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Coit Tower

Coit Tower

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Monument tower overlooking San Francisco. Tower includes murals from 1934 showing California business, agriculture and home life of the period. 360 Degree viewing platform at top of 212 ft tower.
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Telegraph Hill
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See what travelers are saying
  • Kentwoolgar
    Brighton, United Kingdom268 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    It’s a tower on a hill
    Staff really polite and knowledgeable. Parking impossible at busy times but we drove up and got lucky. 10 bucks each to ascend the 14 floors. It’s a bit of a slog but if you’re reasonably ambient you should be fine. Lift was out of order, which seems often the case. They are very protective of the stairwell wall paintings. I thought they were very juvenile, reminiscent of any junior school project. It’s a little sanitised, in that most of the viewing portals being glazed. A couple were open. If you want a half hour cheap excursion, you could do worse. Can’t fault the 360 degree view
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 30, 2023
  • Karen W
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    One week filled with lots to see.
    So much to see and great weather that was not too hot nor too cold. ! Biking over the Golden Gate Bridge, exploring Golden Gate Park, riding the cable car, eating in Little Italy, and taking a tour of Alcatraz and Muir woods were highlights of the trip. All touristy activities but from the other coast so they were must sees. Getting around on public transportation was good but a little difficult to find where the bus would stop in some cases. Stayed in Fisherman’s Wharf area at Hyatt Centric which turned out to be a great location.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 1, 2023
  • Badforever
    London, Canada1,771 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great view from the top. There are 13 flights of stairs to climb.
    We walked up from the surrounding neighborhoods. But you can drive up or there is a bus. Once on site, there is a snack bar and bathrooms in the parking lot. Once inside, the elevator is not working. You must climb 13 flights of stairs. Great views from the top, but they are through glass panels. Cost is $10. $7 for seniors.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 13, 2023
  • andyh67186334
    Coalville, United Kingdom10,908 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Panoramic Views of San Francisco.
    I walked to Coit Tower from my hotel located on Nob Hill, which was a downhill walk until I reached the Tower with just a couple of steep street hill climbs to navigate. The views from outside the Tower are stunning, but when inside everything was unobstructed. The lift was broken when I visited so there are 234 steps up and back down again to consider. The views were spectacular from the top of the Tower and one of the guides opened windows for me to take better shots. There is no roof at the top of the tower so if it rains unexpectedly, take a brolly. The interior of the building contained some beautiful pastel murals, which depicted the city from the past. It was well worth the $10 entrance fee and jolly good exercise for the day.
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written January 21, 2024
  • Joseph G
    Bengaluru, India48 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Hectic 8 days but covered all the sights of SFO and surroundings
    Visited all the top attractions. We stayed at Fishermans wharf so could visit Pier 33 and Pier 39 often. We did a boat trip to Alcatraz and also under the Golden Gate Bridge. We took a long drive on the 17 mile Coastal route . Visited the bay area tech company campuses. Took rides in SFO famous cable cars and Visited Union Square, Golden Gate park, Ferry Building. Also did a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods. Did a trip to San Jose, Freemont etc
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written February 18, 2024
  • Patty Kanyaporn
    390 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stunning 360-degree city views
    A beautiful Art Deco structure on Telegraph Hill. There's a short elevator ride fee to access the observation deck. The observation deck provides a breathtaking 360-degree view, encompassing the city skyline, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay. Free museum on the ground floor featuring murals depicting life in 1930s San Francisco This collection offers a fascinating social commentary created by local artists during the Great Depression.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written March 25, 2024
  • Jennifer G
    Brookline, Massachusetts73 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unbeatable Bird's Eye View of San Francisco!
    We walked up to Coit Tower from Levi's Plaza through a hidden neighborhood of charming & quirky homes, beautiful gardens & parks, boardwalks, narrow footpaths and brightly colored fire hydrants all clinging impossibly to the side of a steep hillside - really lovely if you can handle the stairs (there are benches to rest as needed). There are glimpses of the bay on the walk up the stairs, but most impressive views are from Coit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill. The Art Deco tower is simple on the outside, but decorated on the inside with vivid murals by several artists depicting scenes of daily life and ordinary citizens in the "social realism" style (these may be viewed for free). The elevator was broken when we visited, but the walk up the stairs was worth the effort: the top of the Tower features a magnificent 360-degree view of the city, bay, bridges, wharves and Alcatraz. There are bathrooms at the base of the tower and a somewhat tacky giftshop; in some seasons, there might be a refreshment stand outside; city buses drop off at the main entrance and Ubers are easy to arrange. If you only have 1-2 days in San Francisco, include this site on your itinerary!
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 15, 2024
  • ElvisAndrus
    Arlington, Texas916 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Go!
    A great view, but you have to earn it. We took the CityWalk tour which not only gave some background of the whole mural project, but drew our attention to a number of details we might’ve missed. Great art, great history, a gem!
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 18, 2024
  • sanrionjb
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania123 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth the effort
    I have been to San Francisco quite a few times but never realized what was inside Coit Tower. I read reviews here so I knew the elevator was out of order. I took the muni to the Emarcadero and walked from there. It definitely fulfilled my exercise for the day and helped me get a good night sleep on the red eye home that night, but if you take your time and physically can do this, I greatly recommend this walk up the stairs to the tower. Then there are more stairs once you are in the tower but the reward is wonderful views and a memorable experience. There are murals in the tower which I greatly enjoyed viewing and reading the descriptions about them.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written June 6, 2024
  • ne_quine
    Aberdeen, United Kingdom1,687 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    One off the bucket list
    This was one of the places I'd wanted to visit for a long time but unfortunately the elevator/lift was out of action so I didn't get the fantastic views I was hoping for. I still managed to get some but too many trees in the way to get fantastic photos. Definitely take the #39 bus to it to save you a hike and a half going up lots of stairs to read the Tower.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written July 5, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles4,602 reviews
Excellent
1,976
Very good
1,877
Average
585
Poor
134
Terrible
31

