55Doable with Planning
New York City
United States
Americas
NYC is challenging — street level is fine, but the subway will break you.
Best stroller: Compact
United States
San Francisco
38/100Challenging📊 Medium confidence
San Francisco's extreme hills make it one of the toughest US cities for strollers — flat areas exist but you have to find them.
🎒✅
Bring both
This city needs different solutions for different areas.
Key Factors
- •Mixed terrain requires flexibility
- •Most of the city's hills
Watch Out For
⚠️Use carrier in steep/narrow areas
Carrier Recommended
🎒Lombard Street area (extreme hills)
📋 The Bottom Line
San Francisco is beautiful but brutally hilly. The iconic steep streets that make for great photos are a stroller parent's nightmare. The city's transit (BART, Muni) has mixed accessibility. However, there are genuinely flat areas — the Marina, Embarcadero, Golden Gate Park — that are excellent for strollers. The key is planning your route to avoid hills. The culture is very family-friendly in family neighborhoods like Noe Valley and the Richmond.
Quick Facts
Overall Score38/100
Best StrollerRugged
Biggest ChallengeMost of the city's hills
Data Quality📊 Medium confidence
Gear Recommendations
- 🎒Rugged stroller with excellent brakes essential
- 🎒Strong hand brake critical for steep downhill sections
- 🎒Carrier recommended for hilly neighborhood exploration
- 🎒Layers — SF weather is foggy and cool even in summer
Score Breakdown
Terrain20%
5/10Slopes20%
2/10Transit12%
5/10Elevators12%
4/10Facilities12%
6/10Crowding12%
4/10Friendliness12%
6/10Neighborhood Guide
🟢 Where It's Easy ✓
- •Golden Gate Park - Flat, massive, playgrounds, museums, perfect
- •Marina / Crissy Field - Flat waterfront, Golden Gate views
- •Embarcadero waterfront - Flat promenade, Ferry Building
- •Presidio - Mostly flat paths, nature, beautiful
- •Mission Dolores Park (the park itself) - Flat once you're there
🟡 Where You'll Struggle ⚠
- •Most of the city's hills - Genuinely dangerous steep grades
- •Nob Hill / Russian Hill - Heart-attack steep
- •Chinatown - Narrow, crowded, hilly
- •Castro - Hilly residential streets
- •Pacific Heights - Beautiful but steep approaches
🎒 When to Bring the Carrier 👶
- •Lombard Street area (extreme hills)
- •Nob Hill / Russian Hill (famously steep)
- •Chinatown (narrow, crowded, hilly)
- •Filbert Steps to Coit Tower (stairs only)
Parent Wisdom
❌ What Parents Wish They'd Known
- ✕Thinking you can walk anywhere (the hills are NO JOKE)
- ✕Not checking elevation before planning routes
- ✕Lombard Street with a stroller (it's for cars and tourists on foot)
- ✕Assuming summer is warm (SF is foggy and cold June-August)
- ✕Downtown Tenderloin area (avoid — not family-friendly)
⭐ Parent-Recommended Spots
- ★California Academy of Sciences - World-class, fully accessible
- ★Exploratorium - Interactive science, accessible, Pier 15
- ★Golden Gate Park playground - Multiple playgrounds, flat, gorgeous
- ★Crissy Field - Flat waterfront, views of Golden Gate Bridge
- ★Children's Creativity Museum - SOMA, accessible, engaging
Similar Destinations
Other cities you might want to explore
68Stroller-Friendly
Chicago
United States
Americas
Chicago is flat and great for strollers — the lakefront trail is paradise, but winters are brutal.
Best stroller: Compact
52Doable with Planning
Rome
Italy
Europe
Rome is doable with planning — cobblestones everywhere, but Italians adore babies.
Best stroller: Rugged
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