Vantigo - The Original San Francisco VW Bus Tour
5
LIKELY TO SELL OUT*
Vantigo - The Original San Francisco VW Bus Tour
By Vantigo Tours
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About
Experience San Francisco on a half-day tour by Volkswagen bus, a classic California counterculture vehicle. Travel through several top neighborhoods and see landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, and Coit Tower. Your guide tells you about the city’s history, including the Gold Rush, the 1906 earthquake, the hippies of the 1960s, and the rise of Silicon Valley. Pick a morning or afternoon tour to suit your schedule.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 5-99, max of 7 per group
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
Highlights
- See San Francisco's top sights from a vintage VW bus
- Get photo ops of the Painted Ladies, Golden Gate Bridge, and more
- Drive through Haight-Ashbury, North Beach, and Chinatown
- Hear about the city’s evolution from the Gold Rush to today
- Professional guide
- Access to districts the large buses cannot go
- Bottled water
What's not included- Children 0 to 4 require you to book a private tour
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Head to a pickup point and step into the restored Volkswagen van. With just a small group and your guide for company, you're ensured a personal sightseeing experience. Cruise through distinctive neighborhoods including Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach, the Financial District, Fisherman's Wharf, the Presidio, Haight-Ashbury and more. Stop for photo ops at landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Legion of Honor, Coit Tower, Palace of Fine Arts, Twin Peaks, and the Painted Ladies. As you go, your guide shares commentary about the culture and sights of the city throughout the tour, and offers tips about places to visit on your own. Get a comprehensive overview and a fun ride all in one.
- Start:Multiple meeting point options.
- Option 11300 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USADirections:There is a white curb loading zone in front of the Hotel Caza where we will pick you up (Cafe de Casa is across the street).
- Option 2427 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USADirections: In front of the Westin St Francis Post Street Entrance. Across the street from Morton's Steakhouse.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6149P2- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Recommended tip amount: $15-20 per passenger (tips make up a large chunk of tour guide income in the U.S!)
- Most travelers can participate
- 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 7 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- 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: 6149P2
From
$99.00
per adult
Select date and travelers
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- Pass byUnion SquareFisherman's WharfChinatown
- 1Pass byNorth BeachMarina District
- 2
- 3Pass byGolden Gate Park
- 4
- 5Pass byCivic CenterHaight-Ashbury
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Sven-Papa0 contributionsSF tour in a Bulli;-)It’s a fantastic tour with Chad, he is showing us everything, taking photos and time is flying Best tour ever, thanks Chad!Written March 12, 2024
- 944wilfridl0 contributionsGo with Vantigo SF ? A big YES !!! 👍An excellent, fun & cultural introduction to SF and its personalities. Chad and Harvey share their incredible enthousiasme with adapted music to the surroundings. Everybody sing and laugh all along that epic travel in the city. So nice, so cool, so unforgettable experience ! Many thanks Chad for that gift. Highly recommended from France ! Wil&Pat.Written February 25, 2024
- Sneakersurfer0 contributionsBrithday BonanzaI wanted to do something special for my husband's birthday & to celebrate my sister's first visit to San Francisco, this was it!! We travelled in the bus Lily with Chad the owner of the company & story teller extraordinaire! It was a wonderful tour full of facts, stories & great stop off points which aren't all on the tourist track. We had a selection of thoughtful drinks & snacks provided plus toilet breaks which if you have kids is great! The VW is an immaculate air cooled beauty if you're into that oh & I the kids played bingo while we drove around too and won prizes which they still cherish. Just so you know we also had a 15yo girl on the trio who is not easy to please & she thought it was fun and obviously Instagram fab!!Written January 4, 2024
- andrewroyle160 contributionsExcellent half day trip.Go and take the tour with Chad, you won't be disappointed, it's excellent, the man's knowledge is superb. Taken to all the hot spots, and the super lille, she is beautiful.Written November 26, 2023
