San Francisco is one of the most historic cities in the United States and fascinating to visit. While it is known to be an expensive city to live and travel, it ironically offers many things that can be done for free. One of its most popular attractions, especially for budget travelers, is its free tours. Here’s a snapshot of some of the best opportunities San Francisco offers to learn and have fun, while walking and paying nothing!
San Francisco city guides
The San Francisco City Guides tours are conducted by trained and knowledgeable volunteers, and the idea is to discover the history and architecture of San Francisco on foot. There are several different tours every day in different parts of the city, and the beauty of these tours is that they are never canceled, whether it’s hot, cold, or raining. The only days that they do not offer tours are Thanksgiving, Christmas, Christmas Eve, New Years Eve and New Years.
The City Guides have around 200 different volunteers on the job currently, offering 30 different tours each month. In total, they have nearly 100 tours on their list, spread across 15 different regions. The best part is that you don’t need to reserve your spot. Just get on at the right time and start walking!
A detailed schedule for the day and the next month is easily available on their website. Tours usually start sometime in the morning and last between 1 1/2 and 2 hours.
While these tours are free, the City Guides accept donations from those who are interested. They also offer private group tours for a nominal cost. However, these must be reserved in advance.
Daily visits to the garden
The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society offers a free garden tour every day of the SF Botanical Garden. This green sanctuary is a resplendent urban oasis spread over 55 acres of space, containing more than 7,500 varieties of plants from around the world, some of which are no longer found in their native habitats. Nature lovers will have a hard time finding a nicer place in the city.
Daily garden tours are led by knowledgeable and trained teachers. The tour leaves the bookstore at 1:30 p.m. M. From Monday to Friday, and at 10:30 a. M. And at 1:30 p.m. M. On weekends. Plus, it starts at Friend Gate (North Entrance) at 2pm on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Visit to the Jelly Belly factory
This may be the recipe for a wonderful day for die-hard candy lovers. A guided tour of the factory of this famous candy brand is also a perfect excursion, if you visit San Francisco with children. You can be sure it will be a day full of fun, color and excitement! In total, it takes about 40 minutes, and in this time you can see candy making in action and learn how this candy factory actually conjures up 150 different treats. You will also discover the secret behind the famous Jelly Belly gummies and try some samples.
The Jelly Belly Factory Tour operates daily from 9 am to 4 pm PT. The only holidays are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Years Day, and Easter Sunday. There is the possibility that they are also closed the day before or after these holidays. Reservations are not required.