Pacific Heights Walking Tour and Map

Today I want to bring you my self-guided Pacific Heights walking tour. This part of San Francisco is famous for its beautiful houses, impressive Billionaires’ Row, leafy parks, and fun shopping and dining. Pac Heights (as locals call it) is one of the most upscale neighborhoods in San Francisco, and it’s a great place to discover on foot. My walking route will take you to the top spots in the area and let you explore its side streets and hidden spaces while you’re at it. I’ve included a map as well.

Pacific Heights Walking Tour

Pacific Heights is one of my favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco, and I’m excited to share my curated picks for places to explore with you. From Fillmore to Broadway, famous hills to secret parks, there’s a lot to love about this area.

My favorite thing about Pac Heights is its mix of all the finer things in life. From independent shops and cafes to classic Victorian houses and pretty green spaces, this neighborhood has an abundance of things I like about San Francisco.

My Pacific Heights walking tour is the perfect way to get into the area’s local scene, discover the side streets, walk through the parks, and explore a part of the city locals love to spend time in.

Helpful Tips and Guidelines

This walk involves some of San Francisco’s famous hills, so make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes, bring water, and go at your own pace.

As always, walk safely, obey traffic rules, and only use authorized crossing points as you go.

If you prefer a guided tour, there are plenty of good ones to choose from. They’re great ways to see the City by the Bay with an experienced local. You can see options and book one here.

Pacific Heights Walk Route

My self-guided Pacific Heights walk starts at the intersection of Van Ness and Jackson. You can arrive by local bus 27 or 49, by bike (preferably e-bike, as the hills here are steep), or on foot from Russian Hill, the Marina, and other parts of the city.

Haas-Lilienthal House

Start this walk by heading west down Jackson toward Franklin. When you reach Franklin, turn left and walk up to Washington. On the way you’ll pass the Haas-Lilienthal House, a historic Queen Anne Victorian that’s now a museum. You can take a tour if you want to see the interior en route. Just make sure to check opening hours before you go.

Lafayette Park

After passing the Haas-Lilienthal House, continue your Pacific Heights walking tour by heading to Washington Street and turning right. You’ll soon reach Lafayette Park, one of the neighborhood’s best green spaces. You can take a stroll through it and admire the views from the lawns.

Washington Street

When you’re done, continue your self-guided walk back on the road. You’ll see the big hedges in front of the Spreckels Mansion at 2080 Washington Street. This Neoclassical mansion was built in the early 20th century for sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels and his wife, Alma. Today it’s owned by novelist Danielle Steele.

Keep walking west down the road, admiring the impressive houses as you make your way to the end of the park at Laguna Street. When you get there, turn right.

Laguna Street

Walk down Laguna and keep an eye out for the Whittier Mansion on the corner of Jackson. This late 19th-century home is one of the most unique buildings in Pacific Heights. Designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style with period features, it stands out for both its two-tone coloring and its singular shape and size.

The mansion was designed by Edward Robinson Swain for William Franklin Whittier, and it’s made of Arizona sandstone. A San Francisco Designated Landmark, it’s also on the National Register of Historic Places.

Broadway

After you’ve taken in the mansion, continue your Pacific Heights walking tour by heading down Laguna until you reach Broadway. Turn left there and start to make your way west along the street.

As you go, you’ll pass a number of notable buildings. One of them is The Hamlin School at 2120 Broadway. It’s the oldest non-sectarian school for girls in the western United States. The basketball court on the roof of the building was used as a filming location for The Princess Diaries.

Another is the James Leary Flood Mansion at 2222 Broadway. Leary had the house built in the early 20th century for his wife, Maud.

The elegant building incorporates a mix of architectural styles, including Italian Renaissance, Rococo, Tudor, Georgian, and Mediterranean Revival. It’s now a school by day and a private events venue by night and weekend.

You’ll pass by more schools and other impressive houses and buildings as your walk continues down Broadway.

When you reach Steiner, you’ll see a home on the southeast corner that might look familiar. It’s at 2640 Steiner, and it’s the house from Mrs. Doubtfire, one of the most famous movies set in San Francisco.

Billionaires’ Row

A few more blocks down Broadway, you’ll reach Billionaires’ Row. This stretch between Divisadero and Lyon Street is famous for its mega-mansions. They’re some of the most expensive homes in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it’s hard not to be impressed by them.

You’ll also notice unique features like the curving drive on Broderick and the lush garden steps on Lyon Street.

