Filbert steps in San Francisco (cool stairs, views and quiet local neighborhood)
The lush landscape around Filbert Steps in San Francisco
It’s Monday morning, time to enjoy some gorgeous travel photography and inspiration from around the world. Let’s banish those Monday blues by sharing gorgeous imagery and story telling. You can also check us out on Twitter for Travel Photo Mondays at #tpMondays for more updates and submissions for the day. It’s a great day to explore the Filbert steps in San Francisco, check out the magnificent views and captures some amazing scenes of the city and bay area below.
Let’s explore the Filbert Steps in San Francisco
Do you love to take hidden walks or back streets to very popular cities to see something different from the typical tourist destinations? If so, come and take this walk with me today down the Filbert Steps in the North Beach area – it’s a small neighborhood with little Victorian homes, community gardens and spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay.
Coit Tower in San Francisco
Visiting the Filbert Steps from the top down tour of the stairs
Starting from the top, we are at the famous Coit Tower landmark so we can admire the views to the city and the entire Bay Area. Typically the scenery of the city and San Francisco bay is beautiful, but today it’s mostly hazy with cloudy skies and limited views. Oh well, it’s still nice, but we’ll have to come back another time when the weather is clearer.
Cloudy day views to the Golden Gate bridge
Where to find the Filbert Stairs
Just to the left side of Coit Tower is the entry to the Filbert Steps which is easy to locate.
It starts to descend quickly into lush forested areas that you wouldn’t expect to find in a very dense and urban environment like San Francisco.
Trees in bloom on Filbert Steps in San Francisco
We keep descending down more stairs and the forest clears to a neighborhood with Victorian homes and small gardens adjoining the steps. It seems like everything is starting to bloom all at the same time in the gardens – a very colorful scene with the roses, annuals, vines and even flowering trees sending out cascades of blooms in every direction.
Roses in bloom on Filbert Steps
Don’t you just love to explore back streets like this and not knowing what you’ll see next? It’s as if you were walking unexpectedly into someone’s private garden, which in this case, you are actually climbing down some public stairs and looking into these private gardens. What a surprise to find something like this especially when all this springtime beauty greets you – it’s so far removed from all the tourists and tourist traps around the city.
Peeking into a beautiful private garden on Filbert Steps
Community gardens on Filbert Steps
The tour just gets better as we descend further down the Filbert Steps into some community gardens with stunning views of the bay and city. It must be wonderful to see a sunrise or sunset along with views to these gardens and San Francisco Bay. Ah yes, location, location, location – this is what prime real estate property looks like – and for those of us that cannot afford to live here, it’s just as nice to get a glimpse of this idyllic place and lifestyle.
Filbert Steps community gardens
The community gardens are lovingly maintained by local neighbors that want to grow and enjoy flowers and even plant some fruit and vegetables from the garden. What a better way to hang out with your neighbors enjoying something fun and connected to nature even especially in an urban environment.
Roses in bloom on Filbert Steps
Beautiful annuals and perennials in at Filbert Steps
Well that was a fun tour, don’t you think? Now that we are finally close to the bottom of the steps and the next decision is a tough one, should we walk up all those the steps back to Coit Tower or just take a taxi to the next destination….hmm what do you do in this situation?
Looking back up Filbert Steps
Check out more of the Filbert Steps on this video below
If you enjoyed this post, please do check out these other posts on visiting San Francisco
Places to eat in San Francisco
20 quirky, fun and trendy places to visit in San Francisco
San Francisco views from above
The cool stairs of San Francisco
Fun and unusual things to do in San Francisco
Cool graffiti at Clarion Alley
Exploring North Beach and the Greenwich steps
20 quirky and fun places to explore in San Francisco
Best views to photograph in San Francisco
Conclusion to Filbert Steps in San Francisco
I hope you enjoyed this tour of Coit Tower and the Filbert Steps in San Francisco, a not so discovered spot among San Francisco’s many tourist attractions. This is my contribution for Travel Photo Mondays, please do check out the other links below for more travel posts and pictures.
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I love San Francisco and haven’t been there for a few months, so looking at your pictures is a pleasure — especially Coit Tower peeking over Filbert Steps.
Beautiful photos. “Trees in bloom” remind me of exploding fireworks. Thanks for sharing this little slice of green in San Francisco. I can almost smell those roses!
Gorgeous! I really have to get to San Francisco again soon!
SF is so beautiful — gorgeous photos!
Hey Noel, this looks lovely. I think I was there many many years past. Next time I’m in SF I’ll check it out.
