(B) PIER 39 - see giant sea lions snoring on the docks. My tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. And our professional guides will help you find each of the most notable landmarks in the neighborhood. 7 Sites to Visit on a Driving Tour of San Francisco, Alternatives to a San Francisco Driving Tour. Photo stops will be made along this gorgeous drive. Explore all that San Francisco has to offer, from the twists and turns of Lombard Street, through the bustling streets of Chinatown, and to the top of Telegr. We definitely came away with much more of an appreciation for Castro and the Mission (love Dolores Park!) There was a lot more to see than we had thought, coming from Europe and being fist time visitors. And I like the pretty flower beds in between. Our Fave Spots, Zero Ads. This tour covers some of the most interesting sites in the historic Chinatown district of San Francisco. Starting Point Address (Northbound) - LA to SF: 81-99 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401. We also offer a new favorite spots map of San Franciscos downtown core. Required fields are marked *. 49 Miles of 100% San Francisco. 2 hours. They have a fixed menu that changes daily of 2 nine-course meals. After that go through vibrant Fisherman's Wharf, pass Fort Mason and the Palace of Fine Arts, before enjoying some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge, in Crissy Field. New York City We learnt tons about SF. Haight Ashbury got its name from the corner of its two major streets, Haight and Ashbury. Here, youll get the inside scoop on how Hollywood uses this building as a stand-in for Washington, D.C.s Capitol building in all sorts of films. We also offer a free walking tour of the Golden Gate Bridge which is fully guided, ensuring you wont get lost as you walk around the attraction. According to an article on the history of the drive, a few of the annoyances you may encounter during the drive include: If you do the drive from start to finish with just a few stops at the major attractions it should take you three to four hours to complete the drive. Ive been on tours where I was just bored listening to the guide. This trail connects important historical sites throughout the streets of SF. The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society offers two self guided walks of the Barbary Coast Trail in San Francisco. They were designed by an artist who won a competition held by San Franciscos Downtown Association in 1955 and have marked the scenic drive ever since. For your hotel stay, we also offer a free map of San Franciscos downtown area and central neighborhoods. From here, we can explore the wonders of the nearby Ferry Building or make our way to Fisherman's Wharf for a glimpse of the infamous Alcatraz! You can pick a topic that interests you, then find a walking tour that explores it more deeply. As distances are long in San Francisco, driving is by far the best way to explore the city. Hop in your car and enjoy this self-guided audio tour along the Pacific Coast Highway. Add to cart. Electric Tour Company Guided Walking . Despite the bridges theres still a lot of ferry traffic on the bay. This is one of the most popular neighborhoods in San Francisco, and its not difficult to see why with all of its family-friendly attractions and activities. Book your Aquarium of the Bay Tickets now and learn about the 200 species and over 28,000 animals native to the San Francisco Bay and California coast. $85.00. Got a soft spot for the hippie-dippie days of the 1960s? However, if you don't plan to spend much time at each attraction or stop, you can cut the time down significantly. Without a doubt, one of the most enchanting things about this magical city is the neighborhoods. We loved it as it had been our first time visiting. Fisherman's Wharf: Walk around one of our most popular districts. To get to the end of the pier where the sea lions are you will need to walk all the way through the tourist zone, souvenir shops and carousels. To open in Google Maps click the icon in the top right corner. (See privacy policy), Find additional self-guided tours plus some multi-day itineraries, Learn more about things to see and do in Japantown, You can buy these together or separately through Amazon. After booking, you can check your email before downloading the Action Tour Guide app, enter your unique password, and access your tour. Closed Christmas and Thanksgiving Day. A main street facade in Chinatown San Francisco. Lying in the sun side by side and diving into the waters when they get hungry. With an automatic car its easier. There are a total of 19 stops to visit, and they are all in the same general location, so it shouldnt take longer than 1 - 2 hours to complete. It started when wealthy families started building their houses up on the hill after the cable car line was opened. Take in the open space - and famous St Francis Hotel - before heading down Maiden Lane, SF's old red-light district (now full of designer boutiques). After some years the movement faded and the area decayed, but Haight Ashbury still retains much of its hippie atmosphere. Alcatraz, the historic prison island of