Coit Tower
San Francisco, CA 94133-3106
Phone: (415) 362-0808
- Hours:
- Daily 10am-7pm, tours: Tue, Thu 10:15am
Editorial Review for Coit Tower – by David Templeton
The Background
As any tour guide will tell you with a sly wink, Lilly Hitchcock Coit, the woman whose money made the tower possible, really had a thing for the firemen who were often found at her mansion. As a tribute to the men who tried to save San Francisco in 1906, Lilly designated that her legacy be used for the beautification of her beloved city.
The View
The views here are spectacular, but if you want to look out from the tower's top, you'd best go during daylight, as Coit Tower generally closes at 5pm. Though the mural gallery and gift shop are free, it'll cost you $4.50 to ride the elevator to the top. If you don't like heights, look in nearby trees; believe it or not, a flock of wild parrots lives in the neighborhood.
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Insider Tips
ParkingIt's available but limited, and traffic jams are common. Walk or take public transportation.
The ExtrasVisit via the rustic wooden Filbert Steps (Sansome and Filbert streets) or the concrete Greenwich Stairs (Montgomery Street). The steep walkways pass beautiful cottages and private gardens and offer brief but spectacular city views.
Know Before You GoSteps to the base of the tower and a staircase to the observation deck up top make Coit inaccessible to wheelchairs.
User Reviews for Coit Tower
01/03/2009 Posted by bilyana
I visited San Francisco a few times in the past and didn’t come across this beautiful spot unit the last time. After revisiting the usual places I leafed through one of the tourist booklet and found this spot. We arrived at the parking lot at the top of the hill in the twilight hours, so we couldn’t go up the tower but the views from below were still spectacular. The photos I took there have light and shadow, colors peaking behind a evening fog with the beautiful San Francisco background that reminds me of classical paintings.
11/13/2006 Posted by vynnp
I walked up Telegraph Hill to see this. I have admired it from down below for years, and the trip is absolutly worth it. 360 degree view of the city and the bay. Friendly staff to take you up. Beautiful grounds surrounding the tower. Please don't miss it.
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