duck8to
Montville, NJ6,814 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
Coit Tower is located in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. At 210' tall it is a prominent feature and provides panoramic views of Fishermen's Wharf, San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. A nonresident elevator fee for adults/children of $8/$5 is collected.

It was built with money left by Lillie Hitchchock Coit (1843-1929), mainly as a result of her lifelong admiration and dedication to the volunteer fire fighters of San Francisco.
She personally participated in fire fighting efforts, as well as, supporting fire fighting efforts of five major fires which occurred in San Francisco's history including the earthquake & fire of 1906. Coit Tower was built between 1923-33 and is on the national register of Historic Places. Twenty-five artists participated in the painting of murals in the interior. The murals are of the American Social Realism styles featuring everyday working people. One notable artist was Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr..
Written January 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CopperLeah
Loveland, CO1,495 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
We very much enjoyed the hike up the hills, viewing the murals within, and basking in the shady grass outside.

While an amazing piece of architecture with stunning views of the city, we were underwhelmed by the pricing at the tower to take the elevator up (so we didn't).

Worth the walk if you have time and stamina, but don't set your expectations too high :)
Written August 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alan F
Southampton, UK199 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
The views from the top of the tower are spectacular. Although the top of the tower is not that much higher than the car park below, views from the car park are obstructed by the trees around the car park. It was $10 to go up to the top in the lift, followed by 34 steps. However, if you are happy with the view from the car park, it is still worth going to the tower to look around the murals on the ground floor (no charge for that).