San Francisco. Alcatraz tickets with 2-day hop-on hop-off San Francisco bus pass. With its famous golden doors, beautiful stained glass windows, and gorgeous icons, youll be amazed. . California Street is so steep that it was almost too exiting for us to drive behind a cable car, stopping each time it stopped and starting uphill again each time it started. The 49-Mile Scenic Drive map also is available from the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau Visitor Information Center on the lower level of Hallidie Plaza at Market and Powell streets (near the cable car turnaround). Changing travel date? On the front, you will see the full walking route. My tours offer you a step-by-step route to make it easy to get around. Book a self-guided driving tour of San Francisco with route and audio instructions on your smartphone via an app. Market Street rather looks like a European high street. View All . Subscribe to our newsletter below. The thing I love about these walks is that all 50 are printed on their own cards. You may also want to consider our GPS-enabled audio tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, which includes GPS guidance to help you find each stop. Activated by your GPS location, you'll hear about gold rush founders such as the scandalous Samuel . From San Francisco: Highway 1 Self-Drive Audio Tour in English. Each of the following companies offers tours to Muir Woods. The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society offers two self guided walks of the Barbary Coast Trail in San Francisco. Drive carefully! No self-respecting local would be caught dead at Pier 39 (except to visit the resident seals), or the "visitor's center" at the Golden Gate Bridge, or Alcatraz ( many of us have never bothered to tour Alcatraz). This tour starts at Union Square, visits Chinatown, Grace Cathedral, the Cable Car Barn and Museum, North Beach (the Little Italy part of San Francisco), Lombard Street, Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. This comprehensive self-guided San Francisco City Tour covers everything from the Painted Ladies to the Golden Gate Bridge. Washington DC. Our tour continues to Carmel by the sea, where ample time is given to walk through this charming town dotted with lovely shops and beautiful architecture. We went to places tourist didnt go. Opening hours: Fri 12:00am-11:59pm. We spent a sunny Saturday driving around Central San Francisco and on Sunday we explored the Golden Gate area. No extra fees are applied to this booking. We offer Escorted Motorcoach Tours, Self Drive Tours, Cruises and Vacation Packages in North America. Subscribe to new Routes and Trips posts directly to your email: Hi, my name is Liisa. And this little car can go where the tour buses can't. Best of all, the sightseeing adventure happens at your pace. These houses called the Painted Ladies can be seen on San Francisco postcards. This is a walk through the past and future of San Francisco. Since 2012. Choose from driving one of our GoCars, Arcimotos, Scooters, or Vanderhalls. As we drive, we'll learn about another iconic San Francisco feature: the cable car! The exclusive neighborhood on Pacific Heights. Wrap up the tour in Los Angeles at the famous Santa Monica Pier. Lombard Street twists down past green bushes and flower beds. You can listen to the audio on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle or any other MP3 player. 29. Email, phone, and chat support are available if needed. Guide Name: Chinatown Walking Tour Guide Location: USA San Francisco (See other walking tours in San Francisco) Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Sightseeing) # of Attractions: 8 Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s) Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles Author: doris Sight(s) Featured in This Guide: The onsite gallery hosts monthly exhibitions, as well as permanent work by current and past members. Dont have the time or money to book one of our guided tours? Hit the road whenever youre ready, stop as often as youd like, and just enjoy the journey! DIY Muir Woods Tour Cost. The tour shouldnt take longer than 1 - 1 hours to finish. Chinatown is pretty close to Fishermans Wharf and North Beach, so you may want to consider taking multiple self-guided tours on the same day if youve got enough time and energy. Dive into the hippest, most exciting city in the country, Hear the wild, unexpected history of San Fran, Take in phenomenal views from atop Telegraph Hill, Cross the Golden Gate Bridge with a bonus tour. Chinatown Self-Guided Tour. Here you will find some of the best at night from scary ghost walks to night cruises around the bay. Locals call it the blast from the past, and for good reasons. To start exploring the Victorian quarters, first drive around Lafayette Park that has rows of pretty Victorians on all four sides. We'll climb to the top of Coit Tower and get a great look at San Francisco from above. This flexible, self-led tour works by sensing your location as you drive, The in-depth audio narration plays as you drive, Buy just one tour for the whole car, and use it as often as youd like, Once its downloaded, the