- Daydream270382039600 contributionsThe best way to get a tour of San FranciscoIf I could rate this tour 100/10 I would. I was lucky enough that this was my second time on this tour. I did it back in 2016 with my family and took my friend this year in 2023. We opted to do the tour on our second day of the trip and it’s the perfect way to get an overview to then decide what you want to come back and visit in more detail. The tour feels personal as it’s in a much smaller group than the commercial tour buses. Also most tour buses aren’t allowed in a large portion of the city so through supporting this small tour business you also get access to places in the city others don’t. Chad was our tour guide this time and he was amazing!!! Super personable and passionate about what he does. Always happy to take lots of cool and cringe tourist pictures for you!!! The best kind of pictures!! I want to thank him for making the experience extra special! You also don’t notice that a few hours have passed by, which to me is a great sign!! I couldn’t recommend doing a tour with this company any more, if I return to San Francisco a third time you can bet I will be doing this tour again!! (I have attached two pictures, one from 2016 and one from 2023)Written October 29, 2023
- apattiem0 contributionsFun time in vintage VW bus!We had a wonderful time on this tour. We only had a day in San Francisco, and this was a great way to see all the highlights. Chad is an excellent tour guide, fun and engaging, and we learned so much about the city. Our kids (17,20,22yo) loved the tour. The 1971 VW bus, manual transmission going up the San Fran hills, made the tour that much more fun. We saw the whole city and Chad even had some snacks and drinks for us. Very much recommend this tour!!!Written July 9, 2023
- kylier5380 contributionsFantastic - San Francisco Express City Tour with Eliza (and Harvey)This tour was fantastic! It was a dream to cruise the steep streets of San Francisco in a gorgeous blue Kombi called Harvey with the brilliant Eliza as our guide. We saw the major sites in a condensed amount of time but at no point did we feel rushed. Eliza was a great source of information providing us with interesting historical and social facts about the city and the places we visited. My young teens also found the tour a highlight of their trip to San Francisco, so I recommend it for all ages. Well worth the time and great value - an awesome way to explore!Written May 10, 2023
- noahwL2549EL0 contributionsBest experience ever!We did a private tour with Chad for my gf 25th birthday and it was worth every dollar. From the cool vintage vw bus, to the beautiful scenery, Chad provide d a tour service to be reckoned with.Written May 8, 2023
- rogerjR6850ZN0 contributionsFantastic tour.Everything about this tour was really great. My wife and mother in law did the same tour several months ago and kept raving about. I decided to book it while in San Francisco for work. Tons of great sights and spots one wouldn’t see on other tours.Written May 6, 2023
- 712sianf0 contributionsHighlight of our visit to SFExceptional tour with Chad! This was a real highlight of our visit to SF. Chad is super knowledgeable and really engaged our three kids (aged 6-12) as well as us. We would highly recommend taking this tour, especially at the start of a visit to SF, as it helped us get our bearings, plus Chad gave us some fantastic tips for the rest of our time here. Thanks, Chad (and Harvey, of course 🚐)!Written April 4, 2023
- camsojan0 contributionsVantigo is the go!Chad is an excellent tour guide (and driver). He tailored the tour to the interests of my two teenage daughters. They had a ball. Of course, the experience of driving around San Francisco in a 1971 VW Combi van was THE highlight for me (as well as the indefatigable San Francisco fog which obscured the view of the Golden Gate and the Bay). Despite the fog, and impeded view, Chad ensured that our experience was interesting, diverse and engaging. I would fully recommend Vantigo to anyone that is seeking a broad experience of San Francisco in half a day.Written October 13, 2022
- rossbN9918WG0 contributionsVantigo San Francisco TourFantastic tour of the city. Loved the VW van. Chad had great knowledge of the city and seemed to hit the key spots. We were also impressed with his knowledge of the history of the city and surrounding area. Since we went with a private tour, Chad was able to be flexible and hit some specific sights we wanted to see. He seemed to make an extra effort for us to see many of the views despite being a foggy morning. At the end of the tour, he offered to drop us off at a restaurant in China Town where we wanted to eat. The van was clean and had plenty of room. I was very impressed with Chad’s ability to use a standard transmission in this extremely hilly area. The tour was well worth the price and we would do it again. It was the highlight of our visit to San Francisco.Written August 15, 2022
- Julgod0 contributionsAmazing tourEverything was perfect! Thanks again to Chad, fantastic guide, professional, kind. We loved the tour and really discovered San Francisco. In addition with our last child of 7 years old, Chad knew how to occupy him, captivate him with games. Gourmet breaks, beer or wine snacking ! It was great. 20/20 continue like that We recommend to all and also to families !Written July 31, 2022
