Let's be honest. If you’ve spent five minutes on Instagram looking at California travel, you’ve seen it. That red-brick, zigzagging madness with the hydrangeas. It’s iconic. But here is the thing about crooked street San Francisco directions: most people just type "Lombard Street" into their GPS and then spend forty-five minutes stuck in a gridlock nightmare, staring at the bumper of a rented minivan.
It's a mess.
Lombard Street is actually a massive thoroughfare that stretches across the city, but the "crooked" part—the part you actually care about—is only one block long. It’s tucked between Hyde and Leavenworth. If you approach it from the wrong side, you’re either going to hit a "Do Not Enter" sign or find yourself at the bottom looking up at a wall of cars. You need a plan.
Driving Down the Zig-Zags
First, the golden rule: you can only drive down. It’s one-way. Eastbound. Period.
To actually get behind the wheel and navigate those eight hairpins, you have to start at the intersection of Lombard and Hyde. Don't let your phone trick you into coming up from the Embarcadero side. If you are coming from the Golden Gate Bridge, stay on Richardson Ave as it becomes Lombard, but be prepared—the "crooked" section doesn't start for a while. You’ll pass the Presidio and a whole lot of motels before you hit the hill.
The grade is steep. Like, 27% steep.
Once you reach the top at Hyde Street, you’ll likely see a line. On a Saturday in July? That line might be three blocks long. If you're driving, keep your foot near the brake and your eyes on the road, not your camera. It's tempting to film, but the turns are tight. The speed limit is a crawling 5 mph. Honestly, it feels slower when you’re actually in the thick of it.
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Parking is a Disaster
Don’t expect to park right on the crooked block. You can’t. The residents there—who, let's face it, must have incredible patience or very expensive earplugs—need to get into their garages. If you want to get out and walk, look for spots further west on Lombard or on the cross-streets like Larkin. Just watch the curbs. San Francisco meter maids are legendary for their efficiency. If your wheels aren't "curbed" (turned toward the curb on a downhill or away on an uphill), you’ll come back to an expensive souvenir on your windshield.
Using Public Transit to Avoid the Headache
Forget the car. Seriously.
Unless you specifically want the "I drove Lombard" merit badge, public transit is the superior way to handle crooked street San Francisco directions. You have two main options that actually feel like part of the experience rather than a chore.
The Powell-Hyde Cable Car is the heavy hitter here. You hop on at Union Square or Ghirardelli Square. Tell the conductor you want the Lombard Street stop. They’ll drop you literally at the crest of the hill. You step off the wooden platform, and boom—there is the view of Coit Tower, the Bay Bridge, and the winding bricks right at your feet. It’s the most "San Francisco" moment you can have.
Then there is the bus. The 19 Polk drops you nearby, but the 30 Stockton is often the workhorse for locals. It won't drop you at the top, though. You’ll have to hike. And hiking in Russian Hill is no joke. It’s a calf-burner.
- Take the Cable Car for the views.
- Take the bus if you want to save five bucks.
- Walk if you skipped the gym this week.
Walking the Stairs
Walking is arguably better than driving anyway. There are stairways on both sides of the street. This is where you get the photos of the flowers and the Victorian architecture without worrying about scraping your rental car's bumper.
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Start at the bottom (Leavenworth Street) and walk up if you want a workout. Start at the top (Hyde Street) if you want to save your knees. Most photographers prefer the bottom-up view because that’s where you see the full "snake" effect of the road.
Keep in mind that this is a residential neighborhood. People live here. They are trying to carry groceries into their houses while tourists sit on their garden walls. Be cool. Stay on the sidewalk. Don't wander into the middle of the street for a selfie—cars are constantly inching down, and the brick is surprisingly slippery when it’s foggy.
The Secret "Crookedest" Street
Here is a bit of local trivia that might change your mind. Lombard Street isn't actually the crookedest street in San Francisco. That title technically belongs to Vermont Street in the Potrero Hill neighborhood.
Vermont Street is steeper and has sharper turns. It's grittier. There are no hydrangeas. It’s paved in concrete, not pretty red bricks. But it also has zero crowds. If you want to see the "real" version of a winding SF road without a thousand people in your shot, head to Vermont between 20th and 22nd Street.
Best Time to Visit
Timing is everything. If you show up at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday, it’s a zoo.
Early morning is the move. Think 7:30 or 8:00 AM. The "Karl the Fog" (as the locals call the morning mist) might still be hanging low, which gives the street a moody, classic San Francisco vibe. Plus, the light is softer. By midday, the sun hits the pavement in a way that creates harsh shadows, making it tough to get a good photo.
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Late evening is also underrated. When the streetlights kick on and the car headlights start snaking down the hill, long-exposure shots look incredible. Just remember that the neighborhood gets very quiet at night.
Essential Tips for the Trip
- Check your brakes. If you’re driving, make sure you’re comfortable with hill starts.
- Wear sneakers. Leave the heels or flip-flops in the hotel. The 27-degree incline is a literal slip-n-slide on the wrong shoes.
- Hide your bags. "Biamping" (car break-ins) is a real issue in high-tourist areas. If you drive there, do not leave a single thing visible in your car. Not a jacket, not a bag, not even a charging cable.
- Respect the gardens. The hydrangeas bloom best in the spring and summer. They are maintained by the city and the residents—don't pick them.
Putting the Directions into Practice
When you are ready to go, don't just put "Lombard Street" into your phone. Put in "Lombard and Hyde Street" specifically. This ensures you arrive at the top of the hill.
If you're coming from Fisherman’s Wharf, it’s a brisk 15-minute walk uphill. It’s steep, but it takes you through some beautiful parts of the city. If you’re coming from the Marina, take the 28 bus and transfer, or just grab a rideshare to the Hyde Street intersection.
Remember, the city is a grid, but the hills ignore the grid. Sometimes the fastest way between two points is a diagonal, but for Lombard, the only way is down.
Next Steps for Your Visit
Start by checking the MUNI mobile app for real-time cable car wait times; if the line at the Powell Street turnaround is over an hour, take the 30 Stockton bus to North Beach and walk up from the bottom instead. If you are determined to drive, aim to arrive before 9:00 AM to avoid the worst of the congestion. Once you've finished at Lombard, walk two blocks over to George Sterling Park for a hidden view of the Golden Gate Bridge that most tourists completely miss.