• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Welcome to The Castro & Mission District in San Francisco! Want to know the best places to eat? Which places to go to and which to avoid? Or simply get some help to navigate the city? Get the perfect introduction to the city on this private tour with a local and start your city trip on the right foot.

Destination

San Francisco, United States

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

1.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

Ελληνικά, English

Included

• Private Guide
• Local Tips & Tricks
• City Orientation
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to attractions

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at In front of Alamo Square Cafe - San Francisco to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. The Castro & Mission District Exploring

   This San Francisco tour takes you to explore The Castro & Mission District, where you can see another side of the city. Kickstart your trip in this fascinating area and get recommendations of what to do and where to go that will show you The Castro & Mission District at its best!

4. City Highlights

   See Dolores Park, Painted Ladies and more landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots of the city so you can get the perfect introduction to what makes San Francisco so special

5. Local Hot Spots

   Along the way, your host will point out hangout spots and hidden gems that only the locals know about and will help you get acquainted with the city in the most local way possible

6. Food Recommendations

   Receive tailored recommendations according to your taste and where to go and what to eat while visiting San Francisco. Avoid tourist traps thanks to your local host!

7. City Orientation

   Learn how to navigate the city, and get the answers to your San Francisco questions that will help you in the following days making your time in the city much easier

8. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Randi🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

2 January 2023

Michael was not a very good tour guide. He was unshaven and his clothes were unkempt. He was a friendly man but not especially knowledgeable about the city and he did not engage the members of our tour group. I was not impressed. Could have been a lot better

Roni🇮🇱 Israel

(About local Criss)

24 January 2020

It was a great experience! Highly recommended!!The tour was awesome!

Emily🇯🇵 Japan

(About local Michael)

27 February 2025

Michael was incredibly responsive, making communication smooth and easy. He was very flexible and accommodating, ensuring that everything went perfectly. I truly appreciated his professionalism and would love to book a tour with him again in the future. Highly recommended!incredibly responsive and professional

Sydney🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

9 February 2025

Michael was extremely helpful and knowledgeable taking me through the city. One of the best parts was walking through China town and diving into its rich history! I will definitely be back!Amazing SF Tour

svm250🇸🇬 Singapore

(About local Michael)

1 February 2025

1

I did both the Highlights & Hidden Gems of San Francisco and the 10 Tastings of San Francisco tours with Michael, and they were both wonderful! Really fun and interesting ways to see and experience the city, which I could never have done by myself. Michael has an impressive knowledge of and an infectious passion for the city's history and culture. I highly recommend either of these tours with Michael as your guide! Fantastic tours with a wonderful host!

Tiago

(About local Michael)

6 January 2025

1

We had the absolute pleasure of having Michael as our guide in San Francisco, and we cannot recommend him enough! From the moment we met him, his warmth, knowledge, and passion for the city were evident. Michael has an incredible ability to weave fascinating historical facts with local insights, making the experience both educational and fun. He tailored the tour perfectly to our interests, ensuring we got to see the iconic spots and hidden gems that only a true local would know. Michael’s enthusiasm for San Francisco is infectious, and he went above and beyond to make sure we felt welcome and comfortable throughout the day. If you’re looking for someone who knows the city inside out, treats you like an old friend, and makes your visit truly unforgettable, Michael is your person. Thank you, Michael, for making our San Francisco adventure so special!Unforgettable SF Experience with Michael!

Wilhelm

(About local Michael)

5 September 2024

Michael is an extraordinary refind and cultured man with excellent knowledge of the local area, people and the different cultures in SF. It was an absolute amazing time with him we not will forget.An extraordinary experiance

Debra🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

15 July 2024

We had a last-minute trip to San Francisco and wanted to find a guide since my husband was a first timers. Michael was able to accommodate us within 24 hours. We are so appreciative. He was on time and extremely friendly and knowledgeable of this beautiful city. We walked through several areas where he showed us several places we would’ve never found on our own. Michael is a kind, knowledgeable, upbeat guide, and we would definitely recommend him. Thank you for showing us your wonderful city Michael. Amazing time in San Francisco

Anna

(About local Michael)

17 March 2024

I really enjoyed wandering through the city with Michael, he is an incredibly interesting person, I particularly loved the history and symbolism of China town. Alternative view of the city, rather than just dry historical facts. Great experience, highly recommended