- lesleybrumfitt0 contributionsFantastic San Fran City TourHad a fantastic morning with Chad and Harvey (the van) cruising around San Fran. We covered everything we wanted to see and stuff we didn't even know about. Chad was super knowledgeable and a really great guide. But also dead chill and made the morning really easy and comfortable. Highly recommend to anyone wanting a tour of San Fran.Written July 9, 2022
- ChristinaH07140 contributionsGreat and Unique San Francisco ExperienceWe had a great time viewing San Francisco. The tour provides a unique way of seeing the city on a VW. When we passed by people on the streets they pointed and took pictures. Chad made the tour fun for my 9 year old son and kept his interest the entire time. We even had the opportunity to play Vantigo's unique version of Bingo. You will not be sorry if you book the tour.Written June 20, 2022
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
5.0
424 reviews
Excellent
416
Very good
7
Average
1
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0
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anna7005
Hobart, Australia26 contributions
Our tour of San Francisco in a combi van was a fantastic way to get to know the city. Our guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about San Fran and very capable of driving the floor gear shift up and down the hills. After doing the tour we were able to pick places to walk around ourselves in the following days
Written January 5, 2020
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 F
Central Coast of CA5 contributions
Dec 2019
My 2 daughters, their friend and I took a tour with Chad and Lillie last weekend. I already knew a van tour was the way to go as vans can go places more easily than those big tour buses plus it is easier to see more from a van and also more personal. My daughter Lily (ha, perfect, Lily went on a tour on Lillie) is obsessed with VW vans so this was so fun for her and a great part of her graduation present. The tour did NOT disappoint, even though it was rainy the whole time. Chad was full of interesting knowledge from trivia to history to knowing where all the famous people lived or had lived and he even had a kind of soundtrack of music for each area we visited. The van was comfortable and he even had a blanket if someone got cold and waters. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone wanting to get a great overview of San Francisco. There is just so much to see in SF that it's impossible to see it all without a tour and this is definitely the best one I have ever done and I have been going to SF since I was a child. Chad was super friendly, accommodating, fun and the tour was like hanging out with friends and learning about the city. Thank you so much! I will definitely tell all my friends about your tours!!
Written January 3, 2020
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.
Maggie
Auckland, New Zealand1 contribution
Jan 2020
Stopped in to San Francisco for a 12 hour layover on my way back to New Zealand. Took the BART in to town and then a quick walk up to meet Micah. He was personable and had some really awesome tidbits of information about the city and where to eat/visit/stay! He was really flexible and did a great job answering any questions me and the other passenger had. Would definitely recommend this for a whirlwind way to cover the big sites with some local insight.
Written January 23, 2020
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.
Carl
Green Bay, WI2 contributions
Chad was an amazing driver/guide. On time, knowledgeable, sociable and man can he handle a manual transmission on the SF hills. The city tour was such a great way to see the “greatest hits” of San Francisco in a few hours. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting SF.
Written January 26, 2020
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.
Benoz_11
Sydney, Australia72 contributions
Jan 2020
My wife and I only had 24 hours in SF so we decided to take this tour to see as much as possible in a short time, and it did exactly that. We had Chad for our driver who is a great guy. He grew up in the city and knows all the sights, and a lot of the locals it seems. The kombi is great and after a morning tour, we felt like we had seen most of the highlights, with great commentary along the way. Thanks Chad! We had a great time.
Written January 14, 2020
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.
Sam W
San Francisco, CA17 contributions
Feb 2020
Toured SF for 3.5 hours in a VW bus on 2/7/20. We had fun from the minute we stepped into the 1970s VW bus, which was in very good condition. We had a comprehensive, street-level tour of dozens of top SF sites, with many stops for walking around, as well as ongoing, informative, often hilarious commentary by Micah. I can't stress enough the benefits of seeing SF with a small group (4 people, including us!) in an iconic and very cool vehicle. As an alternative to big tour buses and trolleys, this was a great way to see SF, and the often-daunting SF weather was always just fine inside the VW bus! Highly recommended.
