San Francisco's northern waterfront packs more history into a single walk than most cities manage in an entire district.

This self-guided audio tour starts at the Palace of Fine Arts, a romantic rotunda. You'll stroll past the restored tidal marsh of Crissy Field, along rehabilitated coastal dunes, and through the grounds of the former Presidio military base, learning how this land passed from Spanish colonizers to Mexican authorities to the US Army before becoming a national park.

As you walk towards the Golden Gate Bridge, you'll hear stories of its construction during the Great Depression. The tour ends at Fort Point, the only brick fort on the West Coast, built in 1861 directly beneath where the bridge now stands. Its four levels of cannons, Civil War-era exhibits, and rooftop views of the bridge from below make it an extraordinary final stop.

This walk rewards the curious – bring layers, as the wind choices up near the bridge.