San Francisco Love Tours · San Francisco
A two-hour ride in a painted 70s Volkswagen bus with shag carpet and 60s music, past the old homes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. Pick it for the counterculture story and the people waving at you, not for long stops.
San Francisco Love Tours drives hand-painted 70s VW buses with neon-blue seats and shag carpet. The driver-guide starts in Haight-Ashbury, past the former homes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and members of the Grateful Dead, then heads through Union Square and Civic Center to the Golden Gate Bridge for a 10-minute photo stop.
After the bridge the bus goes down Lombard Street and through Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, North Beach and the Castro, then stops 10 minutes in the Mission District before passing Golden Gate Park on the way back. Expect 60s songs, singing along and a lot of people flashing peace signs at the bus. Reviewers love it.
The trade-off is the two stops. One guest in October wished they had got out at the Painted Ladies and the crooked street, which the bus only drives past. Another said it was hard to hear the guide from the back. For more stops in the same kind of bus, Vantigo gives you five in three hours.
The buses pull up on Hyde Street near the corner of Hyde and Jefferson, by the Argonaut Hotel or the park across the street.
Past the old homes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead.
Via Union Square and Civic Center to the bridge for 10 minutes of photos.
Down Lombard Street, then Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, North Beach and the Castro.
Ten minutes in the Mission District and its Latin roots, then past Golden Gate Park back to Hyde Street.
★★★★★A fun and easy way to get a fabulous overview of San Francisco. The van is very comfortable and safe. Our tour guide Cyrus was funny and knowledgeable. He took great pictures for all of us. The group is small enough so you don't feel overwhelmed [...]
★★★★★Marvelous, fun tour. Tara was a wonderful guide. Entertaining and informative. Great music and great sights. Riding down crooked Lombard St singing, with our radio blaring, and giving peace sign to all the folks photographing us is a memory to keep.
★★★★★Wonderful way to see San Francisco. Dave was full of great stories and he covered the city so well. We have been to San Francisco before but loved this tour! It is different than a bus tour and was so much more interesting!
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At 2899 Hyde St. The buses pull up on Hyde Street near Hyde and Jefferson, by the Argonaut Hotel. The tour ends at the same place.
Two photo stops of about 10 minutes: the Golden Gate Bridge and the Mission District. Everything else, Lombard Street included, you see from the bus.
Yes, but infants need their own ticket and you must bring the car seat.
About two hours. Our VW bus tour guide compares it with the other two VW tours.
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Two hours in a painted 70s VW bus through Haight-Ashbury, with a stop at the Golden Gate Bridge.
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