Neighborhood
Nob Hill
Historic hotels, cable cars, Grace Cathedral and classic cocktail lounges.
About Nob Hill
Nob Hill is the summit the railroad barons built on, and then lost: the 1906 fire took every mansion but one, and the grand hotels and Grace Cathedral went up in their place. It is quiet, formal and steep, with the best hotel lobbies in the city and views down every street.
Because it is high and exposed, it is windy, and often clear when lower neighborhoods are grey. All three surviving cable car lines cross it, which is not a coincidence: the cable car was invented to solve precisely this hill.
There is not much here for a full family day, but there is a free museum children love and a cathedral worth an hour, and it is a ten-minute downhill walk to Chinatown or Union Square.
Our neighborhood lines are based on DataSF's Analysis Neighborhoods, adjusted where visitors use a smaller area or a different name: Dogpatch and Fisherman's Wharf stand on their own, and the Richmond and the Sunset are each kept whole.
How Far Is It?
- Union Square0.6 mi · a 10 minute walk downhill
- Fisherman's Wharf1.3 mi · 15 min by cable car
- Golden Gate Bridge3.5 mi · 12–15 min drive
- Golden Gate Park4.3 mi · 15–20 min drive
- SFO airport14 mi · 30 min on BART from Powell St
Getting here: All three cable car lines: California Street straight over the top, Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde up the flanks. Buses 1, 2, 3, 19, 27 and 45. Powell Street BART is a ten-minute walk downhill and a hard walk back up. Parking is limited and mostly garages.
What to See
Grace Cathedral
A Gothic Revival cathedral with gilded doors cast from Ghiberti’s Florence Baptistery molds, an indoor labyrinth and a rose window.
Cable Car Museum
The working powerhouse where the cables that pull every car in the city are wound. The machinery is running while you watch.
Huntington Park
A formal park with the Fountain of the Turtles and a small playground, across from the cathedral.
The Fairmont
A 1907 hotel where the United Nations Charter was drafted, with a tiki bar in the basement that has indoor rainstorms.
InterContinental Mark Hopkins
The Top of the Mark lounge on the nineteenth floor, opened in 1939 and a farewell spot for departing servicemen in the war.
Ina Coolbrith Park
A terraced pocket park on the Russian Hill border with a framed view of the bay.
Things to Do
The Cable Car Museum
Twenty minutes, free, and genuinely fascinating for kids: you look down on the giant sheaves pulling the cables.
Walk the Grace Cathedral Labyrinth
There are two, one indoors and one outdoors on the terrace. Quiet, free to walk during open hours.
Ride the California Street Cable Car
The locals’ line. Shorter queues than Powell, and it crosses the top of the hill through Chinatown.
Huntington Park Playground
Small but well placed, with benches for adults and the cathedral across the street.
A Drink with a View
Worth it once for the panorama, and the Tonga Room at the Fairmont is the kitsch alternative.
Where to Eat
Nob Hill Cafe
Casual Italian, unpretentious and family friendly, and the neighborhood’s everyday room.
Swan Oyster Depot
A counter with eighteen stools, open since 1912. Downhill on Polk, no reservations, long line, closed Sundays.
Tonga Room
Polynesian kitsch with a floating band and a rainstorm every half hour. Older kids find it hilarious.
Venticello
Northern Italian in a candlelit room, and the date-night answer up here.
Cheese Plus
Downhill on Polk: sandwiches and picnic supplies for Huntington Park.
Upcoming in Nob Hill
No upcoming events here yet. Know about something good?
Submit an event →Places We Rate in Nob Hill
Bob’s Donuts
Cable Car Museum
Grace Cathedral
Huntington Park
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Read the guide →Questions People Ask About Nob Hill
Is Nob Hill worth visiting?
For an hour or two. Grace Cathedral, the free Cable Car Museum and the grand hotel lobbies are the draw, along with views down every street. It is quiet, formal and steep, and it is a ten-minute downhill walk to Chinatown or Union Square.
What is free on Nob Hill?
The Cable Car Museum on Mason Street, where the machinery that pulls every cable car in the city is running behind glass. Huntington Park and the views are free too; Grace Cathedral charges for sightseeing entry but is free during services and prayer times.
Which cable car line goes to Nob Hill?
All three touch it. The California Street line runs straight over the top and is the one locals use, with much shorter queues than the Powell lines at the turntable.
Is Nob Hill good with kids?
For a short visit. The Cable Car Museum is genuinely fascinating for children and Huntington Park has a small playground, but the hills are the steepest in the city and there is little else aimed at families.