Experience Vintage Streetcars in San Francisco, a Trip Back to 1873

When visiting San Francisco, you must experience the vintage streetcars. They have been operating in San Francisco since 1873.

The vintage streetcars include cable cars pulled by cables, and another type called streetcars (the kind I rode, sometimes referred to as trolley buses or trams), which are known as moving museums.

After several changes, two lines are still in operation today. The F line (orange route in the image below) has relatively more passengers because it passes through multiple attractions. This streetcar line runs between Fisherman's Wharf and the Castro District, a one-way trip of 6 miles. The other line is the E line, shown in dark blue on the image below.

The starting point is the Castro District. Near the starting station is the Castro Theatre, where the Classic Silent Film Festival and organ concerts are held annually. In the early days, the area was primarily settled by Germans and Irish.

The F line also passes important landmarks such as the San Francisco Railway Museum (open hours: Tuesday 12:00 PM to Saturday 5:00 PM), the Ferry Building, Pier 33 (where you can take a boat to visit Alcatraz Island prison), and Pier 39, also known as Fisherman's Wharf (the terminus).

Travel time on the vintage streetcar: It varies depending on your starting and ending points. We boarded at the Ferry Building and got off at Pier 39. We waited about 3 minutes, and the ride took about 10 minutes.

Ticket fare: We purchased a $5 day pass, valid for 24 hours.

Real-time location and car number of the streetcar:

You can check online to see where the vintage streetcar is.

You can check online to see where the vintage streetcar is.