San Francisco, California
Historic Hotels in San Francisco
Nine historic stays, from the grand hotels rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake to Army quarters at the Presidio and a chocolate factory on the waterfront.
The short answer
For a first visit, stay on Union Square or Nob Hill: the Palace Hotel, which reopened in 1909 with its glass-domed Garden Court, and The Westin St. Francis are downtown, and the Fairmont and the Mark Hopkins crown Nob Hill. For parkland by the Golden Gate Bridge, the Inn and the Lodge at the Presidio fill Army buildings from the 1890s and 1903, with $13 parking. Budget for valet at the grand hotels, about $72 to $97 a night.
Our top picks
Best overall
Palace Hotel
Built 1909
William Ralston's 1875 Palace, gutted in 1906 and reopened in 1909 with the glass-domed Garden Court and Maxfield Parrish's Pied Piper mural.
Best small inn
Inn at the Presidio
Built 1903
Pershing Hall, the Army's 1903 officers' quarters, opened in 2012 as the Presidio's first hotel; 17 of its 22 rooms are suites…
Oldest
The Lodge at the Presidio
Built 1895–97
An Army brick barracks on the Presidio's Main Post, a 42-room hotel since 2018 that HHA calls the closest lodging to the…
Most haunted
Fairmont San Francisco
Built 1907
Julia Morgan restored the fire-gutted Nob Hill hotel for its 1907 opening; UN Charter delegates met here in 1945.
Grand hotel
The Westin St. Francis
Built 1904–13
On Union Square since 1904. The 1904 and 1913 wings form the Landmark Building; the 1972 tower is modern, so ask for…
Compare them side by side
| Inn | Area | Built | Rooms | Type | Price | Haunted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square | Fisherman's Wharf | 1893 | – | Boutique hotel | – | Rates | |
| The Lodge at the Presidio | The Presidio | 1895–97 | 42 | Inn | – | Rates | |
| Inn at the Presidio | The Presidio | 1903 | 22 | Inn | – | Rates | |
| The Westin St. Francis | Union Square | 1904–13 | – | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| Fairmont San Francisco | Nob Hill | 1907 | 606 | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| Palace Hotel | Union Square | 1909 | – | Grand hotel | – | Yes | Rates |
| InterContinental Mark Hopkins | Nob Hill | 1926 | – | Grand hotel | – | Rates | |
| Omni San Francisco Hotel | Financial District | 1926 | – | Grand hotel | – | Rates | |
| Harbor Court Hotel | The Embarcadero | 1926 | 131 | Boutique hotel | – | Rates |
Price is a typical nightly rate: $ under $200, $$ $200–349, $$$ $350–549, $$$$ $550+. Rates vary by season; check the inn for exact prices.
Where they are
The neighborhoods
Where to stay, by area
Union Square, Market Street and the Financial District
Downtown’s hotel and shopping core, where the Powell Street cable cars start and BART arrives from SFO in about half an hour. The Palace Hotel, The Westin St. Francis and the Omni, in a 1926 bank building, are here.
Nob Hill
The hilltop where the railroad barons built their mansions, reached by the California Street cable car. The Fairmont, restored by Julia Morgan after the 1906 fire, and the Mark Hopkins, on the site of Mark Hopkins’s mansion, face each other here.
The Presidio
A former Army post at the city’s northern tip next to the Golden Gate Bridge, now a National Historic Landmark and parkland. The Inn at the Presidio, in 1903 officers’ quarters, and the Lodge at the Presidio, in brick barracks, are on the Main Post.
The Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf
The bayfront from the Ferry Building to Fisherman’s Wharf, linked by the F-line historic streetcar. Harbor Court, the 1926 Army-Navy YMCA, is on the Embarcadero, and Fairmont Heritage Place rents residences in the Ghirardelli chocolate works.
The inns
Built 1893 · Industrial brick · Fisherman's Wharf · Boutique hotel
Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square
Why stay Suites in the brick Ghirardelli chocolate works, the woolen-mill block the company bought in 1893, saved from apartment development in the 1960s.
