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Shopping in San Francisco

THE 10 BEST Places to Go Shopping in San Francisco

Shopping in San Francisco

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Tours, activities and experiences bookable on Tripadvisor, ranked using exclusive Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, popularity, user preferences, price, and bookings made through Tripadvisor.
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What travellers are saying

  • Scott
    San Francisco, CA5,240 contributions
    Must see of course
    Always a cool part of San Francisco for tourists and locals. You can grab an amazing empanada, by your clipper card at the Bay crossings shop, visit one of the best mushroom themed stores in California, and board your ferry here.

    You'll find public bathrooms.

    Unfortunately, I'm not thrilled with the coffee choices at the ferry building. Blue bottle is way overpriced and they don't even have non-fat milk.
    Review of: Ferry Building Marketplace
    Written 11 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Michael K
    991 contributions
    A pleasant square for a leisurely stroll
    This is a plesant upscale shopping area with restaurants and arcades. Parking is conveniently located in the adjoining parking garage. The waterfront area is just across the street from the square.
    Review of: Ghirardelli Square
    Written 27 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jholman22
    Maple ridge25 contributions
    Shopping area.
    It’s a nice place to sit for a coffee, etc. surrounded by various shopping opportunities. A good photo op. Some homeless people settled there after dinner time.
    Review of: Union Square
    Written 10 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • StephenCross
    Dublin, Ireland18,403 contributions
    Farmers market 4 days a week
    The farmers market runs for four days a week outside of the main area of the ferry terminals. Otherwise there are occasional stalls .
    Review of: Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market
    Written 7 October 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • TheShis
    Tel Aviv, Israel39,605 contributions
    A nice shopping mall.
    This is a lovely shopping mall.
    What makes it unique is by far the spiral escalators, which are an attraction on their own.
    Review of: San Francisco Centre
    Written 22 June 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • StephenCross
    Dublin, Ireland18,403 contributions
    Old fashioned book store
    City Lights Bookstore is located on Columbus Street and close to Little Italy. It is a traditional old fashioned book store with real paper books!
    Review of: City Lights Booksellers
    Written 5 October 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • StephenCross
    Dublin, Ireland18,403 contributions
    Great place to shop
    Nordstrom is an excellent chain and a great place to shop. The San Francisco shop is downtown and in a nice old building. Worth a look.
    Review of: Nordstrom
    Written 10 April 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • gypsymamma
    Minnesota762 contributions
    A bit dated and dirty but lots of shops
    Wasn’t quite what we were expecting but we had fun nonetheless. A decent assortment of shops, lots of restaurants, but dingy and stuffy. Some shops had good prices while others were very high. Daiso was probably the most fun place. Worth an hour or two visit if Japanese shops and food is of interest.
    Review of: Japan Center
    Written 14 August 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • StephenCross
    Dublin, Ireland18,403 contributions
    Boring external architecture - lots of shops
    The centre is huge and I believe has well over 100 shops inside. Good for entertainment as well. Some nice restaurants also.
    Review of: Embarcadero Center
    Written 7 October 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Thomas V
    Oakland, CA16,361 contributions
    Good Fresh Market
    This is a great resource for the neighborhood as the fruit and vegies are fresh and there is a good selection, including some odd choices. The merchants are friendly. Office workers come here as well. Too bad the surroundings are so bleak.
    Review of: Heart of the City Farmers' Market
    Written 16 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Scott
    San Francisco, CA5,240 contributions
    Most improved shopping mall
    This mall definitely wins most improved award. On a Sunday afternoon the mall is crowded and vibrant. Mostly mainstream Mall stores, but a few unusual places. If you're into pokémon, there's an entire store filled with pokemon. The gadget store has the best selection of phone mounting devices I've ever seen, including amazon. And the food court, although almost exclusively Asian food, was decent. The mall appears to be clean and all of them all patrons are wearing masks, even though they don't have to.
    Review of: Stonestown Galleria
    Written 6 March 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • mini
    Fremont, CA179,527 contributions
    Nice Shopping Trip to Nieman-Marcus, San Francisco
    I enjoyed a nice shopping trip to Nieman Marcus in San Francisco. It is close to Union Squrae. Since its the holiday season, they were starting to put up their holiday decoartions. Staff is nice.
    Review of: Neiman-Marcus
    Written 20 November 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Emptynester
    Niles, IL20 contributions
    A cut flower dreamscape
    This open to the public flower market housed was more than I was expecting. We enjoyed an hour walking around and seeing the large variety of cut and potted flowers for purchase. I was a little disappointed that the cost for retail sale was more than at my local florist , but the variety greatly exceeded what the florist stocks. I understand everything costs more but was expecting a slightly better price. Definitely a place to go if you are looking for something specific both in flowers, vases/vessels, and ribbon - They even had black Calla lilies!
    Review of: San Francisco Flower Mart
    Written 1 March 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Hitcher84
    Eureka, CA1,447 contributions
    Large department store
    Kind of old fashioned these days, this is a classic department store on Union Square. 8 floors or so of shopping. It was quite the mad house on Black Friday. They have a discount store on the 8th floor that reminds me of a Walgreens, would skip that. SantaLand is on floor seven. Both designer and more affordable clothes and housewares spread throughout. Some nice deals in each of the clearance sections. They have a pretty good, but crowded food court.
    Review of: Macy’s Union Square
    Written 30 November 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • RonWamberal
    Sydney, Australia13,239 contributions
    Top quality
    A quality store with many of your favourite brands. Although they come with a price tag, the products are typically high quality that don't wear out within months. Nor are they over the top fashion that need to be replaced by next season's new fashions.
    Review of: Saks Fifth Avenue
    Written 24 July 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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