Big Bus Tours · San Francisco
The open-top double-decker that loops past 18 stops from Fisherman's Wharf to Golden Gate Park, with recorded commentary and a pass for 24, 48 or 72 hours. It's the cheapest way to cover the city at your own pace, with mixed reviews to match.
This is the big red bus. The Red Route runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., about every 15 minutes, and takes roughly two and a half hours if you never get off. Its 18 stops include Ghirardelli Square, the Ferry Building, Union Square, Civic Center, Alamo Square, Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Palace of Fine Arts, Lombard Street and Pier 39. Commentary is recorded, through souvenir earbuds, and the Big Bus app tracks the buses live.
The pass length changes what you get. The 24-hour ticket is the bus. The 48-hour ticket adds a one-hour panoramic sunset tour and a digital Chinatown walk; the 72-hour ticket adds a one-hour bay cruise too, redeemed at the Blue & Gold Fleet box office at Pier 39. The listing also includes a buy-one-hour-get-one-free bike rental offer from Blazing Saddles.
Now the honest part. The 4.1 average hides two camps. Happy guests liked the views from the top deck and the freedom. Unhappy ones describe waits for the next bus, stops that are hard to find away from stop 1, audio that drifts out of sync, and a one-way loop with no quick way back. If you want a person explaining the city, a VW bus tour costs more but rates far higher.
Download the Big Bus Tours app: it holds and activates your ticket and shows where the buses are.
Start at stop 1, Big Bus Tours San Francisco. Any stop works with a printed or phone ticket.
Ghirardelli Square, the Embarcadero, the Ferry Building, Union Square and Civic Center.
Alamo Square, Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate Park and the Golden Gate Bridge. Hop off where you want time.
The Palace of Fine Arts, Cow Hollow, Lombard Street and Pier 39. Buses run until 5 p.m.
★★★★★Wonderful ride across the Golden Gate Bridge with friendly drivers that are very helpful and provided recommendations on different venues
★★★★★You get the opportunity to stop and explore the sites you want to and grab the next bus that comes by. If it's your first time I would recommend a Multi-day pass just because there is a lot to see and do
★★★★★Good experience,drivers were good, very informative and the busses were clean . We did the sunset tour in addition and it was excellent
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About two and a half hours for the full 18-stop loop without getting off. Buses run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., about every 15 minutes.
No live guide. Commentary is recorded and plays through earbuds you get on board.
A one-hour panoramic sunset tour, a digital Chinatown walking tour and a one-hour bay cruise from Pier 39. The 48-hour ticket adds the sunset tour and the Chinatown walk.
For a budget, self-paced day, yes. It rates 4.1 because of waits and hard-to-find stops. Our hop-on hop-off vs guided tour guide weighs it up.
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Hop on and off at 18 Red Route stops for 24 to 72 hours, with audio commentary.
Gray Line San Francisco Grand City TourFour hours by coach with a guide, across the bridge to Vista Point, plus Twin Peaks and Lands End.★ 4.2 · 4 hours · from $69
San Francisco City Tour by Vintage VW BusThree hours in a vintage VW bus with five photo stops, a live guide and seven guests at most.★ 5.0 · 3 hours · from $103
Golden Gate Bay CruiseOne hour from Pier 43 1/2, under the Golden Gate Bridge and back past Alcatraz, with audio in 16 languages.★ 4.7 · 1 hour · from $35