An Ultimate Travel Guide to San Francisco [2026]

San Francisco is located at the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California. Surrounded by water on three sides, the city combines dramatic bay views, steep streets, historic neighborhoods, museums, parks, and iconic landmarks.

Spanish settlers established the Presidio and Mission Dolores in the late 18th century, and the city later grew rapidly during the California Gold Rush.

During the Gold Rush of the nineteenth century, arriving in San Francisco along with the gold seekers were a variety of corporate entrepreneurs, bankers, and others, providing the foundation for the economic development that would allow San Francisco to grow into the core city of the San Francisco Bay Area, with the economy and the arts evolving in tandem.

In San Francisco, see the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the popular Fisherman’s Wharf, and Union Square, as well as the artful attractions of the Painted Ladies, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the Walt Disney Family Museum.

You can also explore one of North America’s oldest and largest Chinatowns, taste local and international food at the Ferry Building Marketplace, and visit nearby parks and coastal viewpoints.

With several attractions spread out within the small area of San Francisco, you can fully explore the vibrancy and charm of the city with a reasonable route arrangement.

Once you’re done with your San Francisco city tour, be sure to check out the great places to go near San Francisco as well.

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What to see and do in San Francisco What can I do?

There are several top attractions and excursions in downtown San Francisco, spread out over several attractions:

• Golden Gate Bridge: A San Francisco landmark;
• Alcatraz Island: The site of many movies;
• Fisherman’s Wharf: Eat seafood and watch sea lions;
• Lombard Street: Possibly the most winding, sloping street in the world;
• Union Square: Historic square now serving as a shopping mall and surrounded by a sizable art gallery;
• Chinatown: The largest overseas Chinese community;
• The Palace of Fine Arts: A historical building of more than 100 years with a strong European flavor;
• Twin Peaks: San Francisco’s best-preserved natural geology with great views;
• Golden Gate Park: multiple venues in one park
• Ferry Building Marketplace: A large plaza where you can discover global cuisine;
• Cable Cars: Experience a historic street tour;

There are also several optional attractions that you can arrange to visit if you have enough time:

• Walt Disney Family Museum: Preserving a large number of rare manuscripts, this is a must-visit for Disney fans;
• Coit Tower: Old lighthouse with 360° views of the San Francisco cityscape;
• Painted Ladies: A unique collection of Victorian cottages;
• Oracle Park: Home of the San Francisco Giants, pick the right bleachers to get both ocean views and game scenes;
• Ocean Beach: San Francisco’s largest beach, where you can walk on the sand or surf in the ocean;

If you love the beach, consider visiting a few of the famous beaches around San Francisco:

• Baker Beach: A popular beach tucked behind the cliffs with panoramic views of The Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands.
• Ocean Beach: San Francisco’s longest beach, near the coastline there are a lot of giant rocks like mini islands standing in the sea, suitable for walking on the beach, playing beach volleyball, etc., but because the water temperature is cold year-round, and there is no coastal lifeguards, so it is not very suitable for swimming in the water.
• Crissy Field Beach: An open beach on a converted military airfield with soft golden sand and blue waters, with plenty of refreshment stalls, picnic areas, and restrooms.
• Pescadero State Beach: a quiet beach with dunes and cliffs in the community of Pescadero, across the coast from the Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve for nature and bird watching.
• Linda Mar Beach: With relatively uniform waves year-round, Linda Mar Beach is one of the favorite beaches for surfers, kayakers, and other sea sports enthusiasts.

Several attractions near downtown San Francisco are worth visiting:

• Golden Gate National Recreation Area: a wildlife refuge with hiking, picnicking, camping, ocean views and historic forts;
• Muir Woods National Monument: Take a walk through the mangrove forests of Gouda;
• Angel Island State Park: The largest island in San Francisco Bay, visit the island for great views;
• Half Moon Bay: The most familiar bay for Bay Area residents to shop for seafood and enjoy the ocean view;
• Stanford University: A world-renowned university for academic enthusiasts;

Best time to visit San Francisco?

The best time to visit San Francisco is from September to November, which is the warmest time of the year in San Francisco.

In summer, there are too many tourists and many attractions become crowded.

While spring is scenic, the changing weather makes traveling more of a hassle.

And San Francisco winters are too cold and rainy to travel with heavy clothing and rain gear.