Continue your self-guided Pacific Heights walking tour by heading to the end of Broadway. You’ll see the Presidio in front of you and the Lyon Street Steps to your right. You can admire the views of San Francisco Bay from the top of the hill, or brave the stairs to see the houses and architectural features around them.

Pacific Avenue

Whichever you choose, continue your walk by turning left on Lyon Street and heading up the hill toward Pacific. When you get there, turn left and walk east down it. You’ll pass more impressive mansions, including some particularly eye-catching ones on the corner of Divisadero.

You’ll also pass Hotel Drisco. Pacific Heights is one of my top picks for areas to stay in San Francisco, and this is a good place to base yourself if you’re visiting. You can book a room here.

Alta Plaza Park

When you reach Scott Street, turn right and walk up to Jackson. Here you’ll find yourself at Alta Plaza park. Spend some time exploring the park and taking in the views from the south side, then continue your self-guided Pacific Heights walking tour by exiting the park on the corner of Jackson and Steiner.

Fillmore Street

Walk east down Jackson to Fillmore, and take a right when you get there. You’ll pass the shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants that make this one of the best streets in San Francisco. It’s a great place to stop for a snack, coffee, or meal if you need a rest. I’ve been coming here since I moved to the city in 2004, and I know the street well.

My top picks for places to eat here are The Taylor’s Son, Chouquet’s, Woodhouse Fish Co, and Pizzeria Delfina. Blue Bottle has great coffee, and under-the-radar Philmore Creamery is my go-to place for gelato.

If shopping is your thing, don’t miss Nest for gifts and home goods, Sezane and Veronica Beard for clothing, Catbird for jewelry, and Rothy’s for shoes.

Cottage Row

But back to the walk. Once you’ve reached Bush Street, take a left and go half a block down on the south side of the street. Soon you’ll come to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it walkway called Cottage Row. Head down it and admire the colorful houses as you make your way to the secret park at the end.

The Cottage Row Mini Park is one of my favorite hidden spaces in the neighborhood. It’s a great place to sit and soak up the scenery if you need a rest.

Bush Street

If not, continue your self-guided Pacific Heights walking tour by retracing your steps up Cottage Row and turning right on Bush. As you walk east, keep an eye out for the attractive Victorian houses that line the street.

Mary Ellen Pleasant Memorial Park

When you reach Octavia, you’ll see Mary Ellen Pleasant Memorial Park. One of the smallest parks in the city, it’s dedicated to the most powerful Black woman in Gold Rush-era San Francisco. A successful entrepreneur, self-made millionaire, leading abolitionist, and civil rights pioneer, her mansion once stood on the grounds of the park.

Today you can see a plaque dedicated to Pleasant just around the corner from Bush on Octavia. She planted the six trees that line the block here, and they’re now said to be haunted. In fact, the whole of Pac Heights is said to be haunted. There are even San Francisco ghost tours that start from right here.

Octavia Street

Speaking of which, if you turn left on Octavia and pass the Buddhist Churches of America National Headquarters (the oldest Buddhist organization in the continental United States), you’ll come to Atherton House on the corner of California and Octavia. This home is reputed to be haunted as well.

Atherton House was built in the late 19th century in an eclectic style borrowing from the Queen Anne and the Stick-Eastlake. Also known as the Faxon Atherton Mansion, it’s said to be inhabited by the ghosts of its original occupiers.

After you’ve admired the mansion, continue up Octavia to Sacramento Street and Lafayette Park. When you get there, turn right on Sacramento and take your next left on Gough.

Gough Street

As you walk past the green space, you’ll see the C. A. Belden House at 2004 Gough Street. This home was designed by architect Walter J. Mathews for Charles A. Belden, treasurer of an importing enterprise called W. W. Montague & Company. Constructed in the late 19th century, the building is a fine example of Queen Anne architecture.

After admiring the house, continue your self-guided walk down Gough until you reach Jackson. Turn right on Jackson and follow it to Van Ness. Your walk ends right where it began.

If you want to, you can combine it with my Russian Hill walking tour. It ends a few blocks from where this one starts, and you can do both in one day.

Walk Details and Map

Pacific Heights Walking Tour

I hope my Pac Heights walk has made you look forward to getting outdoors and exploring this part of the City by the Bay on foot. It’s one of the highlights of San Francisco, and it’s the perfect place to discover a local part of SF.

If you want to see more of the surrounding area, you can do my free self-guided Marina walking tour, my North Beach walk, or my Telegraph Hill walk. And if you want to see all my routes and maps in one place, you can take a look at my interactive map or my blog post about self-guided walking tours in San Francisco. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them!

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