Who has never dreamed of going to San Francisco and seeing with his own eyes the mythical Golden Gate Bridge or visiting the most famous prison in the world: Alcatraz? Visiting California requires time with its cities touching the imagination.
If you want to go to ‘The City of the Bay’, you will absolutely need an ESTA authorization if your stay does not exceed 3 months. We invite you to make your request directly on our website. Good news, the process is very simple and fast. The vast majority of requests are accepted within 3 days, provided that the form is properly filled out with the help of your passport
Once you have your authorization, you will be more free than ever to come and discover SF, a city with diverse and almost infinite attractions! Since we have to make choices, we have compiled 3 essential visits for you.
The famous Golden Gate Bridge
Is it due to the movies or to the American series, the famous bridge over the San Francisco Bay is one of the most mythical places in the USA, known by all.
With a length of 2737 meters, it was built between 1933 and 1937 and is now considered one of the 7 wonders of the modern world! Its builder, the German-born American Joseph Strauss, is a legend in American history.
Walking there is a unique experience but beware of those who are afraid of heights: 67 meters high, you feel it in your stomach when you look down!
Alcatraz prison
Known throughout the world and star of films such as the mythical ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ with Clint Eastwood, Alcatraz prison is located on a small island 2.4 km long in the bay of San Fransisco.
It is a must for any tourist going to San Francisco. Active until 1963, Alcatraz was the highest security prison in the country. Legend has it that no prisoner ever escaped. That’s probably why famous prisoners like Al Capone, Henry Young or Robert Stroud (see the superb movie ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’) were locked up there.
Visited by more than a million tourists every year, visiting Alcatraz will allow you to realize the living conditions of the prisoners at the time, the life of the guards, etc. An unforgettable visit!
The Chinatown district
If, with the help of your ESTA authorization, you have been in the USA for several weeks, walking around San Francisco’s Chinatown promises a famous culture shock!
It is the largest Chinatown in the world outside of Asia and has a population of just over 100,000 people from China and all over Asia. Walking around will allow you to taste the many local specialties but beware: it often happens that the locals do not speak a word of English! Knowing Mandarin would be a great advantage!
But also…
Summarizing San Fransisco in 3 places is of course an extreme minimum! Depending on your tastes, some of you will undoubtedly be drawn to Fisherman’s Wharf, the sublime Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper, the city’s many Victorian houses, etc.
Led by several of America’s top sports teams (the 49ers in soccer, the Giants in baseball and the Warriors in basketball), San Francisco is also known as a city with one of the largest gay communities in the world, especially in the Haight-Ashbury and Castro neighborhoods. In short, there is something for everyone!