Which planes fly directly to San Francisco?

The main airport in San Francisco is San Francisco International Airport and its airport code is SFO.

A car rental from the airport is about a 25-minute drive to downtown, or you can take the subway BART to get downtown.

The major airports and airlines in the United States that offer direct flights to San Francisco International Airport are:

What are the traffic and road conditions in San Francisco?

The main roads into San Francisco are Highway 101 running north and south, Highway 80 from the east, and Highway 280 from the south.

Self-driving is not recommended in downtown San Francisco because there are fewer parking spaces in the city, especially at popular attractions, and parking lots at malls and other places are more expensive. If you park on the street, you can easily get your car windows smashed due to law and order reasons, resulting in accidental damage.

In the city, you can choose to take an Uber, take the subway BART, public bus Muni, or ride a shared bike to different destinations for more convenience and flexibility.

It is also possible to ride the local specialty, Cable Cars, which are slower and have limited stops, so they are a better experience, see below for a description of the Cable Cars.

How are accommodations in San Francisco organized?

San Francisco’s hotels are concentrated in Union Square downtown and along the northern coastline in areas such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf.

In the city center, there are more hotel options, but security is low, especially in the area near City Hall, where there are a lot of homeless people.

If you live in the coastal area, you have a better view and more safety, but the transportation is not as convenient as the city center.

Union Square

#1. Omni San Francisco ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.2/10.0 495 reviews

#2. Orchard Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.0/10.0 513 reviews

#3. Club Donatello ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.0/10.0 710 reviews

#4. citizenM San Francisco Union Square ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.0/10.0 779 reviews

#5. Galleria Park Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.8/10.0 520 reviews

#6. w San Francisco ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.4/10.0 437 reviews

#7. San Francisco Marriott Marquis Union Square ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.4/10.0 2,337 reviews

#8. InterContinental San Francisco ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.3/10.0 2,056 reviews

#9. Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.4/10.0 1,785 reviews

#10. Grand Hyatt San Francisco Union Square ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.4/10.0 1,491 reviews

Golden Gate Bridge

#11. Travelodge by Wyndham Presidio San Francisco ⭐⭐ 8.3/10.0 787 reviews

#12. Marina Motel ⭐⭐⭐ 8.3/10.0 654条评价

#13. Infinity Hotel SF, Ascend Hotel Collection ⭐⭐⭐ 8.4/10.0 1,388条评价

#14. Greenwich Inn ⭐⭐ 8.1/10.0 1,304 reviews

#15. Cow Hollow Inn and Suites ⭐⭐⭐ 8.1 /10.0 2,399条评价

#16. Chelsea Inn ⭐⭐⭐ 8.3/10.0 2,370条评价

#17. Lombard Plaza Motel ⭐⭐ 8.1/10.0 1,051 reviews

#18. Coventry Motor Inn ⭐⭐⭐ 8.1/10.0 2,436条评价

#19. Seaside Inn ⭐⭐ 8.2/10.0 828 reviews

#20. Cavallo Point ⭐⭐⭐ 9.1/10.0 115条评价

Fisherman’s Wharf

#21. Hotel Zephyr San Francisco ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.2/10.0 2,597 reviews

#22. Riu Plaza Fisherman’s Wharf ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.1/10.0 5,928 reviews

#23. Hotel Zoe Fisherman’s Wharf ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.5/10.0 417 reviews

#24. San Remo Hotel ⭐⭐ 8.3/10.0 1,034 reviews

#25. Columbus Inn ⭐⭐⭐ 8.7/10.0 1,283条评价

#26. Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Fisherman’s Wharf ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.4/10.0 880 reviews

#27. Marriott Vacation Club Pulse, San Francisco ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.8/10.0 522 reviews

#28. Kimpton Alton Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.8/10.0 221 reviews

#29. Hotel Caza Fisherman’s Wharf ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.4/10.0 795 reviews

#30. Courtyard by Marriott Fishermans Wharf ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8.7/10.0 346 reviews

What are some good restaurants in San Francisco?

