Carmel and Steinbeck's Cannery Row in Monterey. If your time in San Francisco is limited, taking a driving tour of the city could be a good option for you. In addition to accommodations, our packages include information on suggested optional itineraries with stops along the way. . I've used these many times. Some of the best hotels near San Francisco City Hall include Hotel Whitcomb, Renoir Hotel, and the Hayes Valley Inn. Free Walking Tour San Francisco Self-Guided - California Travel Our San Francisco self drive tour offers you complete flexibility and convenience. Interested in seeing as many gorgeous views of the city as possible? Taking a driving tour of San Francisco (SF) can be a great way to explore the city if you are short on time or dont feel like hiking up one of SFs famous hills. California Street is so steep that it was almost too exiting for us to drive behind a cable car, stopping each time it stopped and starting uphill again each time it started. How to get to Lombard Street if youre not driving: take the Powell-Hyde cable car. Be aware of this as you start the drive. Self-Guided Driving Tour. Choose from driving one of our GoCars, Arcimotos, Scooters, or Vanderhalls. This tour has been developed by local guides, curated by creative writers, and narrated by professional voice artists. We are a GPS-enabled app-based tour that narrates information based on your location right on your phone. Join us for a walk along the streets . Explore the Mission on This Self-Guided Walking Tour Wrap up the tour in Los Angeles at the famous Santa Monica Pier. Each of the following companies offers tours to Muir Woods. It's like having a local show you around. We definitely came away with much more of an appreciation for Castro and the Mission (love Dolores Park!) All of these leave from San Francisco and ease the burden of trying to get to and from wine country on your own. Are you interested in exploring the city of San Francisco without a large group around you? 2023 Routes and Trips. After the booking, you will receive an email with a link to the Action Tour Guide app and a unique password to access the tour within the app. Want to work with us? Washington DC. The tourist area of San Franciscos Fishermans Wharf. You only need to book one tour per vehicle, not per person. Some of the key attractions on the drive that can easily be enjoyed without getting out of the car include: Here are some of the attractions that the 49-Mile scenic drive will take you past but which may be worth getting out of the car and exploring in more depth: The 49-Mile scenic drive is a great experience and a terrific way to see a lot of what the city has to offer. Castro: This colorful district is one you do not want to miss. With an automatic car its easier. San Francisco City Self-Guided Audio Tour Through Golden Gate Bridge Driving down Lombard Street was great fun and we had to do it twice, and then walk one more time. Lombard Street was so steep that it needed eight turns to make it drivable: San Francisco by car: driving down the eight turns of Lombard Street. Taking a self-guided walking tour around San Francisco is a great way to get to know our amazing city. Review of: Golden Gate Bridge Bike Rental - Near the Golden Gate Bridge! Looking at them you could imagine being in China. Optional Barbary Coast Trail. A large part of San Franciscos charm is in the little quirky details. Self-drive vacations in California | Audley Travel I had the most amazing time, as a solo traveller doing a small group tour is perfect. Looking upwards you will see how high these earthquake protected buildings are! The residential area of Pacific Heights is on the next hill in order and offers great views to the city and the bay area. Be sure to check your email before you begin to download the Action Tour Guide app, enter your unique password, and access your tour. (B) PIER 39 - see giant sea lions snoring on the docks. 2 reviews. Welcome to the GPS-enabled offline driving tour of San Francisco, California by Action Tour Guide! With the bonus tour, youll get up close and personal with that famous landmark and even drive across it for some killer views! This is Grant Avenue, the Chinatowns main street. The Action Tour Guide app functions as a guide, an audio tour, and a map all in one. This San Francisco city tour begins with the Painted Ladies, one of the citys top attractions. This may very well be one of the last drive-up movie theaters! You will not need to change the booking if your travel plans change. This is a walk through the past and future of San Francisco. 2022 Outdoor Activities in San Francisco: Check out reviews and photos of the San Francisco City Self-Guided Audio Tour Through Golden Gate Bridge. The painted ladies at the top of San Francisco hills. Just be aware of this. You can listen to the audio on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle or any other MP3 player. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); For first-time visitors discovering the lay of the land or those who cant leave until theyve seen it all, the 49-Mile scenic drive is a fantastic way to get acquainted with all of San Francisco. Closed Christmas and Thanksgiving Day. I've created one for each of our most popular districts. Transport by luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi and restroom. Copyright 2009-2023 by SFTourismTips.com. Self-Guided Walking Tours to Explore San Francisco, California - GPSmyCity Just remember to bring a jacket it gets windy up there! Most stops along the tour have animated videos allowing you to visualize what you cannot see, such as snapshots from different centuries or interior rooms. No problem! Now we could get back to the hills, to Pacific Heights: From the harbor its an easy drive to our next San Francisco destination. Simply download the free TourCentric app, purchase your San Francisco self guided tour, and start anywhere along the route whenever youre ready! San Francisco Audio Tour Guide on the App Store This picturesque, winding road has been another Hollywood staple for ages, but experiencing it for yourself is a whole different ball game. Not all of the scenic drive is actually very scenic. Lombard Street twists down past green bushes and flower beds. San Francisco Sightseeing: A Driving Tour - Routes and Trips Here you will find some of the best at night from scary ghost walks to night cruises around the bay. Limantour Beach to Olema. San Francisco City Self-Guided Driving Tour in English. Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there. Rome Below are links to a few that might be helpful, and look for more on Google. Since most of the locations on our self-guided tour of Fishermans Wharf are located alongside the water, you can expect this outing to take around 1 - 1 hours. It also has a map showing you where your next stop will be. Visit its top attractions, see where the Beat Generation spent their days and nights and taste some of the best goodies in the district. The streets here are so quiet and leafy that you couldnt imagine this is in a huge metropolis. Contact Me | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Site Map | Advertising Disclaimer. You just need to buy a day ticket at a kiosk (something like USD 20) and having that you are free to use buses, streetcars and old San Francisco cable cars for a day. So most old harbor buildings have been transformed to restaurants and shopping malls. 1. There are only really 7 stops on this self-guided tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, and you can expect the whole tour to take around 1 - 1 hours. And very soon we got used to driving up and down San Francisco hills. We'll exit SF's Chinatown through the Dragon's Gate. All of these self-guided tours are designed to be easy to do using the San Francisco Metroor BART (for more information on navigating this sometimes confusing city read our articleHow to Use Transit in San Francisco). Tour Types; Tours by Region; Tours by Activity; About; Contact; USA Guide; . Although we dont have a self-guided tour yet, we do provide a GPS-enabled audio tour of the Castro District. Read more. Nob Hill and the next hill, Russian Hill, have splendid views to the city and to the bay area: A San Francisco city tour on Russian Hill. you could eat at a different NYC spot once a day for 22.7 years and .Central Park Bike Tour. MP3 Audio Tours - LearnOutLoud Don't worry about other people - With the app, you can pause the tour, and check out the locations as long as you want. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Entrance ticket to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). Disclaimer: I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page. Simply put, Action Tour Guide is an audio guide, map, and tour book all in one app! SAN FRANCISCO TO LA SELF DRIVE MOTORCYCLE TOUR. Not only that, but you can also create your own walk with the attractions that interest you most and even set your hotel as . View All . Opening hours: Fri 12:00am-11:59pm. If you want to keep in touch, follow Routes and Trips. After that, buckle your seatbelts because youre heading down Lombard Street, aka the most crooked street in the world! All rights reserved. No worries! Philadelphia My tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Take your time driving through Monterey Bay, artsy Carmel and more. Self-Guided Driving & Walking ToursAn audio guide, map, and tour book all in one! The cable car ascends, passing Union Square and Nob Hill . This is an excellent alternative if you prefer to interact with a professional guide rather than an app on your phone. No expiration The tour comes with lifetime validity! Wil and Erin at Ride Free organised our whole trip along route 66 then the coast road to San Francisco. Beach Street garages had very reasonable parking rates and they had flat rates for the whole day on a Saturday. Start this self-guided tour at the stunning Pantages Theater, before taking a stroll back through Hollywood history (via Amoeba Music Store) to some of the oldest studios in Los Angeles, where film-making began here. Alternatively, we also offer a fully guided free walking tour of Fishermans Wharf. All of these tours take you on a specific walking route through the city. This one hour and sixteen minute tour can be done at your own pace. Musement helps you get the best from every destination, by giving you easy access to memorable experiences around the world. This San Francisco city tour begins with the Painted Ladies, one of the citys top attractions. Table of contents. So we started with downtown San Francisco. Even when the Americans insist on driving up and down the steep 44 San Francisco hills, one street turned out too steep even to them. 2023 San Francisco City Self-Guided Driving Tour Through - Tripadvisor About Us. Powell-Hyde Line: Cable Car Museum and Russian Hill. My tours are one full day in each district. Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and visit the Golden Gate Park, home to museums and attractions including the Academy of Sciences, the DeYoung Museum, and the friendly Bison. You start at the Japan Center Malls where you will find a plaque outlining the walk. The start of your scenic drive celebrates San Diego as a seaport city as our massive bay is filled with aircraft carriers, cruise ships, historic sailboats and private yachts. We experienced different methods of transport (avoiding those big hills!) From San Francisco: Highway 1 Self-Drive Audio Tour in English. You can pick a topic that interests you, then find a walking tour that explores it more deeply. Amsterdam For one block, this road turns into the crookedest street in the world! Youll make EIGHT hairpin turns within that one block! The great thing about this drive is that it takes you through so much of the city that nearly any hotel youre staying in within city limits is going to be close to a portion of the drive. Youll get to know their history and why these quirky little cars are still used today. This is where most department stores are, making the San Francisco Market Street one of the main shopping streets of the city. Lined with low historic buildings this leafy alley is very different from the deep canyons all around it. However, you should know what youre getting into before you tackle the task of doing the entire drive. For those who like to sit and relax, packages can be customized to include private city tours or even private road . Damien was the best! Learn More. Chinatown is pretty close to Fishermans Wharf and North Beach, so you may want to