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SF Highlights: Cable Cars, Gardens & Rooftops
4.7
107 Ratings
San Francisco
Experience the best of San Francisco in a day with our full-day tour. Ride the iconic cable cars, explore hidden gems, and enjoy breathtaking views. Avoid the crowds and immerse yourself in the culture and history of SF. Book now!
Experience the best of San Francisco in a day with our full-day tour. Ride the iconic cable cars, explore hidden gems, and enjoy breathtaking views. Avoid the crowds and immerse yourself in the culture and history of SF. Book now!
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- The Embarcadero - The guide will assist in orienting visitors by sharing the history and background of the Ferry Building and downtown San Francisco.
- Nob Hill - Ride the cable car up the steep Nob Hill to admire the grand mansions of San Francisco’s first millionaires.
- Cable Car Museum - Enjoy this intriguing museum dedicated to San…
- The Embarcadero - The guide will assist in orienting visitors by sharing the history and background of the Ferry Building and downtown San Francisco.
- Nob Hill - Ride the cable car up the steep Nob Hill to admire the grand mansions of San Francisco’s first millionaires.
- Cable Car Museum - Enjoy this intriguing museum dedicated to San Francisco’s most famous mode of transport, which also houses the machinery that operates the system (weekends).
- San Francisco City Hall - Explore the beautiful City Hall and discover the significant events that occurred there (weekdays).
- Hayes Valley - Visit this charming new area near the San Francisco Civic Center, featuring a collection of impressive street art and cozy coffee shops.
- Mission Dolores Park - One of the most beautiful parks in San Francisco, offering stunning views of downtown.
- The Castro - Experience this historic neighborhood, a pivotal location in the LGBTQ movement, for which San Francisco is a global symbol.
- Haight-Ashbury - The birthplace of the hippie, anti-Vietnam War movement in the 1960s, this neighborhood retains much of its original charm and is a great spot for lunch.
- Painted Ladies - A San Francisco icon. No visit is complete without seeing these stunning Victorian houses with their breathtaking views of the city.
- Lombard Street - One of the city’s most famous landmarks, walk down this steep, winding street and capture some fantastic photos for Instagram.
- North Beach - Stroll through this historic neighborhood, known as San Francisco’s Little Italy.
- Chinatown - Conclude the tour in San Francisco’s renowned Chinatown with a visit to a hidden fortune cookie maker. A perfect way to end an incredible day in the city.
What's Included
- Contribution of $1 to Climate Cents for every guest.
- All Metro travel included (USD20 value).
- Insightful Tour Guide.
- 2 cable car rides and 1 historic streetcar journey included (subject to availability).
- Contribution of $1 to Climate Cents for every guest.
- All Metro travel included (USD20 value).
- Insightful Tour Guide.
- 2 cable car rides and 1 historic streetcar journey included (subject to availability).
What's Not Included
- Gratuities not included, because voluntary. If you enjoy tour please allow 15-20%.
- Lunch/Snacks are not included.
- Gratuities not included, because voluntary. If you enjoy tour please allow 15-20%.
- Lunch/Snacks are not included.
Additional Information
Experience a unique side of San Francisco in just one day with our tour. We navigate through the city using various forms of transportation such as a cable-car, tram, and bus, to discover hidden gardens, mysterious stairways, and breathtaking rooftop views. You’ll dodge the throngs of tourists at popular destinations while soaking up the local culture…
Experience a unique side of San Francisco in just one day with our tour. We navigate through the city using various forms of transportation such as a cable-car, tram, and bus, to discover hidden gardens, mysterious stairways, and breathtaking rooftop views. You’ll dodge the throngs of tourists at popular destinations while soaking up the local culture and history of SF.
Beginning your journey near the Embarcadero, we board a cable-car to reach Nob Hill. Following that, our next stops are either the City Hall or the Cable Car Museum, where we take a quick peek inside before grabbing a coffee in the charming Hayes Valley.
Subsequently, we proceed to the Castro and saunter through the picturesque Dolores Park. The first part of our tour wraps up in the iconic Haight neighborhood which offers great lunch spots.
Post lunch, we take you to see a classic representation of San Francisco, the Painted Ladies, which is then followed by a meander down another SF signature, the Lombard Street. Our tour concludes with a stroll through North Beach and Chinatown. By the end, you will have experienced an unforgettable slice of San Francisco and carry with you beautiful lasting memories.
- Aim to get to the meeting point 10-15 minutes early. If you’re late you will miss the tour.
- This tour is not recommended for children under 15 y.o.
- By making a booking for this tour you agree to be bound by Real San Francisco Tours terms of service.
- Please note cable car and streetcar operations can be affected by events and technical issues beyond our control.
- Please check dates/times carefully BEFORE making a booking.
- This is a walking tour and we move at a reasonable pace, climbing several hills and sets of steps. It’s not suitable for people with mobility issues.