Built 1895–97 · Colonial Revival (brick barracks) · The Presidio · Inn
The Lodge at the Presidio
Why stay An Army brick barracks on the Presidio's Main Post, a 42-room hotel since 2018 that HHA calls the closest lodging to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Built 1903 · Georgian / Colonial Revival · The Presidio · Inn
Inn at the Presidio
Why stay Pershing Hall, the Army's 1903 officers' quarters, opened in 2012 as the Presidio's first hotel; 17 of its 22 rooms are suites with fireplaces.
Built 1904–13 · Union Square · Grand hotel
The Westin St. Francis
Why stay On Union Square since 1904. The 1904 and 1913 wings form the Landmark Building; the 1972 tower is modern, so ask for a Landmark room.
The ghost story The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the suite where Al Jolson died during a poker game in 1950 is in high demand because he is said to have never left, and that rumor places the ghosts of John Barrymore, Fatty Arbuckle and a lady in a white dress in the hotel too.
Built 1907 · Beaux-Arts · Nob Hill · Grand hotel
Fairmont San Francisco
Why stay Julia Morgan restored the fire-gutted Nob Hill hotel for its 1907 opening; UN Charter delegates met here in 1945.
The ghost story Lore at the hotel says the Fair sisters died in the 1906 earthquake and haunt the hotel they never saw finished, as a gentle presence some guests say they feel at night, though Historic Hotels of America notes the sisters actually sold their interest days before the quake and lived on. HHA placed the Fairmont on its 2025 Most Haunted list.
Built 1909 · Renaissance Revival · Union Square · Grand hotel
Palace Hotel
Why stay William Ralston's 1875 Palace, gutted in 1906 and reopened in 1909 with the glass-domed Garden Court and Maxfield Parrish's Pied Piper mural.
The ghost story A KQED profile of a San Francisco City Guides ghost tour of the Palace says hotel workers' stories and a booklet once written for VIP guests describe mostly harmless spirits said to tousle guests' hair, hush loud children, switch off lights and leave brief pleasant scents.
Built 1926 · Renaissance Revival / French Chateau · Nob Hill · Grand hotel
InterContinental Mark Hopkins
Why stay George D. Smith's 19-story 1926 hotel on the site of railroad magnate Mark Hopkins's Nob Hill mansion, crowned by the Top of the Mark lounge.
Built 1926 · Renaissance Revival · Financial District · Grand hotel
Omni San Francisco Hotel
Why stay Frederick H. Meyer's 1926 Financial Center Building, a bank that Omni made a hotel in 2002, keeping its Italian marble and crystal chandeliers.
Built 1926 · Red-brick Renaissance Revival with maritime details · The Embarcadero · Boutique hotel
Harbor Court Hotel
Why stay The YMCA's red-brick 1926 Army-Navy Y on the Embarcadero, built for servicemen and now a 131-room hotel that kept its maritime details.
No inns match that filter.
Before you book
Planning your stay
Getting around
BART runs from SFO’s International Terminal to Powell Street in about 28 minutes ($11.80 with Clipper). Muni buses and streetcars cost $2.85 with Clipper, a cable car ride is $9, and a Muni Visitor Passport ($15 for one day, $35 for three, $47 for seven) covers unlimited rides including the cable cars.
Parking
Plan on valet at the downtown and Nob Hill hotels: $96.90 a night at the Mark Hopkins, $89 at the Palace, $88 plus tax at The Westin St. Francis and $72 plus tax at Harbor Court. Fairmont Heritage Place includes valet, and the Presidio inns charge $13 a night to self-park. The city’s Union Square and Sutter-Stockton garages cap at $46 for 24 hours.
When to go
August to October are the warmest months, summer brings morning and evening fog, and temperatures rarely rise above 70°F or drop below 40°F, so pack layers in any season. Fleet Week fills the waterfront in early October.
Accessibility
San Francisco is hilly, and the cable cars have no accessible boarding. Muni buses, trains and streetcars are accessible, BART has elevators or ramps at every station, and the Fairmont San Francisco lists rooms with roll-in showers.