consider taking multiple self-guided tours on the same day if youve got enough time and energy. Local insider narration and special guest interviews. This is a self-guided tour; no guide will accompany you. Self-Guided Walking Tour of San Francisco Chinatown - TripSavvy Explore all that San Francisco has to offer, from the twists and turns of Lombard Street, through the bustling streets of Chinatown, and to the top of Telegraph Hill! Two lines leave from this same spot, so you need to check the name at the end of the car. After that go through vibrant Fisherman's Wharf, pass Fort Mason and the Palace of Fine Arts, before enjoying some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge, in Crissy Field. To open in Google Maps click the icon in the top right corner. Most tour companies spend between 1.5 to 2 hours in the forest. You can get a free, printable, detailed map of the San Francisco 49 Mile Drive right here for your trip. Enjoy an immersive walk with amazing views and riveting stories of San Francisco and visit the notorious Alcatraz prison during this guided tour! These steps require good data/wifi. It's a day of gorgeous art and tasty treats. The Japantown District also offers a free self-guided walking tour. Online information on parking in San Francisco, Another provider of parking information in San Francisco. All rights reserved. Thanks! You will only notice when walking through its neighborhoods. Our next post will show you more about San Francisco as we will go and see the Golden Gate Bridge and more Golden Gate area sights. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative result from a recent antigen or molecular test may be required, please check the local requirements before your visit. Finally, finish your self-guided tour at the beautiful, historic, San Francisco Presidio (ideally with an ice-cream). Alcatraz, the historic prison island of San Francisco. Download San Francisco Audio Tour Guide and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. City Guides, founded in 1978, is an independent 501c3 non-profit organization with more than 300 trained volunteers who lead FREE historical and architectural walking tours in San Francisco for over 35,000 locals and visitors each year. . However, the people who live in them will surely assist you with the boundaries and the colorful . Drive carefully! This way, you always know what SF attraction you are visiting next. The GoCar takes you to spectacular places few visitors get to see. San Francisco sightseeing: Market Street in photos, Cable car turning at the Powell Street cable car turntable. San Francisco has water on three sides so you can imagine how useful the bridges were and still are. In all, we have prepared 12 self-guided walks for you to explore San Francisco, which cover everything from charming streets and neighborhoods to the most famous architectural achievements, street art and shopping areas. This post provides a list of free self-guided tours of San Francisco that you can enjoy anytime, day or night, every day of the week. Check availability. Checkout Lombard Street, claimed to be 'the crookedest street in the world', containing 8 hairpin turns. All individual tours come with lifetime validity. Then its on to Chinatown and Manilatown, where youll hear about both historic districts long, embattled history. The monthly rental costs for a parking spot can be anywhere from . Learn more about both options on the museum's dedicated Barbary Coast Website. Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots and learn more about San Francisco Audio Tour Guide. The story tellers were entertaining and I looked forward to hearing them talk about the next sight. Spend more time at Twin Peaks, visit the Coit Tower, and take time to explore all the hilly, historical neighborhoods of SF. San Francisco Motorcycle Rentals - Ride Free Motorcycle Tours and Rentals Points of Interest along the San Francisco:-. It is the perfect way to learn more about the history of San Francisco at a time and pace that works for you! Hit the road whenever you're ready, stop as often as you'd like, and just enjoy the journey! 59-Mile Scenic Drive in San Diego, CA 07:40am: Departure from Post Street pickup location Parking, however, may cause problems, but we found good solutions for that which I will share. If you have ever watched Full House, you will know what we are talking about. Got a late start? Changing travel date? My tours offer you a step-by-step route to make it easy to get around. While a driving tour is a decent option, if you want to visit as many tourist spots as possible, a walking tour is the best way to really get to know the city. Paris Miami If you are craving a burrito, be sure to visit La Taqueria or Papalote. It will let you visit a wide variety of tourist destinations in a short amount of time and without walking up a single hill! Brooklyn Bike Tour. Walking: At Clay Street, turn right, then go left to enter one of San Francisco's original city parks. Summer of Love in Height Ashbury, San Francisco. For your hotel stay, we also offer a free map of San Franciscos downtown area and central neighborhoods. Note, this is a self-guided driving tour : You will need to arrange your own means of transportation; Explore all that San Francisco has to offer, from the twists and turns of Lombard Street, through the bustling streets of Chinatown, and to the top of Telegraph Hill! Later the 1906 earthquake took much of Nob Hill after which the wealthy house owners moved west to Pacific Heights and built their homes there. I've used these in other cities too and they are great. 5 Travel to Point Reyes National Seashore. 7 Sites to Visit on a Driving Tour of San Francisco. As we get back to the tour and continue driving, we'll learn all about the city's rapid real estate growth and the housing crisis it currently faces. For example, you could easily drive past Tessie Walls infamous brothel without knowing about it! Bring your walking shoes we started at 10 am and finished at 6 pm, I highly recommend you do this tour. You can also cycle this route very easily (there are numerous bike rental shops in the area). I could start and stop the tour whenever I wanted to break and resume. San Francisco Walking Tours - Self Guided Routes You're Going to Love