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10 Best Places to Visit in San Francisco at Night

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  • Post last modified:August 1, 2022
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San Francisco is located in Northern California and is the cultural and economic hub of the state. When it comes to visiting San Francisco, there is an endless option of places to visit, and even eternity isn’t enough to fully explore the beauty of this region.

You can explore San Francisco at any time of the day, but you get to see the real fun at night time. In the daytime, you can enjoy and relax at the beaches and visit the historic sites as the city is the cultural hub of California.

When you think about the nighttime, the only thing that comes to your mind has entertaining nightlife in the bars and cafes, but they’re not the only thing to do at night.

You can visit a sea of places at night, from visiting the scary Prison to enjoying the underground comedy show.

If you are in San Francisco for the first time, you might be confused about how to utilize your nighttime in exploring San Francisco, and that’s why we have shortlisted the ten best places you need to visit.

 

Tour to Alcatraz

Tour to Alcatraz

The best place to visit San Francisco is the night tour to Alcatraz Island. The trip to Alcatraz island is an activity that you shouldn’t miss at any cost.

The best part of this is that there aren’t many people visiting this island at night time because of limited to a just few visitors. You can spend some real-time here without crowding people.

Alcatraz Island was the federal Prison for three decades, from 1930 to 1960. Still, the expense of maintaining strict security was huge, which was why the Prison has converted into a national park afterward, becoming a popular attraction in San Francisco.

You can visit Alcatraz island at night by taking the ferry, and the tour involves visiting the prisoners. The most notorious prisoners were once imprisoned, and some of them are Machine Gun Kelly and Creepy Karpis.

The night tour to Alcatraz is more expensive than the morning tour, but it is worth visiting, and it is the must place to visit San Francisco at night. 

 

Explore the China Town

Explore the China Town

The history which leads to Chinatown in San Francisco is quite interesting. During the construction of the railways, the state suffered from a shortage of workers, and they allowed the Chinese to come and work there during the 1850s.

Chinese slowly began to increase in population, but they were repelled and discriminated against by whites. The Chinese people started to compete with them and formed their territory called China Town, which surprisingly became a tourist attraction years after. The trip is incomplete without visiting this place.

China Town is a great place to visit and gives the vibe as you’re in China. It is a great place to visit in the morning, but it presents a different paradise at night, and the streets are lightened with few people giving a different vibe.

You can visit at night, enjoy the restaurant’s delicious food, and explore its streets along with a cup of tea, and the most significant advantage is that the streets are less crowded with people at night compared to the morning.

 

Enjoy the Comedy Show

Enjoy the Comedy Show

The city is famous for its comedy shows, and the comedy shows and the quality of comedians it has aren’t comparable to anyone in the world. When visiting San Francisco, it is obligatory for you (If you consider yourself a true traveler) to attend a comedy show, whether you like the comedy shows or not.

The shows are for everyone, and we bet that these comedy shows ensure you have the best time of your trip here. The comedy shows you can attend while in San Francisco are Helton Theater’s Secret Improv Society show.

If you can’t sit long in these shows, you can have a different comedy show experience by taking the night comedy tour of the city.

You can roam around the city with the comedian sharing quality jokes which can make you cry from laughter. This way, you can enjoy the natural humor and explore the beautiful parts of the city simultaneously.

 

Watch a Show at Orpheum Theater

Watch a Show at Orpheum Theater

Credit: mliu92 (Flickr)

San Francisco is the home to various theatres, and there are various theatres to choose from where you can enjoy classic performances and events.

If you are a history lover and want to explore history and architecture and enjoy your time in the theatre at the same time, then we suggest you head to the Orpheum Theatre.

The historic theatre was built in 1926 and went through major renovations in the 1990s. It is among the most preserved palace-style theatre in America and is declared the historical landmark of the country.

The Orpheum Theatre is a fantastic display of French gothic architecture flaunting its interior with a palace-style ceiling. It has hosted almost 2200 people and presented some of the finest movies, films, and performances.

The best time to visit the theatre is during the performance time, and the performances are held late at night or sometimes in the evening.

So if you are confused about how to make the most out of San Francisco, then immediately head to enjoy your late night at the theatre to enjoy the classic performances and architecture of the theatre.

 

Enjoy the view of the Bay Bridge Lights.

