Where to stay in San Francisco: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

Union Square is the city's beating commercial heart, a palm-studded plaza ringed by department stores and flagship shops, with the theatre district on one side and Chinatown's Dragon Gate a few blocks away. The cable cars start at the Powell Street turnaround nearby, and BART and Muni stations put the rest of the city within easy reach.

It has more hotels than anywhere else in town, from historic grande dames to quirky boutiques. Taj Campton Place is steps from the square, the Beacon Grand (the former Sir Francis Drake) has three bars including the rooftop Starlite Room, and the Grand Hyatt's 36 floors look out over the city. Hotel Bijou is a playful, film-themed boutique with its own little cinema. Some streets to the south-west get rough after dark, so stick to the main ones.

Nob Hill is where the railway barons built their mansions, and it still feels a cut above. The cable cars grind up California Street past Grace Cathedral, and the views from the top sweep across the bay. Union Square and Chinatown are a short, steep walk down; the walk back up is best done by cable car.

The hotels are legends. The Fairmont San Francisco has crowned the hill for more than a century, with panoramic views and 606 rooms, and the InterContinental Mark Hopkins faces it across the street. The Ritz-Carlton occupies a grand neoclassical building nearby. Romantic, refined and quieter than the streets below.

Locals roll their eyes, but children adore Fisherman's Wharf. Sea lions bark and sprawl on the docks at Pier 39, ferries leave for Alcatraz, crab stalls steam on the pavements and historic ships are moored at Hyde Street Pier. Ghirardelli Square's chocolate shop is a short walk west, and the crooked Lombard Street is just up the hill.

The Argonaut, in an old cannery building steps from Hyde Street Pier, is the most characterful stay. Fairmont Heritage Place turns the old Ghirardelli chocolate factory into all-suite apartments with bay views, and the Hyatt Centric has a cable car turnaround right beside it. Hotel Caza is a good family pick, close to the Aquarium of the Bay. It's fairly quiet at night, and a cable car ride from downtown.

The Embarcadero is the city's waterfront promenade, sweeping along the bay from the Ferry Building, with its clock tower and food hall full of oysters, cheese and coffee, beneath the Bay Bridge. Behind it, the Financial District's towers empty at weekends, and Chinatown and Italian North Beach are a short walk away.

The 1 Hotel is a nature-inspired luxury hotel a short walk from the Ferry Building, and the Hyatt Regency, with its famous atrium, sits right on the Embarcadero. The Omni stands on the California Street cable car line, and the Hilton Financial District borders Chinatown and North Beach. Ideal for food lovers and anyone who wants the bay on their doorstep.

South of Market Street, SoMa is the city's tech and culture district. Yerba Buena Gardens is a green oasis surrounded by galleries, SFMOMA is one of the best modern art museums in the country, and Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, sits on the water a little further south. The Moscone Center makes it busy during big conferences.

The InterContinental is a tower with an indoor pool, a short walk from SFMOMA and Yerba Buena. Hotel Zelos is a stylish base near the Powell Street BART station, and there's a rooftop lounge with panoramic views at the lifestyle hotel a block from Moscone. Back on Market Street, the historic Palace Hotel has a glass-roofed Garden Court restaurant that is worth a look even if you don't stay.

West of the tourist core, San Francisco becomes a place where people actually live. The Marina has pastel houses, brunch spots and the Palace of Fine Arts, with Crissy Field's waterfront path leading towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Pacific Heights, on the hill above, has some of the city's grandest Victorian mansions, and Japantown has sushi bars, spas and the Fillmore music venue nearby.

The Infinity Hotel in the Marina is surrounded by shops and restaurants and rents out bikes, perfect for the ride across the bridge. Hotel Drisco is a small, refined hotel with a daily reception for guests, and Hotel Kabuki has Japanese gardens and a koi pond beside the lobby. You'll rely more on buses and taxis, but it's a lovely, calmer base.

Half Moon Bay is a small coastal town on the Pacific side of the peninsula, south of San Francisco, with wide beaches, harbour seafood, pumpkin farms and the Coastside Trail along the bluffs. It's an easy escape from the city, and a good first or last stop on a Highway 1 road trip.

The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay is the star, with golf, tennis, an indoor pool and a full spa looking out over the ocean. Oceano Hotel and Spa adds massages and a relaxed coastal feel, and the Beach House and the Aristocrat are comfortable, good-value options a short walk from the beach.

Burlingame and its neighbours line the bay just south of San Francisco International, which makes them ideal for a first night after a long flight or a last night before one. Many hotels look out over the water and run free shuttles to the terminals.

The DoubleTree has a 24-hour shuttle to the airport and its BART station, with Topgolf next door and downtown Burlingame two miles away. The Hyatt Regency is built around a sky-lit atrium, and the Hilton Bayfront and Crowne Plaza offer bay views and indoor pools. Prices are usually lower than in the city.