Neighborhood
Russian Hill
Lombard Street, Polk Street bars, hidden stairways and bay views.
About Russian Hill
Russian Hill is steep, quiet and residential, a hill of Edwardian apartment buildings and hidden garden lanes with some of the best free views in the city. The name comes from a Russian sailors' burial ground found on the summit by early settlers.
Its two famous attractions sit inside ordinary blocks: the crooked stretch of Lombard Street, and Macondray Lane, the cottage-lined wooden walkway that Armistead Maupin turned into Barbary Lane. Polk Street at the base is the everyday version of the neighborhood, with the shops and restaurants.
It is a hard neighborhood with a stroller and a lovely one on foot.
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?
- Fisherman's Wharf0.8 mi · a 12 minute walk, or 5 min on the cable car
- Union Square1.3 mi · a 20 minute walk downhill
- Golden Gate Bridge3 mi · 10–15 min drive
- Golden Gate Park3.5 mi · 15–20 min drive
- SFO airport13.5 mi · 25–35 min drive
Getting here: The Powell-Hyde cable car runs over the top of the hill, which is the most scenic transit ride in the city. The 19-Polk, 41, 45 and 47 buses serve the base. No BART. Street parking is metered and steep; curb your wheels.
What to See
The Crooked Block of Lombard Street
Eight hairpin turns through hydrangea beds. Walk it; the car queue can take an hour.
Macondray Lane
A cobbled, partly wooden pedestrian lane of cottages and gardens, with no sign from the street.
Ina Coolbrith Park
Terraced gardens named for California’s first poet laureate, with a framed view of the bay and Alcatraz.
Polk Street
The neighborhood high street: delis, bakeries, bookshops and a good number of restaurants.
San Francisco Art Institute Building
A 1926 Spanish colonial campus with a Diego Rivera mural inside. The school has closed, so check whether the building is open before going.
Things to Do
Helen Wills Playground
The neighborhood playground, with a small ballcourt, tucked between apartment buildings.
Walk Down Lombard and Over to Macondray
Twenty minutes, and the contrast between the most photographed block in the city and the quietest one is the point.
Ride the Powell-Hyde Cable Car End to End
From Powell and Market over the hill and down to Aquatic Park. Sit on the right going north.
Picnic at Ina Coolbrith Park
Pick up supplies at Cheese Plus on Polk and climb the steps.
Browse Polk Street
A walkable, un-touristy stretch of shops between Broadway and Union.
Where to Eat
Swan Oyster Depot
Eighteen stools, open since 1912, no reservations, long line, closed Sundays. Worth the wait once.
Leopold’s
An Austrian beer hall with communal tables and käsespätzle. Loud and fun with kids.
Upcoming in Russian Hill
Places We Rate in Russian Hill
Helen Wills Playground
Lombard Street (Crooked Block)
Saint Frank Coffee
Swensen’s Ice Cream
Za Pizza
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Read the guide →Questions People Ask About Russian Hill
Is Lombard Street worth seeing?
For ten minutes, and on foot. Walking down the crooked block between Hyde and Leavenworth skips the car queue entirely, which can run half an hour or more in season, and the sidewalk switchbacks give better photos. Then walk one block to Macondray Lane, which almost nobody in that queue finds.
What is Russian Hill known for?
The crooked block of Lombard Street, hidden garden lanes like Macondray Lane, and some of the best free views in the city from the Vallejo Street steps and Ina Coolbrith Park. The name comes from a Russian sailors’ burial ground found on the summit.
Is Russian Hill walkable with kids?
It is steep. The Polk Street corridor at the base is flat and has the shops and restaurants, but the hill itself involves serious climbs and staircases, so a carrier beats a stroller here.
Where should you eat on Russian Hill?
Polk Street: Swan Oyster Depot for a counter lunch if you can face the queue, Leopold’s for an Austrian dinner with kids, Cheese Plus for picnic supplies to take up to Ina Coolbrith Park.
Recently Closed or Moved
1 place in Russian Hill has closed, moved or changed name. Each one keeps a page saying what happened, when, and where that was checked.
- Lord Stanley CLOSED