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A Friend in Town
The Premier Personalized Tour Service for the San Francisco Bay Area
We can pick you up anywhere within 90 minutes’ drive of San Francisco — at your home, hotel, or the airport!
Touring San Francisco's most fascinating & unique Neighborhoods
What's it like to actually live in San Francisco? Join the locals in their native habitats, exploring places most other San Francisco tours overlook.
Tour Highlights
North Beach: historically Italian, this is the neighborhood where the beatniks hung out...filled today with sidewalk cafes, good coffee, chocolate, gelato...and graced with lovely churches and exercise enthusiasts - Haight-Ashbury: vibrant and colorful street life, blocks and blocks of beautiful Victorian homes, eclectic shopping
- The Castro: the world-famous Gay village under the Rainbow Flag
- Japantown: a little-known history of enterprise and jazz greats, shops that take pride in traditional Japanese culture...modern commerce too
- Mission District: a predominantly Latino community but also an artists' colony featuring a hundred exciting murals, music, dance, theater, mojo
- Chinatown: exotic and kinetic
San Francisco "Villages" Tour Itinerary
We start by strolling through Japantown, to see its singular shops and museum-quality objects d'art. We move to the Haight-Ashbury, home of the New Age, with blocks of Victorian homes, charming views, and a great place to find vintage clothing, posters, lava lamps, or the right tattoo. We explore the fabulous Castro neighborhood, the city's vibrant Gay mecca, where we take in the scene…before lunch in a popular local restaurant.
Afternoon begins at the 200-year-old, adobe Mission Dolores, in The Mission district, where we enjoy this dynamic neighborhood's evocative murals. We tour historically Italian North Beach, with its peaceful piazza (called Washington Square) and charming side streets filled with shops offering freshly roasted cappuccino and authentic gelato…or exotic, kinetic Chinatown…closing the day with a panoramic city and Bay view from atop Telegraph Hill.
Why Choose Our San Francisco Tours?
- We take you up close. Walk down Haight or Castro streets, with time to step inside shops with unusual goods.
- You get personal attention. We put San Francisco's attractions into their historical context, going where you want to go, and helping you remember you're on vacation.
- We can go anywhere. Our comfortable minivan goes places buses are not allowed.
- Our tours are flexible. Have a question? We'll take time to answer it. Want more time at a Buddhist monastery or the best chocolate truffle place in the city? No problem.
- Someone else does the driving. You see the city instead of fighting traffic, one-way streets and steep hills, searching for elusive parking spots.
- We offer full- and half-day San Francisco tours.
- Our guide is a trained historian.
- There are many other reasons why we're your best choice!
“Leave your car behind and just soak in the beauty of the Bay Area.”
“We felt the day was a perfect blend of walking, driving, history, and back-and-forth dialog with you…We would highly recommend "A Friend in Town" and Jesse to anyone looking to learn a lot about San Francisco and do so in a stress-free environment where you can leave your car behind and just soak in the beauty of the Bay area.”
– Jeff & Laura S. (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin)
More San Francisco Tours
Our day-long San Francisco tours present the city as an historic and multi-faceted urban landscape. If you want to learn more about the city, we suggest San Francisco City Guides' tours. These free walking tours take 90 minutes to two hours and offer in-depth looks at sites, architecture and famous citizens: Coit Tower's Depression-era murals, windswept Land's End (near The Cliff House and former site of Sutro Baths), the Yerba Buena Arts Center, and haunts of the strange and notorious.
“Far and away superior to any other tour I have taken”
“We especially enjoyed the behind the scenes Chinatown and all the wonderful information Jesse had on a variety of topics. My students and I learned a lot and had a great time. Thanks! P.S. This was far and away superior to any other tour I have taken in the bay area!”
– Peggy L. (El Paso, Texas)
What will it COST?
Because each tour is designed to fit your interests, our fees vary. Basically you pay by the number of hours in your itinerary. We do not add the fuel surcharges, "license fees," "tax" and mandatory gratuities that many other companies do.
| FEE | Average Duration | Additional Costs (paid to vendors) |
Gratuity | Add'l Hours | Minimum Duration | Minimum Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $480* | 8–9h | Entrance Fees, Lunch | ** | $55 ea | 6h | $315 |
* Not per-person
* These fees are for couples, groups of up to 6/7 people or solo travelers. For groups of 7 to 25 (whereby we charter a minibus), please ask for a quote.
** A gratuity is customary and will be appreciated, but is not required.
Click Here to find out more about our Fees.
If you are not satisfied with your tour — its adherence to the tour description or your stated requirements/preferences, A Friend in Town will issue you a complete refund, within 10 days.
Call: 1-800-960-8099Reserve Your Tour