Coit Tower

Coit Tower is one of those places where you really feel San Francisco, especially if you get there on foot. Walking up Telegraph Hill is steep and unapologetic. Your legs will complain, but that climb makes the payoff feel earned. Once you reach the tower, the views stretch out in every direction. The bay, the bridges, the city stacked on hills. It’s classic and worth the effort. Inside the tower, the murals on the ground floor are a surprise if you’re not expecting them. Painted in the 1930s, they show everyday life in California during that time and give the space a lot of character. You can spend a good amount of time just walking around and noticing the details, and this level is free to visit. There’s also a small gift shop near the entrance. It’s simple but thoughtfully stocked, with books, postcards, and local souvenirs that actually feel connected to the place rather than generic. If you want to go all the way to the top, you’ll need to buy a ticket ($8-$11)for the elevator. The observation deck gives you an even higher view of the city and bay and is especially nice on a clear day. It’s a different perspective than just standing outside the tower. Coming down is one of the best parts. Taking the stairs toward North Beach winds you through quiet paths, gardens, and tucked-away homes, and before you know it you’re right in the heart of the neighborhood. If the uphill walk isn’t appealing, Muni bus 39 is a great alternative and drops you close to the tower. Whether you walk up, take the bus, or do a mix of both, Coit Tower feels like more than a quick stop. It’s an experience that blends views, history, and a real sense of the city.

Great place to enjoy the full view of SF from a high vantage point. The tickets are $11/adult and cheaper for children. The walk up the hill is steep but short to get a good warm up. If not, there are busses that routes there and a small parking lot for those who prefer driving. Perfect date, family, tourist spot

It is amazing. My wife loves the place and it's a great icon to the city. The mural is beautiful too but my phone went off during filming it. The area around gives you great views of the city too. There are bathrooms outside and sometimes a little cafe opens up for refreshments. It's about $10 a person at this point in 2025 and usually opens up at 10am. Prepare to go to the top, it's a lot of steps and save some energy if you hiked up the steps. Driving isn't so bad but there are a lot of hills and the parking lot can fill up quite fast so try to get there early or plan on waiting a bit. 5/5 for a landmark to the city.

A SF landmark to check out. Especially the views of SF downtown. Going up can be round and round and parking can be small, tight and packed. Highly recommended to go early or late in the day for better parking plus great sunrise or sunset over the city. Also suggested to get online tixs in advance or you have to wait inline, especially during weekends and holidays. The views are spectacular on a clear day. You can see everything very clear. Just abit tight on the stairs and sometime you have to wait for the other direction in order to go. But it is definitely a place to check out in SF.

We walked up to this park and tower and it was beautiful along the way. The views from the base are quite good, but the views from the top are predictably much better. Murals inside the base are worth looking at. But from the top, you can see most parts of San Francisco- from the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, to the TransUnion Tower and other areas N-S-E-W. The staff here are older people who are quite charming.

Wonderful views of San Francisco Bay. Coit Tower is definitely worth a visit, though parking can be very difficult to find. The ticket price was reasonable, but when I went the elevator was out of service. Be sure to take a look at the frescoes inside—they are truly stunning. Overall, I highly recommend it!

Unique!! Gives you a view of San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz. The tower itself is pretty cool. Surrounding views are beautiful.

After 300 Steps to get there, Coit Tower is a 210-foot Art Deco tower in San Francisco's Telegraph Hill neighborhood, built with a bequest from Lillie Hitchcock Coit and offering panoramic city views from its observation deck. The tower's interior features 25 frescoes, painted in 1933-34 by artists supported by the Public Works of Art Project, that depict "Aspects of Life in California, 1934". Panoramic Views: The 360-degree observation deck at the top provides stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the city skyline. I watched the 🌞 Sunset from the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as Over 100 Lion Seals barking on the banks of the the Pier and Fisherman's Wharf, what a lovely sight and sounds of San Francisco 😀.

While this tower atop Telegraph Hill may not be on visitors' must-do lists, it is a worthwhile visit with the best view in the city, and the murals inside are an important slice of American history. We walked up from Montgomery BART to get a walk in through North Beach. If you can handle the cardio to hike up the hill and steps, do it! The building and 1930s public works murals are free. The view is great from there. But for an extra cost, you can go up 210 feet to the open air viewing platform, and those views are astounding. The gift shop has local art, at relatively affordable prices.

