It is no wonder then that it has inspired poets to wax lyrical. "San Francisco has only one drawback. T'is hard to leave," wrote Rudyard Kipling. Veteran television anchorman Walter Cronkite seemed to agree: "Leaving San Francisco is like saying goodbye to an old sweetheart. You want to linger as long as possible." What is it about the city that captivates residents and visitors alike?

Dylan Thomas explained it: "You wouldn't think such a place as San Francisco could exist. The wonderful sunlight there, the hills, the great bridges, the Pacific at your shoes. Beautiful Chinatown. Every race in the world. The sardine fleets sailing out. The little cable-cars whizzing down the city hills. And all the people are open and friendly." More recently, evangelist Billy Graham said: "The Bay Area is so beautiful, I hesitate to preach about heaven while I'm here."

With these descriptions ringing in my ears, I set off to discover the city for myself. I decided to treat myselfin my ears to a room at the Fairmont Hotel for a night and then move to less pricey option for another three nights. With a panoramic view of the bay from its perch on Nob Hill, the Fairmont is located at the only spot in San Francisco where each of the city's cable car lines meet.

As I entered the lobby bedecked with crystal chandeliers, marble floors and giant marble columns, it was like walking onto a movie set. I had booked a room in the original 1906 building. Although a new 24-storey tower block has better views, I wanted to experience the charm of the old building.

My second choice of hotel was the Pickwick Hotel, another old-fashioned hotel. Built in art deco style and transformed into an affordable boutique hotel, it is close to Union Square and the cable car turnaround centre. Features that attracted me to the hotel was that it is 100% smoke-free (including all guestrooms) and offers wireless internet throughout the property.

On my first afternoon and evening, I had arranged to meet friends who had moved from New York to the city, so I was interested to learn from them how San Francisco measured up as a place to live. "Very different, but totally addictive," was the general verdict. It was less flashy than New York and much less superficial than Los Angeles, they said, but had a feeling of gentle style.

With its large gay community, San Francisco also embraces off-beat innovation and remains at the cutting edge of fashion, technology and, not surprisingly, cuisine. Later, as I wondered through the streets capturing images on my video camera, I realised that it is difficult not to get a good view of the city. The hills provides amazing views, with the Golden Gate Bridge and the sparkling bay the perfect backdrops. It is not surprising that so many movies are filmed here.

I had made a list of four things I wanted to do while in San Francisco. Topping that was a visit to Alcatraz, the prison set on an island in the middle of the bay. I had watched the movie, "Escape from Alcatraz" and read a few books on life in the jail, so I found it fascinating to tour the rundown buildings.

Until it was closed in 1963, the prison housed some of America's most famous criminals, including Al Capone. Stuck in the icy ocean, the harsh tides and hungry sharks made escape impossible. With a taped guide to accompany me, I walked through the deserted cellblocks and thought of the convicts who had been incarcerated here. I imagined them looking at San Francisco in the distance and dreaming up escape plans. I learnt that the island's first role had been as a lighthouse. It still operates and is the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States.

My second must-see was the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the biggest art deco constructions, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world when it was completed in 1937. The bridge has six lanes of traffic with two walkways and, on average, 100,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day. It has become the symbol of San Francisco.

I was surprised to find that it is painted an orange colour. It is known as 'international orange' and was selected to blend with the natural environment, while remaining visible in the fog. The bridge has been declared one of the modern wonders of the world and is regarded as the most photographed bridge on the planet.

The bridge is also known for the number of suicides. The official count was discontinued in 1995 as the number of suicides approached 1000. The number of attempts has declined since then, with only 34 confirmed suicides last year. Among the measures taken include a crisis telephone hotline on the bridge and closing it to pedestrians at night.

Fisherman's Wharf is the city's most popular attraction, especially with families. It is the location of Pier 39, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Ghirardelli Square, a Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, the Musée Mécanique, Wax Museum, and many restaurants and clubs. If you do anything here, make sure you try the most famous dish - dungeness crab and clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl.

On my last day I finally made it to my final must-see destination - Chinatown. Other Chinese areas I have visited around the world have been strongly influenced by their new locations. Not so in San Francisco. To me, it seemed like a Chinese community had been plucked straight out of China and placed here. The sounds, smells and sights were uniquely Chinese. Maybe this is because an estimated 30,000 Chinese live here - the largest Chinese community outside of Asia. I can only imagine the spectacular festivities during the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Five days in San Francisco was not enough. I could feel myself being drawn into the languid, carefree lifestyle. Lunches at small cafes would drift into the afternoon. I could happily spend a day writing emails at a pavement cafe, with new friends dropping by. I found people genuinely happy to debate issues and challenge their own views. To me, it was like a breath of fresh air. I think the poets may be correct: San Francisco is a hard place to leave.