Telegraph Hill

Dominated by Coit Tower, TELEGRAPH HILL is a quiet cluster of hill-hugging homes with breathtaking views. The most direct path up the hill is Filbert Street, a very steep climb past clapboard houses and flowery gardens up to Telegraph Hill Boulevard. One alternative is to drive, but there’s only a handful of parking spots atop the hill, and the wait for a place can verge on the eternal. You could catch the infallibly infrequent Muni bus #39 to the top, but the ten-minute walk up is faster – if tiring – and allows you to drink in the panorama of North Beach and the bay below.