Lovely place to get a view of the city. First things first, their elevator wasn't functioning which was unfortunate. It meant climbing up 13 floors which may not take that long but was hard for older adults. Tickets were 10 dollars for adults and 7 dollars for senior citizens. Cash otherwise 3.5% credit card charge. As you climb up the staircase, there are beautiful San Francisco murals on the walls for the first two floors. The view from the top is great, a 360 degree view of the city since the tower is almost centrally located. You can catch the golden gate bridge, the pier, Alcatraz, the city towers, all of the sights. Parking is limited, a small circular plot right outside the tower. Allowed on weekdays (and free) but not on weekends so plan accordingly.

A SF landmark to check out. Especially the views of SF downtown. Going up can be round and round and parking can be small, tight and packed. Highly recommended to go early or late in the day for better parking plus great sunrise or sunset over the city. Also suggested to get online tixs in advance or you have to wait inline, especially during weekends and holidays. The views are spectacular on a clear day. You can see everything very clear. Just abit tight on the stairs and sometime you have to wait for the other direction in order to go. But it is definitely a place to check out in SF.

Beautiful building and architecture. We ported in SF from a cruise and made the walk/hike up here. Not short, but didn't take as long as it looked from the ship port. It's a really nice walk/hike up if you have the time and can do it. Once on top, you're treated to wonderful views of SF from multiple angles. It's worth going up just for the views. The building itself has murals on the interior walls that talk about the history of California. We didn't pay to walk up to the top of Coit Tower, since we already hiked up to the location and had more walking to do around SF. Visit if you have time, it's worth it!

Beautiful 1930s/Deco era building with great views, and amazing frescoes. Definitely an amazing SF experience.

I came here in the late afternoon and was able to get discounted $7 tickets after showing proof of my SF residency. On a clear day, the views from the top are pretty nice during sunset. Of course, this tower isn't super high up. If you work or live in a high rise building in the city, you most definitely can get a better bird's eye view of the city than from here. But still, this is a historical building, and the 360 degree view is interesting to see. If you visit on a busy day, just be prepared to wait a bit to take the elevator up. There's only one elevator that can fit less than 10 people at a time, so I ended up waiting close to 20 minutes in line to get up to the top. There's also no stairs for visitors to take up instead.

Lived in the bay area for decades & didn't come here until I no longer lived in the Bay Area. Nice place to visit. If you're scared of heights, this isn't the place for you. Parking can get a little ugly & people will hit your car & "pretend" like they didn't notice. This will be a 10-15 minute trip here, no place you wanna hang out all day unless you're doing a picnic in the grass. Stay away from the café that's outside, major rip off. The bathroom line can get long for men & women, so be prepared to wait a very long time to use it.

10$ for a view is lowkey worth it the history behind it adds to it so yaya also got my steps in with the 13 flights of stairs

Have I been living in the Bay Area my entire life? Have I ever visited the Coit Tower? No until now lol the building is beautiful and very well kept given how old it is. The elevator was broken the day we visited so the stairs it was! Slightly disappointed but it's okay. It costs $10 a person and was crowded. Parking was also difficult but overall a good experience.

A great observation tower of the city. I've been to San Francisco twice and both times I visited this sight! SO WORTH IT ONCE YOUR AT THE TOP!! Check it out!!

I took my pup with me to visit the Coit Tower back in December. This was his first time visiting and my third time? As a San Franciscan, I don't do too much visiting touristy landmarks, but then somehow I do it all the time now because of my pup, visiting friends and family and also for Yelp of course. Coit Tower is named after Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a wealthy eccentric and patron of the city's firefighters. That's why the shape of the tower looks like a fire hose, but of course you will have people saying it looks more phallic. Whatever, it's pretty unique. On this particular day in December, it was beautiful and not too hot or too cold. Sky was clear. Beautiful view of the Bay. Inside the tower, you can admire the murals that was done for the Work Progress Administration depicting life during the Great Depression in California. The gift shop was nice to visit, but it's nothing special and since I'm local, there was nothing I wanted to buy. On the day we were there, the elevator was broken, so I couldn't take Bik's up to the top. We could have walked, but I'm not that keen on climbing stairs that day given we hiked up and down Telegraph Hill. I remember the staff working were nice, kind and lovely. Recommend visiting if you are a tourist or a local. The fees are not very expensive and definitely go towards maintenance of this landmark.