Noel, What a beautiful walk you have captured. I always try to get out into some green space when I am visiting a city and you’ve offered up the perfect spot. Those foxgloves…be still my heart! I’d be interested to see what it looks like in the fall during a completely different season.
What a gorgeous stroll around a beautiful part of San Francisco. We were fortunate to explore this part of San Fran also during our trip last year, though at the time the flora wasn’t quite as colorful yet still very attractive. This is such a relaxing part of the city and of course you can get some stunning views over the Bay area and Golden Gate Bridge (we were fortunate in this respect that it was a gorgeous Summer’s day).
Such pretty photos Noel!… I love hidden areas of any city, especially when you come upon quiet beautiful gardens like these. They seem to have been waiting just for you 😉 Makes me wish I had more time to wander and explore San Francisco way back when…
Very interesting! I’ve been to San Fran, but not to the filbert Steps. Will remember it for next time around!
A wonderful photo tour as always Noel. I especially liked – Peeking into a beautiful private garden on Filbert Steps. What a magical sculpture surrounded by nature.
I love these steps and visiting Coit Tower, the views are incredible there. Fantastic pictures!!
Wow, I’ve been to San Francisco quite a few times (being a Californian) but I did not know about this place! It looks beautiful from the pictures. I like that it’s not so touristy and it has such a great view of the bridge. I wonder how many steps there were 🙂
Coit Tower has such an interesting story. Thanks for the visual return to the Bay Area, our home for 30+ years.
San Fran is the one great American city I’ve left to explore. It’s been on my list for ages!
We always look forward to your Travel Photo Mondays, Noel. This one brought back memories, though. As we briefly worked in San Francisco sometime last Millennium.
Lovely to see such an oasis of colour in what is obviously a very busy city. I have never been to San Francisco before, but I have a feeling I would enjoy it if I did get to go one day…
I have never heard of the Filbert Steps before. Thanks for the information and the beautiful photos. This is something that I will probably check out next time I’m in San Francisco.
Totally lovin’ that shot of the Golden Gate in fog!
Such amazing photos and I loved how you made the walk seem like a private stroll; as if it were just a quiet walk through your neighborhood!
Beautiful pictures Noel. I always love taking pictures of flowers better yet just enjoying the display of colours when I am in the parks or gardens nearby.
Those community gardens are just super! Great shots Noel.
I love your pictures… It always amazes me how green cities can be! Emma 🙂
Take a taxi! These are indeed such beautifully lush gardens. It must be wonderful to actually live in one of those Victorian homes and so close to a great view of the bay and bridge. Did everyone have a fantastic yard, or were some homes holdouts? I like that there’s a community garden there so that you don’t have to be a property owner to enjoy gardening along the Filbert Steps. I’ve never heard of these but will keep them in mind whenever I head to SF.
Noel, You always take such gorgeous flower shots!
Thanx for hosting a great party!
I love seeking out ‘back corners’ of cities like that – the Filbert Steps look wonderful! I’d love to go to San Francisco. Maybe one day….:)
The yellow Brugmansia and the red bottlebrush are my favorite markers on this beautiful walk – so many flowers to see! Have to tell my daughters about this walk:)
Yes the brugmansias were everywhere adn the calistemon was stunning in full bloom, this was really a nice walk even walking all the way upshill which is what I ended up doing so I could get a cannoli in North Beach.
I love finding unusual ways of visiting a city (as you saw in my recent post on Cannes) and the views from these steps make a perfect tour of SF. I think I’d take a taxi to my next stop rather than walk back up again!!
Beautiful photos 🙂
Great flower photos. Noel!
I was in San Francisco a couple months ago and visited the 16th Street steps but not Filbert. I missed out!
My favorite is the Golden Gate in the mist. We had friends who lived on that twisty road, at the top. That was the view off their balcony. All you pictures are beautiful but that one makes me remember those great weeks we spent in San Francisco.
Did you count how many steps you descended? How fun to see so many different flowers. We visit San Fran often and now I’ve added these steps to my next time list.
Your photos took my breath away – every single one of them. I visited San Francisco last Fall, but spent the entire time hiking in Marin County. I plan to see the city of San Francisco someday and would love to visit these gardens. I love flowers!
Gorgeous pictures! It’s always fun to see the beauty in our own country. I am definitely going to plan a visit next time I’m in San Francisco.
So glad I found your site and some amazing photos. I look forward to following your adventures. Bron
thank you so much for hosting and sharing your wonderful photos.
After all those SF visitis, I didn’t know about this hidden gem or never made it to the Coit Tower area. Thanks for the Spring inspiration. Beautiful photos!
Lovely, bright photos! I think the view is still nice despite the haziness! Would love to visit San Fran some day!