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This is the better of the two lines in my opinion. Especially if you get on from Fisherman's Wharf. I highly recommend not getting on at the Union Square end as it is infinitely busier than the other end. Especially if you get there in the morning. This route hits some great hills with excellent views of the city & bay as it goes up the hills as well as stops at Chinatown and Lombard Street. Just know that there are not on/off privileges. My only 'complaint' is that the employees here really take their time. but that's not exclusive to this line. No one working here appears to be in a rush at all to get cars on their way. You can especially see this down at the Fisherman's Wharf end where there is often a line of cars waiting to be turned around, loaded, & sent back on their way.
Great fun riding the cable cars. Cost is 8 dollars each way and you can even pay with your Clipper card. Here is a tip that DOES WORK. When attempting to board the cars in Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf.....do not stand in that long line. Beat the crowd by walking up to the first stop the cable cars makes & you'll be able to board with ease, as they do not stuff the cars to full capacity, Everyone must sit or hold on from the outside. However, at the first stop, passengers can hop on & stand inside. You can thank me later for this nugget!
Me and my friend were trying to get to Fisherman's Wharf so we decided to take the cable car. We got on from the Powell street cable car turnaround. The wait was about 20 minutes. If we wanted to get on the Powell / Hyde cable car, the wait was much longer. Tickets costed $9 one way for each adult. We paid the exact amount in cash on the spot. The ride was slow. I thought it was boring because I was just sitting in the cable car watching the buildings and cars pass by. It felt no different than being in a car or bus. They had stops along the way similar to bus stops where people could get on and off. As more people got on, it started to get crowded and people were holding onto the poles from the sides which blocked off the views from the people that were seated. There was an elderly man that was trying to get on at one of the stops and I was happy to give up my seat for him. Instead of sitting, I was now holding onto one of the poles from the side which became the exciting part of the ride to me. I loved hearing the sounds of SF, feeling the breeze hit my face and being able to see the views of SF all around me. I felt like if I didn't hold on for dear life, I would fall off the cable car. There were cars driving or parked on the street that looked like they were inches away from being in an accident with the cable car. I didn't think there was much to see on this route. The first half of the ride was seeing the downtown businesses and the second half was mostly passing by residential areas. The only places I recognized was Union Square in the beginning and seeing Coit Tower from a distance towards the end. It took about 20 minutes to complete the route and Fisherman's wharf was a few blocks walking distance up ahead.
Yikes. I've had 2 different experiences on this thing. First time was so cool and amazing and obviously a must-do for first time visitors of San Francisco. My first experience a few years ago was super cool. The driver was really chill and it was an evening experience so SF was lit up and beautiful and I believe we had a day pass. 2nd experience which was just a few days ago was really disappointing, especially because it was my daughters first time, the driver was so freakin rude to everyone, I get there's rules but you can also enforce rules and just be polite instead of saying "excuse me are you deaf, what did I say" or "put your backpack in the front that's not a suggestion" or "and people wonder why we have attitudes on here" I mean he was really out of hand. One of the ladies actually was deaf so after he figured it out he didn't even apologize. They should tell you that if you don't get a day pass it's just a 1 way to the other side of the city and your on your own when you get dropped off. Instead of paying another 24$ to be taken back where we started, just get an Uber for 10$ instead to take you back. That's what we did. I think the experience depends on your driver..
This line is fun to take, we used it a lot while visiting San Francisco, since it takes you to Union Station and and Fisherman's Warf. The drivers are on the rough side, so you need a thicker skin when deaking with them. It is $8 to take the famous cable car (need to do it at least once while in town), we used our Visitor's Passes. This isn't a reliable source of transporation, but you can use it a few times. It is fun, you can get great views around and it is an adventure! I even got a cable car X-mas ornament with Poweel/Mason because.... San Francisco!
Had an amazing ride to pier 39 this morning on the Cable cars. Really nice folk working on them and they seem as safe as can be. Authentically bumpy and loud these are a staple of San Francian life and should be appreciated and cherished. Much love for No. Cali! Thanks for reading!
When you're asked about things that remind you of San Francisco, most common answers are Golden Gate, clam chowder, and cable cars. That's right, no visit to the Golden City is ever complete without hopping on to these cable cars that take you to the wonderful places around. This particular station is located just outside the Powell/Market Bart station. You won't miss it because you'll see right away a long line of people waiting at this turn around station. I heard wait time could take as long an hour but you got to do whatever other tourists do. Designated as a National Historic landmark, these cable cars has been ferrying people since 1873. They run from 6am through midnight. Fare is $7 each way which can be bought at ticket booths, the car conductor, or through the Muni app. So what are you waiting for?