Location
Market St & Drumm St
The guide will be checking in guests at the cable car station on the corner of Market and Drumm Street (by the Robert Frost marker), from 15 minutes before the tour is due to begin.
Be sure to allow extra time for traffic and finding parking. We CANNOT wait for latecomers, there are other guests.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(107 Ratings)
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Passport20017759432
Dec 11, 2024
A great tour, thoroughly recommend the experience. - This is a fantastic tour to do early in your stay in SF. You'll get a great overview of the city, will use almost every form of public transport and will be orientated and confident finding your way around during any subsequent days. Dara, our guide, was great. She was an experienced and knowledgeable local, had a great sense of humour and gave lots of insights into the history and culture of this great city. Thoroughly recommend the tour, and Dara!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_c
Dec 11, 2024
A great way to get to know SF and to use the transportation system. - This is a fantastic tour to do early in your stay in SF. You crisscross all areas of the city and learn to orientate yourself really well, you can then confidentiality use all the public transport for the remainder of your stay. Our guide was Dara, a local with a great sense of humour and I loved learning about her city. Thoroughly recommend this trip.
Review provided by Viator
42sanjaym
Dec 11, 2024
Fantastic way to explore SF city without the jeopardy - Firstly, as the guide said, do this tour at the beginning to get a lay of the land. I would concur. So much more personable than going on the hop on hop off bus, as your taken around by a local.
Excellent walking and multimode transport tour. With all these tours, the tour guide and group dynamics have a huge bearing.
Our lead was Dara and group size was 4 in total, which made it more intimate.
I really enjoyed the various stories and travelling by modes of transport across the city.
In total the tour was about 7 hours with lunch in the gay area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patriziamauraa
Dec 6, 2024
Unique experience - Very nice everything
Give our top Dara guide very good and experienced
San Francisco seen like this is great you walk a lot but you take all kinds of means
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tomsg777vq
Dec 3, 2024
Absolute must-do tour of San Francisco. Well-planned and paced itinerary. Outstanding tour guide - My 13 year old daughter and I did the 8 hour San Francisco tour with Jamie. Highly recommended - a great way to see the city, and much more of an experience than just doing a bus tour.
The itinerary has been exceptionally well planned - you get to see all the famous sites (Lombard St, Castro district, the Fairmont, City Hall, UN Plaza, the Painted Ladies, Chinatown, and many more). You get to ride cable cars, the subways, and buses in amongst walking. The walk was fairly easy, didn't feel strenuous at all.
Jamie was a brilliant tour guide. It was a privilege to spend a day with someone so knowledgeable, helpful, and cultured. He really knew his stuff, explained everything well (and was really good at engaging with my daughter at just the right level), and was just an all-round class act.
If you have a day to spend in SF then I can't recommend this tour highly enough. I've done many walking tours in my time, mostly in Europe and Australia, and never done a walking tour this goo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steven_m
Nov 22, 2024
Great Tour! - Great tour! A lot of fun and good insights to SF and its history! We enjoyed it and appreciated the small group.
Review provided by Viator
Ksenia_r
Nov 13, 2024
Exceptional, insightful, seamless, highly recommended tour! - I had an incredible experience on this San Francisco tour with Jamie as our guide. Jamie did a fantastic job—he was friendly, open, flexible, and incredibly knowledgeable. He shared fascinating stories and insightful information about each part of the city, even showing us old photos to give us a glimpse into San Francisco’s history. I left the tour with a deeper respect and interest in the city.
What stood out was how thoughtfully the tour was planned, with convenient stops and breaks to use the restroom if needed. The transitions between locations were seamless, allowing us to explore both iconic landmarks and hidden gems. Jamie pointed out stunning viewpoints and unique homes that most people might easily overlook. I appreciated the relaxed pace, with plenty of time for photos, and he even took photos of us and sent them later.
Jamie truly went the extra mile—not only did he spend additional time with us, but he also gave excellent recommendations for dinner afterward. This was easily one of the best trips I’ve had this year, and I’d give it more than 5 stars if I could. I highly recommend this tour and look forward to booking another one with Jamie in the future!
Review provided by Viator
James_m
Nov 11, 2024
My fiancée and myself... - My fiancée and myself were the only two on the tour. Made it more personal. The tour guide Jamie was personable and knowledgeable.
Riding in a WAYMO driverless vehicle.
Review provided by Viator
Elizabeth_m
Nov 6, 2024
Enlightened sore feet - We signed up for a full day of SF sightseeing and that is exactly what we received.
Cable car, bus, underground, and lots of walking. If you can’t keep up don’t sign up! It was worth the effort. Thank you Jamie for a long and informative day.
Review provided by Viator
Leonard_f
Nov 3, 2024
Great Way to Spend a Day In SF - Great tour for individuals, groups, and families. Site-Seeing put into an interesting historical context by our guide, who was excellent.
Review provided by Viator
