San Francisco Sightseeing Tours
Combine a San Francisco City Tour and guided visit to Alcatraz for the ultimate introduction to San Francisco! You'll enjoy the beauty and attractions of everyone's favorite city, in addition to a scenic ferry ride to Alcatraz Island for an audio walking tour. The San Francisco City Tour begins with a drive along the famous waterfront for views of San Francisco Bay.
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» Alcatraz and San Francisco City Tour
Combine a San Francisco City Tour and guided visit to Alcatraz for the ultimate introduction to San Francisco! You'll enjoy the beauty and attractions of everyone's favorite city, in addition to a scenic ferry ride to Alcatraz Island for an audio walking tour.
Likely to Sell-out! Alcatraz regularly sells out weeks in advance. Book ahead of time to avoid disappointment.
The San Francisco City Tour begins with a drive along the famous waterfront for views of San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz Island. Photo stops are made at the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park and Twin Peaks (weather permitting).
Some of the attractions you will see on this San Francisco City Tour include:
- Chinatown
- Fisherman's Wharf
- Victorian homes
- Palace of Fine Arts
- North Beach
- Presidio National Park
- Awe-inspiring views of Alcatraz and the Pacific Ocean
Your tour also includes the ferry ride to Alcatraz Island and an audio walking tour of the "Cell Block". This former federal penitentiary was also known as "The Rock" and housed gangsters such as Al Capone (Scarface) and Machine Gun Kelly. You'll learn about the famous escape from Alcatraz, the prison's notorious inmates and much more on this tour.
The schedule for the day depends on the availability for Alcatraz. You will be advised of the tour schedule either when you call to re-confirm your tour 24 hours prior, or upon arrival for the tour on your selected date of travel.
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» Best of Golden Gate Bridge: 75th Anniversary Tour with Optional Alcatraz Ticket
Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge with this fun-filled combination tour! Walk across the bridge on a new historical walking tour that was designed especially for the 75th anniversary, and enjoy fabulous views of the bridge from around the city during a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour. Learn all about the bridge's history and legacy during the guided walking tour and pose for a photo that will appear as if you're climbing the bridge!
See more San Francisco attractions, including Golden Gate Park, Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square, during the hop-on hop-off tour. Also included is a ticket to the Aquarium of the Bay, where you can see the sea life that makes its home underneath the bridge. You also have the opportunity to upgrade your experience to include a trip to San Francisco's must-see attraction, the former island prison of Alcatraz.
Experience the Golden Gate Bridge in all its glory with this 75th anniversary tour that allows you to walk across the bridge, learn about its history and admire views of it from across the city. Plus, the flexibility of this combination tour allows you to make the most of your day in San Francisco!
At one of four times during the day (your choice), see the bridge up close on the all-new 45-minute historical Golden Gate Bridge walking tour, specifically created to commemorate 75 years of the bridge. On this unique small-group tour, walk across the Golden Gate Bridge with your guide, who will provide history and interesting facts. Learn how the bridge was built, how it is maintained, the historical relevance of the bridge's engineering and much more. You'll also take part in the Bridge Photo Experience, where you'll become a 'virtual visitor' of the bridge's off-limits areas. Through green screen photography, you'll appear to be climbing the main cables or standing atop the south tower!
Before or after your walking tour, see San Francisco's top sights and enjoy views of the bridge from various locations on the hop-on hop-off bus tour (included). Along the bus route is the Aquarium of the Bay (entrance ticket included), where you can discover the bay's marine life and see everything from the barnacles that make their home on the steel foundation of the bridge to the sharks that patrol the waters. Stroll through 300 feet (92 meters) of crystal-clear tunnels to see more than 20,000 marine animals from the bay and nearby waters. And get close to many of these sea creatures at the interactive touch pool.
The hop-on hop-off bus provides convenient transportation for both the walking tour and the aquarium, plus 17 other stops! A live guide will be on board to direct you.
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» San Francisco Hop-on Hop-off Tour
See San Francisco at your own pace on a one-day or two-day hop-on hop-off tour! From historical sites to modern San Francisco architecture, this tour uncovers the beauty and culture of the Bay Area. Complete with live narration, this is a fantastic and easy way to see all the sights San Francisco has to offer.
This hop-on-hop-off tour is taken on the most modern, comfortable and environmentally friendly double-decker buses in the city and stops at all of the major attractions, including the towering Golden Gate Bridge, bustling Fisherman's Wharf, colorful Haight Ashbury and the lively neighborhoods of Chinatown and North Beach.
