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San Francisco City Tour: Explore in a Vintage VW Van
5.0
73 Ratings
San Francisco
Experience San Francisco like never before on a private vintage Volkswagen van tour. Explore 14 districts, iconic landmarks, and hear fascinating stories from a local guide. Book now!
Experience San Francisco like never before on a private vintage Volkswagen van tour. Explore 14 districts, iconic landmarks, and hear fascinating stories from a local guide. Book now!
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Vantigo Tours - Enjoy private tours that let you explore at your own pace. These tours are fully customizable, and Vantigo collaborates with you to create the ideal experience. One ticket reserves the entire 7-passenger bus!
- Union Square - Drive through
- Fisherman’s Wharf - Drive through
- Chinatown - Drive through
- Coit Tower -…
- Vantigo Tours - Enjoy private tours that let you explore at your own pace. These tours are fully customizable, and Vantigo collaborates with you to create the ideal experience. One ticket reserves the entire 7-passenger bus!
- Union Square - Drive through
- Fisherman’s Wharf - Drive through
- Chinatown - Drive through
- Coit Tower - Photo stop
- North Beach - Drive through
- Marina District - Drive through
- Palace of Fine Arts Theatre - Photo stop
- Golden Gate Bridge - Photo stop at Fort Point
- Legion of Honor - Drive through
- Golden Gate Park - Drive through
- Sutro Baths - Photo/rest stop
- Ocean Beach - Drive through
- Haight-Ashbury - Drive through
- Twin Peaks - Photo stop
- Alamo Square - Photo stop
- Civic Center - Drive through
What's Included
- Access to districts the large buses cannot go
- Bottled water
- Professional guide
- Custom pickup and drop off within San Francisco City Limits
- Snacks
- Alcoholic beverages
- Access to districts the large buses cannot go
- Bottled water
- Professional guide
- Custom pickup and drop off within San Francisco City Limits
- Snacks
- Alcoholic beverages
What's Not Included
- This tour does not include Muir Woods as an option
- This tour does not include Muir Woods as an option
Additional Information
Are you in search of an entirely unique way to explore San Francisco? Swap the common tour bus for a classic Volkswagen van that effortlessly cruises through the city’s less frequented lanes. Vantigo’s San Francisco City Tour escorts you through 14 renowned districts, pausing at particular spots with spectacular views of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate…
Are you in search of an entirely unique way to explore San Francisco? Swap the common tour bus for a classic Volkswagen van that effortlessly cruises through the city’s less frequented lanes. Vantigo’s San Francisco City Tour escorts you through 14 renowned districts, pausing at particular spots with spectacular views of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and plenty of other iconic landmarks. As your journey unfolds, we’ll weave in narratives about the earthquakes that formed the city’s topography, the transformation from the era of the 1849 Gold Rush to Silicon Valley’s emergence, the 1960s counterculture, and many more intriguing facts only a native could share. Snacks, beverages, beer, and wine are all included!
Whether you are a first-time visitor to San Francisco or have been a resident for years, this tour will present the city to you in a fresh light. Reserve your spot today and prepare for an entertaining ride!
- Recommended tip amount: $20 per passenger (tips make up a large chunk of tour guide income in the U.S!)
Location
Vantigo Tours
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(73 Ratings)
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176kathrinem
Apr 1, 2026
Amazing tour experience with Josh and Harvey - Our experience exploring San Francisco was absolutely unforgettable, thanks to our amazing tour guide, Josh! From the moment we stepped into a charming 150-year-old Volkswagen van named Harvey, we knew we were in for something special.
Josh was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely fun to be around. He took us to all the must-see spots around downtown, making sure we didn’t miss a single highlight. What really stood out was how relaxed and unhurried the entire tour felt—we never felt rushed and were able to truly soak in the beauty and history of the city.
He went above and beyond by offering snacks and drinks throughout the ride, and even took photos for us so we could fully enjoy the moment without worrying about capturing it ourselves.
