Two Itineraries to Discover San Francisco’s most Beautiful Catholic Churches
When you visit San Francisco, you will be astonished by the beauty of some of the loveliest churches in the United States. We suggest two itineraries based on whether you’d prefer to explore on foot, or by using your car. Along the way, enjoy some of San Francisco’s most iconic sites.
We’ve lived in the Bay Area for a while now and oftentimes we make a day trip into the city to enjoy the beautiful Catholic Churches as well as other San Francisco sites. Depending on the weather, we will do the journey by foot or by car.
When we go by foot, we call it our “Urban Hikes”. It’s a great way to really take in everything the city has to offer. From doing this a few times, we’ve found the perfect routes of these “urban hikes” leading us to admire the churches as well as sprinkle in iconic sights along the way. There are two routes on foot depending on planning for a longer day in the city or a shorter one. Both cover most of the main sights with just one variation to the route at the end. So depending on what you are feeling, there will be a route for you.
We take the car to visit San Francisco when we’re taking friends and family around or when we want to see the churches that are not as accessible by public transportation. With a car, we’re able to cover more ground and see many other Catholic gems. If this is what you are aiming to do, we’ve also put together a suggestion on the best route to do so.
On Foot
Route #1: The Coit Tower Itinerary – Shorter
Once you arrive in the city of St. Francis, you can hike to five of the prettiest churches. Feel free to read our article on San Francisco’s beautiful Catholic Churches available here. The starting points we suggest are either coming into the city via Ferry to the Ferry Building or taking BART into Montgomery Street Bart Station.
For your first stop, we recommend St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Walk away from the water down famous Market Street, the financial center of San Francisco and also home to a lot of tech companies. Be on the lookout for beautiful skyscrapers along the way. Take a left on Yerba Buena Lane, and enter the Irish church of St. Patrick.
Retrace your steps on Yerba Buena lane, and go four blocks on Grant Avenue to stop at the church of the French community: Notre Dame des Victoires. Nestled between two buildings, this romanesque church stands out amongst a street full of office and retail buildings and is worth the visit.
Next on the list is the original cathedral of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Enter Chinatown through the famous Dragon Gate and walk two blocks up Grant Avenue to Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It is the first church in the world named in honor of the Immaculate Conception, very soon after Pius IX proclaimed the dogma. There is a great article from Catholic Answers on the Immaculate Conception available here.
Continue North along Grant Avenue for 6 blocks throughout Chinatown. You can enjoy all the Asian shops and foods offered along this route. Some recommendations to try are the Hong Kong egg tarts from Golden Gate Bakery. There’s usually a huge line out the door for that bakery.
Continue to take one block on Columbus Avenue until you arrive at the gorgeous National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi. Inside you can see all the beautiful murals dedicated to the life of St. Francis, the patron of San Francisco. Be sure to check out the exact replica of the Porziuncola adjacent to the shrine. The Porziuncola is the chapel St. Francis built himself in Italy.
From there, it’s a short walk into Little Italy. Go two blocks along Columbus Avenue until you arrive at the Sts. Peter and Paul Church. This grandiose Catholic church is hard to miss as it towers over the neighboring buildings. It has a popular park right in front of its entrance where many people hang out and enjoy a picnic. Passerbys cannot help but stop and admire its beauty. The inside is equally as beautiful and is open to the public.
We suggest you stop and enjoy the lively atmosphere around here, as well as the wonderful Italian food. A great pizza restaurant we recommend is Tony’s Pizza Napoletana. It’s quite popular so we recommend you make a reservation and then go tour the church.
At the end of this itinerary, we propose returning to the Ferry Building through the route that takes you right to Coit tower. This involves going up and down a steep 335 ft hill. Just take your time and as you’re going up the hill, make sure to turn around and enjoy the view of Little Italy. You won’t be disappointed.
At the top, you will reach Coit Tower! Enjoy the view around this concrete column that’s emblematic of the city’s skyline. You can pay to take an elevator to the top and enjoy the 360 views of San Francisco and the bay. You can also stay at the bottom on the grounds of Coit Tower and enjoy the free views, which are still amazing.
The entrance of Coit Tower
The view over the Bay from the foot of Coit Tower is beautiful and free
The stairs leading down Telegraph Hill from Coit Tower to the Embarcadero
The famous sea lions of Pier 39
From Coit Tower head down Telegraph Hill towards Embarcadero and make your way to the Ferry Building where you can spend some time.
Route #2: The Pier 39 Fisherman’s Wharf Itinerary – Longer and Flat
Instead of going up to Coit Tower, another option once you’re done visiting Sts. Peter and Paul is to walk to Pier 39 at Fisherman’s Wharf, which adds almost a mile but is mostly flat. For both itineraries, you can follow the coastline along Embarcadero on the way back.