Friends, wanted to have the full experience of visiting Coit Tower, but unfortunately the elevator was broken on the day we visited. The tower is nice, surrounding area well maintained. Due to an injury, unable to take stairs to top of tower. Maybe on next visit, I will be able to either climb or take elevator if fixed.

You didn't need to purchase a ticket to enter Coit Tower. The ground floor was free for anyone to enter and walk around. They had a bunch of murals that showed the history of California during the Great Depression. There was a small gift shop that seemed like it had a lot of pictures to sell compared to other SF gift shops. Restrooms were located inside near the entrance and there was one outside as well. Most people came here to get to the observation deck. Tickets costed $10 for adults. I thought it was the fee to use the elevator but since it was out of order, I still had to pay the $10 to walk up 13 flights of stairs to get to the top. It was a heck of a workout going up and down the stairs. The views from the top were absolutely scenic. A lot of residential and commercial buildings to look at. I was able to see Lombard street, Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, Alcatraz and the Ferris wheel at fisherman's wharf. The only issue I had was that it was crowded up here. There was nowhere to sit and all those people that walked up those stairs needed time to catch their breath before going back down. If you were planning on going to Coit Tower, make sure you call them to see if the elevators were working again. If not, make sure everyone in your party could handle 13 flights of stairs. They did have a small parking lot with limited spaces and finding nearby street parking might be a real challenge.

If you are looking for stunning views of the bay, then this is the place to go for 360° views of San Francisco! It is a bit of a trek to get to Coit Tower if you are coming from the Ferry building and walking but it's worth it! There's a lot of steps and then once you get to Coit tower there are even more steps! 234 steps to be exact at Coit Tower and 13 floors. The elevator was out of service when I visited so it was not ADA accessible. In order to get to the views, it costs $10 for a ticket. Once you get to the top, you can see bridge to bridge from the Golden Gate to Bay Bridge and Alcatraz, Pier 39 plus all the city views. I'd recommend stopping at Coit Tower during your SF visit!

Fun quick tourist attraction. $30 for my husband and two kids. I believe it was twelve stories upstairs Views were amazing though!

I was hesitant to pay the $10 to go up because I didn't think it would be that cool, but I'm happy I did as the views were truly incredible. We lucked out and it happened to be the most beautiful and clear weather day, so if you happen to come on a nice day, make the trip up! We were greeted with views of both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, Alcatraz, Pier 39 (we could even see the sea lions with binoculars), Treasure Island, and sweeping views of the city. I don't think there's anywhere else in SF that you can get views like that. The elevator was down so we had to walk to the top, 13 flights up and down, it took probably 4-5 minutes to get to the top with a couple small breaks because those stairs are narrow and will make you dizzy if you're looking down too long, but not too difficult overall.

Finally found photos for a review. We took the walk up to tower (2012) from hotel. Wrong! After we got there a city bus drove up which we could have taken. Well at least we got our steps in. It's all about the view so go with good weather day or night. Take time to tour interior and the mural of walls. See photos.

That was a lot of steps! Definitely worth a visit though, at least once. Going up, the walls have murals painted on them, so you def won't get bored. From the top, there are binoculars and you can see the bay and Alcatraz. Worth a note: the restroom inside was clean, so that's a plus.

I used to live down the hill from Coit Tower as a child. We never went inside and all the way up, but I finally did it with now ex-wife a few years ago. It was kind of claustrophobic on the way up, but standing at the top of the tower was amazing with great views! It's worth the cost and worth the wait if there's a line of people.

I used to come to Coit Tower as a kid for the amazing view even from the bottom. You could see so much of San Francisco even at 10 PM at night which was fantastic. Now when you go, the trees have grown quite high blocking out a lot of the view and it isn't worth it unless you go inside. If you're hoping to admire San Francisco from the parking area, I wouldn't recommend coming here anymore.

