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Lombard Street in San Francisco: Tips to Visit the Famous SF Crooked Street
By: Jill Loeffler • Updated: September 8, 2025
Lombard Street in San Francisco is one of the most crooked streets in the city. This one-block stretch zig-zags downhill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, making eight tight turns. It's on the northern side of the city in the Russian Hill district.
Jill's Five Things to Know Before You Visit
How Long to Visit: This is pretty quick photo stop with iconic SF views, but you can easily connect it to a cable car ride into town or a walk through Fisherman's Wharf or North Beach.
Cost to Visit: While the city once considered charging drivers a fee to drive down it, this is a free public street and open 24 hours a day.
When to Visit: The best lighting for photos is in the morning. It's also less crowded.
How to Get There: Many people hop off the Powell-Hyde cable car route right at the top of this crooked street. From there, you can walk down the steps on either side.
Best Views: From the top, you'll get sweeping views of the bay, Alcatraz Island, and Coit Tower. From the bottom, you'll get your postcard-perfect photos of the garden-lined red-brick curves.
Why is Lombard Street so famous? It's famous for two reasons.
The first reason is that its tight turns are unique and not how most roads are built. It makes for a fun experience for both those driving or walking down it.
The second reason this windy street in San Francisco draws in millions every year is its beauty. The road is paved with red brick and surrounded by colorful plants and flowers. This combination makes for a picture-perfect moment for anyone visiting SF on vacation.
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Table of Contents
History of Lombard Street San Francisco
How did it get this way? In the 1920s, many residents on the street were interested in buying cars. The problem was they couldn't drive down such a steep hill (27% grade). One of the residents had the idea to decrease the grade by creating turns in the road.
When it originally opened, cars could drive both ways on the crooked road. This created some challenges, so they eventually turned it into a one way heading east, which is downhill.
Today, more than 2 million cars drive down it yearly. In fact, the city even recently proposed charging people to drive down it during busy times of the day. However, this was rejected and it's still free to walk or drive down Lombard Street San Francisco.
Did You Know? Even though Lombard Street San Francisco is often referred to as the "Crookedest Street in the World," it isn't. It isn't even the crookedest street in San Francisco! That title goes to Vermont Street in SF's Potrero Hill District. However, people still flock to Lombard Street due to its beautiful brick road, colorful gardens, and bay views.
Lombard Street Visiting Tips
A visit to this San Francisco crooked street is quick. The only thing to do here is either walk or drive down this steep hill. However, it is easy to get to and is close to several other San Francisco attractions.
This is a picture I took at the bottom of the hill at Lombard and Leavenworth St. This is the classic shot of the crooked street.Both driving down and walking give you a great sense of the tight turns on it. I've done both numerous times and each one offers a very different experience. Driving is great if you already have a car, but I wouldn't recommend renting one just for this drive.
Most people arrive on foot or by public transit. By just by watching cars drive down it, you will get a sense for what it takes to make those tight turns!
This is where you will find Lombard Street. It's close to both Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach.
The best way to enter this crooked section of Lombard Street in San Francisco is to start at the top of the hill. This entrance is at Lombard and Hyde Streets in the Russian Hill district.
This is where cars enter to drive down and where you can access the stairs that lead to the bottom of this SF attraction.
Tips for those Driving Down Lombard Street San Francisco
Driving down this zig zag, windy road is an interesting experience. The speed limit is only 5 miles per hour and it's tough to go any faster. Once you enter this crooked section of the street, it will only take you a couple of minutes to get to the bottom.
You are not allowed to stop or get out of your car at the bottom if you drive down. This allows for the traffic to continue to flow down the street.
Here are just a few things to know if you plan to drive down it.
- How much does it cost to go down Lombard Street? Right now, it's free to drive down.
- When is it open? It's open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as it's currently a public street.
- How long will I have to wait in line? On weekends and during the heart of the day, you will sometimes have to wait up to 20 to 30 minutes for your turn.
Keep in mind that you will be sitting on a section of road this is almost as steep as this one. This can be challenging if you are driving a car with a manual transmission.
With an automatic, you will also find that your car will roll backward just a bit as you make your way up this street. Make sure you are comfortable with your car and how it acts on steep hills before you get in line.
Also make sure you don't get too close to the car in front of you as they will roll down toward you as well. It's best to keep your distance to stay safe! - When is the best time to visit if I'm driving? The best time is early in the mornings, late afternoon, or anytime in the evening during the week.
- Where do I go to get in line? Online maps aren't always a good option to get you here when you drive as you can't turn either right or left off Hyde Street onto Lombard Street.
This is the case even if there isn't a line of traffic. You will need to drive up Lombard Street from Van Ness Street or from Polk Street.
The map below shows you where the line forms. The red line is where cars line up to go down. It also shows you the two best entrances as most people won't let you cut in line.
