Customer Reviews

Frommer's Memorable Walks in San Francisco

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife and I picked this book thinking it would be a good way to see the city. It was not... it was the BEST. We saw so much of San Francisco thanks to this book. We had 8 days to spend there and managed to do 9 of the 11 walks. We went everywhere and saw so much from Haight Ashbury to Golden Gate Park to Nob Hill, the SoMa district... EVERYWHERE. It was great because we could go at our own pace, and not be rushed like a tourist group. We met lots of friendly, helpful people, too.
Whenever we make a return trip this book will come with us again.
Next we are off to Chicago and are armed with that city's version of memorable walks.
Make sure you are in good shape to do these walks, though!

A woman that loves travel and good food writes this review. We picked up this book to get a feel for San Francisco before a business trip where I would be accompanying my husband and didn't want to be bored.

I have the following comments about the book:

PROS:
1. Small size, packed well
2. Maps of the tours were very useful
3. Nice level of detail regarding the items of interest on the tours
4. With 12 outlined tours there was something for everyone
5. The Golden Gate Park information was extremely useful
6. Included information about ethnic food markets that were very interesting and not something you are likely to find on your own

CONS:
1. The Guided Walking tours section seemed like an afterthought.

Overall, the book was very useful if you are the type of person that likes to explore cities by foot (which I am). There is enough detail in this book that I imagine the authors have included facts that many of the locals do not know. I highly recommend this book to those that love to jump into a city and experience everything.

This is a good set of walks, all well documented in a concise way and with a good mix of history and local color. It's also a convenient size for carrying. All this makes it a good choice for both tourists who want to do a lot of walking and for locals who want to know and experience more of their city. This guide takes a good shot at being all things to all walkers and it comes about as close as a single, compact guide could.
For tourists who are looking for a single good walk through town, the Barbary Coast Trail Official Guide may be a more entertaining choice (especially in its audio version, see my review) while locals will get more out of both Stairway Walks in San Francisco and Historic Walks in San Francisco: 18 Trails Through the City's Past which, to be fair, are larger and more expensive guides. You can't go wrong with this book, but, if you have some specific things you're looking for out of your walking time in San Francisco, you may be able to do better.