Hello from San Francisco! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve been here for over a week now, revisiting old favourites and searching for new ones. This is my fourth time in the city, and you might think I’d know it like a book by now, but actually, there are still places for me to discover and new things to try out.
One such thing was climbing the Twin Peaks, two famous hills located just outside of central San Francisco and offering great views over the city. I’d been wanting to do it since our first visit back in 2016, but somehow we never got around to it – until this past weekend.
Getting to Twin Peaks turned out to be a lot easier than I had thought – it’s only around a 40-minute walk from Castro, which is served by both the tram and the subway. There’s one thing to consider, however: you’ll be going uphill for 95% of that 40 minutes.
Not to despair, though: the walk passes through some beautiful neighbourhoods and offers amazing views of dowtown San Francisco. You could take a car or a cab almost all the way up to the peak(s), but then you’d be missing out on this…
and this…
and this. So if you can walk, it’s absolutely worth it – just remember to wear sturdy shoes!
Oh, and you should probably also tie your hair up, unless you’re aiming for the wind machine effect. 😀
Sunday was pretty warm in San Francisco, but up on Twin Peaks (or rather, twin peak – we only visited one) it was freezing, and the wind was so strong I actually had to grab onto my boyfriend at one point for the fear of being swept down the hill. We only stayed on the summit for about five minutes, just long enough to snap a couple of shots and to take in the view.
The prominent silhouette in the photo above belongs to the Sutro Tower, another famous San Francisco landmark. It’s located on Mount Sutro, which you can also climb – but I think we’ll leave that for the next visit.
Have you climbed the Twin Peaks? What is your favourite place to visit in San Francisco?
Don’t forget to follow Studying the World on Instagram. Facebook and Bloglovin. Want to read more about San Francisco? Find all my posts from the Paris of the Pacific here (and if you’re interested in the real Paris, check this).
I have been to SF several times, but I hadn’t heard of it. It sounds like a challenging hike but for those views definitely worth it. I will have to give it a go on my next trip.
It wasn’t too challenging – you do uphill for quite a while, but it’s mostly in the urban area, so there are many places you can stop at. I definitely recommend it, the views are amazing! 🙂