Hop-On Hop-Off sight seeing tour, San Francisco

For any tourist visiting San Francisco, a Hop-On Hop-Off Open top sight seeing is a must tour. From the hustle and bustle of  Fisherman's Wharf to the peaceful tranquility of Golden Gate Park, there is no better way to see San Francisco than from the top of an Open Top double decker bus. You can hop on and hop off at any of the 20 spots that the buses have throughout the entire duration of your ticket.

There are multiple operators with prices ranging from $35 per adult ( Child - $20 ) for a 24 hour ticket to $45 per adult ( Child - $25 ) for a 48 hour tickets which take us around the San Francisco City. They also have a panoramic night tour which is priced at $20 per adult ( Child - $10 ) . In some buses there is a guide who travels along with us and explains the history associated with each place. In some others they have a recorded commentary in a choice of 10 languages. I have personally enjoyed the recorded commentary because sitting on the Open top you might not hear the guide's live commentary clearly because of the noise around.

Some of the tours also provide Free bike rental for an hour and also a walking tour of China Town and North Beach. Ask your tour operator about these freebies!

I have listed down the stops that Open Top SightSeeing tour bus makes. Under each stop, the attractions near to the stop are listed. Use this to plan the places that you would like to visit in San Francisco city.

Stop1 : San Francisco Visitor Centre

           Attractions : Fisherman' wharf, shopping and restaurants

Stop 2: Activity Centre

           Attractions : Good for Fisherman's wharf, shopping, Powell-Hyde cable car, Rainforest Cafe, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Wax  Museum, Submarine, Navy ship

Stop 3: Washington Square

           Attractions : North Beach, Little Italy, historical site, restaurants, shopping, beauty spot

Stop 4: North Beach, Little Italy

           Attractions : North Beach, Little Italy, historical site

Stop 5: Embarcadero

           Attractions : Beauty spot, wild parrots, close to Ferry Building and Farmers Market

Stop 6: Union Square South

           Attractions : Shopping, restaurants, Cable Cars

Stop 7: Civic Center

           Attractions : Asian Art museum, central library

Stop 8: Fulton Street

           Attractions : Symphony Hall, Opera Theatre

Stop 9: Alamo Square

           Attractions : Painted Ladies, Alamo Square Park

Stop 10: Haight Ashbury

            Attractions : Haight and Ashbury area, restaurants, shopping

Stop 11: Golden Gate Park

            Attractions : California Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, DeYoung museum, Botanical Gardens

Stop 12: Golden Gate Bridge South

            Attractions : Great views of the bridge and the bay. You can walk or bike on the bridge before 6 PM

Stop 13: Golden Gate Bridge North

            Attractions : Great views of the bridge and the bay. You can walk or bike on the bridge before 6 PM

Stop 14: Palace of Fine Arts

            Attractions : Exploratorium, Presidio Park, Marina, shopping

Stop 15: Lombard Street 1

             Attractions : Union street shopping, restaurants, Marina district

Stop 16: Lombard Street 2

             Attractions : Crooked street

Stop 17: Union Square North

             Attractions : Post street, Union square, shopping, restaurants, cable cars

Stop 18: China Town

             Attractions : China Town, shopping, restaurants

Stop 19: Steuart Street

             Attractions : Embarcadero, restaurants, Cupids Bow, Bay Bridge views

Stop 20: Pier 39

             Aquarium of the Bay, sea lions, restaurants, shopping

Hope this helps. Happy touring!