Coit Tower, San Francisco

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The art deco tower, 210 feet (64 m) of unpainted reinforced concrete, was designed by architects Arthur Brown, Jr. and Henry Howard, was built in 1933. Inside there are murals by 26 different artists and numerous assistants, done as the first of the New Deal federal employment programs for artists. Currently it is free to enter the first floor rotunda, but there is a charge to use the elevator up to the observation deck.
The parking at the top of the hill is very limited, less than 2 dozen spaces. It is much more convenient to use the #39 bus which you can catch near Washington Square off of Columbus Avenue.

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One of the prominent features of the San Francisco skyline is Coit Tower, which is perched on top of Telegraph Hill. The cylindrical concrete tower, which is kind of unattractive, was erected in 1933 and is 64 metres tall.

The steep climb up to the top of the hill, to the base of the tower is worth it, and once there is will cost you $2.50 (Sep 2008) to catch a lift to the top of the tower. The views from the top are spectacular - you can see both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz, the downtown skyscrapers and get a good overview of crooked Lombard Street.

In some parts of the tower (including the lobby area) you will see some large, colourful murals which were created mainly by students of the Californian School of Fine Arts. They depict scenes of life in and around the city.

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Coit Tower was built in 1933 on Telegraph Hill by Lillie Hitchcock Coit a local volunteer firefighter. Today, visitors walk or drive to the top of Telegraph Hill for some of the best views in the city. Despite a popular rumor, the tower was not built to resemble a fire hose (but the actual source of the design is unknown).

I strongly suggest not driving up the hill. The walk is not bad but the traffic is awful. The parking lot at the top of the hill is very small and cars sit on the driveway circling the hill and wait for hours trying to get a spot. We walked up and wandered around the base of the tower. Elevators run up the tower and you can go to the top and see the entire city. From the base, you can see much of the area and get some great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

On the walk down, we cut through the trees and caught sight of a couple “wild parrots” that live in the trees. Though not native to the area, the parrots are believed to be the descendants of someone’s released pets.

Coit Tower is one of my favorite stops in SF. I've been here over a dozen times and never fail to see something new. In my perspective, there are three attractions of Coit Tower, and all make it a great experience.
1 - getting there. Although you can drive, I wouldn't recommend it unless you can't walk far yourself (or don't like taking the bus - #39 goes right up there. ) I usually park around Sansome St. to the east, anywhere I can find a parking spot, and walk up the Filbert or Greenwich steps. It isn't the easiest climb, but there are good views all the way up, and you can walk past all the houses and apartments and think about what good physical shape the residents must be in. For the way down, walk down the west side facing Russian Hill, down to Grant Street and North Beach.
2 - Views from the top of the hill. From here you can see both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, as well as Alcatraz, Angel Island, Treasure Island and Marin County to the north and Oakland and the East Bay. You can pay to go to the top of the tower, but I wouldn't bother if there is a line to get in the elevator.
3 - The murals. This is my favorite part of the whole trip. Inside are 19 murals created during the depression of the 1930s that show life and politics of the time. The artists were commissioned by the US government, and the left leaning politics depicted were controversial. Along with historical scenes like panning for gold, you will see the socialist-realist style evident in the images of workers on the farms, industry and services. In one corner there is a man pulling out Marx's "Das Capital" from a bookshelf. There's also cops, pickpockets, and timely events shown. Note the sign for the Oakland Ferry that is shown - evidence that the bridges weren't build yet. Each scene has wonderful details that you will discover on subsequent visits.
(Note - if you like the murals as much as I do, try to get to the Beach Chalet at the far end of Golden Gate park. Look at the walls on the first floor. Free.)

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Climb up Coit's Tower and you will be rewarded with some amazing views of San Franciso. From here you get a bird's eye view of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, Pier 39, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and a few other sites.

We walked to the top of Coit tower from North Beach. At the top of the hill before taking the elevator up to the tower you can get a wonderful view of North Beach and beyond.

Something a little unusual is to spend some time visiting Coit Tower (this isn't the unusual part), then to walk down the meandering path of Filbert Street, enjoying the gardens and maybe getting a glimpse of the ferral parrots in the area. The problem, of course, is that you'll have to walk back up to get your car :-( ~ but that might kill the 3 hours or so that you have.

Another idea is to visit the Ferry Building Marketplace on the Embarcadero. Lots of great shops and eating at the MarketBar is always a pleasure!

If you want a really historic restaurant for lunch (with great seafood!), try Tadich Grill on California Street is the oldest restaurant in the West and a San Francisco insider icon.

Hope this helps!

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This 210 ft reinforced concrete tower was built in 1933 at the top of Telegraph Hill.

An elevator takes you up to the viewing platform & from there you get spectacular views of the North Bay Area.

At night the tower is floodlit and can be seen from most parts of the city.

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Coit Tower offers incredible views from both the top of the tower and from the grounds around the tower. So if you don't feel like paying $3.50 to take the elevator to the top you can get some great views from just walking around Coit Tower. The following pictures are from both vantage points, though I recommend taking in both views personally!