We chose to name our tour of this great California city after the bridge that connects it to the mainland. The Golden Gate Tour starts with a daylong walking tour of famous landmarks and districts such as Nob Hill and Chinatown. Then you can pick from 3 more focused tours: the Golden Gate Bridge and Park Walk, The Presidio (a tour of one of the final Mexican outposts in California), or for the brave few, Alcatraz Week. Alcatraz Week is special yearly offering from Explore California that offers the chance to actually stay on this infamous island. Space is limited to 10 guests, so call now to reserve your cell!
Once the largest city in the western United States, our City by the Bay is truly a jewel of California. Today, San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination, renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern home buildings. The city is also a principal banking and finance center, helping to make San Francisco fifteenth in the world’s most powerful cities. 
Our first day is a self-guided walking tour. The journey will highlight famous landmarks and familiarize you with the unique sociology of San Francisco. Particular attention is paid to the Victorian houses, Civic Center, Union Square, Nob Hill, Cable Cars, Chinatown, North Beach, Coit Tower, Fisherman’s Wharf, Marina District, Palace of Fine Arts, The Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Twin Peaks, Golden Gate Bridge and more. After this inital experience, you can dive into one of these more focused tours.
The Golden Gate Bridge and Park Walk
The 2km full length of the Golden Gate Bridge made it one of the largest suspension bridges of the 20th century. Since surpassed by a number of less-aesthetic structures, the Golden Gate is still the symbol of San Francisco. Despite its red appearance, the color of the bridge is officially an orange vermillion called international orange. The color was selected by consulting architect Irving Morrow because it compliments the natural surroundings and enhances the bridge’s visibility in fog. The bridge is said to be one of the most beautiful examples of bridge engineering, both as a structural design challenge and for its aesthetic appeal.The nearby Golden Gate Park is three times the size of Central Park in New York City and boasts some of the most amazing and signature architectural pieces in the city. Though the park has seen changes over the years, what remains today is a testament to the will of the city to preserve a place to play, relax and grow culturally. The new de Young museum is sure to bring a new wave of visitors, as the re-opening of the Conservatory of Flowers did in 2003.
The Final Presido
One of the final Mexican holdouts in California is found at the Presido in San Francisco. Here you can experience the lives of the original “San Franciscans” who were born and died in Alta California. Because of the Presidio’s city-like infrastructure, its nearly 800 buildings, its inhabitants were able to hold out for months while the city of San Francisco was turned over to the Americans. Over the last 148 years, the U.S. Army has taken over the space and transformed the Presidio grounds from mostly empty windswept dunes and scrub to a verdant, preeminent military post. Since 1994, the Presidio has been a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Your tour will highlight the historic buildings and natural surroundings that make this area so unique.
Alcatraz Week
Ever wonder what is was like to live on the Rock? We can show you. In an amazing option for only a chosen few who pass the stringent tests, we will put ten of our customers each year in a special group to live on Alcatraz for one week. You will eat in the prison mess, sleep in the cells, and walk in the yard. But you can’t leave the Rock — until your final day. On that final day, we’ll make any period options available to escape from this most maximum security prison. A feast fit for a king or queen will await you in San Francisco if you can make it. And we hope you do.