Little Italy and North Beach Walking Tour in San Francisco
4.9
Little Italy and North Beach Walking Tour in San Francisco
By Local Tastes of the City Tours
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About
Get more out of your trip to San Francisco’s North Beach Little Italy neighborhood with a guide who knows the best places to stop for food and drinks. Along this tour route taste specialties of the area, including everything from olive oil, bread, and pastries, to coffee and beyond. Plus, this tour meets close to public transport and affordable parking for your convenience.
Free cancellation • Full refund if cancelled up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time).
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Ages 0-120, max of 15 per group
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
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Highlights
- Sip on coffee and Italian soda during this Little Italy walking tour
- A guide tells you all about San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood
- Taste a variety of fresh foods, including traditional Italian pastries
- Easy-to-find meeting spot close to public transport and affordable parking
- Professional guide
- Focaccia sandwiches from Mario’s
- Chocolate from Z Cioccolato
- Cannoli from Stella Pastry
- Deli delights at Molinari delicatessen
What's not included- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Meet for this Little Italy North Beach walking tour on Columbus Street in San Francisco. Get acquainted with your guide and group, and then set off on foot through this super-popular SF neighborhood. Your guide knows some of the best places to eat and grab drinks and snacks. Sample delicious bites such as a traditional pastries and drinks like Italian soda. As you walk and pop into shops, your guide tells you all about the North Beach neighborhood and how it got its nickname Little Italy. You’ll also stop in a bakery to see fresh bread being made. Your San Francisco Little Italy tour ends back where it began.
- Start:
- 480 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USAWe meet at the corner at of Columbus Avenue and Green Street at 480 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133 (the same corner as the BMO Bank\Bank of the West). It is across the street from the Bank of America. Please arrive on time, we will not be able to accommodate late arrivals.
End:- 353 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3327WALKING- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travelers can participate
- Same day reservations available
- ATTENTION: Each Youth or Child registration requires an Adult registration
- Vaccinations are not required on our tours; however, we highly recommend that you are vaccinated.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- Are special dietary options available during the Little Italy and North Beach Walking Tour?
- Vegetarian options are available. If you have any special dietary needs, please list them in the "Special Requirements" box at checkout.Answered Jun 2023
The tour operator has provided the following answers to customers’ questions.- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3327WALKING
From
$84.00
per adult
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Itinerary
- 480 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USAWe meet at the corner at of Columbus Avenue and Green Street at 480 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133 (the same corner as the BMO Bank\Bank of the West). It is across the street from the Bank of America. Please arrive on time, we will not be able to accommodate late arrivals.
- Pass byLittle ItalyLittle Italy
- 353 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- rebeccabO5393GQ0 contributionsAmazing food and wonderful guide!This was one of our favorite tours of our trip to SF! There was so much information and knowledge that our guide provided. The food, of course, was amazing! There was definitely a lot to eat and try. We tried several new things we hadn't before, and learned a lot!Written March 22, 2025
- Graham F0 contributionsHighly recommend this tour!Andre did an amazing job with our food tour. We were on a vacation with our 11-year-old daughter and he kept us entertained the entire time. Highly recommend this tour to get better insights into Chinatown and experience the history in food culture. Andre kept us moving efficiently, but we never felt rushed, and he always took time to thoroughly answer our questions.Written March 22, 2025
- B3181EIkevint0 contributionsNice TimeScott was our tour guide, he was very passionate and informative. The tour was nice, we wished there were more food stops, especially in North Beach. Overall, nice 4 hour tour of the area.Written March 18, 2025
- ROCKAPE200 contributionsA great day out.Brian was a great guide. He has a good knowledge and had lots of interesting things to add to the route. Our food was also good.Written March 13, 2025
- alexuss20250 contributionsAndre is the bestAndre was exceptional. He made the tour fun and interesting. All of the food stops were great, I would highly recommend this tour.Written March 9, 2025
- SteveP4720 contributionsGreat introduction to the area and peopleVery interesting guide with a good depth of knowledge of the area and people. It was a great introduction to China Town and North Beach Little Italy. If course the tastings were the highlight of the experienceWritten March 4, 2025
- F9500AFcarolynr0 contributionsHave an adventure day in San FranciscoThis was a wonderful four hour plus walking tour. Lots of good samples of food. The tour guide was so knowledgeable and interesting. This was a great way to spend a day in San Francisco. Thank you for a lovely adventure!Written February 24, 2025
- andrea j0 contributionsAndre was our tour guide today on the SF Chinatown tour and he was informative & took us to amazing restaurants!Andre was our SF Chinatown tour guide today and he was so knowledgeable & took us to the best restaurants! We had sesame balls (with lotus paste) , dim sum at the oldest dim sum place in Chinatown, Chinese donuts, duck, & more! DelishWritten February 20, 2025
