San Francisco Highlights & Chinatown Walking Tour

Description

Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.

One of the best ways to get to know this amazing city is with comprehensive customized tours designed around your timetable and interests. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring along your camera to preserve everlasting memories.

The five-hour guided tour offers a broad view of this magnificent and multi-layered city and begins as you board your comfortable motorcoach. Sit back and relax as your guide regales you with tales of San Francisco's early days as a mission and pueblo. Conquered by the United States in 1846 the young city became the Mecca for gambling and carousing during the days of the Gold Rush. The great 1906 earthquake and fire may have destroyed much of the city but it continued to welcome wealth, military power, progressive cultures and high technology during the remainder of the 20th century.

Some of the major sites you'll travel past include Pier 39 near Fisherman's Wharf, the luxury shops and art galleries of Union Square, and the lovely 118-year-old Ferry Building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As you make your way through the city you'll have a chance to step off at designated 15-minute stops and take photos or explore sites such as the 100-year-old Palace of Fine Arts, a monumental structure featuring a soaring colonnade and grand rotunda overlooking an artificial lagoon; the 1.7 mile-long Golden Gate Bridge; and the Sutro Baths, famed as the world's largest indoor swimming pool establishment when they opened in 1896.

From here you'll continue to Golden Gate Park for a phto stop. If weather is permitting there will be a stop at Twin Peaks, named for the two identical summits that stand at an elevation of about 922 feet.

Last stop on the City Tour is a 60-minute guided walking tour of Chinatown. Once you arrive you'll disembark at the stone lions that flank the base of the pagoda-topped Chinatown Gate, the official entrance to Chinatown. Learn its history and take in the sights as you stroll through the largest Chinatown outside of Asia before rejoining your coach for the drive back to the pier.