Pamela🇺🇸 United States

(About local Agatha)

4 January 2024

1

Agatha was terrific...very accommodating when we changed dates to Christmas eve and very knowledgeable about her neighborhood and the area where we were staying. We walked almost five miles and saw some very interesting and lovely parts of San Francisco. She is bright, engaging and fun. She had to leave a bit early and we would have liked to try out a local cafe for coffee or tea...but we'll leave that until next time.San Francisco through the eyes of Agatha

Megan🇺🇸 United States

(About local Agatha)

16 October 2023

I did the Presidio Park to Palace of Fine Arts & the Beach Tour with Agatha and thoroughly enjoyed the variety and beauty of the sights on this tour. The pace of the tour was comfortable and the route was well organized. This was beyond the basic San Francisco tour that took us to areas we would have never come across on our own. Particularly loved the Palace of Fine Arts. Agatha has a lot of great insights and knowledge of San Francisco and was a fantastic guide. She is very kind and personable. Beautiful and Interesting Tour

Steve🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

25 September 2023

Michael was fantastic!!! He has such a great knowledge of the city that he shared with us in a interesting and informative way. He met us at our hotel took us all over San Francisco from China Town, Little Italy, and Fisherman's Wharf. He made dinner and lunch recommendations to us that were outstanding. The tour he gave us was so good that I would do it again with him as our guide. Michael made my wife and my trip to San Francisco truly outstanding and memorable!Do the tour with Michael !!!!

Frank🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Michael)

12 August 2023

Great trip with so many delicious local but international snacks. Ended with superb from of SF from top of the hill at Dolores park. Would have expected some more walking distance to see more of SF.Nice way to get a culinary taste of SF

Heidi🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

28 May 2023

We had a ‚customized’ walking tour through Haight Ashbury and much enjoyed our time with Michael who taught us a bit about the music history of the area. He was very flexible to adjust the tour based in our walking speed and interests. Great morning!Nice morning walk

Bertrand🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Grace)

16 April 2023

Grace took us on our first day in San Francisco to various nice places and views that we probably would not have discovered in the same way: the Golden Gate bridge, Little Italy, Chinatown, … After that we had a great overview of the city and she gave us a lot of tings that helped us to plan the rest of our stay. She was also very nice and considerate. Thanks!!Francisco’s highlights !

ron🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Michael)

27 February 2023

For $ 160 per person you would expect more. More stories and more food with a better price quality. The tour lasted far less than three hours. Was uninspiring and didn’t bring much news.Overpriced and uninspiring

Georg🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Michael)

1 February 2023

Wir waren 3 Personen und Michael führte uns durch The Mission. Michael war überpünktlich sodass wir nicht warten mussten. Ein guter Host, der uns alle Freiheiten lies. Für unseren Geschmack etwas zu viel. Wir hätten uns etwas mehr Struktur gewünscht, aber vielleicht ist das auch der Way of Life in San Francisco. Michael überlies sehr oft uns die Wahl der Restaurants. Das Essen war überall sehr lecker und am Ende sehr reichhaltig. Man sollte lieber Hungrig die Tour antreten. Was uns etwas fehlte war proaktives Erzählen von Michael. Auf unsere Fragen antwortete er, aber wir bekamen kaum Informationen zu Historie oder Insidergeschichten ohne konkret zu fragen. Ein weiterer sehr großer Kritikpunkt war, dass Michael sich gar nicht auf unseren, im Vorfeld extra abgesprochenen und zugesicherten, Extrawunsch nach Low-Carb Essen richtete. Er sicherte uns dies zu, aber auf der Tour wurde das nicht berücksichtigt. Michael ist ein netter Typ mit dem Herz am richtigen Fleck. Gutes Essen - wenig Informtionen

Muriel🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Michael)

31 July 2022

We had a private bycicle tour with Michael. He showed us all the highlights of San Francisco and gave me and my teenage kids very interesting insights of the city. He was accessible, enthusiastic and well reachable by phone. Moreover did he know the best food spots in town and many other handy tips! We would definitely recommend!Geweldig!

