Famous San Francisco Streets: 20 Must-Sees for Your Visit

It’s one of San Francisco’s most famous streets, and for good reason. Lombard’s block-long section between Hyde and Leavenworth in the city’s Russian Hill neighborhood attracts millions of tourists annually, thanks to the eight hairpin turns that makes it one of the “crookedest streets” in the world. This zig-zagging design was done as a way to reduce the hill’s natural 27 percent grade for vehicular traffic, making it easier (and less anxiety-inducing!) to descend. Join the line of cars snaking down this red brick street at approximately 5 mph, or opt for a workout by ascending or descending the 250 step (give or take) staircases on either side of the stretch on foot. The Powell-Hyde cable car stops at the top of the block on Hyde Street, offering superb views of San Francisco Bay and Telegraph Hill. 

Explore Lombard Street

California Street is one of the longest streets in San Francisco, but it’s along the eastern stretch that this bay-to-beach thoroughfare really shines. Beginning at the Embarcadero, the roadway cuts through the city’s skyscraper-laden Financial District and rises through Chinatown, offering Instagrammable views of the Bay Bridge as it makes its way upwards toward one of San Francisco’s most classic neighborhoods: Nob Hill. Once here, you can take in breathtaking vistas from Top of the Mark, located on the 19th floor of the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, explore the French Gothic-style Grace Cathedral, or spend an evening sipping mai tais at the tiki-themed Tonga Room, tucked away in the basement of the Fairmont Hotel. Hop aboard the California Street Cable Car for the full San Francisco experience. 

Running north-south through the heart of the Mission District, this vibrant corridor combines the colorfulness of San Francisco's Latino community with creative cocktail bars, hip restaurants, and one-of-a-kind  boutiques, not to mention plenty of parklets for enjoying the neighborhood’s perennial sunshine. Choose from eateries ranging from old-school taquerias to modern Vietnamese, explore unique storefronts like Paxton’s Gate (an oddities shop filled with glass-framed butterflies and moonstone rings), or take a detour along art-filled Clarion Alley, just south of 17th Street. Both easily walkable and bikable, Valencia Street is just a short stroll from two BART stations. 

Explore The Mission

A highlight on most visitors’ agenda is San Francisco’s Chinatown and with it, Grant Avenue—a stimulating, mostly one-way stretch adorned with hanging lanterns, pagoda roofs, and dragon-style street lamps, housing art galleries, dim sum eateries, and large emporiums stocked with porcelain tea sets and maneki-neko (waving cat) figurines. It’s one of Chinatown’s most historic streets, easily identifiable by the iconic Dragon Gate that stands at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Bush Street, marking the neighborhood's southern entrance. Don’t miss the Far East Cafe, a more-than-century-old banquet hall dishing out Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine in a throwback setting of tables outfitted with lazy susans and curtained-off booths, and the colorful Chinatown Kite Shop, brimming with wind wheels, air foils, box kites, and more. 

Explore Chinatown

As North Beach’s main artery, Columbus Avenue is a favorite among both residents and travelers for its sidewalk cafes, nightlife, and unique architecture. This lively street cuts diagonally through the heart of San Francisco’s “Little Italy,” running from Jackson Square, a small historic neighborhood where Michelin-star restaurants and high-end retail shops exist in a Gold Rush-era setting, to Fisherman’s Wharf. Its blocks are lined with cannoli-filled bakeries and eateries serving up plates of lasagna and plenty of wine, as well as Washington Square Park, a community gathering place easily identifiable by the twin spires of neighboring Saints Peter and Paul Church. Additional must-sees include the copper-green, Flatiron-style Sentinel Building, and independent bookstore City Lights, located just across Jack Kerouac Alley from Vesuvio Cafe, a famed haunt of the Beat Generation.

San Francisco’s Marina District dates back to the early 20th century, a place of Art Deco architecture and waterfront views. Chestnut Street is the Marina’s main commercial stretch, a walkable strip of restaurants and cafes, boutiques and retail centers (you’ll find everything from a William-Sonoma to an Apple Store), and even a couple of historic movie theaters. Just a half-mile walk from the Palace of Fine Arts, a Greco-Roman inspired venue originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the street also boasts some stand-out gems of its own. These include award-winning, family-owned Italian restaurant A16, and Lucca Delicatessen, a mainstay of imported Italian products and handcrafted sandwiches for over 80 years. 

Explore The Marina

It’s one of San Francisco’s most iconic stretches, the two-block part of Steiner Street between Hayes and Fulton streets that’s known as “postcard row.” This is where you’ll find the city’s legendary Painted Ladies, six three-story Queen Anne Victorians built in the late 19th century and each adorned with decorated rooflines, a small entry porch, and their own unique color scheme. San Francisco’s skyline rises in the distance behind them, creating a stunning juxtaposition between old and new. On the west side of the street sits Alamo Square, a grassy hilltop park that offers the best vintage point for photographing the homes. While here, be sure and check out the Eastlake-style William Westerfeld House on the park’s northwest corner. This mansion is another great example of San Francisco’s storied architectural treasures. 

For years, San Francisco’s Great Highway was a four-lane coastal boulevard carrying traffic along the city’s western edge. However, two miles of this long boulevard have been closed to traffic, transforming the stretch of roadway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard into a 17-acre park. The Great Highway offers easy access to Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Zoo, and Ocean Beach. It’s also home to the Beach Chalet, the perfect place for fish and chips, brews, and prime Pacific views. 

As the epicenter of the hippie movement of the 1960s, San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury community has long been a hub of counterculture beliefs. Haight Street remains the neighborhood’s main hub, although these days its plethora of vintage clothing stores butt up against smoke shops, collectible stores, and slice houses. Along with the legendary corner of Haight and Ashbury, this stretch of Haight is home to Amoeba Music, one of the largest independent record stores on the planet, and restaurants like Alembic, where handcrafted cocktails and gourmet bites go hand-in-hand. Pick up your picnic eats at Gus’s Community Market or pay homage to the neighborhood’s rich music (think Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead) and cultural legacy at Love on Haight, a tie-dye emporium. 

Explore Haight-Ashbury

With its rainbow flags, colorful storefronts, and iconic Castro Theater marquee, San Francisco’s Castro District is loud, proud, and full of life. Castro Street is at the heart of this vibrant neighborhood, one known for being the center of the gay community. Along these main three blocks, you’ll find restaurants and bars, clothing boutiques, a bookstore with a huge LGBTQ+ section, and even a queer-focused art gallery in a former camera shop once owned by Harvey Milk, one of the country’s first openly gay politicians. Cliff’s Variety is a neighborhood mainstay—part fabric and hardware store, part kitschy gift shop. For a throwback to the days of classic highball cocktails (and some great people watching), swing by Twin Peak’s Tavern on the corner of Castro and Market streets. 

Explore The Castro

You’ll find some of the best views of San Francisco from atop Twin Peaks, the dual 900-plus-foot hillsides located smack dab in the city’s geographic center. Along with sweeping vistas (on a clear day) of SF’s main sights, including the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and Market Street, this designated parkland is awash with native flora and happens to be one of the few remaining habitats for the endangered Mission blue butterfly, an iridescent beauty. Twin Peaks Boulevard is the best way to reach the main hilltop. It’s a winding stretch that caters to both cars and bicycles. Once at the peak, there’s a small network of hiking trails, but it’s the 360-degree scenery that is most impressive. 

Explore Twin Peaks