Before you book
Check what the rate includes: some packages fold in valet, which otherwise runs $72 to $97 a night. Pet fees vary ($75 per stay at the Fairmont, $150 at the Palace and The Westin St. Francis, $50 per pet at the Presidio inns), and the Mark Hopkins sets a minimum check-in age of 18.
Things to do
Tours of historic San Francisco
Tours are sold by GetYourGuide and run by local operators. If you book one through these links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Ratings and prices are GetYourGuide’s.
Questions travelers ask
What is the oldest hotel in San Francisco?
The Palace Hotel has the longest history: it opened in 1875, was gutted in the 1906 earthquake and fire, and reopened in its present building in 1909. The oldest hotel building is The Westin St. Francis on Union Square, whose first wings opened in 1904, followed by the Fairmont (1907).
What is the most haunted hotel in San Francisco?
There is no official ranking. Historic Hotels of America put the Fairmont San Francisco on its 2025 most-haunted list, and the San Francisco Chronicle has reported lore that Al Jolson, who died at the St. Francis in 1950, lingers in the hotel. We report these as stories, not fact.
What is the best area to stay for historic hotels?
For a first visit, Union Square or Nob Hill: four of the grand historic hotels are there, the cable cars start at Powell and Market, and BART reaches SFO. The Presidio inns suit travelers who want parkland by the Golden Gate Bridge and cheap parking.
Where do you park at a historic hotel in San Francisco?
Most grand hotels charge for valet, from $72 to $96.90 a night. Fairmont Heritage Place includes valet, the Presidio inns charge $13 a night, and the city’s Union Square and Sutter-Stockton garages cap at $46 for 24 hours.
Does San Francisco have historic B&Bs or small inns?
None of the nine verified stays is a B&B. The closest are the Inn at the Presidio, 22 rooms in 1903 Pershing Hall, and the 42-room Lodge at the Presidio, both with breakfast included.
Keep exploring
How we chose these inns
Every place on this page is at least 50 years old, holds a credential we can check (National Register listing, a listed historic district, landmark status, or Historic Hotels of America membership), and takes bookings today. We verify each one against primary sources before it goes on the list, and last checked this list in October 2026. Read our criteria.
Planning details on this page (parking, transport, seasons and events) come from: api.bart.gov, data.sfgov.org, en.wikipedia.org, fleetweeksf.org, ghostcitytours.com, npgallery.nps.gov, presidio.gov, presidiolodging.com, wheelchairtravel.org, bart.gov, fairmont.com, harborcourthotel.com, historichotels.org, ihg.com.cn, ihgplc.com, kqed.org, marriott.com, nps.gov, sfchronicle.com, sfmta.com, sfpalace.com, sftravel.com, visitnapavalley.com, lots.impark.com.
Sources (24)
- Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square: www.historichotels.org
- Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square: npgallery.nps.gov
- Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square: www.historichotels.org
- The Lodge at the Presidio: www.historichotels.org
- Inn at the Presidio: npgallery.nps.gov
- The Lodge at the Presidio: www.historichotels.org
- Inn at the Presidio: presidiolodging.com
- Inn at the Presidio: www.historichotels.org
- The Westin St. Francis: en.wikipedia.org
- The Westin St. Francis: data.sf.gov
- The Westin St. Francis: www.sfchronicle.com
- Fairmont San Francisco: npgallery.nps.gov
- Fairmont San Francisco: www.historichotels.org
- Fairmont San Francisco: www.historichotels.org
- Palace Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- InterContinental Mark Hopkins: data.sfgov.org
- Palace Hotel: www.kqed.org
- Palace Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- InterContinental Mark Hopkins: www.historichotels.org
- InterContinental Mark Hopkins: www.historichotels.org
- Omni San Francisco Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- Omni San Francisco Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- Harbor Court Hotel: www.historichotels.org
- Harbor Court Hotel: www.historichotels.org
Some links on this site may earn us a commission at no cost to you. It never decides which inns we include. Disclosure.