This 3-hour guided tour takes you to bike across GGB and then explore Sausalito's waterfront. This will finally bring us to the Embarcadero. Just be aware of this. You can find new. Required fields are marked *. San Francisco City Guides - 80 Walking Tours, All Free Then youll swing by the City Hall, which you might feel like you recognize because you probably do! Wine Tasting in Napa or Sonoma: If you love trying different wines, then a trip to either Napa or Sonoma is only an hour away. DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO TOUR. Got a soft spot for the hippie-dippie days of the 1960s? Be aware of this as you start the drive. Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there. 7 Sites to Visit on a Driving Tour of San Francisco There are only really 7 stops on this self-guided tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, and you can expect the whole tour to take around 1 - 1 hours. Self-Guided Tour: Mrida Neighborhoods It has three Michelin stars (the highest rating) and the James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant. Chinatown Self-Guided Tour. 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. Haight-Ashbury was once the favorite hang-out spot of The Grateful Dead, the famous rock band from the 1970s. But the main thing here are the sea lions: Here they are, San Francisco sea lions, basking on the docks. There are also ferries to the historic Alcatraz Island, leaving from another terminal further north. Then, stop at Pier 39 to see the seal lion colony and the two-level carousel at the end of the pier. over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and north into misty coast redwood forests. Expedia and the Airplane Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc. CST# 2029030-50. Northlake New Homes SacramentoA new master-planned community where life San Francisco Walking Tours - Self Guided Routes You're Going to Love TOURS All Destinations Hawaii. Starting Point Address (Southbound) - SF to LA: PG6H+8F Lakeshore, San Francisco, CA, USA. Fisherman's Wharf walking tour & Alcatraz visit. Not far away from Haight Ashbury comes the place where we will end our San Francisco sightseeing tour for today. Tour purchase is per vehicle (not per person), GPS-connected audio plays as you approach the next location. We provide customizable self guided driving vacations throughout United States, including car rentals, GPS, and hotel accommodations. No worries! n audio guide, map, and tour book all in one app! As noted below, some companies (such as Skyline Sightseeing . Travel down the West Side Greenway and over the Brooklyn Bridge. You dont want to miss out on seeing the Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill. You cant come to San Francisco and not set foot on the Golden Gate Bridge! Receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to 24 hours before the experience begins. Our guide Damien was so very knowledgeable about the area and history of SF. These beautiful, colorful homes exemplify Friscos funky culture and are a great way to start your journey. Summer of Love in Height Ashbury, San Francisco. 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). Haight Ashbury has another kind of history. The most famous Napa Valley restaurant is The French Laundry in Yountville. Ferry cruises to the bay also start here. One of the major highlights in San Franciscos history was the Golden Gate International Exposition held at Treasure Island in 1939 to celebrate the building of both the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, which had each only recently been completed at the time. HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL . Benefits Over Live Guides and Group Tours: Pick up right where you left off and continue your search for things to do, This information is provided by our partners. Mission: The Mission is home to our largest concentration of street art and murals. We are a GPS-enabled app-based tour that narrates information based on your location right on your phone. San Francisco spreads out over 47 miles, so it's best to stick to one area at a time on your self-guided tour. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Youll get to know their history and why these quirky little cars are still used today. The streets here are so quiet and leafy that you couldnt imagine this is in a huge metropolis. 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. You can download a (free, printable) up-to-date version of the San Francisco 49 Mile Drive Map to follow the whole drive. 07:40am: Departure from Post Street pickup location Take your time driving through Monterey Bay, artsy Carmel and more. He gave us lots of fun facts along the way and the whole experience was very interesting. There are a total of 19 stops to visit, and they are all in the same general location, so it shouldn't take longer than 1 - 2 hours to complete. 