There are tons of restaurants in San Francisco with a variety of specialties, and the following are recommendations for restaurants that are both popular and have an excellent reputation:

San Francisco Chinese Food

1. Paletete Tea House 4.4/5.0 (1,104 reviews) Map: Located in the popular Fisherman’s Wharf area, Paletete Tea House features Hong Kong-style teas and sells Hong Kong-style snacks such as barbecued pork and scallop barbecue made from black pork.
2. 世家桂林米粉（Guilin Rice Noodles House） 4.2/5.0 (110 reviews) Map: makes authentic Guilin rice noodles, with a fresh broth with Q-bouncy rice noodles and authentic pickled bean curd.
3. AceKing BBQ: 4.2/5.0 (72 reviews) Map: a combination of lo mein plus jerk, for authentic domestic street food.
4. Shanxi knife-shaved noodles (Huangcheng Noodle House ) 4.4/5.0 (309 reviews) Map: noodle lover’s paradise, a variety of soup noodles, cold noodles, mixed noodles, with marinated meat, cucumber and radish shreds, soy sauce roasted pig’s ear is a masterpiece, the popularity of a very high Chinese restaurant.
5. Z&Y Restaurant 4.1/5.0 (2,152 reviews) Map: one of San Francisco’s most popular Chinese restaurants for Sichuan cuisine, with spicy chicken, duck blood in red broth, and fish head and pig brain soup, you can eat a lot of classic Sichuan dishes, seasoned with authenticity and spicy enough to be refreshing.
6. Green Vegetable Spicy Hot Pot (QingShu) 4.3/5.0 (71 reviews) Map: Located near Golden Gate Park, it is very popular and operates a traditional spicy hot pot, with self-selected ingredients, delicious soup, and small pots of rice noodles to eat, which is very sentimental.

Other Restaurants

#1. Sotto Mare 4.6/5.0 (2,897 reviews) map

#2. Delancey Street Restaurant 4.6/5.0 (1,268 reviews) map

#3. Cotogna 4.6/5.0 (1,241 reviews) map

#4. Rich Table 4.7/5.0 (1,153 reviews) map

#5. State Bird Provisions 4.6/5.0 (1,625 reviews) Maps

#6. Hog Island Oyster Co. 4.6/5.0 (2,412 reviews) map

#7. Waterbar Restaurant 4.5/5.0 (2,999 reviews) map

#8. Gary Danko 4.6/5.0 (1,763 reviews) map

#9. Kokkari Estiatorio 4.7/5.0 (2,289 reviews) map

#10. Brenda’s French Soul Food 4.5/5.0 (4,967 reviews) map

#11. Zazie 4.6/5.0 (2,700 reviews) map

#12. House of Prime Rib 4.7/5.0 (4,790 reviews) map

#13. Chez Maman East 4.7/5.0 (1,179 reviews) map

#14. Fog Harbor Fish House 4.5/5.0 (5,152 reviews) map

#15. Flour + Water 4.6/5.0 (1,262 reviews) map

#16. Sweet Maple 4.6/5.0 (3,276 reviews) Maps

#17. Hollywood Cafe 4.5/5.0 (1,947 reviews) map

#18. Tartine Manufactory 4.5/5.0 (2,934 reviews) map

#19. La Taqueria 4.6/5.0 (5,270 reviews) map

#20. Tony’s Pizza Napoletana 4.5/5.0 (5,667 reviews) map

#21. Roka Akor – San Francisco 4.5/5.0 (1,018 reviews) map

Tips

The most important thing to keep in mind when visiting San Francisco is the safety of your property, especially in the downtown area, near City Hall, there will be a lot of homeless travelers, some of whom may have mental illness issues, so try to avoid them.

Also, if driving yourself, try to park in an indoor parking lot, while always taking your finances with you when you leave.

Elsewhere, the weather in San Francisco is quite changeable, so it’s easier to travel with an all-in-one jacket, preferably with some waterproofing, to make it easier when you’re on the prowl.

All-in-one Jacket: San Francisco’s climate can be very changeable, especially if you’re traveling into Alcatraz, which can be much colder than downtown, so it’s easier to bring an all-in-one jacket.

San Francisco three-day itinerary

San Francisco has a relatively high concentration of major attractions, so you can cover most of the major sights in 2 to 3 days.

first day

Enter via the Golden Gate Bridge, visit The Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz Island, and stop for lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Afterwards, head to Lombard Street, Union Square, Chinatown, and in the evening eat in Chinatown or the Ferry Building Marketplace.

In the evening, go to Twin Peaks to see the sunset ocean view.

