Yvette M
Yelp
I went to San Francisco with my boyfriend and he booked the ghost and crime tour for the Saturday night. It was a really interesting blend of true crime, history and some seriously scary ghost stories. In other words perfect entertainment for the night. The tour stopped in a historical bar midway through the tour for a quick cocktail and then ended at the oldest pub in the city. It was our first night in SF and the guide was really helpful with recommendations for the rest of our stay. We’d definitely give it 5 out of 5!
John Julien
This was a great tour and Jamie was a fantastic guide! We were able to see so many parts of the city, learn its history, and feel comfortable navigating its many neighborhoods. Whether you’re visiting for a day or a week, I can’t recommend this tour enough. Thanks Jamie!
Gina Ziegler
TripAdvisor
What an awesome way to see San Francisco. Jamie our tour guide was born and raised in the city and was an amazing, interesting source of knowledge and made the tour so fun from riding the trolley car, easy walking, beautiful sites and excellent food and treats. I highly recommend this tour. And I must say, a great value. THANK YOU JAMIE, you made San Francisco so memorable!
Sightsee780139
TripAdvisor
Such an interesting deep dive into the Castro and Mission neighborhoods, for which we had an incredibly sunny warm summer day. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, having grown up in the area, and pointed out not only historical places, but beautiful murals, homes and fun nooks and crannies (like hidden stairways to streets) that we never would have seen on our own. We definitely came away with much more of an appreciation for Castro and the Mission (love Dolores Park!) and will seek out other neighborhoods on our next trip!
Gillian_D
Viator
I had the most amazing time, as a solo traveller doing a small group tour is perfect. My tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. He gave us lots of fun facts along the way and the whole experience was very interesting. Bring your walking shoes we started at 10 am and finished at 6 pm, I highly recommend you do this tour. We went to places tourist didn’t go.
Jamie Sarkozi
My Boyfriend and I booked an all Day SF tour with Christofer and had an amazing time! He knew a ton of history which we loved and we were able to see a ton. We loved it as it had been our first time visiting. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to be shown around the city.
Civic Center & Alamo Square Tour
PRICE
Free/Zilch/Nada
Just like the best things in life
WALKING
2.5 miles
An easy walking distance
TIME
Do it when it suits you
Take as long as you like
Begin your self-guided Civic Center Alamo Square tour at San Francisco's magnificent City Hall. Take in the open spaces of Civic Center Plaza and UN Plaza, before crossing Van Ness Avenue and heading to Hayes Valley for coffee, or something to eat.
After that take a short walk to the famous Painted Ladies, in Alamo Square, and get some photos of the houses against the backdrop of San Francisco's Financial District, Once that's done take Fillmore Street north a few blocks to Japantown. You're now in the perfect spot for lunch obviously, so do the decent thing and take a break here.
Once you're finished a short stroll brings you back east to Van Ness and California, which is the terminus of the California Line Cable Car. Take this icon of San Francisco up and over Nob Hill to the Embarcadero. It's the perfect way to see and experience San Francisco.
Or you can do the Civic Center & Alamo Square tour in reverse, taking the cable car from the Embarcadero and starting at California and Van Ness.
SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL AND CIVIC CENTER
Start this self-guided tour in the heart of the Civic Center, at the beautiful Beaux Arts City Hall.
Built to replace San Francisco's old City Hall, which burned down in the 1906 Great Fire, it opened in 1915 and believe it or not, is actually a little smaller than the original.
The architect is Arthur Brown Jr, who also designed Coit Tower, in North Beach.
Monday to Friday City Hall is open to the public and going inside is definitely recommended. If the opportunity presents itself. San Francisco City Hall is a very popular spot for wedding pictures, and if you're lucky you will be able to see a procession of brides and grooms having their photo taken.
In fact City Hall was also the venue of the very first legal same-sex marriage ceremony in the U.S., on February 12 2004, between Dorothy 'Del' Martin and Phyllis Lyon, in a ceremony officiated by then-mayor Gavin Newsom.
HAYES VALLEY
For a period after the Gold Rush Hayes Valley was an agricultural area, populated by immigrants from Italy (mostly Genoa), that operated small farms here. As the years passed though the neighborhood began to be developed with housing. It now has a lovely collection of Victorian houses, that escaped the Great Fire of 1906.
Things looked up for the area in the Twentieth Century, precisely due to it avoiding the destructive fire. Because other neighborhoods would not allow non-whites to live there, many different ethnic groups ended up living in Hayes Valley and the Fillmore District. with Hayes Valley itself becaming a predominantly African American neighborhood.
Then, in the 1950's the government decided to run an elevated freeway (a section of the U.S. 101 Freeway) through the valley. This kind of urban planning was common throughout the U.S. at the time. Generally freeways were routed through low-income communities that couldn't do anything to stop them.
However, the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake damaged the freeway and it was eventually demolished to create the beautiful, thriving (and gentrified) neighborhood of today. There are some lovely coffee shops, bars and restaurants in the streets here.
ALAMO SQUARE AND PAINTED LADIES
After visiting Hayes Valley head over to one of the most famous sites in San Francisco, the Painted Ladies, for the next stop on your Civic Center & Alamo Square tour.
