A San Francisco Tour - How To Choose a Fantastic One
Segway ToursIf you don’t know how to ride a Segway scooter you will get to learn a new skill and take a great narrated tour of the city. Read more about my personal Segway scooter San Francisco tour experience.Walking ToursIf you would like a guide to show you the in’s and out’s of San Francisco go here for a listing of possible guided tours you can take. Javawalk is another great San Francisco tour you can take which is a two-hour walking tour given by Elaine Sosa who calls herself a “coffeehouse lizard.” Given on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. – great if you are addicted to caffeine! Is you were a hippie child then take a Haight-Ashbury Flower Power Walking San Francisco Tour given by Pam and Bruce Brenna. Visit the Grateful Dead’s crash pad, Janis Joplin’s house and other sites that will bring back memories from the Summer of Love. Tours on Tuesday and Saturdays start at 9:30 a.m. and Fridays tours being at 11:00 a.m. $20 per person cold hard cash accepted only and reservations are required. Can go on-line to purchase tickets at www.hippygourmet.com. Take the “I Can’t Believe I Ate My Way Through Chinatown” San Francisco tour offered by Shirley Fong-Torres. You eat breakfast, go to a wok shop, stop for munchies at a vegetarian restaurant, dine on some dim sum, visit a marketplace and end with a fantastic Cantonese luncheon. Tours are on Saturdays and are $80/person and can be booked by going to www.wokwiz.com or calling 212-209-3370. Love Victorian homes? Take the Victorian Homes Historical Walking Tour with Jay Gifford by going to www.victorianwalk.com or calling 415-252-9485. A 2 ½ hour tour delivered with excitement and affection for San Francisco starting daily at 11:00 a.m. come rain, shine or fog. $20 per person – cash only. The tour will take you to places where tour buses are banned and you will see over 200 amazingly restored Victorians and where Mrs. Doubtfire and Party of Five were filmed. I love this San Francisco tour because I love looking at houses and walking at the same time. Boat ToursGetting out on the water and enjoying the sea breeze and city skyline is a fantastic way to pass the time. Choose a sparkling clear day and bring a jacket as the bay gets really chilly, your camera and some munchies or hot chocolate. The following companies offer boat tours: Blue & Gold Fleet A San Francisco tour on the water is offered with one hour cruises of the bay all-year round in 350 passenger tour boats with food and beverages available. The cruise is one-hour narrated and goes very close to Alcatraz Island and right under the Golden Gate Bridge. They offer charters, ferry services and tours. One-hour Bay Cruise fees: Money Saving Tip: save $4.00 on each ticket by ordering tickets on-line at www.blue andgoldfleet.com. If you order by phone there is a $2.25 additional charge. Phone: 415-773-1188 Website: www.blueandgoldfleet.com Red & White Fleet Offers tours in 9 different languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, German, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Hindi and Thai. Go Car ToursCall themselves the cure for the common tour. Have you seen those little yellow three wheeled cars in San Francisco, San Diego or Miami with the happy people in them? Well if you have that is a GoCar. This is how it works: the GoCar shows you the way via a GPS system onboard at the same time it is narrating the cityscape and bringing it to life through the stories you year. The most popular tour given by the on-board computer is a 2-hour one around Fishermen’s Wharf, out to the Marina, through Golden Gate Park and down Lombard Street – the “crookedest street in the world.” While you are cruising the car tells you what the landmarks and stories are and where to turn so you have no fear of getting lost! GoCar’s have lockable trunks and you can get out and park and then get right back in. Also you will need to wear a helmet and be 18-years of age with a driver’s license to rent one. How do you reserve one: Call 1-800-91-GOCAR or go to https://www3.ssldomain.com/DomainID112689/gocar-sf/Step1.aspx. Vacation tip: It is recommended to reserve a car 24 hours in advance and you can arrange to pick it up in one of two locations: Fishermen’s Wharf (2715 Hyde St. between North Point and Beach Streets at Fishermen’s Wharf) or Union Square (321 Mason Street at the corner of Mason and O’Farrell). You can also drop them off in either location. Seaplane Tours
The planes take off and land in the water but the landing is surprisingly smooth. The tours leaves from Sausalito but they will pick you up in a shuttle at Pier 39 free of charge. They have a two adult minimum per tour and the Golden Gate Tour is $139 per adult,children 12 and under are $99. It takes about an hour and a half for the tour. Ask about the champagne flight too! Contact them at: http://www.seaplane.com/, 415-332-4843 or via email: info@seaplane.com. SF Fire Engine TourThis is a fun San Francisco tour. You get to take a ride on a big red shiny Mack firetruck while they sing to you! Tours leave from The Cannery at Fisherman’s Wharf at Beach Street and Columbus Avenue. The tour takes you through the Presidio to Fort Point and over the Golden Gate Bridge. Sausalito is the next stop and then on to Fort Baker, back over the bridge to Union Street and back to The Cannery. Tours daily at 1:00 p.m. except for Tuesday. Additional tours on certain days at 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Guarantee reservations with credit card. No on-line tickets available. Great idea for a kid’s birthday party! Find them at: 415-333-7077, website is: www.fireenginetours.com/ and their email is: EngineCo33@aol.com. click here for coupon: http://www.fireenginetours.com/coupon.htm Mr. Toad’s ToursTake a tour in an eco-friendly pre-1930’s touring cars. Small groups of 10 passengers per tour available while creating a warm and fun environment with tour guides who have a ton of knowledge about San Francisco. Touring cars run on propane or natural gas so they are a very earth loving company who wants to give you a tour that feels like you are a family friend! They offer three tours: a 90-minute Hop Around the City tour, a 3 hour Postcard San Francisco tour and a 90 minute San Francisco by Night Tour. Prices range from $32-$48. See their website for more details at www.mrtoadstours.com/about/index.html. The tours depart from 2698 Mason Street in San Francisco at the corner of Mason and Jefferson Streets. Phone is 877-4MR-TOAD, 877-467-8623 or Email: info@mrtoadstours.com. Bus ToursAnother way to take a San Francisco tour is choosing from the following list of possible tours with the Gray Line company. Contact them at: 415-434-8687 or 888-428-6937 and www.sanfranciscosightseeing.com The offer tours in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, and Korean.They have cable car tours, city tours and evening tours. Visit their website to find out more.
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