I've lived in San Francisco basically my whole life, and I never bothered to ride a cable car until recently. Don't get on the cable car at the two terminals! The lines there are crazy long with tourists. Instead, follow the cable car route and get on one of the stops instead! Great experience and I would definitely ride one again!
One of those things where you should do at least once, riding a cable car in San Francisco will complete your tourist experience! We purchased our tickets for $7 on a weekend afternoon and waited in a fairly long line for half an hour. The cable car doesn't leave until another car arrives. When a car arrives, the employees need to manually rotate and push the car around to face the opposite direction. When we got onto the car, we missed the mad rush to sit in a seat so we ended up hanging off the side of the pole. Some close moments while riding the car as a few trucks were parked a little too close to the line. Seems ok for adults but pay special attention if children are hanging off those side poles. An interesting throwback experience with these antiquated cable cars in the city of cutting edge technological advances!
First time in San Francisco - Gotta ride one of the famous trolley cars! Yes, very touristy, but come on!!! You wouldn't leave SF without trying fresh baked sourdough...would you? If so, you might just get home and regret it. So here's the 411 from a non-local. Do NOT wait in line at the super busy, major pickups like Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf! Simply walk down a few blocks to the car's next stop and it is pretty easy to just hop on. The cost is supposed to be $6 p/p per trip (or you can buy a day pass); however, the few times I jumped on and traveled just a few blocks I was never charged or didn't see a place to insert the fee...and the people who jumped on next to me didn't pay or flash a pass either???...I was very willing to pay and either stood right next to the conductor/brake man each time. Hum. I dunno. Not encouraging trying to sneak a free ride...I was so excited I actually didn't realize I failed to pay until I walked away from the tracks. Tiny bucket-list item - checked!
Sadly, a cable car experience is a touristy thing to do in San Francisco, so we had to do it, but was it worth the time and money? Definitely not. The cost for a one way ticket on the cable car is $6. We didn't go very far and the ride was not very long. We found it to be expensive, especially since we waited OVER AN HOUR for a cable car before we could board it. What we found ridiculous was that there were FIVE cable cars in queue but they were all sitting there and not moving. We waited and waited until finally, 45 minutes later, the cable cars started rolling our way. We thought finally!!! Until, four out of the five cable cars were broken. So we had to wait and wait some more. We didnt even know how they were broken since they don't run on electricity or gas! When we finally got seated, we found that the conductors were not really friendly. We were hoping for a better experience. Unfortunately we set our expectations too high. We highly recommend getting an all day pass at $14 per day. That way you can take unlimited rides on both the MUNI buses, streetcars, and cable cars. We were able to pick up our passes at the info both in the baggage claim area at SFO airport. We didn't bother to take the cable car back to where we initially boarded since we waited so long the last time. To save time, we hopped on the F-line MUNI streetcar (from Fisherman's Wharf) to Embarcadero and transferred MUNI line trains there. The streetcar was so much better than the cable car.
"I left my heart in San Francisco To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars" (Tony Bennett) The San Francisco cable car is a cultural icon. It's the world's last manually operated cable car network, providing public transit since 1873. The Powell-Mason Line starts at Powell and Market Streets, climbs over Union Square and North Beach, and terminates at Bay and Taylor Streets near Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 4. We walked over to the station to jump on, but being a weekend, the wait would have been over an hour. We waited a few days and found the line much more manageable, so we did grab a cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 for some sightseeing lunch at Fog Harbor. Buying a ticket was easy -there's a kiosk and ticket window right there and you can purchase a variety of ticketing options depending on your plans for one day or more. Our car was very comfortable, the wood benches were in great condition and it was a fun experience to be a part of awesome living history. read more
4 months ago
First off, the staff is amazing! All of the drivers are hilarious, polite, and enjoyable to spend time with. The lady selling tickets was super kind and steered us in the right direction for a one day pass. It's a great value for your dollar for $15 means you can jump on and off all day long. The cable cars are very clean and the staff ensures that those who need to sit have a spot to sit. You may wait a minute because it's in high demand. Though it's completely worth it. If you come to San Francisco for the day or week I highly recommend you try it out. Made our stay so much more enjoyable and fun. We were traveling with someone from Germany and he thought it was awesome as well. read more
6 months ago