Great views and memorable walk up the hills. You can then walk across to little Italy or Chinatown close within 15 minutes from there. Also great historical philanthropy site to learn about Mrs. Coit and the old school bathroom in front that looks like from Fallout.

I moved to the Bay Area in 1977 and recently managed to visited Coit Tower after all these decades. Despite the elevator being out of order, the climb to the 13th floor was easy and provided a welcome exercise. The first floor showcases wall murals depicting the history of the Bay Area. Entrance is $10, and the visit takes around 20 to 30 minutes. The view from the top is stunning, offering a picturesque outlook of the city and bay. There's a gift shop at the bottom, but no coffee shop inside; however, you can find drinks and snacks at a booth near the parking area. Parking is limited, so arriving early is advisable, especially to avoid holiday crowds in San Francisco. Otherwise, there is parking down below along the road but it's a steep climb up to the tower.

Coit Tower opened on October 8, 1933. We just celebrated its 86th anniversary! The architecture firm belonged to Arthur Brown Jr behind San Francisco City Hall, designed the Coit Tower, which was constructed of unpainted concrete. To me, Coit Tower is the city's most romantic skyline. The Art Deco concrete tower of note has been singled out as a "nationally significant historic place on the National Register of Historic Places." A few interesting facts: 1- Coit Tower is named for Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a San Francisco philanthropist. 2- Despite some common confusion, the architect was not Brown himself but instead Henry Howard. 3- "Howard's simple, vertical design was selected because it best created a monumental statement within the small site and small budget." 4- Despite popular myth, the interior murals are not Diego Rivera works, though they were created with his style in mind. 5- One of the artists, Berhard Zakheim, had worked with Rivera in the past. 6- There are 27 murals in total, created by 26 artists. 7- As the tower approached its 80th birthday, water damage and peeling surfaces mired much of the art. A big money restoration in 2014 restored the frescoes to fighting shape. Among the work done in 2014: removing old lead-based paint. 8- The artists made $1.00 per hour for their work--about $19 in today's currency. The schedule came out to $38 per week. The murals comprise 3,961 square feet in all. 9- Total cost of the mural project: $26,022, or some $497,000 today 10- The tower is open 362 days a year, closing only for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. 11- The tower is 212 feet from bottom to top. 12- There's been at least one prominent suicide at the tower, Henry Geck, who hid in the structure until after it closed and then threw himself from a window, apparently in response to his recent divorce. Highly recommended!

San Francisco doesn't have a giant tower like Seattle's Space Needle, but little Coit Tower does the job...but if the elevator is out be prepared to muster the strength to hike the 260+ steps up to the top! You'll be rewarded with panoramic views of the bay and the city skyline. Parking is extremely limited maybe 20 spaces a most? Come on a weekday, take an uber or Muni bus, or prepared to hike! Worth the $10, and you won't need more than an hour here.

A huge letdown! Their website says the admission fee is for the use of the elevator. We arrive and the elevator is broken (which after looking at more reviews on here now, seems to be a regular occurrence...). Still had to pay full price for admission to trek up 13 flights of winding stairs up the whole tower. Ridiculous. The lady at the front entrance was nice but the lady on the second floor was lecturing everyone about having their bags away from the walls when we already had our bags well away from the walls. She went on and on speaking to us/everyone like kids. The views up top were obstructed and not what was expected. Overall the whole experience was extremely disappointing. I would not recommended visiting.

Coit Tower is one of the regular stops I make whenever I visit San Francisco. It has that old timey 1930s feel to it that gives one a sense of history without being too pretentious. It's just a small and interesting bit of the past that also offers some pretty great views of the city and surrounding bay from the top of Telegraph Hill. There aren't any other vantage points like this one, to be sure. They do charge a fee to use the elevator to get to the top, and there are no stairs you can use. Thirteen stories would be quite a climb anyway! For non-residents, it's $10 per adult, $7 for seniors and youth, $3 for children age 5-11, and children 4 and under are free. There is a $3 discount for residents. This is definitely worth a visit, if you haven't been before!

Not worth it! Pay $10/person to walk 13th floor up to get the same pictures that I could take downstair! Or just don't even come here. The pictures that they want to us not to touch only in 2 floor. The rest is nothing to see. Don't go up!

