The world-famous Cable Cars run on three lines in the steep streets of San Francisco between Market Street and Fisherman’s Wharf. These cars are a fun ride, especially if you get to stand on the running board, if a bit impractical for everyday use though residents do, in fact, use them on a regular basis.

The cable car is such an attraction that, especially on weekends, it takes longer to wait in line to ride up Powell Street than it does to walk the short but sloping distance. No experience is more uniquely San Francisco than a ride on a cable car. Cable cars have come to symbolize San Francisco.

The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system and an icon of the city of San Francisco. The cable cars move by gripping an underground cable that is in constant motion, powered by an engine located in a central powerhouse.

The "grip man" on board the cable car is responsible for operating the grip and ringing the bell. Hold on tight as you climb some of San Francisco's steepest hills. There's nothing like hearing the famous Cable car bells ring along the way.

Prior to the first cable cars in 1873, San Francisco operated horsecars that had quite the difficult time scaling the steep streets of The City.