The Powell/Mason Cable Car turnaround was an absolutely outstanding experience! Watching the manual turnaround is a San Francisco staple, but the ride itself was the real star. The operator was incredibly kind and friendly, making the trip even more special by letting me ring the bell for my birthday! It was such a unique, personal touch that I'll never forget. The ride up and down the steep hills offers some of the best views in the city and a cool, vintage breeze that you just can't get anywhere else. If you're looking for an iconic and memorable way to see San Fran, this is it. High quality service and a total blast! read more
This is the better of the two lines in my opinion. Especially if you get on from Fisherman's Wharf. I highly recommend not getting on at the Union Square end as it is infinitely busier than the other end. Especially if you get there in the morning. This route hits some great hills with excellent views of the city & bay as it goes up the hills as well as stops at Chinatown and Lombard Street. Just know that there are not on/off privileges. My only 'complaint' is that the employees here really take their time. but that's not exclusive to this line. No one working here appears to be in a rush at all to get cars on their way. You can especially see this down at the Fisherman's Wharf end where there is often a line of cars waiting to be turned around, loaded, & sent back on their way. read more
Great fun riding the cable cars. Cost is 8 dollars each way and you can even pay with your Clipper card. Here is a tip that DOES WORK. When attempting to board the cars in Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf.....do not stand in that long line. Beat the crowd by walking up to the first stop the cable cars makes & you'll be able to board with ease, as they do not stuff the cars to full capacity, Everyone must sit or hold on from the outside. However, at the first stop, passengers can hop on & stand inside. You can thank me later for this nugget! read more
1 year ago
Me and my friend were trying to get to Fisherman's Wharf so we decided to take the cable car. We got on from the Powell street cable car turnaround. The wait was about 20 minutes. If we wanted to get on the Powell / Hyde cable car, the wait was much longer. Tickets costed $9 one way for each adult. We paid the exact amount in cash on the spot. The ride was slow. I thought it was boring because I was just sitting in the cable car watching the buildings and cars pass by. It felt no different than being in a car or bus. They had stops along the way similar to bus stops where people could get on and off. As more people got on, it started to get crowded and people were holding onto the poles from the sides which blocked off the views from the people that were seated. There was an elderly man that was trying to get on at one of the stops and I was happy to give up my seat for him. Instead of sitting, I was now holding onto one of the poles from the side which became the exciting part of the ride to me. I loved hearing the sounds of SF, feeling the breeze hit my face and being able to see the views of SF all around me. I felt like if I didn't hold on for dear life, I would fall off the cable car. There were cars driving or parked on the street that looked like they were inches away from being in an accident with the cable car. I didn't think there was much to see on this route. The first half of the ride was seeing the downtown businesses and the second half was mostly passing by residential areas. The only places I recognized was Union Square in the beginning and seeing Coit Tower from a distance towards the end. It took about 20 minutes to complete the route and Fisherman's wharf was a few blocks walking distance up ahead. read more
1 year ago
Yikes. I've had 2 different experiences on this thing. First time was so cool and amazing and obviously a must-do for first time visitors of San Francisco. My first experience a few years ago was super cool. The driver was really chill and it was an evening experience so SF was lit up and beautiful and I believe we had a day pass. 2nd experience which was just a few days ago was really disappointing, especially because it was my daughters first time, the driver was so freakin rude to everyone, I get there's rules but you can also enforce rules and just be polite instead of saying "excuse me are you deaf, what did I say" or "put your backpack in the front that's not a suggestion" or "and people wonder why we have attitudes on here" I mean he was really out of hand. One of the ladies actually was deaf so after he figured it out he didn't even apologize. They should tell you that if you don't get a day pass it's just a 1 way to the other side of the city and your on your own when you get dropped off. Instead of paying another 24$ to be taken back where we started, just get an Uber for 10$ instead to take you back. That's what we did. I think the experience depends on your driver.. read more
This line is fun to take, we used it a lot while visiting San Francisco, since it takes you to Union Station and and Fisherman's Warf. The drivers are on the rough side, so you need a thicker skin when deaking with them. It is $8 to take the famous cable car (need to do it at least once while in town), we used our Visitor's Passes. This isn't a reliable source of transporation, but you can use it a few times. It is fun, you can get great views around and it is an adventure! I even got a cable car X-mas ornament with Poweel/Mason because.... San Francisco! read more
Had an amazing ride to pier 39 this morning on the Cable cars. Really nice folk working on them and they seem as safe as can be. Authentically bumpy and loud these are a staple of San Francian life and should be appreciated and cherished. Much love for No. Cali! Thanks for reading! read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