audio tour never expires use it multiple times, Once its downloaded, the tour works completely offline, Tour your way: choose when to start, stop fast-forward, or rewind, Ask for help from a real person anytime over call, chat, or email, Vacation rentals in United States of America, Vacation packages in United States of America, Cancel your hotel or vacation rental booking, Alamo Square Park, Steiner St, San Francisco, 94117, San Francisco, California, United States of America. Driving down Lombard Street was great fun and we had to do it twice, and then walk one more time. (C) Ghirardelli Square - a landmark public . View All Reviews. Temporary new starting point address: Alamo Square Park, Steiner St, San Francisco. Wil and Erin at Ride Free organised our whole trip along route 66 then the coast road to San Francisco. If you come to San Francisco, you might join one of Britt's tours of the city. This tour has been developed by local guides, curated by creative writers, and narrated by professional voice artists. It's all up to you! Self-Guided Tours View Floor Plans. As we make our way to the waterfront, we'll dive into San Francisco's maritime history and it's (literal) gold-digging past. Tour purchase is per vehicle (not per person), GPS-connected audio plays as you approach the next location. The point of a scenic drive is that you get to see a lot of things from the comfortable seat of your car. We entered San Francisco from the freeway from the downtown exit (Fremont Street). Not far away from Haight Ashbury comes the place where we will end our San Francisco sightseeing tour for today. Streets like this would never work in Europe where a lot of cars still have manual gears. Finally, finish your self-guided tour at the beautiful, historic, San Francisco Presidio (ideally with an ice-cream). Next, our SF tour brings us to the famous Lombard Street. GPS-activated audio app that plays on your phone. Then well guide you all around, making sure you see everything this historic place has to offer! Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to be shown around the city. North Beach: There is a lot of history in the North Beach district. So, if youd rather have some help seeing the best sites in the area, this is an excellent option. 2 reviews. Expedia and the Airplane Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc. CST# 2029030-50. Haight-Ashbury was once the favorite hang-out spot of The Grateful Dead, the famous rock band from the 1970s. To make driving easier, the most curved section of Lombard Street was made a one-way street (only down), and there is a strict speed limit (5 mph, 8km/hour). Chicago This was the main entry point to the city until two bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, were opened. Finally something like 100 000 hippies from all over the States and abroad gathered in Haight and the nearby parks of Panhandle and Golden Gate. Stroll along the Rainbow Walk of Fame, check out Harvey Milk's old camera shop, and learn more about the history of this district at the GLBT Museum. If you are craving a burrito, be sure to visit La Taqueria or Papalote. Probably the most comprehensive tour of San Francisco is the 49-mile Scenic Drive . You dont want to miss out on seeing the Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill. San Francisco by car: Pacific Heights building style. Youll turn next onto Stockton Street and get a good look at something else you wont see every day: cable cars. 3h. Along the way, your guide will share tidbits about SF's history and its landmarks. Plan your shuttle time back to Sausalito carefully so you can catch your ferry back to San Francisco. San Francisco It should say Powell-Hyde (it has a brown sign). It's like having a local show you around. Damien was the best! Each one covers many of the top attractions and points out the hidden gems you would have missed by walking the neighborhood on your own. If youre not driving, use the steps for walkers that exist on both sides. Bring your walking shoes we started at 10 am and finished at 6 pm, I highly recommend you do this tour. As we drive towards Chinatown, we'll pass a strange sight: a huge, glass pyramid. He has traveled to over 30 countries, and has never found a place he loves as much as this one! Our app deals help you to save on trips so you can travel more and manage it all on the go. On weekdays the Financial District is hectic but on weekends theres simply nobody. Download San Francisco Audio Tour Guide and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. We'll exit SF's Chinatown through the Dragon's Gate. Northern California Self Drive Motorcycle Tour . You can buy these together or separately through Amazon. 