Coit Tower San Francisco

Coit Tower San Francisco: One of the best places or look-out spots to discover an amazing panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-5pm ;
Address: 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd, San Francisco, CA, 94133;
Phone: 415-362-0808

Directions: Get directions on Google Map to Coit Tower San Francisco from your location.
If taking the BART, get off on the Montgomery or Embarcadero station and keep on going UP (meaning the building address numbers should increase as you walk) until you reach a flight of stairs called the Filbert Steps (there will not be a sign that says that, but you'll see a flowery-gardeny kind of place with a flight of stairs).
Continue going up the steps until you see a sign that says "174 more steps to the Coit Tower". Rest here and look at the amazing view. Then continue on up to the Coit Tower!
Approximate walking time for me to get there is about an hour... (eek, I know, but trust me, public transportation and walking is the way to go!)

More on the Coit Tower San Francisco...

The Coit Tower is also known as the Lillian Coit Memorial Tower. It stands 210 feet tall and was built by architect Arthur Brown Jr.

It was built in 1933 at the request and funding of Lillie Hitchcock Coit (a famous, wealthy firefighter and benefactor of SF) to further improve the beauty of the city that she loved.

Murals were also painted in the interior of the lower portion of the building by local artists funded through the US Government's Public Works of Art Project.

Parking: Parking is free for Coit Tower San Francisco (but usually filled). However, public transportation (through BART or Bus 39 or walking) is recommended!

Admission: $7/person; tickets (more like a receipt) are bought at the cashier right when you enter.

What is there to do in Coit Tower San Francisco?

Ok, gotta be honest with you...Not much to do in the tower but look at some amazing views of the city and some wonderful murals...

But...I will make a list of things for you to do here:

Outside of the Coit Tower, overlook the view of the bay through the scopes, or take a bunch of pictures.
Buy some food on the food stand (ice cream, chips, etc...) outside of the building and enjoy a mini picnic overlooking the bay!
Take a look at the murals on the first floor of the building and fascinate yourself with some amazing artwork, lol.
SHOP (oooh!) at their little Coit Tower San Francisco souvenir shop and buy some awesome things to take home.
Take the old-school, old fashioned/antique looking elevator up to the top while bugging the elevator dude that is supposedly going to give you a mini history lesson, lol.
At the top, look at the view from each window, look at the clear sky on the roof-les top, and take more pictures.
Wonder how the coins got on the windowsill, lol (the windows are locked - maybe to prevent suicide attempts?).
Take more pictures, spend some time up there, dance, do whatever to get your $7 worth, haha.

My Experience with Coit Tower San Francisco

One of the lovely murals in the Coit Tower San Francisco that you'll see right before you enter the shop to buy the tickets.

Me looking out the window.
See the coins, see them?
How'd they get there? lol

My boyfriend and I took the BART here, got off on Embarcadero and headed up to Montgomery until we hit the Filbert Steps and climbed up to Telegraph Hill.

I'm not going to lie, the adventure of going to the destination was funner (is that even a word, lol) than the attraction itself. It took us about a good hour to get there

but the outdoors, the fresh air, the spectacular views we encountered heading there were well worth it.

Anyway, when we finally got there (all out of breath), we walked around the parking area where you can overlook the view of the bay and the city, and took a bunch of pictures.

We finally walked in the building, turned right and saw some beautiful artwork right when we walked in. We then purchased our tickets in the little souvenir shop (you totally had to find the cashier dude at the end of the shop, haha).

OH! I forgot to tell you, they ONLY TAKE CASH!.

After that, we were told to follow the yellow line to the elevator, press the button, and wait until the "tour guide" (not much of a tour guide, does not say much...just operates the darn elevator) takes you to the top.

Then you climb a short flight of stairs (I thought the elevator was supposed to take you all the way to the top!)...

...And finally...YAY you're at the top of Coit Tower San Francisco!

My boyfriend looking up at the ceiling,
wondering what else to do, lol.

See the windows? That's where you look out to view the city...Not to big, but, it does the job.

You're telling yourself, "I paid 7 bucks for this??" But hey, be reminded of the views and you may change your mind about the value of your experience:

View of the bay, Bay Bridge, the pier, and some skyscrapers from Coit Tower San Francisco .

Um...overall it was an OK experience. I think to some people, $7 to visit Coit Tower San Francisco is worth it. But I personally believe
that it's not. First of all, you can see some amazing views from the Filbert Steps or Telegraph Hill for free, or along the high peaks of Montgomery St.
You can also see some awesome murals for free at Mission up on 24th street, similar to ones in Coit Tower San Francisco.
But...maybe it's just because I'm a local that I'm being cheap and all. Certainly if you're travelling from another state or country, this attraction should definitely be visited and experienced for yourself!

See you around,

-Trixie
Your friendly, local SF travel guide ;).