When you're asked about things that remind you of San Francisco, most common answers are Golden Gate, clam chowder, and cable cars. That's right, no visit to the Golden City is ever complete without hopping on to these cable cars that take you to the wonderful places around. This particular station is located just outside the Powell/Market Bart station. You won't miss it because you'll see right away a long line of people waiting at this turn around station. I heard wait time could take as long an hour but you got to do whatever other tourists do. Designated as a National Historic landmark, these cable cars has been ferrying people since 1873. They run from 6am through midnight. Fare is $7 each way which can be bought at ticket booths, the car conductor, or through the Muni app. So what are you waiting for? read more
I've lived in San Francisco basically my whole life, and I never bothered to ride a cable car until recently. Don't get on the cable car at the two terminals! The lines there are crazy long with tourists. Instead, follow the cable car route and get on one of the stops instead! Great experience and I would definitely ride one again! read more
8 years ago
One of those things where you should do at least once, riding a cable car in San Francisco will complete your tourist experience! We purchased our tickets for $7 on a weekend afternoon and waited in a fairly long line for half an hour. The cable car doesn't leave until another car arrives. When a car arrives, the employees need to manually rotate and push the car around to face the opposite direction. When we got onto the car, we missed the mad rush to sit in a seat so we ended up hanging off the side of the pole. Some close moments while riding the car as a few trucks were parked a little too close to the line. Seems ok for adults but pay special attention if children are hanging off those side poles. An interesting throwback experience with these antiquated cable cars in the city of cutting edge technological advances! read more
4 years ago
7 years ago
First time in San Francisco - Gotta ride one of the famous trolley cars! Yes, very touristy, but come on!!! You wouldn't leave SF without trying fresh baked sourdough...would you? If so, you might just get home and regret it. So here's the 411 from a non-local. Do NOT wait in line at the super busy, major pickups like Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf! Simply walk down a few blocks to the car's next stop and it is pretty easy to just hop on. The cost is supposed to be $6 p/p per trip (or you can buy a day pass); however, the few times I jumped on and traveled just a few blocks I was never charged or didn't see a place to insert the fee...and the people who jumped on next to me didn't pay or flash a pass either???...I was very willing to pay and either stood right next to the conductor/brake man each time. Hum. I dunno. Not encouraging trying to sneak a free ride...I was so excited I actually didn't realize I failed to pay until I walked away from the tracks. Tiny bucket-list item - checked! read more
Sadly, a cable car experience is a touristy thing to do in San Francisco, so we had to do it, but was it worth the time and money? Definitely not. The cost for a one way ticket on the cable car is $6. We didn't go very far and the ride was not very long. We found it to be expensive, especially since we waited OVER AN HOUR for a cable car before we could board it. What we found ridiculous was that there were FIVE cable cars in queue but they were all sitting there and not moving. We waited and waited until finally, 45 minutes later, the cable cars started rolling our way. We thought finally!!! Until, four out of the five cable cars were broken. So we had to wait and wait some more. We didnt even know how they were broken since they don't run on electricity or gas! When we finally got seated, we found that the conductors were not really friendly. We were hoping for a better experience. Unfortunately we set our expectations too high. We highly recommend getting an all day pass at $14 per day. That way you can take unlimited rides on both the MUNI buses, streetcars, and cable cars. We were able to pick up our passes at the info both in the baggage claim area at SFO airport. We didn't bother to take the cable car back to where we initially boarded since we waited so long the last time. To save time, we hopped on the F-line MUNI streetcar (from Fisherman's Wharf) to Embarcadero and transferred MUNI line trains there. The streetcar was so much better than the cable car. read more
5 years ago
This was truly a friendly and fun experience! Well one of the conductor seemed a little bit grouchy, it was almost comical like the rest of the conductors knew to expect it... We didn't let his big personality rain on our parade. In fact, we found it was a little bit entertaining. Anyhow, everybody was friendly, courteous, and helpful. This was definitely a highlight of our trip. We should've sorted out the trolley/cable cars on the first day of our trip that would've saved our feet and possibly some time. When we return to San Francisco we will be riding the cable cars again. We use the Muni app and bought an all day pass. read more
8 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
