13 Pretty pictures, lackluster information
This is a guide with beautiful pictures but is horribly lacking in practical information to help someone get around San Francisco. The maps are rudimentary -- not something one would want in the confusing SF bay area. The guidebook gives great ideas on places to go but won't help you really get there -- sections on using public transport (essential in a city where there are 300,000 cars registered but only 200,000 parking spaces). The accomodation information is sorely lacking; there are few options for those who don't want to pay over $80.00 a night to be in SF. The sections on public safety are also lacking in complexity. This book is a must for those who don't enjoy their vacations and like to be stuck in traffic.
14 LOOK NO FURTHER! THIS IS THE BOOK YOU NEED!
In short, this book helped us so much when we visited San Francico. We only had 3 days and we were able to make the most of them because of Eyewitness' travel guide. Great maps. Great Suggestions. Great walking tours.
15 Excelente para viajeros a San Francisco por primera vez
Recomiendo esta guia visual para los debutantes en esta ciudad. Es muy clara con los barrios y fotos para visitar. Muy recomendable para los hispanoparlantes. Recomiendo tambien la de California para comletar los que visiten el Oeste de EEUU. Espero que les sea de utilidad.
16 Don't leave home without it
I used this book while on several trips to the SF area. It is perfect for sightseeing the city, as well as in determining what to see. Even in the outlying areas, the book points you in the right directions in which to go, though not as good as its coverage of SF. If you are looking for a book on SF, then this is the one you should look for.
17 This book sees San Francisco the way you will
This is a great book and I've just bought a dozen to hand out to my clients because it really presents San Francisco the way it must be visited: by neighborhoods, by experiences. Each neighborhood is presented in it's totality - with historical remarks, notable sights, comprehensive recommendations, and bird's-eye-view maps to put you on top of your trip. Compare that with the alphbetical list of tourist traps often found in guidebooks and you'll appreciate the extra effort.
18 Excellent Choice!
The Eyewitness Travel Guide to San Francisco is a colorful guide to Northern California. It has great photography and is full of pictures. If you are a visual person, like pictures and don't like to read a lot, this book is for you. It is very complete with detailed information on sightseeing, shopping, eating out, and interesting things to do. This book is highly recommended. If you are interested in California, then you should also look at the Eyewitness Guide: California. It is a complete guide to the entire state. It is unfortunate that the Eyewitness Guide is not available for other cities in the Western US.
19 See and know the neighborhoods
I'm a native San Franciscan, so I consider myself to have the highest qualifications to review this book! I liked this book so much I'm buying it for a friend who's moving there. Like all the Eyewitness Travel books, this one features an appealing layout with photos that bring the city alive, and has appropriately categorized and complimented the city's diverse neighborhoods. If you visit, don't waste your time on schloky Fisherman's Wharf! Get out and see the neighborhoods that make San Francisco what it is.