On busy days, this popular attraction draws in almost 20,000 people!
Tips for Walking Down
This is what the sidewalk looks like going down Lombard Street alongside the curved road. Check out the views!For those walking down the hill, there is a set of stairs on both sides, so you can easily make your way down on foot. I love this option as it gives you more time to really check out this wonderful, crooked street.
You can stop and take pictures. You can also just stand back and watch the cars try to make their way through the curves.
You also must stay on the sidewalk. You are not allowed to walk onto the street itself as it's too dangerous.
If you plan to walk down, the best time to arrive is early to mid-morning. This is when you won't (usually) have as much foot traffic. It also faces east, so this is when you will have the best sunlight on it for pictures.
When you get to the bottom, you will get the classic picture you see above.
Make sure you don't stand in the street when you get to the bottom. There are people driving on these streets, so make sure you stay aware of your surroundings. You would be surprised at the number of people that stand in the middle of the street blocking traffic.
Lombard Street San Francisco is also free for those walking down the stairs.
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Tours of Lombard Street San Francisco
If you want to learn more about this famous attraction, there are several tours offered that include a visit in their itinerary. Here are a few top options.
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
One of the best ways to get between top attractions in SF is the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour. This tour includes stops all around the city, including one on Lombard Street as well as other top attractions, like the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, and Alamo Square.
The Lombard Street stop is at 1599 Lombard Street, which is five blocks west of the crooked block. The last two blocks before you reach Lombard and Hyde are STEEP, so make sure to take your time.
The 2-day ticket is the most popular Hop-On Hop-Off tour. The buses run from 10 am to 6 pm daily, about every 15 to 20 minutes. This gives you plenty of time to check out top stops and learn more about them as you cruise around SF.
>> Learn more about their 1- and 2-day tours
San Francisco Love Tour
Hop aboard a groovy '70s-era VW bus and then sit back, relax, and enjoy this fun, two-hour tour of San Francisco. You will learn all about SF's history and our top attractions on this small-group tour.
They'll take you down Lombard Street in this funky van, so you get to take pictures as someone else drives!
Other places you will see on this tour include the Golden Gate Bridge, the Haight-Ashbury, Union Square, Chinatown, and more! Since it's a smaller tour van, you will get to drive along streets where larger tour buses are not allowed.
>> Visit Viator for additional tour details and to check for availability
Lombard Leap: Lombard Street, Coit Tower, and SF Tour
This small group tour is short and sweet (only about 30-45 minutes long), but gives you the opportunity to ride down the crookedest street and take in several sights from the open-air car.
After being driven down those eight tight turns of Lombard Street, you'll continue to soak in the bay views and historic charm of Russian Hill. You will then take in the sounds and aromas of San Francisco's Little Italy and Chinatown, and finally enjoy a photo stop at Coit Tower for panoramic vistas.
Your tour starts and ends at Dylan's Tours in our charming North Beach neighborhood.
>> Book this fun short tour of Lombard Street and beyond
How to Get to Lombard Street San Francisco
Cable Car from Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf
A fun way to get over to the crooked part of Lombard Street is by taking a cable car. The Powell-Hyde line drops you right at the top on Hyde Street. You can then explore it and hop back on to head to your next adventure.
They don't offer transfers, so you will have to pay if you hop off here and decide to hop back on to make your way along the route towards downtown.
More Options from Fisherman's Wharf: The western side of Fisherman's Wharf is just a few blocks from Lombard Street San Francisco. Rather than taking the cable car, you can walk.
- Walk: If you decide to walk, your best option is to take either North Point or Bay Street to Leavenworth. This gets you to the bottom of Lombard—but it's an easier walk than the steep hill on Hyde from the waterfront. When you arrive, you can then take the steps up Lombard to see the beautiful views at the top.
From Union Square: If you are coming from Union Square, you can either take a cable car, a bus, or a taxi/Uber/Lyft.
- Cable Car: You'll take the same Powell-Hyde route described above, but going the opposite direction, and get off at the top of Lombard Street.
- Bus: There are a few buses that get you within a couple of blocks of Lombard. Your first option is the 30-Stockton. Take this through North Beach to Columbus and Lombard. You can also take the 45-Union bus. Get off at Union and Leavenworth and walk up Leavenworth to Lombard. Either will take you about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Taxi/Uber/Lyft: You can also take a cab over to Lombard from Union Square. This takes about 10 minutes and will cost around $15 to $20. You can then head down to North Beach to pick up another taxi for your return trip.
Hi, I’m Jill!
I’ve been sharing San Francisco travel advice since 2009 and have helped millions of people explore the city like a local. Whether you’re dreaming of sea lions, cable cars, or a great sourdough bread bowl, I’m here to help you plan an unforgettable trip with real tips from someone who actually lives here.
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