Great opportunity to finally get to the top of the tower. 234 stairs up! 234 stairs down. The elevator was not working on this particular day. $10 adults, $7 kids. 360° views of San Francisco. So much history. Beautiful murals all around inside go up to about 3rd or 4th floor. Highly recommend visiting. Bring water or pay $3 for a plastic water bottle from small snack shack outside near parking lot.

Whenever I have guests from another place, I always take them here. A good place to hang out for an hour. Lines are long though and there could be waiting when of you have tickets in advance because they let only some people to the top of the tower. So if you have elderly people, then you may want to consider this. A lot of material about the US history, pastry ask over the walls, to read while in line though The 360 degree view of SFO from the top is amazing There is lifted to the top.

Beautiful views of the city with fee to climb these crazy stairs! As a tourist I wouldn't miss it! Come on a weekday to avoid the crowds and be able to get a parking spot

I admit I have become a fan of observation towers and try to visit them in my travels. Coit Tower, built atop Telegraph Hill, could be considered one such place. It was built in 1933 to honor the late Lillie Hitchcock Coit (a.k.a. Firebelle Lil), an eccentric fan of the Knickerbocker Engine Co. No. 5, with a bequest she left the city. Like much of San Francisco, parking on Telegraph Hill is limited, so you might want to take a rideshare to the site, where you will be treated to breathtaking views before you even get to the tower. Coit Tower is smaller than other observation towers, roughly 13 stories high. You can pay $10 to ride a small elevator (that fits maybe six people and takes four minutes to go up and down) and then climb one flight of stairs to the top to a small landing. But the views really are beautiful from the top of the tower as well. It's not a place where you will spend much time, given its size. But it's still worth it for the views.

Administered by San Francisco Recreation & Parks, the Coit Tower is a slender concrete column rising from the top of Telegraph Hill since its completion in 1933. *Getting there. To get some exercise, we took public transportation to the base of the Filbert Street stairs, and climbed up, and up, and up, to reach the Coit Tower. This was part of the adventure! Alternatively, Muni's #39 Coit bus travels between the tower and Fisherman's Wharf. There is also some limited parking that fills up quickly. *Fees are for elevator access to the observation deck. Rates vary by age and by resident status (whether a resident of San Francisco or not). We paid $10 for one ticket (adult, non-resident) and $7 for another (senior, 62+, non-resident) in late Aug, 2022. No AAA discounts. Face coverings are also required in elevator, and can be purchased for $1 each. *Highlights. (1) observation deck, reached by elevator for a fee, offers 360-degree views of San Francisco and the bay, including the Golden Gate and Bay bridges; (2) murals inside the tower's base which were painted - and became controversial - in 1934 which depict life in California during the Depression. (3) Parrots and coyotes? Apparently, there is a flock of noisy parrots and some aggressive coyotes (careful with your small dogs) on the pathways near the tower. We didn't see or hear either. *Two additional quick notes. (1) we asked whether there were stairs to reach the observation deck, and were informed that the elevator is the only option: and (2) one still needs to climb a circular stairway after disembarking from elevator to access the observation deck. Not wheelchair accessible.

A cool part of San Francisco's history with amazing views of the city. We got there right before they closed (at 4:00pm, not 5:00pm as we had thought) but managed to get the last elevator up to the top. There was no line and it wasn't crowded at the top, but it was also a chilly weekday in February. The views from the top were fantastic, and you're able to see almost all of San Francisco's highlights from up there. Definitely worth the $10 entrance fee (less for SF residents and seniors)

Their website warns you that due to the nature of the age of the elevator, which is over 90 years old, sometimes it breaks down without warning. So definitely don't make the trip all the way up Telegraph Hill to go to the Tower if you're not ready to either skip out on going to the top - or hike up 234 flights of stairs. The day that I went, the elevator was broken down and I opted to not walk up the flights of stairs. After an exhausting 6.5 hour flight, I just did not have it in me to do it. The surrounding areas is actually really nice to walk around and you get some pretty decent views of Alcatraz and other parts of the city.

Great place to take any photography! Definitely recommend it and worth the time: enjoy!

Elevator was broken, but I'm not so sure I would have taken it anyway. Gift shop was surprisingly fantastic, and very well priced, as was the little cafe stand outside. Views are great, if you don't mind heights!