A San Francisco must! When in San Francisco, if you hadn't already, you must experience a ride in a San Francisco's historic cable cars. Although this isn't my first time riding in a SF trolley this is my first time riding with my teen. We stood behind the looping line on Powell and Market Streets in Union Square on New Year's Eve. There were two trolleys that takes the passengers to the final stop at Fisherman's Wharf. The signs are painted directly on the car. Each were marked with either a yellow sign (Powell-Mason Line) or a red sign (Powell-Hyde Line). We ended up riding the Powell-Hyde Line which begins at the Powell Market turntable and runs over Nob and Russian hills before ending at Aquatic Park near Ghirardelli Square. Our wait time was approximately one hour in the cold but it didn't bother my daughter... she was excited to ride the cable car for the first time and just seeing the look on her face once we were able to board the trolley was priceless to me. She wanted the full experience and chose to "hang on" to the special poles provided on the outside of the car. Wheee! and off we went! There was a conductor that collected payment once the car was moving. Cash Only. $7/each for me and my daughter (even though it said $5 one-way on their website). The gripman running our cable car was funny and entertaining as he cracked jokes while running our car up and down the hilly streets of San Francisco. Fun experience for me and my child! Review #0635 read more
It is really cool that everyone can ride these rolling pieces of history. It feels like being on a tv show or a movie. They are a great value as a tourist as an activity. They are one of San Francisco's best known images (along with the Golden Gate Bridge). There are two lines that go to the Fishermans Wharf. They both end fairly close together so I suggest just jumping on whichever comes along first if you are going to Fisherman's Wharf. This one ends in the middle of the tourist zone by Cost Plus. If you are going to Powell street its the same spot for both. This is the line that goes closest to China town, is best for access for North Beach. the two lines split by the Cable Car Museum. Tips; avoid the lines, they are always at the end stations, ride like a local, walk up the line a few blocks and catch it at the next stop. You have to move fast to jump on. You will also probably wind up standing and hanging off the side (it's the best way to ride in my opinion) read more
It's a piece of San Francisco history and a prominent feature of the city's image around the world. In all my visits to SF I have never been in this cable car. Finally I decided it was time to take a ride up the hill from Fishermans Wharf as I was meeting some friends at Union Square. At $7 a ride not something I will do very often. It's part of the public transport system and really expensive in my opinion. The cars are quaint and I liked watching the driver push and pull on levers and so on. It was filled with a lot of tourists on the way up and a lot of drunk tourists on the way down ;-)) you have to do it, just to say you have done it :-) take a selfie hanging off the car and be done with :-)) read more
9 years ago
So...I did it. I rode the historic Powell/Mason Line Cable Car. I was told this is a must do in San Francisco and for $7 you can ride it to your destination. We picked up the cable car at a stop close to our hotel, so the line wasn't crazy long and it was a Sunday afternoon. There's not much to say here. Its a cable car. Do it when you are in San Francisco. :) read more
11 years ago
I've seen so many images of the cable cars on TV that I pictured being able to stand and hold onto one of the poles as we rode through the city. Seeing J. David H's pics from his ride on the Powell-Hyde Line only confirmed my expectation. Because we didn't get on until the Mason-Pacific stop, all of the pole positions were taken. We walked up to the stop just as the cable car arrived. The gripman barked for us hop on and move behind the line so that he could keep going. It was confusing because we were thinking, "Is someone going to take our money or not?" There were so many people on the car that we had to squeeze in. While standing I didn't have a very good view of things outside the car like the architecture and views of the bay. I did get to watch the gripman at work though. I had no idea operating the car was such a physically demanding task. He used his full body weight to maneuver the gears, rocking and pumping levers. He did everything short of sticking his feet through the bottom of the car (à la Fred Flintstone) to brake the car. He worked hard for the money! When the ride ended we finally flagged down the operator to buy one-way tickets. I saw a few of the people who hopped on when we did get off without paying. I doubt there was intent to defraud; they were probably just as confused as we were. We didn't have to deal with the 1-2 hour waits I read about in other reviews, but we did miss out on a good portion of the ride by getting on where we did. Next time I would arrive early to miss the crowds and get on at the beginning of the line to enjoy the full experience. I think you're almost obligated to ride the cable cars when you're in San Francisco. With no wait and at a cost of $7 person, our one-way trip was totally worthwhile. read more
14 years ago
Really, this isn't Mr. Roger's neighborhood. Good things always come to those who wait, so don't start complaining about the most enjoyable ride of your life while waiting for this cable car. I suggest you go in pairs. One stays in line. One takes photos and goes shopping. Once you're up to catch the car, then you ride along together. Seems pretty legit to me! Also, I don't think you'll ever find a Vietnamese Bob Dylan serenading you while you wait. It's pretty much City life. read more
3 years ago
Long wait to ride at this stop station. One of the first ones ever built in San Francisco that you can actually see the employees who run the trolley move and maneuver the trolley on the right track. We were expecting to pay but for some reason riding to Chinatown was free!! The true tourist experience in San Francisco! read more
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Powell & Market St
San Francisco, CA 94109
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