If interested in a baseball game and there is a game that night, head to Oracle Park.

the morrow

Spend the morning at Golden Gate Park.

In the afternoon, choose from several downtown attractions such as the Walt Disney Family Museum, Coit Tower, Painted Ladies, or Ocean Beach.

Or take a half-day trip north of downtown to several attractions such as the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument, or Angel Island State Park.

You can also take a half-day trip south of downtown to Half Moon Bay and Stanford University.

Attractions you can’t miss in San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8 / 5.0 (60,399 reviews)

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San Francisco’s landmark attraction, measuring 2,789 meters long and 27 meters wide, construction began in 1933 and took four years to complete. Whether it’s windy and sunny or misty weather, you can take beautiful photos.

Tours are available on foot, by bike, or by car. Walking and biking are free, but there is an $8.40 fee for biking as you enter San Francisco.

The Palace of Fine Arts

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.7 / 5.0 (19,323 reviews)

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The Palace of Fine Arts was originally built for the 1915 Pacific Universal Exposition, using the Roman ruins as inspiration for its construction, and then preserved and expanded to form the current Palace of Fine Arts.

Free admission to the Palace of Fine Arts for tours and photo ops.

Alcatraz Island

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.7 / 5.0 (32,181 reviews)

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The site of several movies, it was once a military fort and later a federal prison, after being closed in 1963, it was opened as a tourist attraction in 1973.

To visit, you must take a boat trip provided by Alcatraz Cruises at Pier 33, where you can pick up an interpretation device upon boarding the island, which offers a multilingual presentation, including voiceovers of former inmates and prison guards.

The entire tour lasts about three hours.

Fisherman’s Wharf

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.6 / 5.0 (8,483 reviews)

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Fisherman’s Wharf, also known as Pier 39, started as an Italian fisherman’s hangout and became a popular attraction as San Francisco’s tourism industry grew.

It offers a large number of seafood restaurants, as well as Italian and French restaurants, where you can enjoy seafood while admiring the ocean view, or see sea lions lazily sunbathing on the shore.

There are also several venues to visit in the vicinity, such as the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, the Musée Mécanique, and Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

Lombard Street

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.7 / 5.0 (594 reviews)

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Arguably the world’s most twisting section of the ramp, with a total of eight sharp bends, is adorned with flowers during the summer months, allowing for beautiful photographs to be taken from multiple angles.

You can tour the ramp on foot or drive to experience what it’s like to drive on this quirky road.

Union Square

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.4 / 5.0 (29,956 reviews)

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It is part of the downtown area of San Francisco, and the square is surrounded by a number of shopping centers. On different festivals, there will be different decorations or performances in the square. It is a good place to visit for a short period.

Near Union Square is the Museum of Modern Art ( SFMOMA), second only to the New York Museum of Art in size, with seven floors and a collection of more than 1.5W pieces, which you can visit if you are interested in art.

Chinatown

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.3 / 5.0 (7,959 reviews)

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San Francisco’s Chinatown, one of the oldest in North America, was severely damaged in the 1906 earthquake, then rebuilt according to the design of the residents with a more Chinese flavor than before, and gradually became one of the oldest and most important Chinatowns in North America.

With several temples, theaters, small stores, antique stores, and Chinese restaurants and teahouses, Chinatown is one of the must-visit attractions for both Chinese and foreign tourists visiting San Francisco.

Ferry Building Marketplace

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.6 / 5.0 (27,794 reviews)

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At the Ferry Building Marketplace, you can find almost every kind of specialty from around the world, whether you want to savor it as an afternoon snack or enjoy it as a full meal, you can do it all here at an affordable price.

Twin Peaks

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.7 / 5.0 (11,735 reviews)

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The best preserved natural landscape in the San Francisco area. Climbing to the top along the trail gives you a 360-degree view of downtown San Francisco, as well as the opportunity to watch the sunrise or sunset.

A nighttime climb to the top provides a view of the sparkling night lights in the city, but safety precautions need to be taken.

Golden Gate Park

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8 / 5.0 (41,761 reviews)

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Golden Gate Park is a rectangular park, completely free of charge, and is the largest man-made park in the world, spanning 53 entire streets and containing over 5,000 species of plants and trees, multiple lakes, horse trails, and more.

Upon entering the park, there are many venues including the California Academy of Sciences, Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, de Young Museum, and Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden Botanical Gardens. Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, etc. Separate fees may apply for admission to different venues.