Many people like to go to Fisherman’s Wharf for the staple dish: clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. This is served at a lot of the local restaurants there and the most popular one is Boudin Sourdough Bakery & Cafe. Make sure to stop by Pier 39 and visit the Sea Lions as well as the unique shops there to shop and eat. It’s a great place to pick up a souvenir.
You may now head back toward the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero. After you arrive at the popular Ferry Building, you can walk around the busy shops and enjoy any of the restaurants there. Famous restaurants includes Hog Island Oyster Co. and Gott’s. There are great dessert places there too to satisfy any sweeth tooth. What we like to do is grab delious piping hot empanadas from El Porteño Empanadas and bring it on the Ferry with us. We like the Jamon y Queso as well as the Fugazzeta. Don’t forget the green sauce! It is hard to pass this shop without salivating from the delicious smells coming from it.
On Saturday mornings there is even an outdoors farmer’s market you can check out. From there, hop back on a ferry or take a short walk to the Embarcadero BART stop to head back home.
Total Walking Distance
When taking the Ferry, the walking distance is 3.8 miles if going through Coit Tower and 4.7 miles when going to Fisherman’s wharf. If you are riding the BART, the walking distance is 3.4 miles when going through Coit Tower and 4.3 miles if going to Fisherman’s wharf. Regardless of the itinerary, give yourself three and a half to four hours to leisurely visit all the Churches.
By Car
If you have a car and a whole day ahead of you, you can discover at least four additional churches. With this route, you will cover the same five churches as the one on foot, but you’re able to visit even more churches. They are completely worth the visit.
Union Square Area – Three Churches
Once you’ve arrived in San Francisco, start your excursion by parking in the Union Square area. From there, set off on foot to visit St. Patrick, Notre Dame des Victoires and Old St Mary’s Cathedral. All of which are mentioned above.
Inside St Patrick’s Church
The ornate interior of Notre Dame des Victoires
The facade of the Old Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
North Beach – Two Churches
You can then drive to the Washington Square area. It is not always easy to find street parking in this area, but it would be a shame to not stop. This part of the city has the National Shrine of St Francis and Sts. Peter and Paul Church, which are very close to each other. The Shrine happens to be one of our favorite churches, and Sts. Peter and Paul is truly breathtaking.
Pacific Heights – Two Churches
You now have the option to drive to St. Vincent de Paul church. While it’s a unique and interesting church, skip it if you are tight on time.
Next stop, St Dominic’s Catholic Church, certainly one of the highlights of this itinerary. We would argue one of the most beautiful churches in San Francisco. Every single detail seems to work so well togeher in that church to invite you to prayer and worship God. The Mass is very reverent and many opportunites for adoration are offered by the Dominicans. The church has a convenient outdoor parking lot you can use.
Richmond District – One Church
Hop back in the car and drive to the lovely Star of the Sea church. This church has an extraordinary dedication to Our Lady. Her murals and pictures are displayed throughout the church in a beautiful way. Along the knave, you will see 16 Marian statues and icons from various apparitions. Each one has a description and pamphlet so you can learn more about Mary in that particular apparition. You will most likely have to find street parking. Sometimes you can park right in front of the church if there is no Mass going on. Adoration is offered 24/7 here.
Lone Mountain District & Haight Ashbury – Three Churches
Another optional stop is at the magnificent St. Ignatius Church . The inside of St. Ignatius is very grand and beautiful. You’ll almost feel as though you’re in Rome in a papal basilica. There are side chapels throughout with different themes going on, including some modern ones. The Carmelites are just across the street from here. It’s a smaller chapel but very welcoming. Their altar and statues are quite beautiful so it is worth a visit.
There is also the charming chapel of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in the neighborhood. Here you can go to Adoration during hours that are open to the public. You can be sure that there is a sister adoring alongside you or above you when you attend. St. Anne is another church on the way, but we have not been able to go inside. If you want to share about this church, feel free to write about it in the comments.
The two altars of St Ignatius Church
One of St Ignatius’ side chapels dedicated to Mary
The main altar for the Carmel de Cristo Rey
The Blessed Sacrament exposed inside the chapel of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
The street access to the Blessed Sacrament exposed inside the chapel of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
Mission District – Two churches in One
For your final stop, your itinerary will culminate with a visit of the historical Mission San Francisco de Asis. A must-visit before you leave San Francisco. There is a great little musem attached to it that gives you the details of the history of the mission. It also emphasizes the papal visit of Pope John Paul II. Adjacent to the Mission is the larger and younger Mission Dolores Basilica. As with any church that has been granted the title of Basilica, it is truly beautiful.
This completes the driving tour! If it is too much to take in in one day, you can split this into a two day weekend.