07:40am: Departure from Post Street pickup location Opening hours: Fri 12:00am-11:59pm. San Francisco Sightseeing: A Driving Tour, Coastal Drive from San Francisco to Monterey, Drive in Central Bali: Batuan, Goa Gajah, Mount Batur, Yarra River Walk through Central Melbourne, How to Make a Bus Trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, Sightseeing in Melbourne on Foot and Circle Tram, Italy by Train and Car: Rome, Florence and Tuscany, Wicklow Mountains Scenic Drive from Dublin, Madeira by Car: Santana Day Trip from Funchal, Las Palmas Mountain Trip: Gran Canarias Scenic North. This is one of the self guided audio walking tours of San Francisco. This tour is also available as a PDF that you can download onto your smartphone, allowing you to save some money on data or even avoid using data at all! Like Pacific Heights and Nob Hill, Haight Ashbury consists of large Victorian houses but thats the only similarity. You can start and end anywhere along the way. See an interesting view? All rights reserved. Discover San Francisco at your own pace on a self-guided tour available on your smartphone, Choose to pause the tour, spend more time at a location or skip a stop, See the Great Seal of California, learn about its symbols and origins, Cross the Golden Gate Bridge - the most iconic sight in San Francisco, Drive on Lombard street, claimed to be 'the crookedest street in the world, The tour has a fixed price for groups from 1-5 people, you are requested to pay the full price regardless of the number of participants, Note, this is a self-guided driving tour : You will need to arrange your own means of transportation, 24 hours before your tour starts - you will receive an email or text from the tour operator with a link to the app and a unique password to access the tour - within the app, App is available for iOS and Android/Web users on the Apple App Store or Google Play, From there, you can start your self-guided tour at anytime (recommended during daylight hours), simply follow the audio instructions and the route, With the app, you can pause the tour, spend more time at a location or skip a stop, while having all the best information about each stop at your fingertips, Bring a fully charged phone and headphones, Unfortunately, this experience is not wheelchair or stroller accessible. Are you interested in exploring the city of San Francisco without a large group around you? Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there. The place at the end of Pier 39 is just perfect for these water mammals, there is a lot of food in the water and the bay is sheltered from all winds and waves. We are a GPS-enabled app-based tour that narrates information based on your location right on your phone. Britt is a San Francisco Bay Area native, and has spent 25 years in this magical city. Over 50 points of interest in San Francisco! Amsterdam How many people know what San Francisco is like? Next we'll see two iconic symbols of San Francisco's Chinatown: the Chinatown Mural and the Old Chinese Telephone Exchange. These signs themselves are part of the history of the scenic drive. You just need to buy a day ticket at a kiosk (something like USD 20) and having that you are free to use buses, streetcars and old San Francisco cable cars for a day. The San Andreas Fault has unleashed a shockwave felt from Los Angeles to Oregon, with the epicenter just off the coast of San Francisco. Walking: At Clay Street, turn right, then go left to enter one of San Francisco's original city parks. The busy season falls around October through May, and entrance fees are $30 for a 7-day vehicle permit or $15 per person on foot. San Francisco by car: driving down the eight turns of Lombard Street. It still has an appeal and is well worth visiting when you are exploring San Francisco by car. Entrance ticket to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). Our San Francisco self drive tour offers you complete flexibility and convenience. In all, we have prepared 12 self-guided walks for you to explore San Francisco, which cover everything from charming streets and neighborhoods to the most famous architectural achievements, street art and shopping areas. Copyright with All Rights Reserved 1996-2017. He knew a ton of history which we loved and we were able to see a ton. Our tour of Fishermans Wharf covers 13 stops and includes 8 great restaurants or foods you may want to enjoy while youre in the area. This trail connects important historical sites throughout the streets of SF. And very soon we got used to driving up and down San Francisco hills. Did a wonderful tour with these guys while I was in San Francisco on business. Required fields are marked *. This means only a small number of sea lions stay here throughout the year. What all nature lovers come here for is the Pier 39 with colonies of barking Californian sea lions. The price is about $275 per person and does not include wine. 2 departure locations in San Francisco to choose from: 478 Post St. SF (Union Square Area) - Departs at 7:40 AM. All individual tours come with lifetime validity. You will find there are no definitive lines between these Colonias and Fraccionamientos. Our self-guided tour of Chinatown includes a map that you can . They are much easier to use than an audio tour if there is more than one person in your group. 2022Outdoor Activities in San Francisco. Limantour Beach to Olema. If you're looking to explore some of San Francisco's most famous neighborhoods by pounding the pavement, try this self-guided itinerary from local authors Kristine Poggioli and Carolyn Eidson. California sea lions are noisy, they bark and they smell. 