2 reviews. Know about new tour launches, get exclusive access to sales and much more. With the bonus tour, youll get up close and personal with that famous landmark and even drive across it for some killer views! I found the one in the picture on the left in the North Beach neighborhood. San Francisco itself has much to offer the first-time visitor. From the Powell Street cable car end stop you can take the cable car and travel to the Chinatown, Nob Hill and all the way to the other side of the hill where the Fishermans Wharf is. Learn more about both options on the museum's dedicated Barbary Coast Website. As distances are long in San Francisco, driving is by far the best way to explore the city. Discover the iconic locations from Lombard Street and the Golden Gate Bridge to Pier 39. . Streets like this would never work in Europe where a lot of cars still have manual gears. Free cancellation. Know more. The great thing about this drive is that it takes you through so much of the city that nearly any hotel youre staying in within city limits is going to be close to a portion of the drive. This one hour and sixteen minute tour can be done at your own pace. The Castro District. We also offer a new favorite spots map of San Franciscos downtown core. I could start and stop the tour whenever I wanted to break and resume. To open in Google Maps click the icon in the top right corner. Like Pacific Heights and Nob Hill, Haight Ashbury consists of large Victorian houses but thats the only similarity. See the top attractions such as Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square and the Hyde Street Pier. Non-refundable. Haight-Ashbury. Do you love venturing out on your own? Self-Guided Driving Tour - National Park Service You can stop for photos, take detours, grab a coffee or break for lunch. This tour covers some of the most interesting sites in the historic Chinatown district of San Francisco. Philadelphia Oahu; Big Island; Maui; Kauai; Utah. Required fields are marked *. In addition to this outing, you can also take our free guided walking tour of The Castro. You can take a ferry to Sausalito and Tiburon north ofthe bay, or to Oakland and Vallejo in the east. Everyone can listen at the same time! I had the most amazing time, as a solo traveller doing a small group tour is perfect. . That way youll still get to see the real San Francisco, even if youre not able to join us. This is the end stop where two cable car lines, the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines turn back, so just set yourself in the queue and wait for the next cable car to come. San Francisco Audio Tour Guide on the App Store Ages 5-90. North Beach: This district is also called Little Italy. Despite the bridges theres still a lot of ferry traffic on the bay. You will also receive a full color map of the route. The Castro District is a great place to visit on a driving tour, as it offers a little bit of everything that makes San Francisco the charming, quirky city that it is. Checkout Lombard Street, claimed to be 'the crookedest street in the world', containing 8 hairpin turns. Follow the turn-by-turn directions and enjoy the fun storytelling as you approach the next location. Self-Guided Walking Tours to Explore San Francisco, California - GPSmyCity Scenic 49 Mile Drive - SF To Do Simplify your planning process to this neighborhood by taking a guided tour. Big Island Tour Bundle. 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. Traffic. Good news! Opening hours: Fri 12:00am-11:59pm. In particular there are certain areas of the city that are not very car-friendly, such as pedestrian-rich. Begin this self-guided tour in the heart of San Francisco. San Francisco has well developed public transport and many connections. 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 2023 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. 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. Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. 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. All of these tours take you on a specific walking route through the city. Its super easy, yet its best to visit on a Saturday or Sunday when there is less traffic. You will not need to change the booking if your travel plans change. Choose from driving one of our GoCars, Arcimotos, Scooters, or Vanderhalls. If you decide to add a few stops along the way, these cards will help you easily get back to your original route. 