Explore the highlights and hidden gems of Golden Gate Park with a local guide so you don't miss a thing. Visit the Music Concourse, the peaceful AIDS memorial, and the Shakespeare Garden. From the striking architecture of the de Young Museum to the blooms outside the Conservatory of Flowers, we'll cover it all. You'll also hear about the history and SF connection of places you might otherwise miss. Learn about the 1890s McLaren Lodge, Hippie Hill (including how it got its name), and a mysterious stone circle related to a monastery and grizzly bears. Our tour ends at the California Academy of Sciences, with your ticket including access to all exhibits, animals, the planetarium, and more. Upgrade to add a Big Bus Tours ticket, providing two days of access to 16 stops in San Francisco. With this upgrade, we recommend continuing your tour after the Academy of Sciences by riding the bus over the Golden Gate Bridge to Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s a great overview of the city in just one day!
- Beat the desert heat with air-conditioned transportation
- Bottled water provided to stay hydrated
- Guide provides information and answers questions
- Small group of 12 people or fewer for an intimate experience
What To Expect
Golden Gate Park
Your tour begins at the entrance of Golden Gate Park.
• Admission Ticket Included
McLaren lodge
With an impressive Romanesque design and 18-inch thick walls, this imposing structure was once the home of the park’s superintendent, John McLaren.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Conservatory of Flowers
Learn about this gorgeous greenhouse and its exotic plants as you admire the blooms outside.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Hippie Hill
This might look like any other wide-open lawn primed for picnicking, but it’s got a lot more history. Learn how this spot became the focal point of the 1967 Summer of Love counterculture movement.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
National AIDS Memorial Grove
Walk through part of a 10-acre memorial in this peaceful green setting. Learn how the AIDS crisis affected San Francisco and how locals came together to find hope through the darkness.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Monarch Bear Grove
Deep in the park is a half-hidden circle of stones. Learn how they connect to a Spanish monastery, a grizzly bear, and the California state flag.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Shakespeare Garden
Explore this four-acre garden densely planted with trees, shrubs, flowers, and herbs from the Bard’s plays and poems.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Music Concourse
This open-air plaza has world-class museums on either side plus a turn-of-the-century “Temple of Music.”
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
de Young Museum
This fine arts museum has striking modern architecture you can admire as your guide shares the highlights of what makes the collections here so unique.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
California Academy of Sciences
Our tour ends here at one of the largest natural history museums in the world, housing over 46 million specimens. Your ticket is included so you can explore at your leisure.
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Highlight
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
Your ticket to the California Academy of Sciences is included. This is also a great place to grab lunch.
Add on a Big Bus Tours hop-on hop-off ticket for $65 per adult. This includes two days of hop-on hop-off access at 16 stops, including Golden Gate Park.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Max group – 15
