Up-Close & Personal: Small-Group Tour of San Francisco Highlights in a Woody Van

Quick Details

• **Meeting Point/Time:** Your Downtown San Francisco Hotel/10am*
• **Duration 4.5 hours**
• **End Point/Time:** Your downtown SF Hotel or Pier 39/2:30pm*
• **Group Size:** 12 passengers maximum
• **Includes** Professional guide, Custom open-sided touring van, Warm blankets and jackets for foggy days
• **Excludes** Gratuity for guide and Price of lunch

What Makes this Tour Special?

• **One Tour Per Day** Your group has the guide’s full attention and energy. This ensures a relaxed, unrushed experience tailored to your interests.
• **Book Direct** for free cancellation up to 24-hours in advance, the guaranteed lowest price, and no hidden fees.
• **Flexible Itinerary, Driven by You** The day unfolds around what your group finds most exciting. You can explore streets, neighborhoods, or quirky corners that interest you most.
• **Small, friendly groups** You’ll feel like you’re exploring the city with friends, not strangers. The tour pace allows time to linger, ask questions, and share laughs together.
• **Neighborhood variety & depth** From Pacific Heights to the Mission and Haight-Ashbury to the Golden Gate Bridge, you’ll see a mix of iconic sights and local favorites. You’ll feel like you’re discovering corners of the city that most visitors miss.
• **Guide with humor & insider knowledge** You’ll hear stories that make the city come alive and laugh along the way. The guide’s local tips help you see San Francisco like a native.

What to Know Before you Go

• *If you are staying outside downtown SF, we can arrange a mutually convenient pickup point.
• *Exact pickup time depends on where you and other guests are staying on the day.
• I do one tour per day for just twelve guests. Each day is fun, friendly, and never quite the same, but sells out fast. *But it sells out fast.*
• The weather in SF is mild, but can be highly variable. Dress in layers and bring your sense of adventure!

FAQ: Where do you go on tour?

The itinerary for my tours depends on the day and the interest of the guests on board. I try to make it the best experience of the City **just that day** and for the people on board just that day.

We will always stop at the **Golden Gate Bridge** and at a city skyline view point like **Tank Hill** or **Alamo Square**.

Beyond that, I like to drive through some historic neighborhoods like **Chinatown**, **North Beach** (Little Italy), **Pacific Heights** and the **Presidio**. We will stop and hop out of the van for short walks in these neighborhoods if there is time and interest.

If there is time and guest interest, I also like to stop at some special "secret" spots. These include the **Fortune Cookie Factory** in Chinatown, the the Moraga Street **mosaic-tiled stairs** in the Sunset, the **Seward Slides** in Eureka Valley, the **Balmy Alley** murals in the Mission, inside **Fort Point** under the Golden Gate Bridge or abandoned fortifications around the **Marin Headlands** above the Golden Gate Bridge.

If there is time and guest interest, I like to drive down **Vermont Street**, the "real crookedest street" in the City, or down a section of **22nd street* that is the steepest in the City.

Most guests are going out to Alcatraz or to other activities in the afternoon, so I also make a stop where folks on the tour can buy some lunch. Most frequently, this is in the **Haight-Ashbury** neighborhood, which has a full service market/deli, excellent pizza slice shop, a burger place, excellent coffee, San Francisco’s only Muffaletta shop, and more!

FAQ: Do You Get Out of the Van?

I like to get out of the van *AT LEAST* three times - at an amazing up-close viewpoint for the **Golden Gate Bridge**, at a vista point where we can take in San Francisco’s skyline, and at a neighborhood where we stop for a quick lunch and some local people watching.

Favorite Golden Gate Bridge view spots include **Fort Point** (underneath the bridge on the south side), **Hawk Hill**, and **Fort Baker** (there are both across the bridge in the Marin Headlands).

Favorite city view stops include **Alamo Square** (where you will find the “Seven Sisters” **Painted Ladies**), Yerba Buena Island in the middle of the Bay Bridge, and **Tank Hill** in Ashbury Heights. I generally avoid Twin Peaks - it is time-consuming to access by vehicle.

In addition to the three standard stops, I often hop out of the van to visit the **Fortune Cookie Factory** in Chinatown, the **“Full House” house** on Broderick Street, the **Palace of Fine Arts**, the mosaic steps in **Golden Gate Heights**, the murals in **Balmy Alley** in the Mission district, **and more**!

FAQ: What Time/Where Is Pickup? What If I Am Not Staying Downtown?

I collect guests from downtown hotels in San Francisco (**Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, Nob Hill, Embarcadero, SOMA**) in the morning between 9:45 am and 10:15 am.

The time changes depending on the number of pickup stops and where your location is on the route. I will contact you the day before to advise an exact time or please feel free to reach out to me the day before your tour at **[email protected]** or **+1 (415) 323-6180**.

If you are staying out of the city or in another neighborhood, I can arrange for pickup in a downtown location. If you will be **driving** in or using a **taxi/rideshare** plan to meet at the **Hotel Riu Plaza in Fisherman's Wharf**. There are several flat-rate lots in the area where you can leave your car while you are on tour and be close by when you finish up at Alcatraz. If you will be using **BART or other transit**, plan to meet at the **Hyatt Regency on Drumm Street** directly above the Drumm Street exit from the Embarcadero BART Station

Thanks for booking with me! I’m stoked to be part of your party’s adventure in San Francisco. I will follow up with you directly within 24 hours to introduce my self and go over any details that are needed.

You can get in in touch direct via phone/WhatsApp at (415) 323-6180 or by email at [email protected]

Cheers

-Eric Schaefer

Owner/Guide, Fogcutter Tours

!Eric at Alamo Square