It’s hard to narrow down the most picturesque corners of San Francisco, but Architectural Digest recently called out two of SF’s most famous streets on their list of “The Most Beautiful Streets in the World.” The 71-item list named international locations as far as Argentina, South Africa, and China.
Out of 71 global streets mentioned, a big-name San Francisco street made the list at #21: Lombard Street, the curvy road in Russian Hill that attracts 2 million tourists per year. The legendary red-brick street features eight sharp hairpin turns in a one-block stretch, and was built this way in 1922 so that vehicles could more easily travel down the 27% grade. Thanks to the street’s imposing Victorian mansions and perennially-flowering hydrangea bushes, Lombard makes for one of the city’s most scenic photo ops.
Interestingly, Lombard is listed in multiple tourist guides as the “crookedest street in the world,” but the actual crookedest street is nearby Vermont Street (which is admittedly less photogenic).
In addition to Lombard Street, AD’s list also included another iconic SF destination at #33: Steiner Street at Alamo Square, which is known for the “Painted Ladies,” a colorful row of Victorian homes that contrast gorgeously with SF’s skyline in the background. The location is famous for its cameo in the opening credits of Full House (1987-1995), and it’s now one of the most-photographed views in San Francisco.
San Francisco is lucky to appear twice on Architectural Digest’s coveted list, but one other California location also made the cut. Los Angeles‘ Olvera Street, known for housing a colorful Mexican marketplace and an original adobe home dating back to 1818, appears at #61.
Architectural Digest’s list named some absolute bucket-list destinations around the world. Here’s a taste of the first five:
- Old Town, Colmar, France
- Brunngasse, Brienz, Switzerland
- Calle Cuevas del Sol, Setenil de las Bodegas, Spain
- Umbrella Sky Project, Águeda, Portugal
- Washington and Water Street, Brooklyn, New York, USA