San Francisco Cable Cars

The cable cars first started operating in 1873 to help the residents of the time to travel between the hills, and then as the city grew, the local government kept a few of them as tourist experiences, and in 1964 they were declared a public transportation system belonging to the historical monuments to distinguish them from the general public transportation system.

You can check out the running routes and buy tickets etc. on the official website of the Cable Car, which currently runs to several popular attractions including Fisherman’s Wharf and the Ferry Building.

Walt Disney Family Museum

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.6 / 5.0 (3,091 reviews)

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This is the Disney founder’s personal museum, which is set up with 16 rooms documenting his life and family, as well as the original Mickey Mouse animation techniques, and several pairs of rare manuscripts.

The museum is near the Palace of Fine Arts, so stop by sometime.

Coit Tower

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.6 / 5.0 (11,131 reviews)

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Built on top of Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower offers a 360-degree view of the city opposite the Twin Peaks, as well as views of the city of San Francisco and the islands and ocean in the bay.

It will be decorated with colorful lights at night.

Painted Ladies

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.4 / 5.0 (19,349 reviews)

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The Painted Ladies are a few small Victorian-style colorful houses that are a reminder of San Francisco’s colonial past, making them a great way to take photos.

Oracle Park

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.7 / 5.0 (23,261 reviews)

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The home field site of the San Francisco baseball team, the Giants, hosts a variety of national and international baseball games. The field is built on the waterfront and if you purchase seats along the 1st or 3rd baseline or behind home plate, you can enjoy both the ocean view and the game.

The venue also offers guided tours that last about 90 minutes.

Ocean Beach

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.7 / 5.0 (1,265 reviews)

Google Mapsss

One of the largest beaches in the northwest corner of downtown San Francisco, it’s quieter than the hustle and bustle of the south, so it’s good for a walk on the beach, and it’s got big waves, so it’s good for surfers, but not so good for swimming.

Baker Beach

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.7 / 5.0 (1,6387 reviews)

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A beach tucked behind the cliffs offers panoramic views of The Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands, as well as beautiful sunset views at dusk, while to the north there are large areas of scrub and flowers that make for beautiful scenic photographs from a variety of angles.

The waves here are quite big and the sea temperature is very low, there are no lifeguards, so it is not recommended to swim in the water, you can walk on the beach or watch aquatic animals and birds, etc.

San Francisco Neighborhood Attractions

Golden Gate National Recreation Area (金门國家休憩區)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.7 / 5.0 (16,647 reviews)

Official websiteaddress｜Google Mapss

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a huge nature preserve covering about 600 square miles with a wide range of natural flora and fauna, which can be enjoyed by picnicking, hiking, or camping, as well as visiting historic Fort Baker, which was commandeered by the U.S. Army as an Army post in the 1920s. From the park you can also get a panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Muir Woods National Monument (MWNM)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8 / 5.0 (13,918 reviews)

OfficialWebsite｜Google Mapss

Also known as the Muir Sequoia Forest, the park has a dense concentration of towering redwood trees, some of which are over 1,200 years old and stand a whopping 260 feet tall. You can visit these tall redwood trees or take a walk or picnic in the park.

Angel Island State Park

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 / 5.0 (210 reviews)

OfficialWebsite｜Google Mapss

Angel Island is the largest natural island in San Francisco Bay, and you can get there on the Golden Gate Ferry from Pier 41 in downtown San Francisco. Once on the island, you can hike and ride around the island and take in the breathtaking views of the surrounding area.

The island also offers picnic and camping areas, as well as the opportunity to sunbathe on the many sandy beaches, making it a relatively quiet and relaxing destination compared to downtown San Francisco.

Half Moon Bay

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.1 / 5.0 (21 reviews)

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Half Moon Bay is a bay in the shape of a half moon, and residents throughout the Bay Area come here on weekends and other occasions to rest and play.

A variety of stores have opened along the bay, including those offering amusement rides and food and drink, while fresh seafood is also sold, offering better value for money.

Stanford University

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.6 / 5.0 (3,489 reviews)

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The famous American university, is located in Silicon Valley, so in addition to visiting Stanford University, you can also see the headquarters of technology giants Google, Intel Apple, etc. It is a must-visit hit point for academic enthusiasts and IT enthusiasts.

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