Haight-Ashbury

In the mid 1960s cheap rents in the big Victorian houses around Haight and Ashbury streets drew students, artists and musicians. By 1967, the Summer of Love, tens of thousands of young people had arrived and the neighborhood became shorthand for the whole counterculture. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane all lived within a few blocks. Six decades later the Haight is still a little shaggy. Its long main street holds vintage clothing, record stores, head shops, cafes and murals, with Golden Gate Park at one end.

From Palo Alto, the Haight makes a good half day or the second half of a day in Golden Gate Park. Our Palo Alto in the 1960s page tells the Peninsula side of the same era, from Kepler's to the Grateful Dead's early shows on the Peninsula.

Getting there from Palo Alto

By Caltrain and Muni

Ride Caltrain to 4th and King, 39 minutes on a weekday express and about 50 on a local. The three-zone adult fare is $8.50 through 2026 and $9.00 from January 1, 2027. Pay with Clipper or a contactless card.

• N Judah Muni Metro starts outside the station. Ride it through the subway and the Sunset Tunnel to Carl and Cole streets in Cole Valley, then walk two blocks north on Cole Street to Haight. This is the easiest route, about 25 minutes on the train.
• 7 Haight/Noriega bus runs from the Salesforce Transit Center along Market Street and then the full length of Haight Street to Stanyan Street at the park.
• 33 Ashbury/18th Street bus links Haight and Ashbury with 18th and Dolores in the Mission.
• 43 Masonic bus runs north from Haight and Masonic to the Presidio Transit Center, handy for pairing with the Presidio.

SFMTA lists the adult Muni fare at $2.85 with Clipper or contactless, good for 120 minutes. Riders 18 and under ride free. Allow about an hour and a quarter from Palo Alto. Check the SFMTA fares page before you go.

By car

Take Interstate 280 north into the city, then follow signs for Highway 1 and 19th Avenue, cutting east through Golden Gate Park to Stanyan Street. The drive is about 35 miles. Most residential streets around the Haight limit nonresidents to two hours. Haight Street itself has meters. On weekends the easiest option is often the Music Concourse Garage inside Golden Gate Park, then a 20 minute walk east along the JFK Promenade. Read every posted sign, including street cleaning times.

What to see

Haight and Ashbury

The famous street corner is a photo stop with a clock that locals will tell you is always stuck at 4:20. On the corner itself, the Counterculture Museum at 1485 Haight Street is new, created by the team behind North Beach's Beat Museum while that museum is closed for a retrofit. It covers the 1960s counterculture and has a bookstore and gift shop. Its site lists hours of Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The music houses

The Grateful Dead lived at 710 Ashbury Street in the late 1960s, a block and a half south of Haight. It is a private home, so look from across the street. Many other band houses in the area are also private. Walking tours point them out without bothering the people who live there today.

Buena Vista Park

The steep wooded park on the east side of the neighborhood is one of the oldest in the city. Paths climb through cypress and oak to a summit with views over the city, the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay. It is quiet on weekday mornings. Go with a friend and leave by late afternoon.

The Victorians

The streets around Haight are lined with ornate late 19th century houses that survived the 1906 fire. Page, Waller and Masonic streets are good for a slow look. The famous Painted Ladies face Alamo Square about a mile northeast, a pleasant walk up the Panhandle and Steiner Street.

Shops

Haight Street is known for vintage and secondhand clothing, records and posters. Amoeba Music, a huge independent record store in a former bowling alley near the park end, is the anchor. Check its hours on amoeba.com before you go.

A walking route

About 2.5 miles with one optional hill. Allow three hours.

1. Carl and Cole. Get off the N Judah and walk north on Cole Street.
2. Haight and Cole. Turn right and browse east along Haight.
3. Haight and Ashbury. The corner and the Counterculture Museum.
4. 710 Ashbury. A short detour south to see the Grateful Dead house from the sidewalk.
5. Buena Vista Park. Continue east on Haight to Buena Vista Avenue West and climb to the top.
6. Lower Haight or back west. Either drop east toward Divisadero or return west along Haight Street to Stanyan.
7. Golden Gate Park. Enter at Stanyan Street and walk to the Conservatory of Flowers.

If you prefer a guide for the music history, you can browse Haight-Ashbury walking tours.

Where to eat

• Cha Cha Cha at 1801 Haight Street serves Caribbean and Latin small plates and sangria. It lists daily hours from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., an hour later on Thursday to Saturday nights.
• Magnolia Brewing at Haight and Masonic brews beer in the basement of a 1903 building that was a hippie cafe in the 1960s. Its site posted reopening news and late hours, so check that it is serving before you go.
• Tartine Inner Sunset at 1226 9th Avenue is three stops west on the N Judah, good for breakfast before a park day.
• Cole Valley, where you get off the N Judah, has small cafes and bakeries for a coffee stop.

What it costs

Walking the neighborhood and Buena Vista Park is free. Round-trip Caltrain fare for one adult is $17 in late 2026 plus about $6 for Muni. Check the Counterculture Museum's site for admission. Lunch runs $15 to $35 a person. Vintage shopping can cost as much as you let it. Prices change, so treat these as estimates.

Safety and car break-ins

• Expect street life. Some people sleep in doorways and at the park end of Haight Street. Panhandling is common. A polite "no, thanks" is enough.
• Never leave bags in the car. Break-ins are frequent on the streets around the Panhandle and the park. Stow everything before you arrive or come by train.
• Buena Vista Park is best visited in daylight and with company.
• Respect private homes. Do not sit on stoops or climb steps for photos.

A sample half day and full day

Half day

1. 10 a.m. Caltrain from Palo Alto, then the N Judah to Carl and Cole.
2. 11:30 a.m. Haight Street shops and the Counterculture Museum.
3. 1 p.m. Lunch on Haight Street.
4. 2 p.m. Climb Buena Vista Park, then the N Judah back to 4th and King.

Full day

Spend the morning in Golden Gate Park, walk out the Stanyan Street gate at lunch and do the Haight in the afternoon. Then take the 33 bus to the Mission for dinner. If you want to stay for a show, compare San Francisco hotels.

Frequently asked questions