San Francisco’s network of century-old cable cars were introduced in 1873 to replace horse-drawn streetcars and refurbished in the 1980s. The ride is best enjoyed from one of the outside platforms but travellers should hold on tight and watch out for traffic. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines, beginning at Powell Street and Market Street, run roughly north-south between Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square. The California Street line runs east-west from California Street and Market Street, near the Embarcadero to Van Ness Avenue. The cars are turned by hand on turntables at the end of the line – all part of the experience.
