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Big Bus San Francisco: Comprehensive Hop-on Hop-off Tour

4.1

3,611 Ratings

Experience the best of San Francisco with Big Bus Tours. Hop on and off at 16 locations, including famous landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf.

Duration: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Day Tour - Red Route (Route)

Operating Schedule: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Every 15 Minutes

Customers are advised to visit the Big Bus website or to download the Big Bus app to see the most up to date bus stop locations and timings. For live bus tracking on the day of travel - please download the Big Bus App in advance of arrival.

1. 99 Jefferson St
Stop 1 - Big Bus Tours Visitors’ Center

2. 329 Columbus Ave
Stop 2 - North Beach / Chinatown

3. Ferry Building
Stop 4 - Ferry Building

4. 280 Geary St
Stop 5 - Union Square South

5. 201 Mason St
Stop 6 - Hilton Hotel

6. 90 Fulton St
Stop 7 - Civic Center

7. 944 Fell St
Stop 8 - Alamo Square

8. 1816 Haight St
Stop 9 - Haight Ashbury

9. Golden Gate Park
Stop 10 - North-West corner of Lincoln Way & 9th Ave (Weekends + Public Holidays only)

10. Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point
Stop 11 - North Vista Point, Sausalito, CA 95965

11. 211 Richardson Ave
Stop 12 - Palace of Fine Arts

12. 2101 Lombard St
Stop 13 - Marina / Cow Hollow

13. 1599 Lombard St
Stop 14 - Lombard Street

14. Embarcadero
Stop 15 - Pier 35 entrance / Cruise Terminal

15. Pier 39
Stop 16 - Pier 39

Points of Interest

Pier 39
The Embarcadero
Haight-Ashbury
Union Square
Civic Center
SS Jeremiah O’Brien
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
Golden Gate Bridge
Washington Square
Lombard Street
Chinatown
Alamo Square
Golden Gate Park
Big Bus Tours
California Academy of Sciences
Madame Tussauds
Aquarium of the Bay
Ferry Building Marketplace
San Francisco City Hall

Panoramic Night Tour - Blue Route (Route)

Operating Schedule: Departs at 6:30pm

This tour is not a hop-on, hop-off

1. Big Bus Tours San Francisco
Stop 1 - Big Bus Tours Visitors’ Center

Points of Interest

SS Jeremiah O’Brien
Madame Tussauds
Ferry Building Marketplace
Pier 39

What's Included

Get 2 hours for the price of 1 on bike rentals at Blazing Saddles.
Complimentary walking tour included with selected tickets.
Receive free headphones to enhance your audio-guide experience.
Unlimited access to the hop-on hop-off bus tour.

What's Not Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Additional Information

Embark on an extensive tour of San Francisco with Big Bus Tours. Our tour covers an impressive range of over 16 stop-and-go locations, spanning from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge. There’s no need for bus transfers – our complete city circuit will take you through popular districts and landmarks including Pier 39, Chinatown, Little Italy, the Painted Ladies Victorian Homes, Haight-Ashbury Neighborhood, Golden Gate Park, Lombard Crooked Street, Union Square Shopping District, and a memorable trip across the Golden Gate Bridge. With 16 stops, get on and off at your convenience and discover San Francisco’s rich culture, diverse cuisine, beautiful parks, eye-catching architecture, top-tier shopping, and scenic views.

1-day tickets will be valid for same day use. Tickets claimed after 3pm will be valid for 24 hours from time of redemption.
Night tour operates on a first-come, first-served basis, so try to arrive early to secure your seat
Night Tour is not a hop-on hop-off tour
Wheelchair accessible, please call ahead for arrangements
Daytime Tour: Show your paper or mobile voucher to a member of the Big Bus staff at any of the stops along your route to redeem.
Night Tour: Redeem vouchers at the start of the tour at Stop 1 Big Bus Tours Visitors’ Center, 99 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133, No tours on July 4th, Thanksgiving, Dec 24th and Dec 31st.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.1

(3611 Ratings)

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1 star

Relax20032328379

Nov 26, 2023

The Best Way To See San Francisco - This was a fantastic experience. Before we flew to San Francisco, we made a list of the places we wanted to see. Most of these places were covered on the Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Service. So we made enquiries and got a two day ticket. We'll worth it and great value. Over the two days, we visited everything we wanted to and more. Walking back from Lombard Street to the Bus Stop at Fisherman's Wharf, we met a Big Bus employee, Doug. He was fantastic, and helped us get to the bus stop we needed. We visited Lombard Street. The Painted Ladies, Chinatown, The Transamerica Pyramid, Washington Gate Park, Coit Tower, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park, Japanese Tea Garden, Crissy Fields and the Golden Gate Bridge. There were more places, but I would run out of words It was the Big Bus that enabled us to do as much as we did and see as much as we did. So, a big thank you to Big Bus and also wonderful Doug, who helped us so much.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

811michelleo

Sep 8, 2023

On & Off Big Buss is a must do! - This is the best way to see all the highlights, the commentary was very informative, we highly recommend you do this tour. A big shout-out goes to Doug who we met at one of the stops, he was very friendly & helpful, chatted with us while we waited & give us a few San Francisco pointers. Don’t forget your coat for when you are going across the Golden Gate Bridge, the change in temperature is amazing.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Chantyc2017

Sep 3, 2023

Walking tour - We had a great team learning about the history of Chinatown in San Francisco. Our amazing tourguide Doug did an amazing job!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Babyduck47

Jul 19, 2023

Loved this trip - Loved this .. The busses were always there when we needed one. Everyone was so nice!!!! Loved the ear phones, but i wish they would play different music.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Debra_m

Aug 8, 2023

Great site seeing - Best way to see the city. Easy on and off stops. My sister and I enjoyed our day. Only complaint is the voice recording was off track in some areas

Review provided by Viator

Gailg701

May 19, 2023

Good way to see the city - The buses were regular, headphones worked and we always found a seat so a good way to get around the city. Service could be improved with signage for where the bus picks up as you don’t necessarily want to get back on where you got off and there’s no way of knowing where it will stop. Also some of the headphones plugged in in such a way that your partners lead was hanging in front of your face which was annoying. Otherwise, staff were efficient and friendly and the service was useful. Would use again.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Deanapalazzolo

Sep 13, 2022

No hearing impaired accomodations - The tour was fun and the people were friendly…but when we bought our tickets we were not told that he needed headphones (we were provided complimentary headphones) but if we had known we could have asked if there was something for the hearing impaired. My husband has cochlear implants and can’t use headphones in his ears. So there was no tour commentary available for him. He is the history guy and didn’t get to learn any of the history. It was all very interesting but very disappointing for him. Check to see if there are accommodations before you buy.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Marlene_c

Jul 8, 2023

Not impressed - Not what I was expecting we had to stand in a super long line to get on a bus and the stops where super far from the actual attraction, we had to walk up hill to Lambard street for a long distance and the down hill I don't know which was worse, by then we where so tired we had to get a taxi back to our cruise ship

Review provided by Viator

Donna_c

Oct 26, 2023

Too much money for poor service. - Viator not only failed to send the ticket after charging my credit card, but failed to provide any directions on where to catch the Hop On bus. Once I managed to find the bus stop I was able to catch the bus after having to call Viator for the ticket. The Hop On bus in San Francisco is an inferior tour. The bus narration fails to mention places to visit within a very short distance from the bus stop, and the stops are infrequent, making it very easy to miss important sites. All in all a terrible experience. I immediately canceled another Viator tour, which was scheduled for 2 days later.

Review provided by Viator

Cindy_c