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Black and white photo of urban architecture in Chinatown with iconic Asian motifs.
Colorful Chinatown street view featuring traditional Chinese lanterns and vibrant architecture.
Colorful lanterns hang above a Chinatown alley in San Francisco.
Photo by Hner Zibari on Pexels
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North AmericaUnited StatesCalifornia

Chinatown

California, United States · North America

About Chinatown

Chinatown works well as a base: 10 minutes from Mission District, 19km from Muir Woods National Monument.

Chinatown is in California, United States, with about 100,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Mission District, about 4 km away.

Where to Stay in Chinatown

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Explore the Area

Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Chinatown.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is there to see near Chinatown?

Within an hour or so of Chinatown: Exploratorium (1 km), Coit Tower (1 km), Alcatraz Island (4 km), California Academy of Sciences (6 km).

Are there any good drives near Chinatown?

The nearest famous roads are 17-Mile Drive.

Where is Chinatown?

Chinatown is in California, United States, about 4 km from Mission District.

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What's nearby?

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Places within a drive of Chinatown. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.

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Quick Information

Population
100,574
Continent
North America
Country
United States
Region
California
Timezone
America/Los_Angeles
Coordinates
37.7966, -122.4086

Emergency & Services

Essential numbers in United States

Police
911
Ambulance
911
Fire
911
Driving side
right

AAA roadside assistance: 1-800-222-4357. Right turn on red is legal in most states unless signed otherwise.

Full driving guide for United States

Tags

North AmericaUnited StatesCaliforniaCity

Worth the detour from Chinatown

8 notable places within an hour's drive.

museum

Exploratorium

A pioneering hands-on science museum on San Francisco's waterfront that inspired interactive museums worldwide.

1 km · about 5 min drive

landmark

Coit Tower

Art Deco observation tower on Telegraph Hill offering 360-degree views of San Francisco, the bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

1 km · about 5 min drive

landmark

Alcatraz Island

Notorious former federal penitentiary on a rocky island in San Francisco Bay that once held America's most dangerous criminals.

4 km · about 5 min drive

museum

California Academy of Sciences

A unique museum combining an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum under a living green roof in Golden Gate Park.

6 km · about 10 min drive

bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

The Art Deco suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait in famous International Orange; drive, cycle, or walk it, with classic viewpoints at Battery Spencer and Fort Point.

7 km · about 10 min drive

national park

Muir Woods National Monument

An ancient old-growth coast redwood forest just north of San Francisco, offering peaceful trails beneath towering thousand-year-old trees.

19 km · about 20 min drive

tunnel

Tom Lantos Tunnels (Devil's Slide)

Twin highway tunnels that bypass the notorious Devil's Slide cliffs on Highway 1 south of Pacifica; the old clifftop roadbed is now a spectacular coastal trail.

26 km · about 30 min drive

racetrack

Sonoma Raceway

A challenging road course set among the rolling hills of California wine country, hosting NASCAR and IndyCar events.

41 km · about 45 min drive

Driving roads near Chinatown

  • Right hereGolden Gate BridgeThe Art Deco suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait in famous International Orange; drive, cycle, or walk it, with classic viewpoints at Battery Spencer and Fort Point.
  • 26 kmTom Lantos Tunnels (Devil's Slide)Twin highway tunnels that bypass the notorious Devil's Slide cliffs on Highway 1 south of Pacifica; the old clifftop roadbed is now a spectacular coastal trail.

Nearby Destinations

Other places to explore near Chinatown.

San Francisco

🇺🇸 United States

3 km awayPop. 827,526

Mission District

🇺🇸 United States

4 km awayPop. 47,234

Noe Valley

🇺🇸 United States

6 km awayPop. 22,893

Bayview-Hunters Point

🇺🇸 United States

8 km awayPop. 34,835

Visitacion Valley

🇺🇸 United States

9 km awayPop. 22,534

Parkside

🇺🇸 United States

9 km awayPop. 16,874

Tiburon

🇺🇸 United States

10 km awayPop. 9,214

Sausalito

🇺🇸 United States

10 km awayPop. 7,156

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Data sources:GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)•Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)•Mapbox•Photography: George Lawrence