Best way to get there is to catch the 39 bus from outside Pier 39, that takes you up to the car park and back down again afterwards.
Written May 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brandon K
Flagstaff, AZ2,034 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
We were recommended to come see the tower by a local since we had been to town before. We decided to walk to the tower from our hotel and earn our trip, which we did walking up hills to get to the bottom of the tower and then the stairs. Iff you are not ready to breathe hard and sweat, just take the drive up to the parking lot at the base of the tower. When you get inside, you can see all the great murals that were commissioned for the building with som many different artists so skillfully working with each other to make the murals almost continuous. When you get inside, you need to pay the fee by the gift shop to go up the elevator and masks are required. At the top, it is open to the sky, so there is a lip at the top they warn you about. It is to make sure rain that comes in from the open roof do not run right down the stairs. Our elevator operator was great and very friendly. The views at the top of all of San Francisco were wonderful and worth the effort and cost.
Written August 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Montreal_native
Edmonton, Canada1,558 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
We ended up coming here too early and it hadn’t opened yet. Despite this I would highly recommend you visit since it does offer nice views of the city. We took an UBER up and walked down to Fisherman Wharfs after since the little trail looked really nice. It took about 20 minutes which gave us to opportunity to see the neighbourhood more which was nice.
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kebuh
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia1,863 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023 • Solo
Easiest way of doing this visit is to just take a bus up to the tower. Opted for the more difficult option, walked up Telegraph Hill using the Filbert steps. Took the route from Embarcadero near Pier 19 through Levi’s Plaza up to the base of Filbert steps. It’s a challenging walk up but you do get some wonderful vistas of the bay towards the Bay Bridge and see some very nice houses whose only access is from the steps. Took a leisurely 30 minutes to get up to Coit Tower. Once at the base of the tower, you do get some good views of the City and the bay but would recommend spending the USD10 to go up the lift to the top of the tower. There u have views not blocked by trees of the whole city and Bay Area especially the Transamerica Building. Had the option of taking the bus down but decided on taking Lombard Street down towards Fisherman’s Wharf. All in all a great 3 hours spent to get a feel for the geography of San Francisco.
Written January 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lengtan67
Kuala Lumpur1,177 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022
Anyone who loves 360-degree bird views from high places, this is definitely not a place to miss as from the observation deck we can see the city and bay, including the Golden Gate and Bay bridges.

With an entrance fee of USD 10, we can also feast our eyes on the murals on the ground floor depicting the then lifestyles of yesteryears.

Getting into the olden days elevator to get us to the top was already quite thrilling.

Muni’s #39 wiill will get us there from Fisherman’s Wharf. However I took the stairs from the eatern slope of Telegraph Hill via the Filbert Street stairs passing houses and their gardens as I ascend enjoying the bay view every time I turned around.
Written March 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

J David
Virginia Beach, VA1,609 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019 • Solo
Looking for the best 360° view of the city? Without question head to Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower for the most incredible bay views any where.

Built in 1933 with money left by wealthy resident Lillie Hitchcock Coit in remembrance to the city firefighters.

The concrete structure rises from the hill 210 feet offering spectacular views of both bay and city at its top observation deck. Choose a clear day for photos.

There is a fee if you chose to ride the elevator to the top deck. Otherwise you can enjoy the unique murals at the bottom. Parking is extremely limited. Recommend public transportation, taxi or Uber. It's a San Francisco original to add to your list.
Written June 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

El Turista John
New York City, NY5,371 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021 • Friends
Go for the views and the depression-era murals on the inside. I’d have to agree with others that the $10 price for the ride to the top is too much; especially since the reflection and dirt on the windows makes it difficult to take a great photo. But keep in mind you don’t get the full 360 degree view of SF from the parking lot (shrubbery blocks much of the view unless you stand on the railing). With all that said, for me, the best part of the experience is the chance to view the 1930s murals around the inside of the tower which depict life and work in Depression Era California. It doesn’t cost anything to view the murals or visit the gift shop.
Written November 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

pacha835
County Clare, Ireland225 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
With great views of the city along with bridge to bridge views of the bay area I would recommend a visit here . The Murals on the wall are very interesting telling the history of the area . Space on top is limited enough so 15 minutes should be enough for a visit .
Get the 39 bus from the Wharf to avoid climbing the hills
Written July 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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COIT TOWER (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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