San Francisco/Castro-Noe Valley

San Francisco/Castro-Noe Valley

The colorful Castro is the famous gay center of San Francisco, a vibrant and historic neighborhood full of businesses geared towards the city's LGBT community. Adjacent to the Castro and sitting beneath Twin Peaks to the west is Noe Valley, a pleasant neighborhood with lots of lovely restaurants and boutiques to explore. The area is bounded roughly by the Twin Peaks on the west, Dolores/Church Streets on the east, Duboce Avenue on the north and San Jose Avenue on the south.

Understand

Printable Maps

Map of Castro-Noe Valley

Originally an Irish working-class neighborhood of San Francisco, the Castro has been transformed for the past 35 years and recognized by many as the gay mecca of the world. Filled with bookstores, clothing outlets, video stores and bars (and practically anything else you can think of) that cater towards the LGBT community, the Castro is a required visit for anyone even slightly interested in gay lifestyle and culture, and is truly a local authentic gem of San Francisco.

Noe Valley is a long gentrified neighborhood in San Francisco with many hip and trendy restaurants and boutique shops. The main commercial corridor is on 24th Street between Church Street and Diamond Street. Walking along 24th Street during the day you will see well-attended coffee shops, chic boutiques and several baby strollers. You can learn more about the goings-on in Noe Valley by reading either the print or online edition of the Noe Valley Voice.

Get in

By Muni

This is the best way to get to the Castro. The [K], [L], or [M] MUNI Metro underground lines are the quickest way from Downtown, stopping at the Church Street station at Market and Church and the Castro Street station at Market and Castro, with the [T] line also serving trips inbound to Downtown. The [J] Church line can also get you to the Castro, although it comes above ground and turns south on Church Street, which runs along the eastern edge of the district. For a more scenic ride, take the historic [F] Market streetcar line from Fisherman's Wharf, the Embarcadero and Downtown down Market to Castro Street.

MUNI bus lines which serve the area include 24-Divisadero, which runs along Castro Street through most of the district, heading north to Pacific Heights and southeast to Bayview-Hunters Point, the 33-Ashbury/18th, which runs east-west along 18th Street, the 48-Quintara/24th Street, which runs east-west along 24th Street, continuing east to Potrero Hill and west past Twin Peaks, West Portal and into Sunset, and the 35-Eureka and 37-Corbett neighborhood lines.

The BART system runs through the nearby Mission neighborhood, where you can either get off at the 16th Street station and transfer to the 33 bus line, or get off at the 24th Street station and transfer to the 48 bus line.

By car

Don't drive into the area. Use public transit instead. There is a public parking garage on Noe just north of Market, but it is small. Street parking is very hard to find, especially on the weekends. If you park at the Safeway on Market and you don't go exclusively there, you will be towed. There are some metered spots along 18th between Sanchez and Eureka, but these are hard to come by. On weekends, parking is better as the 2-hour neighborhood permits don't apply. Noe Valley has one small public lot, but you will likely need to find street parking, and this can be particularly scarce on weekends during brunch and dinner times.

See

Castro Theater

  • The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St (between 17th and 18th Sts), 37.762°, -122.435°, +1-415-621-6120. A lovingly restored Art Deco jewelbox of an independent movie theatre, with a Wurlitzer organ and splendid organist, special sing-along showings, and more. A "rep house" or repertory theater, it tends to screen a wide variety of classic or obscure but worthwhile films, and be a venue of choice of local film festivals. $11 adults, $8.50 seniors/teens/matinee 2015-04-03
  • GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th St (between Castro St and Collingwood St), 37.7607°, -122.4356°, +1-415-621-1107. M, W-Sa 11AM-7PM, Su noon-5PM (except holidays), Tu closed. A GLBT history museum, with exhibits that take you from the bedrooms and back rooms to the bookstores and bars, from Harvey Milk's victories to transgender sex workers' riots, from social movements to secret fantasies. $5 2015-04-03
  • Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, 37.7645°, -122.4383°, +1-415-554-9600. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM. A small but fun children's museum with several interactive exhibits, including live animals, a science exhibit, a toddler play area, and a railroad exhibit which includes a model railroad layout which is open on Saturdays. The museum is perched on a hill, offering great views of the San Francisco skyline. Free
  • Michael McClure house, 264 Downey St, 37.7642°, -122.4465°. Former home of the Beat-era playwright and poet.

Do

There are several major cultural festivals and events in the Castro annually.

  • Pink Saturday. Saturday night before the LGBT Pride Parade, last weekend in June. A street party, organised by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Free, donations encouraged
  • Castro Street Fair, +1-415 841-1824. First Sunday in October, 11AM-6PM. Vendors, dancing, fundraising for community groups.

Buy

Eat

Rainbow flags are a common sight in the Castro

Drink

Castro Street

Bars

  • 440 Castro, 440 Castro St (between 17th and 18th Sts), 37.7617°, -122.4353°, +1-415-621-8732. Noon-2AM daily. Heavy gay bar with a rowdy crowd and lots of bears, but for some this is the definitive Castro bar.
  • The LookOut, 3600 16th St (at Noe/Market), 37.7644°, -122.4334°, +1-415-431-0306. M-F 3:30AM-2AM, Sa-Su 12:30PM-2AM. Very popular gay bar with great food, a nice balcony, and a much calmer crowd than the 440 Castro.
  • Mix, 4086 18th St (between Castro and Hartford), 37.7611°, -122.4345°, +1-415-431-8616. M-F 7AM-2AM, Sa-Su 6AM-2AM. Billing itself as a "neighborhood bar", Mix has strong drinks and a great back patio.
  • Moby Dick, 4049 18th St (at Castro), 37.7608°, -122.4338°, +1-415-294-0731. Noon-2AM daily. Great bartenders, cheap strong drinks, music videos, and pinball. 2016-09-14
  • Twin Peaks Tavern, 401 Castro St (between 17th and 18th Sts), 37.7624°, -122.4350°, +1-415-864-9470. M-W noon-2AM, Th-Sa 8AM-2AM, Su 10AM-2AM. Very nice gay bar with a great atmosphere and nice staff. Historically this was the first gay bar in the US to display its patrons to the public, offering large windows looking IN to the bar. Until this addition, most all gay bars were underground bars/clubs that kept the clientele hidden from the general public. 2016-09-14

Coffee

  • Cafe Flore, 2298 Market St (at Noe), 37.7648°, -122.4329°, +1-415-621-8579. Su-Th 7AM-11PM, F-Sa 7AM-midnight. Go for the good tea or latte and the prime people watching, not necessarily the food.
  • Noe Valley also has the nickname "coffee gulch". While Starbucks is popular, the locals prefer Martha's 📍 (24th Street between Church and Sanchez) and Bernie's 📍 (24th between Noe and Sanchez).

Sleep

Houses in Noe Valley

Connect

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