Top San Francisco Cultural Tours

Take a journey around San Francisco's top sights in a retro way with this "painted ladies" tour by vintage Volkswagen bus decorated with long gorgeous eyelashes so you can't miss your tour vehicle. You'll pass by neighborhoods like Chinatown, Union Square, Pacific Heights, North Beach, Haight-Ashbury, the Marina, and Hayes Valley, plus see the Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Civic Center, and more.

Guarantee your visit to Alcatraz when you book in advance. Relax aboard your ferry transportation and return at a time of your choosing. Afterward, use your food voucher at a preselected restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf.

Dive deep into one of San Francisco’s most historic neighborhoods on this Chinatown walking tour. From paper lanterns to medicinal herbs to a fortune cookie factory, explore both popular and lesser-known gems in this bustling district with an in-the-know guide. See sights including a Buddhist temple, and upgrade, if you wish, to include a 9-course lunch of dim sum for an even more memorable experience.

If you fancy yourself a foodie or culture enthusiast, don’t miss this walking tour of San Francisco’s Little Italy—the neighborhood of North Beach. Voted one of the 15 best foodie tours in the USA by U.S. News, join an insider guide and experience a slice of the top things to do in North Beach, such as tasting coffee and witnessing bread being freshly made. Soak up the lively atmosphere of one of the city’s most popular districts as you learn about its cafes and bakeries and see landmarks like Saints Peter and Paul Church.

Stroll through North Beach and Chinatown, two of San Francisco's most vibrant neighborhoods on this food and walking tour. Discover the spots only locals know for dim sum, coffee, and other treats while you learn about the history and culture of these diverse districts from your knowledgeable guide. Samples make up enough for a meal so come hungry!

Explore one of California's most iconic settings from the beauty of San Francisco Bay. This narrated Golden Gate Bay cruise journeys alongside Alcatraz and Angel Island State Park, past the shores of Sausalito and beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. You can choose to view the sights from inside your boat or out on deck.

Enjoy easy access to the California Academy of Sciences with this pre-paid skip-the-line ticket. Walk right in to enjoy the museum's 4-story rain forest, planetarium, and aquarium. Avoid wasting your precious vacation waiting in the long lines to purchase tickets for this exhibit-packed museum. Your admission includes all shows and exhibits, and is a perfect activity for families. IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE: All guests ages 12+ must provide proof of full vaccination or a negative test taken within 48 hours of a visit in order to enter the Academy, and photo ID is required for all guests ages 18+. While masks are longer required indoors, we strongly encourage all guests to keep masking up.

Hop on a ‘70s-era VW bus and get to know the hippie past and hipster vibe that make up San Francisco today. Starting and ending at Fisherman’s Wharf, this 2-hour sightseeing tour takes you around the city, including Chinatown, North Beach, the Castro, the Mission, downtown and more. See the homes of The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, while listening to ‘60s classics. So settle into a neon-blue seat and dig your shoes into groovy shag carpet. Each bus accommodates up to just six people.

Avoid the crowds, confusion, and limitations of large buses and discover San Francisco by luxury minivan. This half-day tour takes you to numerous parts of the city for the perfect overview. Enjoy fascinating facts provided by your guide's live commentary. Stop for photo opportunities at some of the city’s most popular attractions, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Twin Peaks.

Wander through an ancient coastal redwood forest and explore the artistic bayside enclave of Sausalito on this half-day tour from San Francisco. Travel across the Golden Gate Bridge to visit Muir Woods, home to some of the oldest and tallest trees on Earth. Then, soak up stellar views of the San Francisco skyline and browse art galleries along the Sausalito waterfront. At the end of your tour choose between getting dropped off at either of the two departure points or taking the Sausalito ferry back to San Francisco (Pier 41).

Uncover the scandalous, high-society history of San Francisco's most illustrious hill on a walking tour of Nob Hill. Hear the stories behind the grand hotels and stately mansions built by the city's powerful 19th-century business tycoons and politicians, and learn how the advent of the cable car and the disastrous 1906 earthquake shaped one of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods.

Ride a double-decker sightseeing bus to San Francisco's most famous landmarks with a choice of 2 different passes. Explore the city's 49 square miles, including stops at big-name attractions like Pier 39, the Palace of Fine Arts and Union Square. Go at your own pace, hopping off at any of 16 stops, exploring at your leisure, and then hopping back on when you're done. Choose the Premium pass to include a night tour or a Deluxe pass for an additional 24 hours of hop-on-hop-off and a night tour.