Kelly🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

29 July 2022

My family and I spent a wonderful afternoon with Michael! We have two teenage boys and two preteen girls- Michael was very personable, friendly and accommodating; going out of his way to make sure everyone felt included. He took us to some fantastic little food gems that we never would have found as tourists. He also was very knowledgeable and added fun facts along the way about the city. We would highly recommend this tour especially if you pick Michael as your guide. He is bright light!The hidden food gems of San Francisco

Adrienne🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

19 July 2022

Our guide No showed but of course our credit card was charged and when looking into the website we couldn’t even find a contact number. The information we had told us to meet at Rhea’s Deli, we arrived 10 minutes early, waited and waited and Michael never showed. Of course our credit card was charged and it appears quite difficult to reach anyone through the company. We also paid for a 30 minute Uber ride to that area which was very frustrating! No one even called us!Terrible, we paid for a 30 minute car ride for our guide to never show our call, it feels like a scam!

Nelson 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

16 July 2022

Michael gave us a very in-depth and complete experience of what San Francisco has to offer. It was a great chance to get to know the city with Michael and plan next places to visit in the coming days of our short visit. Michael showed us a lot of great places, restaurants and highlights of the city. Thanks for having us!Great experience!

Roger🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

9 July 2022

Michael had some great restutants picked out for us and the walk thru the Mission district was awesome. From taco’s, beer, mango deserts to cervichi. A true cornucopia of flavors and cultures.

M🇺🇸 United States

(About local Agatha)

5 July 2022

Agatha was a friendly, considerate, kind and knowledgeable guide. We explored several new areas of SF that we had not before and she was intuitive enough to know when to break for water and the loo, what with our kids in tow. Ultimately, a great walk, good impressions, imbued history and exercise. Highly recommended.Delightful SF Walking Tour with Family

Jacqueline🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Michael)

28 June 2022

Gerade was Essen angeht, kennt sich Michael wirklich aus. Er hat uns ein paar tolle Tipps für Testaurants gegeben. Zusätzlich kennt er sich aber auch mit der Geschichte der Stadt aus und hat uns häufig ein paar tolle geschichtliche Fakten nennen können. Er kannte alle wichtigen Gebäude und konnte diese benennen. Ein paar kleine Geheimtipps von San Francisco waren auch dabei. Er hat sich ausreichend Zeit für uns genommen. Die Gespräche waren nett und interessant. Wir hatten einen schönen Tag mit ihm. 😀Tolle Stadttour mit super Empfehlungen

Anne🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

14 June 2022

Michael was amazing. We enjoyed our walking tour through the financial district, china town, and ended the tour at Coit Tower. It was our first trip as a family, and it was a wonderful way to kickstart our long weekend in San Francisco. Michael was very knowledgeable about the city, and we learned a lot. He also gave us great suggestions for restaurants. Our son is still talking about "Tony's Pizza." Thank you, Michael, for an amazing tour!Great Tour with Michael in San Francisco!

Miles🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

5 June 2022

We had such a great time with Michael exploring San Francisco’s unique food in the Mission area. The variety of food was so fun …. Chocolate Cake to Mexican Pastrami Tacos to Latin American Pupusa’s to Spanish Empanadas to Lychee Cacao Smoothie…. The best part was the time we spent with Michael getting to know more about SF in general, the fascinating Mission specifically; but, getting to know this truly sincere, passionate, and enjoyable young man. Wonderful Tour!

wilma🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Michael)

2 May 2022

We had a great tour with Michael. He told en showed us a lot of the city. Things I never saw before. Thanks , dank je welGreat tour

Prem🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

23 April 2022

What an experience! This bike tour with Michael was a great was to explore San Fran and see the amazing views. We even stopped for some coffee, pastries and borscht (super yummy) at Cinderella bakery. We highly recommend this tour while visiting San Fran! Thanks Michael!Great way to explore the the city.

Belen🇪🇸 Spain

(About local Michael)

4 January 2022

Michael was very knowledgeable about Chinatown and he even invites us to his dome to listen to his wife playing a chinese instrument named GuzhengVery good experience

Gina🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

28 December 2021

This was a great time. My husband and I went to places that we would have never known or thought to go. Michael was a great host and made you feel like you were with family. We are going to China Town with Michael again on Wednesday and really looking forward to that. I would highly recommend this tour. Great Evening!

