Golden Gate Park [walking & cycling]

Escape the city mayhem in the immaculate, contemplative Japanese Tea Garden, which was first developed in 1894 to showcase a traditional Japanese village for the California International Exposition (World’s Fair). An additional tea house and pavilions were built and the garden became a permanent fixture of the Golden Gate Park.

Set in a striking new building clad entirely in copper (designed to oxidise so that it eventually blends in with the surrounding eucalyptus trees), De Young’s highly regarded collection showcases American art from the 17th-21st centuries, as well as international contemporary art, costumes and textiles.

Together with SF’s Legion of Honor, which focuses more on ancient artworks, the two make up the largest public arts institution in the city.

Look for works by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, Surrealist painter Salvador Dali, and fabric sculptor, Nick Cave.

The elaborate Victorian greenhouse at the Conservatory of Flowers is the oldest building in the park, constructed in 1878 and rising 60ft (18m). Plants and flowers from around the world are housed in a variety of climate-controlled galleries, including Highland Tropics and Lowland Tropics. Closed on Mondays.

The California Academy of Sciences has a lot going for it: it’s the world’s greenest museum, it’s one of the largest natural history museums, it’s overflowing with innovative, interactive learning spaces, it has a planetarium, aquarium, and four-storey rainforest under its roof – and it’s hands-down one of San Francisco’s best attractions.

Outside it’s just as spectacular: the glass-and-steel building was designed by Renzo Piano, and has a 2.5-acre garden roof covered with 1.7 million native plants.