There is a moment, about halfway up the Filbert Street Steps on Telegraph Hill, when the city noise drops away entirely and you find yourself standing in what feels like a private garden suspended between the bay and the sky. Parrots — yes, actual wild parrots — chatter in the branches above you. Roses and jasmine spill over hand-painted wooden fences. The smell of salt air mixes with something floral and green, and for a second you forget you are in the middle of one of the most densely packed cities in America.
That is the magic of this place, and it is absolutely real.
The Filbert Steps are a series of wooden and concrete staircases that climb the eastern face of Telegraph Hill from Sansome Street at the base all the way up to Telegraph Hill Boulevard and the iconic Coit Tower at the summit. The full ascent covers about 377 steps and winds through one of the most lovingly tended informal gardens in the entire Bay Area. Much of it has been cultivated over decades by volunteers and longtime residents, including the late Grace Marchetti, who began planting flowers along the steps in the 1940s. Her spirit still feels present in every bloom.
The neighborhood at the base is the Embarcadero waterfront, and from there the walk begins gently enough on the flat, sun-washed street before the steps themselves announce that this is, in fact, a genuine climb. Wear comfortable shoes. Bring water. Take your time. The staircases weave past charming wooden cottages that cling to the hillside — some of the oldest structures in San Francisco — and the gardens grow wilder and more abundant the higher you go. Fuchsia, agapanthus, fennel, and heritage roses crowd the path in a riot of color that peaks in spring but honestly never fully disappears.
The wild parrots are the resident celebrities. A flock of cherry-headed conures — descendants of escaped pets who decided San Francisco suited them just fine — has lived on Telegraph Hill for decades and inspired a beloved documentary film. They tend to congregate in the trees around the upper steps, and if you sit quietly on one of the wooden landings for a few minutes, they will almost certainly make their presence known with their spectacular, squawking entrance.
At the top, Coit Tower rewards you with panoramic views of the bay, Alcatraz, and the green hills of Marin. The WPA murals inside the tower are worth a separate visit on their own, but even just the summit viewpoint is enough to make the climb feel entirely worth it.
Come on a weekday morning if you want the steps largely to yourself. Weekend afternoons bring a steady stream of visitors, though the stairs are long enough that it never truly feels crowded. Parking in the neighborhood is genuinely difficult, so take the 39 Coit Muni bus from Washington Square Park in North Beach, which drops you near the summit, and then walk the steps downward for a completely different and equally rewarding experience.
The Filbert Steps cost absolutely nothing to visit and deliver something priceless: a reminder that San Francisco, for all its change and complexity, still harbors corners of genuine, unhurried beauty. This is not a manufactured attraction. It is a living, breathing piece of the city that has been quietly extraordinary for generations. Go find it for yourself.
