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Choosing a Great San Francisco Tour

Escape SF Tours

1231 21st Ave Ste 1
San Francisco,  CA   94122-1736
Phone: (866) 372-2735

Get onto a bike trail and experience the Bay Area's rural landscape. Pamper yourself on a rugged outdoor excursion by letting Escape SF get you there in style. Travel with 10 to 15 others in an air-conditioned van while trip leaders stow your luggage and bikes, pointing out historical information on your way up the mountain. During the descent, stop for scenic photo opportunities or just push your way through the switchbacks.
Hiking and biking tours are Escape SF's specialties, with daily runs through places like Mt. Tamalpais-West Peak and Muir Woods. If downhill isn't your thing, the company also offers a bed-and-breakfast package (bikes included) for exploring Sonoma Wine Country, and a five-day hiking/biking Yosemite package. Popular with natives and out-of-towners alike, Escape SF is known for sweating all the details. A shuttle will pick you up from any hotel in San Francisco, and even day tours include a catered lunch with dessert and energy bars for everyone.

Victorian Home Walk

2226 15TH St
San Francisco,  CA   94114-1238
Phone: (415) 252-9485
Price: $20

Ditch the overcrowded tourist districts with this architecturally informative walking tour. A wonderful San Francisco tour to look into the city's history. The Victorian Home Walk is a must for anyone visiting or living in San Francisco. The tour, founded by architecure maven Jay Gifford five years ago, usually consists of groups of fewer than 20 people. Don't be afraid of getting winded--the undemanding (and tour-bus free) route begins in Japantown and winds through the flats of Pacific Heights.

Gifford, a 20-year resident of San Francisco, is incredibly personable and frighteningly well-informed. While explaining the differences between Queen Anne, Italianate and Stick-Style architecture, the informal Gifford throws in a few juicy historical anecdotes about the former locations of San Francisco 's hottest bordellos. He may even confide "I get my best dirt from my clients."

Mangia: North Beach Food Tour

P O Box 475877
San Francisco,  CA   94147
Phone: (415) 927-3933

Experience culinary culture on the heels of a professional. After taking up GraceAnn Walden's suggestion on that elusive parking spot in North Beach, you can mingle with other hungry group members, but don't go spoiling your appetite on coffee shop pastries. Once Walden arrives you're off to sample the city through a selection of delis, restaurants and bakeries, some as old as the neighborhood itself. A food writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, Walden puts her knowledge of the scene to good use for her clients. Red sauce still rules in North Beach, but don't expect all old-school Italy, one minute you might be sampling gourmet truffles and the next hobnobbing in the latest restaurant making waves in food circles. The four-hour tour is as informative as it is mouth-watering, with details about Italian immigration during the 19th century and how North Beach became what it is today.

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