It was close when we visited. We hope they had openings at night since it overlooks the SF. 4 star since even if it was closed, the view on the parking space is beautiful. Limited parking space. Has binoculars to be paid. See images and video for further reference.

Great panoramic views from Coit Tower and interesting history from construction to being a spot for movie scenes and renovations. Make sure to confirm hours before going (I was a bit early so didn't go into the tower as pressed for time) and whether or not the elevator is operating.

Shit show. Ridiculous line for an elevator. They allow only 6 people in the elevator. It runs every 4 minutes. You'll wait at least 30 minutes. I almost bailed. Probably I should've. Anyway you can't make any good pictures on the top since everything is behind the glass. They also ask you to take your backpack down to your hands. I saw at least 2 groups of 7 people in the elevator. But girl stopped me in my group since I was 7th. They just see annoyed person and like to make them even more annoyed. After going up: yes, should've bail or just see murals on the first floor. What a waste of the time! Couldn't find any other place to waste time so pointless. By the way, they ignore if you go down in the elevator without mask. They list need to sell it to you for 1$ to go up. Nice business, I guess

The (Lillian Hitchcock) Coit Tower! Built in 1933, at the request of Lillie Hitchcock Coit, the Coit Tower sits on top of the Telegraph Hill and looms over the eastern part of San Francisco. From the top one can get a 360 view of the city. Inside you will see a beautiful collection of murals about the history of the area. These murals were created as a part of the Public Works of Art project that provided jobs to artists after the Great Depression. They are considered to be one of the finest examples of Depression-era public art in the state. You can enter the tower for free, but there is a fee to take the elevator to the top. The tower was named a San Francisco landmark in 1984 and made it onto the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. A year later it was designed a "National Historic Site." A bronze statue of Christopher Columbus that was donated by the city's Italian-American community was placed in the square/parking area in front of the tower in 1957, and removed in June, 2020. Pioneer Park that surrounds the tower is a 4.89-acre area is a great place to walk up to and enjoy the view even for us locals. Strangely, the park has become home to a family of wild coyotes. Some afternoons near dusk you may hear them howl! I have added a couple of links at the end about the the place; one about the history and the other with useful information if you are visiting. The walk to the top can be a heavy exercise for some, but you can drive up there (although parking spots are very limited in number) or take MUNI Bus 39 to the top. It runs from 7:00 am to 9:00 PM daily. Coit Tower (Parks and Facilities) https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Coit-Tower-290 The Brief History Of Coit Tower, The Iconic Landmark https://graylineofsanfrancisco.com/blog/coit-tower-brief-history-iconic-landmark/

While in San Fran, we swung by Coit Tower. The misses has never been there, though she and her bff have a inside joke about the place, so decided to see what it's all about. A great staple of the city, built in my birth year.... I know I know, I'm the best. Tells the history of San Fran through murals and the people who inhabited the city. Also a great point to visit to see all of the city and take breath-taking shots of the surrounding area.

My wife and I checked out Coit Tower and we thought it was a cool experience. There's a lot of stairs - 13 stories - so be prepared to get a workout in. The first two levels have murals created during the Great Depression era. They were very cool to see. We don't know why they stopped at the second level. I never had a chance to ask any of the workers. The top of the tower provided great views of the city and some cool picture opportunities. It costs 10$ which is a little pricey for the experience but everything is more expensive now. The area surrounding the tower is very well kept. We enjoyed it but this was a one time adventure for us.

While in San Francisco, this tower seemed like a good place to visit as any, and so I decided to visit it and see what it had to offer. Tower - The interior is nice, with a gift shop, and murals all over the walls, but there is an entrance fee to go to the top. You go through a nice old-fashioned elevator to almost reach the top, and go up some stairs to make it all the way. At the top, it is very chilly (like the rest of SF), but the view is great. You have a bird's-eye view of San Francisco, and you can see the Golden Gate bridge, Oakland, Pier 39, all of the good stuff. They open some of the windows but they keep the rest of them locked. Parking - Some parking outside the tower, and if it's full and nobody's about to leave, then you're out of luck. You'll just have to wait for someone to leave, however long that may be. Overall, this place is worth visiting, and I would recommend trying this place if you ever travel to SF.

