Explore Some Of The Most Iconic San Francisco Streets

Looking for the authentic SF experience? Follow these streets in the city to explore iconic and authentic San Francisco cites.

1. Market St.
The iconic Market St. runs the length of downtown San Francisco. Beginning at the Ferry Building and turning into Portola Blvd. around Twin Peaks, Market St. catches all of the bustling action of San Francisco. The street runs through the tourist traps of the Ferry Building and Union Square to the New York-paced Financial District, and onward to the impoverished regions of The Tenderloin and South of Market (SoMa). Popular attractions along this stretch include the Westfield Mall and the Trolley Rides in Union Square, San Francisco City Hall in the Civic Center, and the Castro Theater further down in the Castro.

2. Lombard St.
Winding, hilly hairpins make for an exciting car ride, and on a sunny SF day, the reflective windshields of colorful vehicles exploring Lombard make for a peaceful view from the bottom. This road crosses through several historical, high-end neighborhoods, including Russian Hill and the Marina.

3. Haight St.
Haight St. is another San Francisco icon. It stretches from Market St. to Stanyan St. in Golden Gate Park but it’s most popular intersection is at Haight St. and Ashbury St. Only a few blocks from the infamous Golden Gate Park Panhandle, Haight-Ashbury has been home to generations of San Francisco hippies.

4. Castro St.
Castro St. is the busiest street of The Castro, San Francisco’s LGBT-loving neighborhood and one of the first openly gay neighborhoods in the United States. This street booms during the vibrant SF Pride Parade every summer, but even when the crowds aren’t around, rainbow flags and paintings decorate the entire district. Look out for Hot Cookie, one of SF’s favorite bakeries known for selling phallic macaroon cookies.

5. Divisadero St.
Divisadero is one of the hippest streets in the City. Extending from the Marina District all the way to Lower Haight, this road crosses through some of San Francisco’s trendiest sites. Divisadero is the perfect street to eyeball the quintessential SF hipster: bearded, flannel-clad men, and semi-gothic, business-casual women. If you’re traveling Divisadero, be sure to check out breakfast/coffee hotspot The Mill or soul-food favorite Brenda’s Meat and Three.

6. Valencia St.
The Mission District has recently fallen to what some call a ‘hipsterfication,’ and Valencia Street was hit the hardest. This street houses plenty of bizarre, niche, restaurants, bars, and vintage stores. Hipster restaurants include Tacolicious and Crafstman and Wolves; look further down the road for various secondhand boutiques. Also on Valencia and 15th is Four Barrel Coffee, one of San Francisco’s fastest-growing coffee roasters. This street dead-ends at Market, which will then take you back downtown.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.