Information on San Francisco Tours

Double-decker bus tours are one of the best ways to see any city, including San Francisco. For starters, bus tours allow you to get an overall view of the city while hearing interesting facts on the tour through a recording that coincides with what you are seeing. You might not otherwise learn many of these things if you were sightseeing on your own. Double-decker bus tours are also great because most routes allow you to hop off and on and see the sights of your choice. You may discover new places you didn't know about and you can save time taking the bus rather than walking from attraction to attraction or having to move your car every time. If you'd prefer, you can stay on the bus for the entire 2 1/2-hour tour. Many tours are good for two consecutive days. Listen to the tour in a foreign language by hooking head phones into the ports on the bus. Most tours run from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Take this into consideration as you plan getting off and on the bus.

Stretch beyond your comfort zone by taking an aerial tour of San Francisco in a helicopter or airplane. Enjoy the picturesque views of the San Francisco Bay, distant towns of Sausalito and Tiburon, and many landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and more. Depending on what company you fly with, your pilot may provide interesting narrative. Fight times vary between 20 minutes and 2 hours. Fees vary depending on the length of the tour and start just below $200. Spectacular views can also be seen from a hot air balloon ride. Float over famous attractions while hanging in a basket below a colorful balloon. Prices vary by season.

Sail across the San Francsico Bay to enjoy a few of the city from afar. Soak up the cool breeze (don't forget your sweater!) while admiring the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Boat tours come in all types from leisurely sail boats to high energy speedboats. Bay Quackers, an old refurbished World War II amphibious boat, Blue and Gold Fleet, Red and White Fleet and Ride the Duck Tours are just a few of the many boat tours that mainly leave from Fisherman's Wharf. Riders can opt to simply take a boat ride or can pay extra to visit Alcatraz Island out in the Bay. Please see section 4 for details.

Go by boat to see the second most popular attraction, the Island of Alcatraz, and witness where prisoners like Al Capone used to be stowed away. This now abandoned prison draws thousands of visitors every year. Most tours to Alcatraz leave from Fisherman's Wharf. Tour popular boats such as Eureka, C.A. Thayer and Balclutha by taking a cell phone tour. Located along the Hyde Street Pier, you can choose from 28 different tours, each with eight different stops along the way. To access the tour, call (415) 294-6754. Cost is free except for the cell phone minutes. Visit popular attractions on a popular attractions in itself, an historic cable car. Classic Cable Car Charters offers tours on a refurbished cable car that has had wheels added to it for an enjoyable ride around town.

Choose from numerous Segway Scooter tours that will have you zipping around the City without walking! Step on this scooter and use the hand controls to get around. Cruise through parks, zoom past the waterfront and zip up city streets. A tour guide leads the pack. Helmets are required and lessons are provided. Tours leave from Fisherman's Wharf and are an hour and a half long. If that's not fast enough for you, try a Go Car Tour. Resembling a tour-seat car, this tour lowers you to the ground and lets you drive this mini-car yourself all while listening to an audio recording that tells you where to go next and includes interesting details about the sites. You can rent a Go Car at Fisherman's Wharf.