- Stay671987125940 contributionsGreat taste of the cityIt started out wet but Cynthia did a great job keeping spirits high and tummies full. Great way to enjoy some of what SF has to offer. The tea tasting was a highlight.Written February 20, 2025
- Robbielonglegs0 contributionsGreat all roundGreat Tour, and a fantastic place to visit. The weather wasnt great but what can you do about that? Guide was very knowledgable and interactiveWritten February 15, 2025
- Suzanne S0 contributionsDelicious and educational afternoonWe had a wonderful afternoon with Scott. We loved all of his stories and history lessons. The food was also delicious and just what we were looking for - highly recommendWritten February 9, 2025
- Mexican G0 contributionsA great food and history view of Chinatown and North Beach!A great tour with Andre! Great story telling, historical facts of Chinatown and North Beach! Food places selected were fantastic! Tea, dim sum, pizza, desserts and even wine! Plus many steps so you don’t feel guilty eating everything in front of you! Wonderful time! Go for it!Written February 6, 2025
- alexandramW6781ZD0 contributionsWonderful and historic experienceI had Andre he was wonderful, extremely knowledgeable, kind, entertaining and attentive. He is exactly who you want to take you around these neighborhoods - he knows the history inside and out and has developed a strong bond with local business owners. In our time together, he showed us so much in Chinatown and North Beach, many unique and interesting stories about the history of the neighborhoods and plenty of excellent restaurant recommendations. He took special interest in our group dynamics and needs to make sure the tour felt valuable and worth our time. I would highly recommend this company and appreciate the experience to get to learn more about these parts of the city! Thank you!Written January 26, 2025
- 287tedp0 contributionsTeam Toronto 2Blake is awesome tour guide with Big Bus Tours. Informative, funny and interesting. Team Toronto very much enjoyed time well spent with Blake.Written January 24, 2025
- 3437Jules0 contributionsEnjoy a wonderful walk-through Chinatown & North Beach, enjoy great food & tea.Our tour guide was Ryan, he was very personable and informative. Highly recommend this tour, food stops were perfect. I read previous reviews, and they were on the mark. We stopped at 5 restaurants, tea store, several other local businesses and learned so much San Francisco history. Will definitely tell others about it. Hank, Julie & AleenaWritten January 23, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.9
469 reviews
Excellent
425
Very good
34
Average
6
Poor
2
Terrible
2
Stuart T
Christchurch, New Zealand24 contributions
Tour Guide was Cynthia. Cynthia was great. Very knowledgeable and able to pass on lots of good points during the tour. Clearly she has a fantastic relationship with a number of places visited on the tour.
The tours starts in Chinatown and we wander through a number of streets and alleys to get to different venues. You visit restaurants on the tour but also some great other stops on the way. These include fortune cookie manfacturers, a wok shop, a church, and we also had some nibbles on the street. One of the highlights for me which was the tea shop (bar?), where we tried a number of teas, and were able to experience the wisdom on “Uncle G”. He was hilarious and so full of stories to go with the tea varieties
After visiting China town you move into North Beach/Little Italy. There we visited a fudge maker, and art shop, a theatre, and two Italian restaurants. We also had some local canoli’s which were brilliant. The tour was meant to finish around 6:30 but was a little later because of the great experiences had and the extra time was worth it.
This was great way to have a look at these areas. It gave us some ideas of where to go, and we subsequently returned on 2 other nights to try different options. Really recommend this tour.
The tours starts in Chinatown and we wander through a number of streets and alleys to get to different venues. You visit restaurants on the tour but also some great other stops on the way. These include fortune cookie manfacturers, a wok shop, a church, and we also had some nibbles on the street. One of the highlights for me which was the tea shop (bar?), where we tried a number of teas, and were able to experience the wisdom on “Uncle G”. He was hilarious and so full of stories to go with the tea varieties
After visiting China town you move into North Beach/Little Italy. There we visited a fudge maker, and art shop, a theatre, and two Italian restaurants. We also had some local canoli’s which were brilliant. The tour was meant to finish around 6:30 but was a little later because of the great experiences had and the extra time was worth it.
This was great way to have a look at these areas. It gave us some ideas of where to go, and we subsequently returned on 2 other nights to try different options. Really recommend this tour.
Written May 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary R
Mill Valley, CA10 contributions
Jan 2025 • Family
As locals, we were amazed by how much we learned about the rich history of North Beach. The tour was made exceptional by the knowledge and passion of Scott L., who loves the city, and its history, and knows all the best spots—along with the locals who make the area so special. It was a fantastic reminder of how great our city truly is. Thanks for an unforgettable experience!
Written January 13, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary Q
1 contribution
Jan 2024 • Friends
I loved the tour. The four hours flew by and Brain is an absolute delight to have as a guide. He is a San Franciscan through and through; with his charm and stories, I felt like I was really walking through San Francisco with someone who had a real relationship with the city and its people. I would recommend this to both locals and those from out of state!