Commonly known as the Painted Ladies or Seven Sisters, this row of seven Victorian houses at 710–720 Steiner Street is one of the most photographed spots in the Bay Area.
The houses were constructed in the years 1892-6 by a developer called Matthew Kavanaugh. Fortunately they survived the Great Fire of 1906, as the flames were beaten back east of here.
The houses have featured in numerous TV shows and movies set in San Francisco but, truth be told, there are many more impressive examples of beautiful Victorian houses in the city.
What really sets these apart is the backdrop of City Hall, the Financial District and the rest of the city which is clearly visible behind the houses. Overall there isn't a better shot of the city.
Most days the Blue House is opened for tours by the owner at 4 pm. Check here for more details.
FILLMORE DISTRICT
After seeing the Painted Ladies on Alamo Square, drop down to Fillmore Street and walk north.
The Fillmore District rose to prominence after the Great Fire of 1906, when many businesses and people moved to the surviving neighborhood. During the first half of the 20th Century this was considered one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in SF.
However the onset of World War 2 led to most Japanese Americans from the neighborhood being interned. This opened up many of the residences in the area at the same time as war-fighting industries were surging. These factors led to many African Americans moving to the Fillmore District.
In turn this led to the development of a thriving live music scene, and specifically the opening of several famous Jazz clubs in the 1940's and 50's.
With gentrification in the 1970's and 80's many of these concert venues closed, but if you're in SF at the right time the Fillmore Jazz Festival(opens in new tab) is definitely worth checking out.
JAPANTOWN
There's been a significant Japanese population in San Francisco since the Gold Rush, when many people from Asia made the difficult journey across the Pacific to make their fortunes.
After the Great Fire of 1906 Japanese immigrants moved to this part of the Western Addition and it developed into a thriving Japantown, with at least 5,000 Japanese residents and over 200 businesses. By this point it was one of the largest Japanese enclaves outside the land of the rising sun.
However, the internment of most Japanese Americans in 1942, during the Second World War, meant that by 1943 most of the neighborhood was vacant. Much like in Los Angeles, this meant that many African Americans, moving to the city to work in war industries moved into the area.
Although many Japanese moved back to the neighborhood after the war, a significant number of former residents did not. On top of that unsympathetic alterations and redevelopments meant that it lost some of its previous character.
However today, as you'll notice, it has become a phenomenal place for eating out. The streets are lined with sushi and ramen restaurants and the Japan Center mall is full of great eating establishments. The intense competition is such that every establishment is good, so why not make the most of the opportunity and get something to eat?
CATHEDRAL OF ST MARY OF THE ASSUMPTION
As you leave Japantown behind and head east to Van Ness Avenue you'll pass a very distinctive looking house of worship. This is in fact the principal cathedral for the Catholic diocese of San Francisco.
The cathedral originally rose here in the 1880's as the faithful needed a larger place of worship than St Mary's in Chinatown (which is still there). However, a fire in 1962 burnt the building down completely.
Looking at rebuilding with a modern design the architects were accused of borrowing more than a little from the look of Saint Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo (which might be appropriate, bearing in mind the proximity of Japantown).
In fact many of the faithful didn't like the futuristic design, naming the cathedral "Our Lady of Maytag", after the washing machine brand.
You can make up your own mind about the merits of the design, but it surely is distinctive.
POLK GULCH
When you reach Van Ness Avenue, cross over and go a block east to Polk Street. This stretch of the road is known as the Polk Gulch, because there was originally a stream running along the bottom of the valley.
Walk north for the next part of your Civic Center & Alamo Square tour.
During the 19th Century this area became home to a large German expatriate population, however by the middle of the 20th Century it became one of the main gay neighborhoods in San Francisco(opens in new tab). In fact Polk Street was the scene of the first official San Francisco Gay Pride Parade(opens in new tab).in 1972.
As time passed many gay residents moved to the Castro(opens in new tab), but it's still a fun neighborhood with a lot of restaurants, bars, clubs and shops.
CALIFORNIA LINE CABLE CAR
Near the corner of California and Van Ness is the end stop of the California Street Cable Car Line. Almost every first-time visitor to San Francisco wants to take the cable car for a journey across the city, so this is your chance.
Cable cars were introduced to San Francisco in the 1870's as a way to deal with the city's steep hills, and were saved in the 1950's when they city wanted to replace them with buses. Thank God they were preserved, because they are a wonderful way to experience (and get around) San Francisco.
The California Line Cable Car Line is the least busy of the three lines still in existence, and the most used by commuters. The line takes passengers over the top of Nob Hill, where the millionaires of 19th Century San Francisco built their palaces to look over the city and bay.
Today Nob Hill is home to several grand hotels, including the magnificent Fairmont, and the Cable Car Museum, both of which are well-worth visiting. So end your Civic Center & Alamo Square tour by taking the cable car.
On the other side of Nob Hill California Street skirts Chinatown, and the end of the line is at California and Market Street on the Embarcadero, near the Ferry Building. So that's a great place to take one of our other self-guided tours to explore another part of this great city.
We hope you enjoyed this free self-guided Civic Center & Alamo Square self-guided tour.
For more information on things to do in San Francisco and how to navigate the city take a look at S.F. Info and Inside SF, and check in with us on social media to see what else we're doing.
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