Russell 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Agatha)

14 November 2021

Agatha is the best tour guide ever!Agatha is wonderful!

Beth🇺🇸 United States

(About local Agatha)

6 July 2021

Agatha was full of surprises! She has so much knowledge of the San Francisco area and walked us all through Golden Gate Park, through the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood recommending places to eat, as well as unique locations, like Amoeba records. We also learned about Popping, Hip Hip and other street dance genres. She provided us with details on lots of other areas of the city, as well as guidance that got us to the top of the most photographed bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge! Thanks for the terrific tour! San Francisco's Beautiful Golden Gate Park Private Tour with Agatha

Zachary🇺🇸 United States

(About local Agatha)

16 May 2021

Agatha was absolutely wonderful! She was incredibly knowledgeable and fun. She went above and beyond our expectations. I would recommend her to anyone visiting San Francisco. A truly fun and memorable experience!

Jessica🇺🇸 United States

(About local Michael)

7 February 2020

Over all it was a great experience! I was able to book a tour with Michael the night before with no issues. Michael arrived on time as promised. Although soft spoken, he is an excellent communicator and very pleasant. He helped my family and I get us set up with the Muni mobile app for transportation. I was very impressed with the way he knew his way around San Francisco like the back of his hand. He knew a tremendous amount about the city’s history and random fun facts about the city and famous landmarks. He showed us some hidden gems and ended the trip by leading us to an amazing hole in the wall Mexican restaurant called Taqueria, el buen sabor in the Mission. Mike, thank you so much for being an awesome tour guide! Expert navigator/gentle soul

Baptiste🇺🇸 United States

(About local Agatha)

23 January 2020

We had a great time with Agatha who is very flexible and outgoing. She customized the tour to our requests and was very flexible. I highly recommand!Super tour!

Angela

(About local Agatha)

31 December 2019

We booked two tours with Agatha in San Francisco -- The Golden Gate Park Tour and The Hidden Gems Tour. Agatha is an absolute delight to experience San Francisco with! She is so engaging with her knowledge of San Francisco, especially related to Golden Gate Park. She steered us along some beautiful and scenic routes within the Park -- the Conservatory of Flowers, the Japanese Tea Garden and the sculpture Garden within De Young. There was always an interesting story or an insight she would share with us. She had great tips and stories to share about the diverse communities and cultures that make up San Francisco. Her recommendations around Haight-Ashbury and Inner Richmond neighborhoods surrounding the park were spot on to what we really enjoy doing when traveling to new cities. I would highly recommend you consider Agatha to show you around San Francisco. Thanks you again Agatha for such a fun and interesting time!Great tours with Agatha!

Michael

(About local Agatha)

30 December 2019

We met Agatha at the Cinderella Café on a sunny morning in the Inner Richmond. She has been living in the neighborhood for several years and she knows the area very well. Agatha even designed the Golden Gate Park tour! We started with coffee at Cinderella and then we went into Golden Gate Park. Agatha works at the Library and she is a wealth of knowledge about all kinds of San Francisco things! She was fun and easy to walk with through the park. The tower at the De Young was closed the day we went but I would highly recommend taking the tour when it is open and going up to see the view! It is the only place in Golden Gate Park where you can get above the canopy to see the surrounding area. The tour ended with our choice of going to Haight/Ashbury, Inner Sunset or back into the Inner Richmond. Agatha was great and she gave us nice recommendations for dinner after the tour! This was an awesome way to explore Golden Gate Park as well as some less traveled parts of the city. -Michael Awesome tour with Agatha!

Brian K.🇺🇸 United States

(About local Agatha)

29 December 2019

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Agatha guided us on a delightful tour of Presidio Park, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the Marina/Chesnut St. neighborhood. Agatha is a terrific tour guide. She is conscientious, engaging, and extremely knowledgable about where tourists need to go to see the real San Fransisco. We appreciated her friendliness and positive energy. Overall, we highly recommend Agatha for a walking tour in San Fransisco!Great day with Agatha

Lucy

(About local Anahita)

18 December 2019

I had visited San Francisco previously, but never had the time to really enjoy the city. Anahita understood what would interest me and effectively used our time to show me the most incredible sites in the city. It was time well spent with a knowledgeable and very gracious guide.Great tour during my business trip with Anahita

