Super cool place. Take time to learn the history (the plaque at the bottom of the stairs out front is excellent info). Great views of the city 360°! read more

Coit Tower - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Francisco, California

Let me start by saying I chose to take the stairs route and felt delightfully rewarded by the view from the top of the tower! They do have some onsite parking but bus transport is also an alternative since there is a stop there. To access the top deck, admission is $11 for adults. I paid cash as they charge a fee to use credit cards. This is an affordable tourist attraction. The deck isn't that big and can imagine it getting or being crowded and unable to take pics- I hope they have figured out a system to control number of guests upstairs at a time. It appears the tower is operated by volunteers. ARI is a HOOT! Lol There is a gift shop on the first floor. Please support local and spread the word! You can also enjoy view of the Golden Gate Bride and Bay Bridges. Lots of photo opportunities both inside and outside the grounds. . This would be a great spot for a picnic / date. read more

Get an UBER, LYFT, or TAXI. Honey, the parking is limited as we already know about SF. If there is parking it is limited to 30 min. So I suggest getting dropped off at this location. You will be driving through a neighborhood to get there. They do have a coffee and snack stand outside of the Tower. There is a gift shop in there. You have the option to take the stairs or take the elevator. Make sure , Make sure, Make SURE to get your ticket to go up the tower from the gift shop counter, or Admissions counter. It could be a 5 to 35 to 1 hour wait - depending on what time of day you go visit. It's beautiful up there. Signed, Your Elite Yelper / Your Guy Haira'pist Blessings read more

Coit Tower - No touchy ! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is where I wanted to go for Mother's Day this year. We look at it from our hotel when we visit so why not? It's worth the steps. We walked there and then up the tower and it was super comfortable. The steps are wider and it's def not like a lighthouse. You can stop at each floor to break if you want but really not a bad walk (trust me I'm pregnant and I did it). The murals are great and the service was friendly. In exception to one lady who meant well but was kinda less friendly to us because we had a toddler (concerned he would touch a mural even though he is well behaved and did not). The views are wonderful from the top and the walk down is incredibly easy. They have a penny machine as well as a little gift shop. There's a little park type area around it and the flowers smell beautiful. The public transit is only to and from the wharf but if you want a workout and are some what in shape you can walk there read more

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After checking out Chinatown, we decided to head up the hill and get a view of the city from Coit Tower. We lucked out when we got to the top of the hill and caught a parking spot as someone else was leaving. There are very few spots at the top lot, otherwise, you need to park lower, and hike up the stairs. Once inside the walls are lined with murals from the Great Depression, showing the important industries that helped shape the city and state. For a small price you can get a ticket and climb 234 steps to the top of the tower to a 360 degree overlook of the city. The art deco tower was built as a monument to the firefighters who saved the city from the great fire. The view at the top is great, and you can see out from all sides. Great experience, and somewhere worth checking out for a good view read more

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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. read more

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There's a long walk up , and a easy way . We took the long route. The view was beyond the expectation. The old brick/stone work in the area is some of the best of the historical era, in the early 1900s. The Coit Tower has a great view of the bay and the city scape. Worth the many steps to head up the pathway to make it to the top. read more

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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. read more

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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. read more

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Beautiful view, great sunsets, great workout if you take the steps all the way up. It lights up in the night. One of my fav spots in the city read more

Coit Tower - Coit Tower - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Francisco, California

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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! read more

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With so many things to see and do in San Francisco, Coit Tower had slipped off my radar. I was reintroduced to the Tower as part of an active hike up the staircases from the Embarcadero side to the base of the Tower. Once there we decided to visit. We entered on the ground floor and were told to hold our backpacks in our hands, not on our backs. The concern was the possibility of scratching the murals on all the walls of the Tower base. These murals were a beautiful representation of the earlier years of San Francisco including the beauty and harsh realities of this developing area. Luckily we were there as soon as the Tower opened and could take time to look and muse about the depictions. Afterward, we bought our tickets to reach the top of the Tower, but the elevator didn't quite make it to the top. We had to climb the last two floors which became open to the sky. I only mention this as it was drizzling that day and you will want to be careful with your footing. The views were fantastic, especially after seeing the murals and seeing the difference between past and present. You can stay up there as long as you want, however, the space is small and could feel crowded if there were lots of people. Once we left Coit Tower, we went down the much easier steps toward Washington square to find a nice breakfast spot. Coit Tower was an enjoyable destination for a morning walk and offered history and great discussions for our day. read more

Absolutely beautiful views and budget friendly! Highly recommend if visiting San Francisco to go here!

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. read more

Coit Tower - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Francisco, California

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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. read more

Coit Tower - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Francisco, California

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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. read more

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Love court liquors! Make sure to say hi to Mickey, the bird! The staff is always so nice.

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. read more

Coit Tower - View of Bay from Citi Tower - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Francisco, California

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. read more

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

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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 read more

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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. read more

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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! read more

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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. read more

Coit Tower - Coit Tower - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Francisco, California

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. read more

Coit Tower - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Francisco, California

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

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. read more

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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. read more

Coit Tower - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Francisco, California

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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. read more

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. read more

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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!! read more

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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. read more

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! read more

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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! read more

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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. read more

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. read more

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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. read more

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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! read more

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. read more

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. read more

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