Experience a New Way to See San Francisco with Tours Around the City

Visiting San Francisco, CA, had been on me and my husband's list of must-see places to take vacation for a while and after falling in love with San Diego, we knew we had to head north for a whole other enjoyable trip.

We were never at a loss for things to do on the trip. Fisherman's Pier with its plethora of restaurants, shops, and entertaining activities, drew us back numerous times on our trip. Ghirardelli Square, just down the street, called to us to come try some famous Ghirardelli chocolate. I swear the scent of chocolate tickled my nose and led us to the Ghirardelli Chocolate shop.

Besides the attractions, we were bombarded with information on tours that would allow to us to see unique sights and see San Francisco from a different perspective. But which ones should we take? We only had so much time.

Here a few favorite tours in San Francisco, some of which we went on and some of which I wish we had:

Double-decker bus tours: This is by far the best way to see San Francisco if you want to get a little taste of everything. Bus tours allow you to sit back, relax, and see the sights go by for the entire length of the tour or you can hop off and on at about 20 different attractions along the route. If you just want to see a few highlights, buy tickets for just the day. If you have more time, buy tickets for two days and really explore what San Francisco has to offer.

Sights along the route vary from tour company to tour company, however, most stop at the following:
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Park
Ghirardelli Square
Fisherman's Wharf
Union Square
China Town
and much more!

We really enjoyed the flexibility of the bus tour because it allowed us to leave our rental car in one place for the day and get on and off the bus without worrying about looking and paying for parking. It's even better if you don't have a car because you get to see much more around the City of San Francisco than you could walk to.

It doesn't hurt that the bus has air conditioning and some even have the option of enjoying the breeze from an open top upper deck. Just make sure you bring a sweater as sometimes it can get quite chilly.

The narrated recording that explained the sites as we went by really made the tour worth it. We learned things about San Francisco and it's attractions we would have never known otherwise. For international visitors, most tour companies even have a headset that plugs into a port on the bus which allows you to choose which language you would like to hear the narration in.

Tours last about 2 hours if you stay on the bus for the entire ride or can go on all day if you hop off and on.

Segway Tours: What a unique way to see San Francisco! Segways allow tourists to hop on a motorized scooter which does all the work so they don't have to make exhausting treks from one sight to the next. This is the ideal situation for those who have trouble walking or would just like to see the City in a unique way.

A brief training on how to operate the user friendly equipment is provide and includes a brief video and 30-minute orientation before the tour starts. Employees provide live narration at various attractions along the route, along with protective head gear. The tours last three hours and require that participants be 16 years of age of older.

Sights to be seen on the Segway tour include:
Fisherman's Wharf
The Transamerica Pyramid
USS Pamparino Submarine
Cable Car Turnaround
Hyde Street Pier
The Golden Gate Bridge

Duck Tour to Alcatraz Island: There are many tours running out to the famous Alcatraz Island, but probably one of the most unique is the Duck Tour. For a thrilling experience, ride an amphibious, retired military DUKW vehicle, through the streets of San Francisco than plunge into the San Francisco Bay and cruise to Alcatraz Island.

Along the way, the Captain, who is usually a retired military person, will entertain the tour group with interesting facts about San Francisco and the history of the vehicle.

Then it's off to Alcatraz Island for a self-guided tour of the famous, now-closed prison that housed rebels like Al Capone and George Kelley. Included is an orientation video with historical footage, exhibits, talks held by Park Rangers, and audio tours of interviews with former prison guards and inmates.

Tours are around four hours long. Minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.