Filbert Steps to the Free 1934 Coit Tower Murals, Then Caffe Trieste

Start where Filbert Street meets Sansome and climb the Filbert Steps up the eastern slope of Telegraph Hill, past the Grace Marchant Garden and the wooden Napier Lane boardwalk. The steps are steep and the wood gets slick after rain. A flock of wild parrots lives on this hill, and whether you hear or spot it depends on the day. At the top, the ground-floor murals inside Coit Tower are free to see, 1934 frescoes of Depression-era California. A docent tour costs $5 for the second floor only or $10 for all the murals.

From the tower it is roughly a 10-minute walk, mostly downhill, to Caffe Trieste at 601 Vallejo Street. It opened in 1956 and calls itself the first espresso house on the West Coast. Order an espresso at the counter, find a seat under the walls of framed photos, and rest your legs. The cafe currently posts temporary hours, 7 AM to 3 PM Sunday through Wednesday and to 8 PM Thursday through Saturday, so check before a late visit.

The 360-degree deck at the top is a separate, paid experience. Elevator tickets are $8 for San Francisco resident adults and $11 for non-residents, and sales stop one hour before closing. The tower opens daily 10 AM to 6 PM from April through October and 10 AM to 5 PM from November through March, and closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The nearly 90-year-old elevator is sometimes out of service, which means 13 flights of stairs to the deck, so check that day's status before you go.