1. San Francisco is heaving with free museums which are perfect for visiting on rainy days. These include the Cable Car Museum (1201 Mason St) where you can see the cables in motion, North Beach Museum (1435 Stockton St) which gives an interesting insight into the history of the neighbourhood, and the Chinese Culture Centre of San Francisco (750 Kearney St) which is in Chinatown.

2. Built in 1849 and then destroyed in 1906, Nob Hill's Grace Cathedral is one of San Francisco's most fascinating buildings. Here you'll encounter labyrinths and varied stained glass windows. It is most famous for its Ghiberti doors ("The Gates of Paradise").

3. Taking approximately 25 minutes to walk each way, no trip to San Francisco is complete without embarking on this bridge walk. The walk up to the 1.7 mile long bridge through the Presidio is breathtaking. Just don't cross the bridge without visiting the lookout at the other side. The views of the bridge with the city in the background are even more mind-blowing.

4. Whether it's at the weekend or during the week, Washington Square, the Presidio and Golden Gate Park are some of the city's best places to relax. The first is in San Francisco's North Beach district while the second is a great place to catch a sunset. The third is the city's best-known park and deserves a half-day of exploring.

5. As a one-way ticket on a cable car costs $5, you are definitely better off buying an all-day ticket for $13. Then you can hop on and hop off to your heart's content!