3 hours. Nob Hill and the next hill, Russian Hill, have splendid views to the city and to the bay area: A San Francisco city tour on Russian Hill. Alternatively, we also offer a fully guided free walking tour of Fishermans Wharf. He took into consideration our interests & made it very enjoyable. This is an excellent alternative if you prefer to interact with a professional guide rather than an app on your phone. With TourCentric, you'll be completely immersed in the stories, sights, and sounds of San Francisco. Ages 5-90. For first-time visitors discovering the lay of the land or those who can't leave until they've seen it all, the 49-Mile scenic drive is a fantastic way to get acquainted with all of San Francisco. Twin Peaks are also typically less crowded than the Coit Tower, which is always a plus. Scenic 49 Mile Drive - San Francisco. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Northern California Guided Motorcycle Tour. Haight Ashbury is one of the places that made San Francisco world famous and represents for the people of that time the real old San Francisco Yet its good to know that today Haight Ashbury is an area with severe crime and drug problems. Your virtual audio guide will share interesting . tours at your own pace and literally at any time of the day! In addition to this outing, you can also take our free guided walking tour of The Castro. CityListen Audio Tours Includes Tours of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco CarTours Self-guided Interpretive Audio Driving Tours Includes Tours of Lewis and Clark Trail, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, The North Cascades Highway, and The Olympic Peninsula Museum of the Open Road (MOTOR) American Highway Tours Spend more time at Twin Peaks, visit the Coit Tower, and take time to explore all the hilly, historical neighborhoods of SF. However, a driving tour may not be for everyone. We have put together a list of 7 must-see sites for San Francisco visitors. Our North Beach tour is close to stops in both Chinatown and Fishermans Wharf, so it might make sense to enjoy more than one outing at the same time. Mission: The Mission is home to our largest concentration of street art and murals. Begin this self-guided tour in the heart of San Francisco. With 12 tours across the state, our value-for-money California bundle (priced at just $39.99) gives you the flexibility to see all the top sights in the state at your own pace. Simply put, Action Tour Guide is an audio guide, map, and tour book all in one app! San Francisco City Hall, Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, California 94102, U.S. Local insider narration and special guest interviews. Night Adventures: Do you love seeing a city at night? Check them out below! From there, youll hear about the citys unique history and how it became one of the most progressive cities around. Just be aware of this. So we started with downtown San Francisco. Take a deep dive into everything Haight-Ashbury and the Castro District have to offer. Many of their idols like Jimi Hendrix were living here at that time and rock music was heard and hippie art seen in all places. Our San Francisco self drive tour offers you complete flexibility and convenience. Alternatively, you may also want to consider taking our free, fully guided Chinatown walking tour. This post will show you aSan Francisco sightseeing itinerary by car. Chinatown is like a piece of China on the steep slopes of San Francisco. Simply download our app and enter your unique password. Then, stop at Pier 39 to see the seal lion colony and the two-level carousel at the end of the pier. Drive to the summit of Russian Hill and you will find the street said to be the crookedest street in the world: Lombard Street is the steepest street in San Francisco. My tours are one full day in each district. Id also done a tour with the sister company in Los Angeles several years ago. Powell-Hyde Line: Cable Car Museum and Russian Hill. Despite that they look really cute, social and intelligent. And even if you do have more time to spend in the city (or even if you live there) its worth it to take the drive at least once to see all that San Francisco is known for, discovering a few of the gems that people sometimes miss like Mission Dolores. Good news! 3. HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL . Simplify your planning process to this neighborhood by taking a guided tour. A self guided driving tour we did with our friends.. read more Andrew H 10/26/2019. Mooncakes are their specialty, filled with a light melon or rich-tasting lotus-seed paste. However, if you are planning to start and finish the drive at the traditional spot, near San Francisco City Hall, then youll want to get a hotel close to that point. Make Memories & See the city in one of our self-guided San Diego tours! Call 619-236-1242 for recorded information or to leave a voice message. San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay tickets. Chinatown: This is one of the most visited neighborhoods in SF, since there is so much to see and do. Start your self-guided tour at San Francisco City Hall.