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. The app knew exactly where I was each time. All tours are valid for a lifetime. To start exploring the Victorian quarters, first drive around Lafayette Park that has rows of pretty Victorians on all four sides. This tour covers 14 stops in total, and almost all of them can be seen along Columbus Avenue as you walk North toward Fishermans Wharf. Here you will find some of the best at night from scary ghost walks to night cruises around the bay. Double Bottom Assembly, Kaiser Shipyards, Richmond CA [RORI 1039_b] . All of these leave from San Francisco and ease the burden of trying to get to and from wine country on your own. Make a stop here to take some photos, or simply drive by so you can tell your friends you saw them! Castro: This colorful district is one you do not want to miss. San Francisco sightseeing: Market Street in photos, Cable car turning at the Powell Street cable car turntable. >> Learn more about things to see and do in Japantown. Alternatives include taking a tour bus that goes along most of the route or renting a bicycle and doing it on bike, which takes approximately six hours but eliminates some of the difficulties of having to drive in the city. A self guided driving tour we did with our friends.. read more. He took into consideration our interests & made it very enjoyable. Book your Explore California Academy of Sciences entrance tickets to explore its top sites (and hidden ones too): aquarium, rainforest, planetarium, and Natural History Museum all in one day. With TourCentric, you'll be completely immersed in the stories, sights, and sounds of San Francisco. As we get back to the tour and continue driving, we'll learn all about the city's rapid real estate growth and the housing crisis it currently faces. We'll learn all about this building's strange history as we pass. As we drive, we'll learn all about how this city was founded and why it grew. Interested in creating custom self-guided tours for your customers? This is where you come for some of the most gorgeous views of the city. My tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Today Haight Ashbury is a vibrant area with second-hand shops, cafes, bars and music shops. Stop and take some photos. Self Guided Tours of San Francisco | Free Tours by Foot 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. However, if you don't plan to spend much time at each attraction or stop, you can cut the time down significantly. To get the best views of the painted ladies come here in the evening and look at them from the Alamo Square Park. 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. Pacific Heights surprised us: all streets are lined with old-style Victorian homes. What all nature lovers come here for is the Pier 39 with colonies of barking Californian sea lions. Included with your San Francisco tour is a complimentary bonus tour of the Golden Gate Bridge. Alcatraz tickets with 2-day hop-on hop-off San Francisco bus pass. Transport by luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi and restroom. The 13 Best Sausalito Tours to Explore Beyond San Francisco Learn the fascinating history of this city from the water. So, if youd rather have some help seeing the best sites in the area, this is an excellent option. 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. Copyright with All Rights Reserved 1996-2017. 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. San Francisco sightseeing by car: Alamo Square. This SF self-drive tour route is circular so you can opt to begin wherever is most convenient. Take a deep dive into everything Haight-Ashbury and the Castro District have to offer. Andrew H 10/26/2019. It's a great way to learn all about this important SF District. The app was super easy to use, and the content was really fun! The monthly rental costs for a parking spot can be anywhere from . By the way, the carousel below has two levels: Pier 39 is always packed with people and unlike elsewhere in the city, has a good choice of restaurants where to have lunch. 6 Your California: San Francisco to Point Reyes tour concludes. All rights reserved. Powell-Hyde Line: Cable Car Museum and Russian Hill. There is a parking garage on Lombard Street if you're driving in, 2 mins from the shop. What follows is 1 of 17 walks from their book, "Walking San Francisco's 49 Mile Scenic Drive", edited and condensed for our website. . 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. Miami This self-guided tour starts by first visiting the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center in Richmond, CA. Next, travel through the famous 17-Mile Drive and see Pebble Beach Golf Course. Our drive through San Francisco brings us past a magnificent marble building: the San Francisco City Hall! However, Nob Hill was rebuilt and today its a place where upper class families and urban professionals like to live. per adult. I've created one for each of our most popular districts. This is a great time to visit California! Want to work with us? It was great and I would totally come back and try other routes when theyre up and running! They have a fixed menu that changes daily of 2 nine-course meals. The signs have a seagull featured on the top left corner. You will find there are no definitive lines between these Colonias and Fraccionamientos. 