Exploring San Francisco by cable car

Some 7.5 million people ride San Francisco’s cable cars each year. Many of them board at Powell and Market streets, the famous turnaround site at the end of the line. Here tourists can snap pictures of workers manually swiveling the cars around to begin the route again.

But visitors may not realize there are actually three cable lines, each with its own flavor. The scenic Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines both begin at Powell and Market. The third line, which is the least crowded and least known to tourists, runs along hilly California Street and also offers lovely views.

Here are some tips on riding the cable cars and what to look for.

AVOIDING THE CROWDS: The three lines intersect at California and Powell. You can catch any of them there.

If you board at Powell and Market, be prepared to wait 45 minutes to an hour. Visitors like the spot because of the turnaround, and because it’s fun to hang off a pole on the cars’ crowded open platforms.

To avoid the crowds, buy your ticket at the Powell-Market booth, then walk a few blocks up Powell Street to the next stop, where the wait will likely be shorter.

CALIFORNIA LINE: Running 1.2 miles along California Street, from Drumm Street to Van Ness Avenue, the California line runs through the financial district, then to the exclusive Nob Hill neighborhood.

Before boarding, hit the Ferry Building in The Embarcadero on Market Street. Rush hour ferries serve commuters from Marin County and the East Bay. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, locals shop for produce at the Embarcadero Farmer’s Market. At the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant’s tasting room, you can taste wines from around the world, and at the Hog Island Oyster Co., you can sample oysters harvested daily from nearby Tomales Bay.

The California line is known for its steep grade. Looking up from Drumm, you can see the Powell cable line crossing California at the top of Nob Hill, with cars and passengers silhouetted against the sky. As you near the top of the hill, look back and see the architecture of downtown San Francisco, with San Francisco Bay and Bay Bridge as a backdrop.

If you get off at California and Grant, you’re just a few blocks from Portsmouth Square in the heart of Chinatown. Continuing along the California line you’ll see Grace Cathedral and the city’s most posh hotels, like the Ritz-Carlton at Stockton, and the Fairmont and Mark Hopkins hotels across the street from one another at Mason. The Mark Hopkins is known for its sky bar, Top of the Mark, on the 19th floor. Here you’ll see sweeping 360-degree views of San Francisco and the bay. During World War II, soldiers about to be deployed would buy a bottle and leave it for the next soldier to enjoy; wives and sweethearts would gather in a corner of the lounge known as “Weepers’ Corner” to watch the ships sail off under the Golden Gate.

POWELL-MASON LINE: This line passes many city landmarks. Union Square, known for its shopping, is a block from the start of the line. From there, a series of scenic uphill climbs leads to the intersection at California Street, where you can catch any of the three lines.

The Powell-Mason cars then make a left at Powell and Jackson, and a right onto Mason straight down to Fisherman’s Wharf.