Painted Ladies at Alamo Square

The Painted Ladies are a row of colorful Victorian houses at 710-720 Steiner St, facing Alamo Square Park at Hayes St and Steiner St in San Francisco, California. Known as Postcard Row, the houses are among the most photographed residential buildings in the city, set against a backdrop of the downtown skyline. The Victorian and Queen Anne style facades have decorative trim, bay windows and bright multi-color paint schemes. Visitors view the houses from the sloping lawn of Alamo Square Park, where the grass hill gives an unobstructed angle, and many walk up from Hayes Street to the top of the park for the classic photograph. The houses are private residences and cannot be entered, so the visit is about the view and the walk through the neighborhood. A typical stop lasts 30 to 45 minutes, including time to take photographs and relax on the lawn, which is a popular spot for picnics. The park is open daily and has no admission charge or hours for the viewing hill. Light matters for photographs: morning or late afternoon with clear skies behind the skyline gives the best results, while fog can obscure the downtown view. Crowds are largest on weekends and midday in summer, when tour buses stop at the park, and weekday mornings are quieter. Muni bus lines 5 and 21 run along Hayes Street, and the walk up the hill to Steiner Street is short but steep in places. Nearby streets of the Western Addition and the Lower Haight have more painted Victorians, cafes and shops, so many visitors continue on foot after seeing the row. Visitors are asked to respect residents by staying off private steps and keeping noise low.