North Beach

San Francisco

San Francisco's old Italian quarter, between Chinatown and the wharf, with espresso bars, Washington Square and Coit Tower above.

Best for Nightlife · Budget

Transport: 3/5
Sights: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Quiet: 3/5
Food: 5/5

Typical mid-range hotel ~$260/night · 15 min to Union Square

See hotels in North Beach

Why stay here

Italian cafés and restaurants
Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill
Walk to Chinatown and the wharf

Who should stay here

Food lovers
Couples
Literary and history fans

Not ideal if…

You want big hotels
You want quiet nights near Broadway
You want BART on the doorstep

What it's like

North Beach is the city's Little Italy and the home of the Beat Generation: City Lights bookstore, Vesuvio café, and old-school Italian bakeries and trattorias around Columbus Avenue and Washington Square. Telegraph Hill rises behind it with Coit Tower on top and the Filbert Steps winding down through gardens.

It's walkable to Chinatown, the Financial District and the wharf, and has a lively evening scene of restaurants and bars. Hotels are few and small, and Broadway's strip clubs make one corner seedy at night.

Best streets and sub-areas

Columbus Avenue
Cafés, bars and the City Lights bookstore.
Grant Avenue
Old bars and boutiques up the hill.
Washington Square
Park facing the Saints Peter and Paul church.

Getting around

Nearest stations: Buses along Columbus and Stockton, the Powell-Mason cable car nearby, and walking to downtown.
To Union Square: About 15 minutes
From San Francisco International Airport: About 45 minutes: BART to Montgomery Street, then a 15-minute walk or a bus up Columbus Avenue.

Nearby attractions

Coit Tower
Murals inside and views from the top of Telegraph Hill.
City Lights Booksellers
The Beat Generation's bookshop and publisher.
Filbert Steps
Garden-lined staircase down to the Embarcadero.

Where to eat and drink

Caffe Trieste
The 1956 café where Beat poets drank espresso.
Italian bakeries
Focaccia and pastries on the side streets.
Vesuvio Cafe
Historic bar next to City Lights.

Where to stay in North Beach

A few hotels we'd book in this area, at different budgets.

Boutique pick

Hotel Bohème

Why we like it: Small hotel on Columbus Avenue themed on the Beat era.

Typical mid-range rate in North Beach: ~$260/night

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