You can hop on and off the tour as many times as you like aboard the open-top double-decker bus. In the summer, the top deck is open and in the winter, clear screens shelter you from the cold and offer unobstructed views of the city.
The duration of the tour loop is approximately 2 hours across 14 stops and, with both 1 or 2-day passes available, you have plenty of time to explore San Francisco at your leisure. If you miss something on your first loop of the city, simply re-board the bus and go around again!
A must-do tour when visiting the City by the Bay!
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» Ride the Magic Bus: A 1960s-Era San Francisco Tour
On this fun-filled historical city tour, hop aboard the Magic Bus that will transport you to 1960s San Francisco. Become a part of the Beatnik generation, see Haight-Ashbury in the Summer of Love and visit San Francisco’s Chinatown, from which eastern philosophy spread in the 1960s. Discover the iconic neighborhoods as they are now with your own eyes, and see the past come alive with retractable projection screens that cover the windows, giving you a look back in time.
Board the brightly colored Magic Bus in central San Francisco and begin your journey through time as you are transported from Union Square to Chinatown, a culturally vibrant pocket of San Francisco that is home to the largest population of Chinese in America. Chinatown was a significant part of America’s exposure to Eastern philosophies in the 1960s and beyond.
Next, visit North Beach, where you will see the City Lights bookstore. City Lights was the epicenter of profound social change in San Francisco, where many famous Beat-generation poems were published and Beatniks like Jack Kerouac hung out.
Continue your Magic Ride and watch modern San Francisco blend with the past as you travel through the Financial District and up central Market Street en route to the crossroads of Haight and Ashbury streets – the home of the Summer of Love.
After you’ve experienced the famous Haight-Ashbury district through the bus’s windows of time-altered perception, your next destination is the lush gardens of Golden Gate Park, where you’ll stop at the Conservatory of Flowers. Hear how America's largest urban park hosted the Human Be-In event in 1967 and the first Earth Day in 1970. If the weather is nice, you may join a drum circle!
The '60s-era video, music and costumed staff of the Magic Bus will have you feeling present in the past as you are immersed in one of the United States’ most memorable cultural movements. It’s not just a sightseeing tour – it’s a trip!
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» San Francisco in One Day: Alcatraz, Bay Cruise and Guided City Tour
The perfect choice if your time in San Francisco is limited, this smaller group tour covers all the iconic sights of the city and the bay. This comprehensive shuttle tour, led by an onboard tour guide and separate expert driver, includes more stops than any other sightseeing tour of San Francisco, a cruise to Sausalito and a visit to the city's iconic attraction, Alcatraz.
The itinerary allows for stops at over a dozen renowned sights, ensuring you'll experience an in-depth tour of San Francisco. There's time for you to leave your air-conditioned shuttle at all of the sights to explore, take pictures and listen to your guide's fascinating commentary. With a maximum group size of 35 people you are sure to have a memorable and personal experience, as well as a broad overview of the City by The Bay!
Alcatraz frequently sells out from June to September - book at least 10 days prior to travel to secure your place!
Starting at the famous Ferry Building, the tour commences with a relaxing cruise accompanied by your guide across San Francisco Bay to the picturesque village of Sausalito. You will spend an hour in Sausalito, and have the opportunity to explore the town's many shops and art galleries and have lunch. Next, you will drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, stopping for pictures and the opportunity to walk around the vista points of San Francisco's most treasured landmark.
Moving into the city, the tour will take you to Lombard Street, the famous hilly and winding street that was created in the 1920’s to accommodate the steep incline. Your guide will then take you on a stroll through Chinatown, home to many captivating shops and restaurants. You will stop at Grace Cathedral, Golden Gate Park, Japanese Tea Garden and Alamo Square Park with its beautiful Victorian houses.
Finally, you will jump on the ferry to discover the island of Alcatraz, home to the most notorious inmates in America's history. The famous prison, formally known as 'The Rock', is famous for having housed ruthless criminals such as Al Capone (Scarface) and Machine Gun Kelly. You will have the opportunity to explore this renowned landmark and experience an audio tour of its spooky cell blocks.
Alcatraz by Night Tour
During the winter, you have the option to upgrade to the award-winning, limited-availability Alcatraz by Night Tour! Following the conclusion of your guided city tour, you will have about 3 hours to explore Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 before heading out by early evening ferry to ''The Rock'. Alcatraz by Night provides a more intimate, engaging experience on the island, with a variety of special programs and presentations offered at night in addition to the Alcatraz audio tour “Doing Time”. You will also see the breathtaking sunset and San Francisco skyline lit up in the evening on this renowned tour, voted "Best Tour of the Bay Area".
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