17-Mile Drive entrance fee. The trail is marked with gold medallions embedded within the sidewalks. Chicago After that walk through Chinatown, which has some of the best food in the city, making it the perfect spot . It is located about 20 miles (30 km) northeast of San Francisco , and approximately a half-hour drive (without traffic) from San Francisco. (B) PIER 39 - see giant sea lions snoring on the docks. Such an interesting deep dive into the Castro and Mission neighborhoods, for which we had an incredibly sunny warm summer day. en,it,fr,es,ar,+5 de, pt, ru, ja, ko. My Boyfriend and I booked an all Day SF tour with Christofer and had an amazing time! Visit its top attractions, see where the Beat Generation spent their days and nights and taste some of the best goodies in the district. Download San Francisco Audio Tour Guide and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Are you interested in exploring the city of San Francisco without a large group around you? So we started with downtown San Francisco. We designed our self-guided walking tour of San Francisco to include several examples of that quirky San Francisco charm. Choose to skip a stop and have all the best information about each stop at your fingertips. See reviews and photos of the San Francisco City Self-Guided Audio Tour Through Golden Gate Bridge. Got a late start? As we drive, we'll learn about another iconic San Francisco feature: the cable car! SAN FRANCISCO TO LA SELF DRIVE MOTORCYCLE TOUR. Lisbon Carmel and Steinbeck's Cannery Row in Monterey. CONGRATULATIONS!You are about to embark on an adventure filled self-guided tour of the neighborhoods of Mrida. While a driving tour is a decent option, if you want to visit as many tourist spots as possible, a walking tour is the best way to really get to know the city. Cheap New York City Parking At MNN. We know, the price looks to good to Founded as a "sketch club" for female artists in 1887, San Francisco Women Artists (SFWA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and expanding women in the arts. Brooklyn Bike Tour. Be sure to check your email before you begin to download the Action Tour Guide app, enter your unique password, and access your tour. As we make our way to the waterfront, we'll dive into San Francisco's maritime history and it's (literal) gold-digging past. San Diego Tours & Activities: GoCars, Scooters and More! This tour covers some of the most interesting sites in the historic Chinatown district of San Francisco. You can zoom in and out the map and use it as your guidance when driving. 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. Recommended: Purchase one tour per vehicle. Self-Guided Driving Tour. One of the key features of this expo was the launch of the 49-Mile scenic drive, which showed off both of the bridges and ended at the Treasure Island fairgrounds. Scenery. More California posts that might also interest you: Your email address will not be published. Yosemite National Park - Wikipedia If you have ever watched Full House, you will know what we are talking about. How to get to Lombard Street if youre not driving: take the Powell-Hyde cable car. From Chinatown we took California Street up to Nob Hill. GoCar Tours of San Francisco: GoCars & Electric Mopeds SAVE 50% $59.98. 2 departure locations in San Francisco to choose from: 478 Post St. SF (Union Square Area) - Departs at 7:40 AM. 2022 Outdoor Activities in San Francisco: Check out reviews and photos of the San Francisco City Self-Guided Audio Tour Through Golden Gate Bridge. A graduate of the University of Maryland and University of Southern California, he has been leading tours for Free Tours by Foot since 2015. free, guided walking tours of San Francisco, free, fully guided Chinatown walking tour, self-guided tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, GPS-enabled audio tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, free walking tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, GPS-enabled audio tour of the Financial District, free walking tour of Downtown San Francisco, GPS-enabled audio tour of the Castro District. Both days were fantastic and the natural beauty of the hilly metropolis surprised us. Visit the lavish Castro Theater building while you are there, or stop for the most delicious chocolate chip cookie you will ever have at the Hot Cookie Bakery. Walking Through Women's History In San Francisco Apparently, reservations are required . Nob Hill looks like a wealthy area, which it is. Amsterdam From tasting delicious food to feeling the hippy love, to exploring the haunted past of San Francisco, theres something there for everyone. Frommer's also has a second audio tour that covers the San Francisco Waterfront. There are options for guided tours at $25 per person, and camping fees vary by campground. 