Written January 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom L
11 contributions
Jul 2023
We took our tour with Brian on a Saturday morning with Brian. Brian was on time and very engaged with everyone he took the time to ask everyone their name and a bit about us all. All the food was outstanding and plenty to eat - Brian was full of info about everything we tasted as well as a story about the person and history of each location. Brian also shared a lot of history while we were walking about - culture, the owners and/or buildings. He gave us extra time and was able to answer any questions about the city. EXELLENT
Written July 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel K
Mountain View, CA2 contributions
Aug 2023
We had booked a private tour for my family and Brian was a fantastic guide. In spite of a few late arrivals and very picky eaters (veg vs nonveg), he did a really incredible job adjusting to our family's style, sharing interesting tidbits of information and was really knowledgeable about the history and landmarks while helping us experience some really great food. 5 stars all the way for this company and especially our tourguide. A definite must do!
Written August 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Megan
17 contributions
Would highly recommend going on this tour, our guide Scott was friendly, knowledgable and really passionate about the area. We ate in places we probably wouldn’t have had we not been on the tour and all of the food was delicious! Just the right amount of walking involved and plenty of food included so well worth the cost. If you’re thinking about booking- do it!
Written June 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jen L
Floyds Knobs, IN20 contributions
Jun 2022
This tour exceeded my expectations! I went on this as a solar traveler while my husband was at a work conference, and it was the perfect way to get my feet wet with the city. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and I was actually blown away by how much food you got! I would suggest doing a very light (if any) breakfast before this. It started out with a cannoli, and then you got to try a drink at a delicious cafe, a sample of an Italian sandwich, a fettuccini/alfredo dish, a delicious candy store where you get a huge piece of fudge, and some Margherita pizza. I was STUFFED by the end! I'd definitely recommend the tour if you want to see a lot of highlights in the Little Italy part of town.
Written June 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gina B
Philadelphia, PA1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Friends
The tour gave us a great sampling of delicious food in the North Beach (Little Italy) section of San Francisco. Had fun chatting with interesting people - local and international, young and old. As a treat we spent a few minutes stopping by the rehearsal of a show similar to Cirque du Soleil - amazing!
Written September 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stacey C
1 contribution
Jul 2021
My party and I went on Monday, July 5th and Brian was our tour guide. He shared the history of Little Italy and North Beach and was excellent making sure that we all got to taste more than enough food. Many of the places were closed in observance of July 4th but Brian always had a delicious back up plan! Some of the places we ate at (and not all of them) was Cafe Grecco and Z. Cioccolato. In fact, my party and I enjoyed these so much we went back later in the week! The cannoli from Stella Pastry was the best I've ever had. We had fun tasting the Clam and Garlic pizza from Golden Boy and the pizza from Mona Lisa was fantastic as well. We ended the tour with a hamburger and fries from Sam's.
My family and I also enjoyed interacting with the locals as everyone seemed to know Brian. We highly recommend taking this tour and getting to know the real flavor of the neighborhood.
My family and I also enjoyed interacting with the locals as everyone seemed to know Brian. We highly recommend taking this tour and getting to know the real flavor of the neighborhood.
Written July 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nancy E
Brandon, FL58 contributions
Brain was a great guide for this tour. Fair warning, come with an empty stomach because Brain offered many foodie experiences, well beyond ‘just a taste’ … a number of pasta/pizza selections plus pastries. Additional, he told many historical facts about this area … even kept my 9. Year old grandson intrigued. Loved tour, great experience.
Written August 5, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are planning a trip in August 2023, is there still a vaccination requirement for everyone? There are unvaccinated members of our group.
Written June 12, 2023
We are planning a trip in August 2023 but not everyone in our group is vaccinated, is that still a requirement?
Written June 12, 2023
Shelly
Bunker Hill, Indiana
I'm curious if you still have to be fully vaccinated to do this tour? I'm planning a trip for July, and only two of us are vaccinated out of 5.
Written April 16, 2022
When we attended the tour a few weeks ago they did require a vaccination card. They didn’t require masks but they do require vaccination.
It’s worth it. Great tour.
Written April 17, 2022
Can we get 4 tickets for the Little Italy/North Beach Walking Tour in SF on Sat 2/26/22 at 10:30 am?
Written February 20, 2022
I live in Boston and we have our North End , the best Italian neighborhood in the country outside NYC, little Italy. wondering if I need to take this tour and will it be similar as The North End ??
Written April 20, 2019
Never been to Boston's North End, but my wife took this walking tour and was very pleased. The guide is wonderful.
Written April 20, 2019
I believe there are about 5-6 places you get generous samples of food. Everything was very delicious.
Written December 23, 2018
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