Booking choice: The Vantigo VW bus tour, from $103 per person. Check dates Tour details
Vantigo's tour is the one Viator titles San Francisco City Tour. The Painted Ladies Tour Company and San Francisco Love Tours run similar small-group tours in vintage VW buses.
All three are rated 4.9 or 5.0 by guests, all three cancel free up to 24 hours before, and none of them includes hotel pickup.
The quick answer
Pick Vantigo for the fullest loop: three hours with five photo stops including Coit Tower and Twin Peaks. Pick the Painted Ladies tour for a two-hour version with snacks. Pick the Love Tour for a painted 70s bus and Haight-Ashbury music history. All take at most seven guests.
Which VW bus tours can you book in San Francisco?
Three on Viator: Vantigo's San Francisco City Tour, the Painted Ladies City Tour and the San Francisco Love Tour.
| Vantigo | Painted Ladies | Love Tour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | $103 | $82 | $99 |
| Length | 3 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Rating | 5.0 (836) | 4.9 (2,479) | 4.9 (3,175) |
| Photo stops | Coit Tower, Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks, Painted Ladies | Palace of Fine Arts, Painted Ladies, Golden Gate Bridge | Golden Gate Bridge, Mission District |
| Meeting point | 427 Post St or 1300 Columbus Ave | 427 Post St or 1300 Columbus Ave | 2899 Hyde St |
| Ages | 5+, child rate 5 to 11 | Any age, one price | Any age, one price |
| Confirmation | At booking | Within 48 hours | At booking |
What does the Vantigo tour cover?
Five photo stops in about three hours: Coit Tower, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks and the Painted Ladies.
It also passes Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, North Beach, the Marina, Golden Gate Park, the Civic Center and Haight-Ashbury. A guide and bottled water are included, and the tour needs at least three guests to run.
The full loop with Twin Peaks: check dates for the three-hour VW bus tour.
Check dates for the Vantigo VW bus tourHow is the Painted Ladies tour different?
It is shorter, at about two hours, with three photo stops, and it includes snacks as well as water.
It passes Lombard Street and film locations such as the Mrs. Doubtfire house. Confirmation can take up to 48 hours, the tour needs at least three people, and booster seats are available if you ask when booking. Its listing asks guests to complete a digital waiver before the tour.
What is the Love Tour?
A two-hour tour in a painted 70s VW bus that drives through Haight-Ashbury past the former homes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and members of the Grateful Dead.
It stops for photos at the Golden Gate Bridge and in the Mission District, drives down Lombard Street, and meets at 2899 Hyde St near Hyde and Jefferson. Gratuities are not included.
Want the flower-power version? The Love Tour's painted bus covers the city in two hours.
Explore the Love Tour Tour detailsCan VW buses really go where big buses can't?
Yes, within limits: the SFMTA restricts some city streets for vehicles with capacity for 8 or more passengers or a gross weight over 3 tons.
The SFMTA tour bus rules add that buses on restricted streets can be cited, and a double-decker is over both limits. Vantigo lists access to districts the large buses cannot go, and the Painted Ladies tour promises viewpoints where large buses are banned. One Vantigo guest wrote that the guide took them to many areas the hop-on hop-off bus can't reach.
Are the VW buses accessible and comfortable?
They are not wheelchair accessible; the Love Tour says its crew will help fold a wheelchair into the back.
The Painted Ladies and Love tours list stroller access. One Love Tour guest described the van as very comfortable and safe; one Vantigo guest liked that passengers rotate seats so everyone gets a good view.
How many people are on a VW bus tour?
At most seven: all three listings cap each bus at seven travelers.
Vantigo and the Painted Ladies tour also need at least three guests for a departure to run.
Seven seats per bus: check which dates still have space.
Check dates for the Painted Ladies VW tourWhich VW bus tour should you choose?
Vantigo for the most complete loop, the Painted Ladies tour for the shortest and cheapest, the Love Tour for the 60s story.
If you would rather sit high up in an open-top bus and hop off, read hop-on hop-off vs guided. For prices side by side, see city tour prices.
Frequently asked questions
Is the VW bus tour open-top?
No. The listings describe vintage Volkswagen buses, not open-top vehicles. For an open top, the Big Bus double-decker is the option.
Does the VW bus tour pick up from hotels?
No. Vantigo and the Painted Ladies tour meet at 427 Post St or 1300 Columbus Ave, and the Love Tour at 2899 Hyde St.
Do VW bus tours cross the Golden Gate Bridge?
Their listings show a photo stop at the bridge rather than a crossing.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
San Francisco City Tour by Vintage VW Bus
- Live guide and commentary on San Francisco history
- Vintage Volkswagen bus, maximum 7 travelers
- Stops: Coit Tower, Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks, Painted Ladies
Painted Ladies City Tour by VW Bus
- Live guide in a vintage Volkswagen bus, maximum 7 per vehicle
- Snacks and bottled water
- Stops: Palace of Fine Arts, Painted Ladies, Golden Gate Bridge; passes Lombard Street
San Francisco Love Tour in a 70s VW Bus
Haight-Ashbury music history and a painted VW bus
