United States California San Francisco Union Square Walking Tour By Betsy Malloy Betsy Malloy Facebook Twitter Betsy has been writing about California for nearly more than two decades as TripSavvy's expert on the state. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 09/18/19 Christina Lease/Getty Images San Francisco's Union Square is a large shopping area that's a popular spot for tourists. Start this walking tour by picking up a map at the TIX booth. Stand in the middle of Union Square facing Macy's to get oriented. The Financial District and waterfront are on the left, in front of you (beyond Macy's) are SOMA (south of Market area) and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Chinatown and North Beach are behind, and the theatre/art gallery district on the right. 01 of 11 Union Square North Larry Bray/Getty Images Stores stretch along the north side of Union Square, and beyond it are Chinatown and North Beach. Continue to 2 of 11 below. 02 of 11 TIX Betsy Malloy Photography Within Union Square Plaza, you'll find TIX, half-price ticket booth. Go here if you want to see a play or show without breaking your budget. For the best selection, get in line about 30 minutes before half-price tickets go on sale. Continue to 3 of 11 below. 03 of 11 Union Square East Mitchell Funk/Getty Images At the plaza's opposite end, you'll find Emporio Rulli, a good place for coffee and pastry or an afternoon aperitif. Sit at an outside table to enjoy people-watching. Continue to 4 of 11 below. 04 of 11 Union Square West - St Francis Hotel Geri Lavrov/Getty Images Elegant St. Francis Hotel occupies the Powell Street-side of Union Square. Don't just stand outside looking at it, go in and take a look at the lobby, too. Continue to 5 of 11 below. 05 of 11 Union Square at Christmas Ei Katsumata/Getty Images Facing the plaza, Macy's Union Square, the biggest department store west of New York City, stretches from Powell to Stockton along Geary and spills over into several nearby buildings. Continue to 6 of 11 below. 06 of 11 Maiden Lane Lonely Planet/Getty Images Maiden Lane runs into Union Square at Stockton. Despite its virginal-sounding name, in Gold Rush times, it was home to prostitutes. For foot traffic only, it's lined with art galleries and restaurants. Continue to 7 of 11 below. 07 of 11 Walk of Fame at Hotel Diva Betsy Malloy Photography This Walk of Fame features some of the Hotel Diva's celebrity guests. Among them are Joan Rivers, Angelica Huston, and Jermaine Jackson. This little walk of fame is at 440 Geary Blvd. Continue to 8 of 11 below. 08 of 11 Xanadu Gallery Betsy Malloy Photography Xanadu Gallery at 140 Maiden Lane is San Francisco's only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building, a precursor for the Guggenheim Museum. Continue to 9 of 11 below. 09 of 11 Neiman Marcus Betsy Malloy Photography At Stockton and Geary, Neiman Marcus preserves the old City of Paris department store's rotunda and magnificent stained-glass ceiling. Continue to 10 of 11 below. 10 of 11 Places of Note in the Union Square Area Robert Holmes/Getty Images Some of the nicest shops are on side streets. A few highlights: Geary Street: Britex Fabrics has a mind-boggling assortment of fabrics.Market Street: Near Powell Street and Market is San Francisco Shopping Center and Nordstrom's. The spiral escalators here are a destination in themselves. Continue to 11 of 11 below. 11 of 11 Map Adapted from Google Maps To print a full-sized version of this map of San Francisco Union Square, click the map and it will open a larger version. Or you can go to the interactive version. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email