Why you should experience Lombard Street in San Francisco.
Few places capture San Francisco’s eccentric charm quite like Lombard Street, the famously crooked, flower-lined road that snakes down Russian Hill in eight graceful, gravity-defying turns.
It’s not just a street; it’s a spectacle, a dizzying blend of artistry, architecture, and absurdity that could only exist in this city. Standing at the top, the Bay glimmers in the distance, Alcatraz floats on the horizon, and rows of pastel houses cling to the hill like they were painted into place. As cars inch their way down the steep brick curves, cameras click, laughter echoes, and cable cars rumble faintly from the next hill over. The street’s red brick surface winds between beds of hydrangeas, roses, and geraniums that bloom in brilliant color nearly year-round. It’s whimsical, almost cinematic, the kind of spot that feels more like a movie set than a real neighborhood. Yet behind the tourists and camera flashes, Lombard Street still hums with everyday life. Residents tend to their gardens, dogs peek through iron gates, and the scent of flowers mingles with the crisp bay breeze. To walk it, or drive it, is to experience San Francisco distilled into one impossible slope: steep, stunning, and unapologetically original.
What you didn’t know about Lombard Street.
Beneath its postcard-perfect curves lies a story of ingenuity born from necessity.
In the 1920s, San Francisco’s notorious hills made car travel nearly impossible. Lombard Street, with its dizzying 27% grade, was considered one of the steepest in the city, too dangerous for vehicles to safely navigate. In 1922, property owner Carl Henry proposed a radical solution: a series of sharp switchbacks paved with red brick to reduce the hill’s slope and make it drivable. What began as a practical fix soon became an icon of design and city identity. By the 1930s, its serpentine path and manicured gardens drew attention from photographers and filmmakers alike, and by the mid-century, it had transformed into one of San Francisco’s most beloved landmarks. Today, over two million visitors a year flock to see it, a testament to how something built for function evolved into a work of beauty. Yet there’s another layer to its story: Lombard Street isn’t actually the crookedest street in the city. That title technically belongs to Vermont Street in Potrero Hill, which has sharper turns but far less charm. Lombard’s enduring appeal lies not in its record-breaking stats but in its perfect balance of form and feeling, a street that embodies the city’s signature blend of elegance and eccentricity. The flowerbeds, meticulously maintained by local residents, are replanted throughout the seasons, ensuring the street’s colors shift with the rhythm of the year. Each curve has its own character, each brick a whisper of the countless travelers who’ve made the climb or coasted the descent.
How to fold Lombard Street into your trip.
The best way to experience Lombard Street is to slow down, literally.
If you’re driving, shift into low gear and take your time winding down the red-brick curves, pausing where possible to soak in the views of Coit Tower, Alcatraz, and the Bay Bridge shimmering in the distance. But the most rewarding experience is on foot. Start from the bottom at Leavenworth Street and look up, the full perspective reveals just how surreal it is that this street even exists. Climb the steps running parallel to the road; each turn offers a new angle of San Francisco’s unique topography, framed by hydrangeas and ivy-draped fences. At the top, you’ll find sweeping views of Telegraph Hill, North Beach, and the glinting bay beyond, a perfect backdrop for that iconic photo. From there, continue exploring Russian Hill, one of the city’s most scenic and historic neighborhoods. Stop for coffee at a nearby café, or hop on a Powell-Hyde cable car just a block away for a quintessentially San Francisco experience. For the most atmospheric visit, come early in the morning or at twilight, when the crowds thin and the soft light brings out the street’s colors in full. At dusk, the curve of Lombard glows like a ribbon of red beneath the streetlights, a living reminder of the city’s flair for the extraordinary. Whether you walk it, drive it, or simply admire it from below, Lombard Street offers more than just a quirky photo op, it’s a winding tribute to the city’s imagination, resilience, and love of the beautifully impractical.
Hear it from the Foresyte community.
“Looks like someone zigzagged a street just for fun, but it actually works. You stand there like yep, that’s San Francisco being extra again. I want to know who lives in those houses.”
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