Lombard Street, the street of eight curves

Look up and count the curves: there are eight. This stretch of Lombard Street, between Hyde and Leavenworth, is one of the most photographed spots in San Francisco, and it was born of a practical problem.

1An impossible slope

The natural grade of Russian Hill at this point was 27 percent, too steep for the cars of the 1920s. A resident, Carl Henry, suggested a solution: instead of running straight down, the street would zigzag. It was built that way in 1922. The roadway is about 180 meters long to cover a little over 120 meters in a straight line, and the recommended speed is 5 mph.

2The crookedest in the world?

It's often billed as «the crookedest street in the world», but it isn't even the crookedest in San Francisco: Vermont Street, on Potrero Hill, sits on a steeper slope and claims the title too. What Lombard has is the setting: red brick, flowers and the bay beyond.

Remember that people live here: use the side stairways, stay off the gardens and keep the noise down.

At the top, on Hyde Street, the Powell–Hyde cable car stops, perfect for heading back downtown. From here, Fisherman's Wharf is about a ten-minute walk away: that's where you'll find Ghirardelli Square and the Buena Vista café, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance.

3What to look for

• The eight curves and the red-brick paving.
• Coit Tower, rising to the east on Telegraph Hill.
• The cable car passing along Hyde Street at the top.