As a native San Franciscan I've been to Coit Tower many times. First as a child when my parents would bring out of town visitors, then as teenagers looking for something to do, and less frequent as adults. Previously we'd come because many years ago you could ride for free up to the top. Nowadays you need to pay if you want to ride the elevator up to the top. If you are only curious about the murals you can enter at ground level and view them for free. Hubby never had an opportunity to go to the top so last week we paid our admission fee to ride to the top. Once at the top we had 360 degree views of most of San Francisco. San Francisco residents get a discount and as seniors an even better discount. The elevator looks retro but it's been upgraded mechanically. There is an elevator operator though. There's a gift shop ground level. And we got a souvenir penny for $0.51.

The elevator wasn't working the day I came, but the 13 floors is a great workout to stunning 360 views of the city! Restrooms on site which is great for tourist walking around. Only 7$ to go up and you really get a view of the golden gate, the east bay, Alcatraz and all the neighborhoods of SF. I don't think it's necessary to go up the tower. The views from the bottom itself are really nice and ample on a small hill. It's a great place to bring tourists, and even to come by on a bike ride or run!

The views from atop Coit Tower are spectacular. GETTING there is the main reason for my review, and I hope it helps you plan your visit. As you know, San Francisco is hilly, and as you approach Coit Tower on foot as we did, you'll find that the final few blocks are VERY much on a steep incline. I swear we were walking straight up. (I'll attach as pic of our final block that shows STEPS the entire length of the block.) Wife and I are rather fit for our age (late 60's) and boy was it a workout. So, you may be asking, why don't you drive there? I'll copy and paste the following from the Coit Tower Website ... "Parking in the lot outside Coit Tower is for area residents, only on weekends, (with a permit.) Visitors can only park for 30 minutes during the week." So, my advice is that if you don't think you can make it, consider a cab, Uber, or Lyft. In any case, DO NOT miss this San Francisco attraction. My wife and I travel LOTS. We've seen lots. These views were right there (pardon the pun) at the top.

After 23 years in San Francisco I finally made it to the top of Coit tower. It was chilly and overcast in my neighborhood. So I went in search of some sunshine. When I got to north beach, coir tower was basking in the sun. So I had to do it, finally, go to the top... No regrets. Such great views, of course. Definitely regret not bringing visitors here in the past. The guy at the top was asking everybody where they were from. They were from all over the world. Except for me. We all enjoyed a good laugh. If you'd like to learn more about Coit Tower consult your local library or click this link - https://sfrecpark.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Coit-Tower-290

Coit Tower offers an incredible view of the city, including both The Bay Bridge and The Golden Gate Bridge. The artwork within has been well taken care of and the workers do a great job of making sure people follow the rules to be sure others for decades to come can enjoy the beauty of the tower. There are interesting plants and trees all around the tower and an amazing "trail" down Telegraph Hill you can take down into The City all the way to the pier -- absolutely spectacular! If you decide to do that, I'd recommend having someone meet you at the bottom because that's quite the hike! Although we didn't see them while we visited, you can see parrots in the trees during certain times of the day all around the tower. There are spectacular portrait opportunities if you're looking to come to SF to have some photos taken. The elevator to the top (costs $9 per person) is worth it! You get an amazing view of the city and surrounding areas. The gentleman running the elevator was funny and informative and you could tell that he liked his job and being with people. I found the other employees (volunteers? Not sure) rather rude -- when I tried to ask historical questions of why/how things in the Tower were they gave me annoyed answers and generally gave the impression they didn't want to stray from the routine of their work. There are only a few parking spaces near the Tower and it seemed like they would benefit from being capped at a time limit or having more than 2 handicapped parking places -- many people were walking down to the pier and then back up to their cars, taking hours from a spot that someone who could have really used a close space to the Tower. This definitely a place worth stopping at if you're in the Bay Area or SF -- it's quiet, beautiful, and can be free... which is a small miracle in San Francisco!

This is a great look out spot to see the whole city! We were there during fleet week so got some eye-level views of the blue angels as they flew by which was awesome. The tickets are $10 and the elevators weren't walking so had to walk up 13 flights of stairs which wasn't what I was expecting lol I was out of breath but it was worth the beautiful view at the top.