San Francisco Full-Day Tour: Cable Car, Foot Exploration

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 - Your guide will help you orient yourselves, by telling you the history and background of the Ferry Building and downtown San Francisco.
  • Nob Hill - Take the cable car up steep Nob Hill to see the grand mansions of the San Francisco’s first millionaires.
  • San Francisco City Hall - Go inside our beautiful City Hall and learn about the important events which took place there.
  • Hayes Valley - See this picturesque new area, near the San Francisco Civic Center, with it’s collection of great street art and small coffee shops.
  • The Castro - Experience this historic neighborhood, hugely important in the LGBTQ movement, of which San Francisco is a world-wide symbol.
  • Mission Dolores Park - One of the loveliest parks in SF and possessing great views of downtown.
  • Haight-Ashbury - This is where the hippie, anti-Vietnam War, movement really started in the 1960’s. The neighborhood still maintains much of that same aesthetic (as well as being a great place to have lunch).
  • Painted Ladies - An icon of San Francisco. What trip here would be complete without seeing these beautiful, Victorian houses, with their amazing views of SF?
  • Lombard Street - One of our most famous landmarks, we walk down the steep, curved street - and you’ll get some great photos for Instagram.
  • North Beach - Walk through this historical neighborhood, San Francisco’s very own Little Italy.
  • Chinatown - We finish your tour in San Francisco’s famous Chinatown, with a visit to a back street fortune cookie maker. What better way to end your amazing day in SF.
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).
What's 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 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.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(97 Ratings)
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F7390wttoddc
Jul 31, 2024
Great Day! - Great day sightseeing and learning about San Francisco. Our guide was full of stories and shared his experiences es as we journeyed across the city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wander508324
Jul 28, 2024
Mark Mitchell extraordinaire - Mark was a fantastic guide. Incredibly knowledgeable, he was fun to be with. This was an unforgettable experience. Mark Mitchell: all our best and never ending thanks. From Herbie and Pam, San Antonio
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brian_r
Jul 24, 2024
Sightseeing San Francisco - I loved seeing the history of San Francisco. Our guide was so knowledgeable and kind. He knew just what to show us. Highly recommend him to do your tour.
Review provided by Viator
Judy_s
Jul 24, 2024
Great walking/riding tour of city - Loved the cable car and street car rides. Mark was so informative about the city and its history. Loved this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Anne_k
Jul 15, 2024
Fun - Dara was a wonderful guide. Very informative and upbeat. Loved the cable car ride. Never knew all the firsts that were from San Francisco
Review provided by Viator
Sarah_m
Jul 15, 2024
Great overview of the San Francisco. - This tour provides a great overview of the city of San Francisco. We visited many neighborhoods and I learned a lot of new things about the city. Doreen was the best tour guide.
Review provided by Viator
Sue_a
Jul 14, 2024
Great overall experience in San Francisco - Bring your sneakers and a bottle of water and get ready to experience San Francisco. Greg was very knowledgeable about San Francisco and took us to neighborhoods that we probably would have missed. Great time had by all!
Review provided by Viator
Jessica_m
Jul 7, 2024
Great Tour - Great tour! Guide was lovely and the tour was great for our short trip to this wonderful city. We were able to see a little of everything the city had to offer.
Review provided by Viator
Buoniviaggi
Jul 6, 2024
Great full day tour! - Great tour. We got to see a lot of the city and experience various transportation modes. Mark was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of the history and culture of San Francisco. We went all over the city and rarely had to walk uphill. Definitely a full day but a fun day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y5947zkkristenk
Jul 21, 2024
Not great - Our tour guide was nice except he spent a lot of time talking about and referencing things that no one in the group understood (old movies etc) I think he just needs to update his tour a little to point out more modern movies or taylor the tour to the crowd. Young people are not going to get references to movies from the 60s… also can’t believe this tour didn’t include the wharf!!! We ditched after lunch and did our own thing. Probably wouldn’t recommend. Would be been cheaper to buy cable car ticket for the day and just hit the stops.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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October 2024
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