Nob Hill
About Nob Hill
Nob Hill is a residential and hotel district at the summit of the hill between California, Pine, Powell, and Taylor Streets. Several of the city’s grand hotels are clustered here, on land that held the mansions of the late-19th-century railroad and silver magnates before the 1906 earthquake and fire destroyed most of those buildings.
What to See & Do
The Fairmont San Francisco at 950 Mason Street has a marble-and-gilt lobby open to walk through. The InterContinental Mark Hopkins at 999 California Street has an exterior glass elevator. The Top of the Mark, on the 19th floor of the Mark Hopkins, has served drinks with a 360-degree view of the city since 1939. There is a dress code (no athletic wear, no flip-flops).
Grace Cathedral occupies the western edge of the hilltop at 1100 California Street, The cathedral has a tiled indoor labyrinth modeled on the one at Chartres, a Keith Haring altarpiece in the AIDS Interfaith Memorial Chapel, and a regular schedule of services and concerts.
Huntington Park is across California Street from the cathedral. The fountain at its center is a replica of the Fontana delle Tartarughe (Turtle Fountain) from the Piazza Mattei in Rome.
The Pacific Union Club at 1000 California Street occupies the former James C. Flood Mansion, the only one of the railroad-era hilltop mansions to survive the 1906 fire (brownstone is more fire-resistant than wood). The club is private.
Where to Eat & Drink
The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar in the basement of the Fairmont serves Polynesian-style food and runs an indoor thunderstorm across the pool at the center of the room every 30 minutes. A live band plays from a barge on the pool.
The Top of the Mark serves drinks and small plates with the panorama. Dress code applies.
Getting There
The California Street cable car runs along the southern edge of the hill and connects to the Financial District. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable cars climb the hill from Union Square. Walking up either Powell or California from downtown is steep.
Where to Eat
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Where to Drink
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Things to Do
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Antique Vibrator Museum
Free museum inside the Good Vibrations shop at 1620 Polk Street displaying antique vibrators from the Victorian era onward, when they were sold as medical devices. Sexologist Dr. Carol Queen leads free guided tours on the third Sunday of each month (72-hour reservation).
Alchemy Springs
A 2,500-square-foot sauna and cold-plunge garden on Lower Nob Hill anchored by a 40-person circular sauna with tiered seating. Also includes cold-plunge tubs, rain showers, thermal benches, and a fire pit. Drop-in is around $57 for two hours; intro 3-pack runs $99. 939 Post Street, booked online.
Cable Car Museum
Working powerhouse for SF's cable car system since 1887, with a mezzanine that looks down on the 14-foot sheaves continuously hauling every cable that runs under the city streets. Free, takes about 30 to 45 minutes. 1201 Mason Street, with the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines stopping outside.
San Francisco Cable Cars
An 1873 transit system invented by Andrew Hallidie and the first moving system declared a National Historic Landmark (1964). Three lines still run, with the steepest stretch a 21% grade on Hyde between Lombard and North Point. Single ride $12 as of January 4, 2026; the California Street line has the shortest waits.