Enjoy the view of the Bay Bridge Lights

Among the top attraction of San Francisco are the Bay Bridge lights. The Bay Bridge lights are the light sculpture that Leo Villareal designed, and the best time to visit and enjoy the scenery of these lights is at night when about 25 thousand LED lights to light up to display an unreal scenery.

The place is best to take some aesthetic pictures for your Instagram. The Bay Bridge lights are 1.5 miles wide and 500 feet high, and the lights glow the whole city at night. 

 

Explore the Palace of Fine Arts

Explore the Palace of Fine Arts

The Palace of fine arts is a beautiful attraction simply composed of a dome and columns and it is located in the heart of a park in San Francisco.

The Palace was a temporary historical site for the expo and was expected to turn down by the authorities of San Francisco.

Still, it became a popular tourist destination, and now it is visited by thousands of travelers each year. When you explore the area, you explore the unique architecture and designs built on the Palace.

The park was designed by the famous architect Bernard Maybeck, and Roman and green architecture inspired the design.

You can visit the Palace at any time of the day. You can relax by enjoying a picnic here in the morning, but the best time to visit the park is at night.

Fewer people surround the Palace at night, and you can stroll around the park and enjoy the natural beauty of the Palace and its architecture. Don’t forget to take pictures when you get a chance to visit it.

 

Enjoy the Beautiful Scenery of Twin Peaks

Enjoy the Beautiful Scenery of Twin Peaks

One of the top tourist attractions is the Twin peaks, and it is the best fantastic viewpoint to catch the summary of the whole of the city. The Twin peaks are the highest peaks of San Franciso.

To get to the Twin peaks, you need to hike 15 minutes from the parking lot. Many people assume that the best time to visit the twin peak is daytime, but you can come here anytime as they are open from 5 am to late at night.

The viewpoint of the twin peaks gives an entirely different scene at night as the whole city is lighted up, and you can spot the famous attraction of San Francisco like the Bay Bridge, The Golden Gate, and Alcatraz island. But keep in mind that the best time to visit the peaks at night is during summers.

This is because the area gets foggy at night during the winters, making it difficult for you to hike and enjoy the scenery properly. So keep the weather in mind while visiting the twin peaks.

 

Explore the California Academy of Natural Science

Explore the California Academy of Natural Science

Credit: California Academy of Natural Science

Suppose you are tired of visiting historical sites and want to have some different kinds of fun. In that case, we suggest you explore the California Academy of Natural Science with your friends. The academy provides a fun and different experience at the same time.

Located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the California academy of natural science is transformed into a fun place every Thursday night.

There are several activities you can enjoy while here on a Thursday night. Each Thursday, there are different themes, and you can enjoy to the top with the live music and dancing on Dj beats.

 

Go to the Treasure Island Night Tour

Go to the Treasure Island Night Tour

-Night views from Treasure Island-

If you want to appreciate the actual views of San Francisco, then we suggest you head to the Treasure Island night tour.

The treasure island is an artificial island that offers a wide range of activities such as biking around the area and enjoying the night with unique wines and drinks.

If you want to know about the history of Treasure Island, then you can head to the Treasure Island Museum and learn about the history of how the island was formed.

The island was created in the 1930s for the world fair, and the treasure island was named for the gold it has.

The treasure island is exceptionally vulnerable to the large earth quickly, which can dissolve it. So quickly visit this island and enjoy the scenery at night.

 

Visit The Haunted Places of San Francisco

Visit The Haunted Places of San Francisco

Last but not least, the place to visit in San Francisco is their haunted places, and if you want to have a spooky experience at night along with your friends, there are plenty of haunted places to visit. According to paranormal experts, there are 100 haunted places in the city.

The notorious history of SF with some notorious criminals explains the number of haunted places. Take a walking tour of Nob Hill and learn about the significance vampires played in San Francisco’s history.

The best way to visit the haunted places is with guides who can tell the history of these places and the paranormal activities occurring here.

The other haunted places to visit are the San Franciso Art Institute which is believed to be built in the graveyard, and city hall, which went through massive destruction during the earth’s quick of 1906.

 

So that’s all about the places you should visit at night in SF. The list goes on, but when the time is limited, you should give these places a visit to fully explore San Francisco in every aspect.

These places are the best for you to visit at night to make the most out of your trip to this fantastic city. Besides, you can enjoy the delicious food as all the famous restaurants are open to serve you delicious food.

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