Harken back to San Francisco’s days as a Gold Rush boomtown on a 2-hour walking tour of the Financial District, once known as the rowdy Barbary Coast of California. Hear tales of buried ships, fortune hunters, and Wild West saloons as you explore the city’s former waterfront, and learn how it transformed into the business hub of modern-day San Francisco.

Discover San Francisco’s dark side on a ghost-hunting tour, using a provided, personal EMF detector to scan haunted alleys, neighborhoods, and street corners. It’s not just ghosts. Exploring with a ghost-hunter guide means you’ll learn the city's scariest secrets and stories, too. As you walk through its nighttime streets, hear about everything from Gold Rush cemeteries to paranormal activity and unexplained deaths in the heart of San Francisco.

On this San Francisco bike tour, you’ll cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge from the city to the waterfront town of Sausalito. With a guide, ride from Fisherman’s Wharf to Marina Green and Crissy Field, and stop at Fort Point and Vista Point for photo ops of the bridge and San Francisco Bay. The 3-hour guided tour ends in Sausalito, where you are free to bike more on your own and return to the city at your leisure (either bike back or purchase a ferry ticket). This tour includes use of the bike for the full day.

Take a San Francisco half-day tour to pack in the city’s top sights in a convenient way that leaves you with plenty of time to spare so you can enjoy the city however you wish. With a driver-guide, travel the city by bus, stopping at major attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge and Twin Peaks, and neighborhoods like North Beach and Chinatown. Plus, you can upgrade to include a San Francisco Bay cruise, a half-day bike rental, or admission to Aquarium of the Bay.

Being a tourist can be exhausting. Throw in some of San Francisco's infamous hills, constant consultation of guide books, and the lure of tourist traps, and you might want to return to your lodgings in haste. However, this San Francisco sightseeing experience includes a hotel pickup and a coach tour that allows the city to unfold before you from atop your air-conditioned perch. It's a great way to keep your eyes on the real jewels of the city by the bay.

This convenient package gives you access to two essential San Francisco experiences—a visit to Alcatraz Island, and a sightseeing cruise. Instead of waiting in long ticket lines, this time-saving option helps you explore San Francisco more efficiently. Take a ferry to Alcatraz Island where you can go inside the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and enjoy an audio guide. A San Francisco Bay cruise is also included with views of Pier 39's sea lions, the waterfront area, and the city's skyline. Please note, children 4 years old and younger do not need purchased tickets.

Experience the distinctive architecture, history and culture of San Francisco’s Chinatown with a 3-hour guided walking tour through this thriving, colorful community. Explore Chinatown alongside a knowledgeable guide, visit an exclusive teashop that specializes in fine Chinese teas and browse traditional remedies at a Chinese herbal shop. Learn how the neighborhood was founded and built then get a glimpse inside the area’s elaborate Taoist and Buddhist temples. Stay after the tour for an optional meal, and enjoy a sumptuous dim sum tasting menu followed by an entrée, side dish and dessert.

Take away the stress and uncertainty from booking an Alcatraz tour with this package that includes Alcatraz ferry tickets and a 90 min guided walking tour of Chinatown and North Beach. Get practical tips from your guide on visiting Alcatraz then follow them through the heart of the largest Chinese community in the Western World. This is the perfect way to spend half a day in San Francisco enjoying some of its quintessential experiences with the help of a local who is on hand both to guide you and sort out logistics.

'Forget it Jake. It's Chinatown,' but if you're willing to get off the tour bus, then San Francisco's Chinatown and its foodie adventures don't have to remain a riddle. Explore the roads less-taken, sample Chef Han's world-famous Szechuan cuisine and the delectable Peking duck, take in the sights and smells of the real Chinatown, and see how San Francisco's Chinese Americans live during this culinary and gourmet food tour.

During this out-of-the-box, self-guided audio tour, you'll explore the colorful, picturesque district of Haight-Ashbury from a synesthetic perspective, adding color to music and flavor to words. Learn about the bohemian neighborhood's role in San Francisco's "Summer of Love" as you walk at your own pace, with audio commentary timed to your location using GPS.

Spend the day exploring San Francisco’s vibrant neighborhoods on a small-group tour. Walk the bustling streets of Chinatown and North Beach and feel the groove on Haight Street. Leave the urban grid behind and relax under the towering redwood trees in Muir Woods National Monument, then stop in Sausalito for free time to admire waterfront views, peruse upscale boutiques, and have lunch (own expense).

Combine some of San Francisco's top sights—Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, and the Golden Gate Bridge—in a single day tour. This combination of stops may be a little bit different than traditional San Francisco tours, but it lets travelers get a better look at the true culture and history of the city. Hop aboard a cable car through the Financial District and down into Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf. Snap photos of the Golden Gate Bridge from up close and listen to in-depth commentary as you travel.