San Francisco Tour: Architecture & Art Highlights

Explore San Francisco’s architecture and art on a walking tour, ending at SFMOMA. Discover historic buildings, public art, and urban oases.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Downtown San Francisco - The architecture in downtown San Francisco is an impressive mix of historic and contemporary styles, creating a vibrant urban environment.
  • Salesforce Transit Center - Explore this new transit hub and its public art displays. Discover a rooftop garden in the city’s core, featuring lush trees, colorful flowers, and…
What's Included
  • English-speaking tour guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Parking
Additional Information

Embark on a 2.5-hour walking tour through San Francisco’s Central Business District, highlighting its remarkable architecture, engaging public art, and lively public spaces. Explore a variety of architectural styles, from historic landmarks like the London Paris National Bank to modern glass structures such as the JP Morgan Chase Building. Gain insight…

Location
488 Market St
Market Street
Please meet your guide in front of Mechanics Monument Plaza (488 Market Street)
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(13 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
J1en23
Oct 21, 2025
Highly Recommended - Jamie was an informative & personable guide, sharing history, design, public spaces and many little insights to Downtown SF. Seeing everything with new eyes and feeling connected to the city, makes it a worthwhile morning. Thanks so much, Jens & Simon
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elyse
Sep 27, 2025
Great tour! - Jamie is a wealth of knowledge and passionate about sharing architecture with people. I thought he was engaging. The material was interesting. The walk was just enough for me. It was a lovely way to spend the morning and it made me admire the skyline more. The architecture in San Francisco is very interesting and just looking around purposely was great.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria_p
Sep 7, 2025
Excellent Tour - We loved hearing about the downtown development of the last decades. The roof of the Salesforce SF Transit Building is gorgeous. I am glad I went on this tour! Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
Ann_a
Jul 29, 2025
A little history, a little art, a story about a city’s growth - Jaime is a knowledgeable guide that listens to his audience to shape the tour. You’ll see hidden art down alleys and overlooked public spaces and he’ll point out architectural elements that show the timeline of SF’s progress. If you are looking for the highlights of SF as a first time tourist, this is not for you, this is a unique opportunity to learn more about a specific area and finding hidden gems. We loved it, and I will come back with some of my friends! Also, its not a lot of walking, it’s a mild pace and not tiring at all.
Review provided by Viator
Kendall_o
Jul 18, 2025
Awesome Team Activity - Jamie nailed this tour! Our company offsite was located in San Francisco this week and we wanted to find a non-boating activity. Jamie’s knowledge about the architecture downtown is expansive, but we especially loved his focus on public spaces and art. Our group was half local and half not, and even the locals said they learned so much about the area. And they have commuted and worked there for many years! Jamie was a perfect fit for our group and it was a highlight of our week. Perfect team building activity for nerdy, transit industry professionals. We hope to see Jamie again in the future.
Review provided by Viator
Kurtkh108bf
May 26, 2025
Bummed when the tour ended - Jamie was an excellent tour guide. He was very knowledgeable about the architecture and history of the City. I am a local and learned all sorts of interesting parts of our history that I was unaware of. e.g. what was at Moscone Center before it was built, why is Market St designed at an angle, why is the Transit Center so empty..... The 2.5 hour tour went by super fast. I was bummed when it was done (although my feet were pretty tired). We liked Jamie so much, that we are going to join him for another one of his City tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachaelrb
May 11, 2025
Delightful tour - We thoroughly enjoyed this tour highlighting the unique design features and history of many buildings, works of art, and public spaces. Our guide Jamie was incredibly knowledgeable, including knowing the names and other works of the various architects, artists, and landscape architects featured on the tour. The tour is well organized and the time flew by. Jamie was easygoing and engaging and more than happy to answer our questions. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meenam2019
Mar 4, 2025
Great Architecture Tour for Both Tourists and Locals! - What a great way to learn and appreciate the under appreciated cityscape of San Francisco. Our tour was well organized, the guide welcomed questions and had an immense amount of knowledge about San Francisco building and landscape architecture. As someone who has lived in this beautiful city for almost 15 years I am amazed at how much I learned about these places that I have been walking past all this time. I would definitely recommend to both visitors and locals alike!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
L6319lopatrickh
Jan 27, 2025
Unique perspective on a beautiful city - My wife and I really enjoyed this tour! We've lived in the city for a few years now but saw it from a different angle and with our tour guide Jaime who knew a ton not just about the building architecture but also the many public squares, sculptures and art installations peppered along the tour route. I was impressed not just by our guide's depth of knowledge but also his passion and enthusiasm for the architecture and the city overall. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tseeley4
Jan 15, 2025
A great tour - Very informative and stimulating tour. We started at the centrally located and convenient Mechanics Monument Plaza. After that, I just don’t know, there were so many cool buildings and out of the way public spaces I never knew even existed! Our tour guide Jaime was highly knowledgeable, respectful and funny. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $44
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).