This tour was worth every penny and more. If you’re looking for a unique, comfortable, and memorable way to experience San Francisco, I can’t recommend Josh and his vintage van Harvey enough!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rhondabt526rm
Mar 24, 2026
Tour with Josh - The tour with Josh was awesome!!! He is very knowledgeable and fun. He made sure we had plenty of time for photos at the stops and took family photos for us. Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Getmemydinner
Mar 24, 2026
Incredible tour with an incredible friend! - The absolute best tour in San Francisco!! I love it so much that I’ve booked this tour TWICE! Chad is incredible. Very funny, easygoing, and knowledgeable about the city. He was really patient and answered every question that my inquisitive 10 year old had. He offered to take pictures of us at every major spot. The buses are in great shape and add transport you in time especially when driving through Haight-Ashbury! So much better than taking the bus with 100 other people and listening to someone through a microphone. The Vantigo Tour is intimate and it feels like a family member is taking you on a tour of their city. I can’t recommend this tour enough!!! Please do not hesitate to book!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dream62646
Nov 29, 2025
Fun family adventure! - Chad was an excellent guide for our tour around the city. We learned a lot about the city’s history and sites. We stopped frequently to take pictures and experience the sites. Would definitely recommend for families. The kids loved the tour and were very engaged. They even had a bingo card for them to fill out as we drove around.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pamm361
Sep 12, 2025
Brilliant tour, definitely recommend. - What a great tour we had, we were shown all the sights, golden gate bridge, Haight Ashbury Nob Hill, Twin Peaks, China town, Painted Ladies houses, and much more! Chad was our tour guide, he was so informative and funny, we would definitely recommend this tour. Thanks Chad. From Anthony and Pam.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
138retoh
Aug 27, 2025
A Must-Do .. =) - First of all a BIG THANKS to Chad - the owner and our driver on the private tour - we would even re-book if we are in SF next time. I am a VW Bus owner myself and hence the booking was a must =) .. but the expectations were exceeded by far - we are a Swiss family and I had visited SF several times - my family was there the first time. The bus tour hence was the perfect activity on our second day.
I can warmly recommend this tour - Chad is a super-cool, relaxed and ideal host - he loves what he is doing, is very passionate, energetic and above all extremely funny.
THANKS again Chad - we wish you all the best of luck with your tour business and will notify you when we are back on the East Coast - best wishes from R., S., M. & E.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Colin4669
Jul 25, 2025
10/10 . 5 stars . Can not recommend this trip highly enough - Our guide Chad was wonderful from start to finish. 4 hours flew in with his excellent knowledge of San Francisco. From singing us through Little Italy to the beach boys at the coast . He really couldn’t do enough for us . His joy and love of sharing all he knows about this wonderful city with us made our day . If you only book one tour make sure it’s this one . Thank you Chad for a wonderful day
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Resort34796259134
May 29, 2025
Fun, educational and engaging. - Josh shared his enthusiasm and knowledge of the city in an immersive experience of the cultures to be found there. We learned a lot and had a great time exploring so many places around SF.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S2748tqrobd
May 5, 2025
San Francisco Private Bus Tour - Had a lovely private tour with Josh in April 2025 in an old but very beautiful restored 1973 VW Bay Windscreen Van.
Josh emailed the night before asking where we would like to go on our tour.
We headed to China town, followed by the Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks, Lombard Street to name a few.
Snacks and drinks were provided along with toilet stops. Josh was very informative and provided us loads of history along the way. He gave us some good restaurants and bars that we actually went back to and enjoyed very much.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johnlh4203jy
Jan 7, 2025
It's time to add to your bucket list moments! - If you're only going to do one thing in San Francisco then stop what your are doing right now and book a private tour with Chad and the amazing team from Vantigo!
Driving around San Fran in a classic VW combi, food and drinks at the ready, the knowledge and enthusiasm shown by Chad for his great city - it's next level!
We could not have asked for a better way to see and experience so much of San Francisco and the icing on the cake - We drove over the Golden Gate bridge in a combi - bucket list moment for sure!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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