Filbert Steps and wild parrots

The Filbert Steps and the wild parrots, in San Francisco

The Filbert Steps are a charming flowered stairway that climbs Telegraph Hill, frequented by the famous wild parrots of San Francisco. The San Francisco audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this picturesque place, blending gardens, stairs and exotic birds.

A flowered stairway and its parrots

The Filbert Steps form a picturesque stairway that descends the east side of Telegraph Hill, lined with lush gardens, wooden cottages and flowers. It is one of the most charming and preserved corners of San Francisco. The place is famous for its wild parrots, a colony of small red-headed conures become emblematic of the city and popularised by a documentary. Climbing or descending these steps, you discover a green and secret setting, animated by the colourful cries of these birds.

What to see

Here you climb or descend the flowered stairway lined with lush gardens and wooden cottages, listening to the famous wild red-headed parrots of Telegraph Hill. The Filbert Steps are one of the most charming and secret corners of San Francisco. It is a picturesque stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Filbert Steps climb the east side of Telegraph Hill, in San Francisco, reachable on foot by stairs. They are open-air public spaces, freely accessible; the gardens lining the steps are partly private. It is best to bring good shoes and to stay discreet to observe the parrots.

What are the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill?

A colony of small red-headed conures, become emblematic of San Francisco and popularised by a documentary, which frequent the gardens of the Filbert Steps.

Where are the Filbert Steps?

On the east side of Telegraph Hill, in San Francisco, in California.