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. If your time in San Francisco is limited, taking a driving tour of the city could be a good option for you. and will seek out other neighborhoods on our next trip! You will also find others that offer either audio or a map to get you from point to point. City Guides, founded in 1978, is an independent 501c3 non-profit organization with more than 300 trained volunteers who lead FREE historical and architectural walking tours in San Francisco for over 35,000 locals and visitors each year. Copyright 2009-2023 by SFTourismTips.com. Self-Guided Tours View Floor Plans. After some years the movement faded and the area decayed, but Haight Ashbury still retains much of its hippie atmosphere. All of these self-guided tours are designed to be easy to do using the San Francisco Metroor BART (for more information on navigating this sometimes confusing city read our articleHow to Use Transit in San Francisco). Two lines leave from this same spot, so you need to check the name at the end of the car. Just remember to bring a jacket it gets windy up there! Looking upwards you will see how high these earthquake protected buildings are! Tips for a Self-Guided Driving Tour of Napa Valley Wine Country Dont have the time or money to book one of our guided tours? Later the 1906 earthquake took much of Nob Hill after which the wealthy house owners moved west to Pacific Heights and built their homes there. Beach Street garages had very reasonable parking rates and they had flat rates for the whole day on a Saturday. View All Reviews. We provide a map with each stop listed on our self-guided tour of North Beach to ensure that you wont get lost and itll be easy to spot each attraction. These handy tools helped us find where to park. This is Grant Avenue, the Chinatowns main street. In the 1960s the traditional middle-class residential area suddenly became the hotspot of the Flower Power generation. After driving down from the freeway we got into a deep gorge with super high skyscrapers on both sides. Chinatown: Stroll down the colorful streets of Chinatown and see its historic temples, top dim sum restaurants, and amazing street art. Travel has always been my passion and work and with this Routes and Trips Travel Guide I want to inspire you to travel the world. Changing travel date? Market Street is the main street that cuts through Downtown San Francisco, running from the Ferry Buildingto thePowell Street Cable Car Turntable. If you are only going to be in the area for a day or two, then an unique way to fit them all in is to take San Franciscos 49-Mile scenic drive. Self-Guided Tours of Los Angeles | The Real Los Angeles Tours After that, buckle your seatbelts because youre heading down Lombard Street, aka the most crooked street in the world! The Mission District. Probably the most comprehensive tour of San Francisco is the 49-mile Scenic Drive . As we drive, we'll learn all about the impact of Chinese and Asian immigrants on San Francisco. Locals call it the blast from the past, and for good reasons. These include the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the Transamerica Building. Activated by your GPS location, you'll hear about gold rush founders such as the scandalous Samuel . You will also find some of the best Mexican, Cuban and other cuisines from both South and Central America. Our post on walking the Golden Gate Bridge also includes several additional details about where to enjoy the best views of this landmark and things to do in the area. 7h. Simply download our app and enter your unique password. You definitely have to include Pier 39 in your San Francisco sightseeing program. 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. If youre not driving, use the steps for walkers that exist on both sides. A large part of San Franciscos charm is in the little quirky details. Hit the road whenever youre ready, stop as often as youd like, and just enjoy the journey! This tour takes you along to visit many of San Francisco's must-see places while you are in control behind the wheel of our own vehicle. You know that San Francisco is famous for its hills, right? 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. San Francisco | Self-Guided Driving Tour - YouTube Chinatown: This is one of the most visited neighborhoods in SF, since there is so much to see and do. Tour along Highway 1 by the towns of Santa Cruz and Capitola. Opened in 1924, Eastern is the United States' oldest Chinese bakery. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Alamo Square Park, Steiner St, San Francisco, Tour of California Self-Guided Driving Bundle. Self Guided Walking Tours of San Francisco - SF Tourism Tips Alternatively, we also offer a fully guided free walking tour of Fishermans Wharf. San Francisco highlights self-guided 3-hour driving tour Blacksmithing Youth Classes. Photo stops will be made along this gorgeous drive. The exclusive neighborhood on Pacific Heights. And now, the Map Now selling 4-5 bed, 3-4 bath homes starting at $786990.