Anita

(About local Agatha)

9 December 2019

We had such a good time on the Golden Gate Park tour with Agatha. She has a wealth of knowledge about the area as she's lived in San Francisco for more than a decade. We really enjoyed the pace of the tour, starting off at the Cinderella Bakery for a coffee and a pastry. The park was so nice when we got there, we didn't want to leave. Agatha led us to the Conservatory of Flower (a must see) and then to the De Young museum. We went to the Haight-Ashbury district and explored all the cool little shops. It was amazing how much there is to learn in such a small area. I think we could do the tour like 10 more times and still have stuff to do and see. Thanks again for the tour, Agatha, it was a blast. She took us to a cool vegan restaurant at the end of the tour called VeganBurg (also highly recommended).Cool tour with Agatha!

Janine

(About local Grace)

9 December 2019

Grace has chosen the most eclectic spaces that San Francisco has to offer! A unique and invigorating experience, with the appropriate selections of wines and bites to match! JanineLovely wine tour!

Kat

(About local Grace)

8 December 2019

Grace's energy made me feel at home from the beginning to the end, and her curation opened up dimensions of San Francisco that I was amazed by! Her effervescent personality made each venue more fun to enjoy and she taught us so much about wine too! I can't wait to take her tour again. Kat- Enjoyed the tour with Grace!

Lynn

(About local Anahita)

5 December 2019

Anahita was a fantastic guide for our small group during a 2-day visit to San Francisco! She knew a tremendous amount about the city's history and all the famous landmarks. In addition, she showed us areas we would never have found on our own, none of them were in any of the guide books ! She truly cared about our experience in this amazing city!Great time with Anahita!

Maria

(About local Michael)

4 December 2019

We are really into History and Michael knows his San Francisco history really well, sharing stories from the Gold Rush and before all the way through the Counter Culture movement, the dotcom era to the present day. We toured through Chinatown and learned about the oldest Chinatown in the United States and then learned about the Italian culture in North Beach. It was a really special experience, wish I could live in in San Francisco one day. - MariaAmazing tour today!

Seth

(About local Michael)

1 December 2019

Michael gave us a tour of Golden Gate Park and then we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was such a perfect day, fabulous experience. We had children with us, so he knew their limits and got us to talk just the right amount. We got to see the city from across the bridge, which was an amazing sight. Everyone should come to San Francisco at least once in their life, and, if you get Michael as your guide, you'd be really lucky and happy with your choice. - Seth Great Golden Gate Park tour!

Agatha

(About local Grace)

27 November 2019

Grace was very engaged, knowledgeable and fun tour host with the passion and energy, and expertise for Wine bar tour in the Hayes Valley district of San Francisco. Grace invited guests to learn about different wines offered at various unique establishments in her old neighbourhood. She was familiar with the interesting stories about Hayes Valley neighbourhood. I highly recommend choosing Grace as your tour host for a relaxed, fun, comfortable, and lively experience. Thanks! AgathaVery fun and lively tour with Grace

Mitchel

(About local Agatha)

22 November 2019

Agatha is the absolute go to Tour Guide when it comes to everything Golden Gate Park, and the communities surrounding it, including the richly diverse Inner Richmond and eclectic Haight-Asbury neighborhoods. Her knowledge of the history, food, and diverse community cultures will keep you intrigued, and interested in sampling it all! Agatha also knows her way around the park like a pro, bringing us on beautiful and scenic routes and unique paths to the gorgeous and serene Japanese Tea Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, and the California Academy of Science in no time. Loved all the other attractions, views and tid bits along the way. Thanks so very much, Agatha, for the novel experiences and memories you’ve given us. Fantastic golden gate park tour!

Jaimy

(About local Michael)

19 November 2019

Michael was very kind, picking me up at the airport and then taking me to the Cheesecake Factory, overlooking Union Square after a long flight. He knows the city really well and took me to all the places that I would never forget.Great tour with Michael

Rien

(About local Anahita)

19 November 2019

I had only one free day on my business trip to San Francisco, and I'm so glad Anahita was free to show me the fabulous sites and eating places in the city. I would never have been able to find these places on my own, so she made my experience extrordinary! Amazing tour in SF!