サンフランシスコ ツアー・チケット・観光ガイド

Ranked by traveller reviews: 1) Alcatraz, 2) walking or biking the Golden Gate Bridge, 3) a bay cruise under the bridge and past Alcatraz, 4) riding the Powell–Hyde cable car, 5) Muir Woods and Sausalito, 6) a Napa and Sonoma wine tour, 7) a Chinatown or North Beach food tour, 8) Golden Gate Park with the California Academy of Sciences, 9) the Painted Ladies and Lombard Street, 10) a Yosemite or Monterey and Carmel day trip.

Three days for the city plus one or two for day trips. Day one: the Wharf, Alcatraz and Chinatown. Day two: the bridge, the Presidio and a sunset cruise. Day three: Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury and the Mission. Then Muir Woods and Sausalito (half day), wine country or Monterey (full day), or Yosemite (14 hours, or overnight).

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, hike Lands End to the Sutro Baths, see the sea lions at Pier 39, browse the Ferry Building, wander Golden Gate Park’s gardens and Stow Lake, photograph the Painted Ladies and Lombard Street, tour the Mission’s murals, take the 37 bus up to Twin Peaks for the free city view, visit the Cable Car Museum and the Palace of Fine Arts. The Legion of Honor and de Young are free on the first Tuesday of the month.

Muir Woods and Sausalito (45 minutes, half day), Napa and Sonoma wine country (90 minutes, full day with three or four wineries), Monterey, Carmel and the 17-Mile Drive (two hours, full day), Yosemite with the giant sequoias (four hours each way, a very long day or an overnight), Point Reyes and the Sonoma coast, and Berkeley or Oakland across the bay by BART. See our day trips page for bookable tours.

The Alcatraz night tour (fewer people, the city lit up on the return), a sunset or dinner cruise on the bay, dinner and cocktails in North Beach, a ghost or true-crime walking tour, jazz at SFJAZZ or Black Cat, comedy at Cobb’s, the view from Twin Peaks after dark, and the Ferry Building and Embarcadero lit up along the waterfront.

Winter is mild (50s °F) and the quietest, cheapest time. Alcatraz and Muir Woods have no crowds, gray whales pass the Golden Gate from December to April on whale-watching trips, the Academy of Sciences, SFMOMA and the Exploratorium are all indoor, and Napa is calm with tastings easy to book. December brings the Union Square tree and ice rink. Expect rain in January and February.

The Exploratorium on Pier 15, the California Academy of Sciences (rainforest, aquarium and planetarium), riding the cable cars, the sea lions at Pier 39, Alcatraz for children over about seven, the Aquarium of the Bay, the Golden Gate Park carousel and playground, biking across the bridge to Sausalito with a ferry back, and the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio.

September and October: the warmest, clearest weather and the “real” summer. April to June is mild with green hills. July and August are cool and foggy in the city (bring layers), while the wine country and Yosemite are hot. Winter is mild and wet but cheap.

Yes — it is the highest-rated experience in San Francisco by a wide margin. The audio tour narrated by former inmates and guards is excellent, and the ferry gives the best skyline view. Book the official tour two to three weeks ahead in summer; if it is sold out, some city tour packages still include tickets.