Written February 13, 2020
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.
TravelByCastle_13
Seattle, WA44 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Loved our tour. Chad was so polite and accommodating - the weather was POURING RAIN but that didn't stop us from seeing the sights and getting some great history.
Chad was also great about rotating seats to make sure everyone on the tour got a chance to sit in the front.
Pickup location was easy to find as they gave great directions including photos.
The best part of this small tour is that the van can go places (and park) larger commercial buses can't.
Chad was also great about rotating seats to make sure everyone on the tour got a chance to sit in the front.
Pickup location was easy to find as they gave great directions including photos.
The best part of this small tour is that the van can go places (and park) larger commercial buses can't.
Written January 24, 2020
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.
Jürgen H
2 contributions
The bus tour around San Francisco was definitely a highlight of our trip and we would recommend it to anyone wanting to get a good overview over the city. We visited all the important places and attractions, such as Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square, Golden Gate Bridge, Palace of Fine Arts, Painted Ladies and many more with plenty of time to actually enjoy these sights. Our tour guide, Chad, gave us very insightful information to each attraction and was very positive, considerate and interested. The love Chad had for this city led everyone to have a great time. We would recommend to do this tour during your first days in San Francisco, as you will drive through many different quarters of the city which would then enable you to better tell what places you want to visit again. The bus itself was a Volkswagen T2 Bus and driving inside it was an experience for itself. We got a lot of smiles and thumbs up from people around the city which added to our very positive experience.
Written August 3, 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.
Lou16
Manchester, UK12 contributions
Wow…. What a fantastic was to see San Fransisco!! Chad is so enthusiastic & knowledgeable he makes the tour really exciting & personal. We saw so much of San Fransisco, learnt both facts & fun & had great photo opportunities. Even gave the city it’s own soundtrack 👏🙌 Would recommend without hesitation, even our teenager loved it!
Written August 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.
maybelater18
London, UK195 contributions
Chad was the perfect guide and taking his Vantigo tour of San Francisco was the best decision we made to get the most out of our 5 days in the city.
We (5 of us) hired the van for ourselves and Chad gave us the full VIP treatment of tour, stops, photo-opps, facts, stories, insight, humour, drinks, snacks and chat all delivered to a perfectly picked playlist of tunes.
From just before 9am to c.12:30 we saw all the main sights plus a few lesser known ones and got a real feel for the wonderful city of SF.
It gave us the best possible intro to the city and we felt so much more comfortable after tour making our way across town to parts of the area that we would not have gone to otherwise.
Thanks Chad - genuinely you made our SF visit 10x better than it would have been without a trip in Harvey the VW Camper van (of which loads o people wanted to take photos!!)
We (5 of us) hired the van for ourselves and Chad gave us the full VIP treatment of tour, stops, photo-opps, facts, stories, insight, humour, drinks, snacks and chat all delivered to a perfectly picked playlist of tunes.
From just before 9am to c.12:30 we saw all the main sights plus a few lesser known ones and got a real feel for the wonderful city of SF.
It gave us the best possible intro to the city and we felt so much more comfortable after tour making our way across town to parts of the area that we would not have gone to otherwise.
Thanks Chad - genuinely you made our SF visit 10x better than it would have been without a trip in Harvey the VW Camper van (of which loads o people wanted to take photos!!)
Written August 4, 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.
There are two trips daily. I believe it departs at 10am and 1.30pm. You have a choice of 2 pick up points and the organiser will contact you directly to arrange.
Written December 18, 2019
If the bus has seven guests, will it be harder to see the sites when sitting in the middle seat?
Written August 1, 2019
Hi,
When we were on it they rotate the seating so everyone gets a good view but even then in the middle you can see quite well.
Enjoy
Written August 1, 2019
The city doesn’t allow commercial vehicles/ tour buses to go down the curvy part of the street anymore. They drive by it and point it out during the tour. We walked/hiked up the street later in the day on our own.
Written June 20, 2019
It does not have AC- it is an actual vintage VW bus so they did not come with AC. We went during the hottest few days in SF (which broke records) and it wasn’t uncomfortable on the bus. They opened the windows and the breeze was plenty to keep us cool. Our driver also offered us free bottles of water throughout the drive.
Written June 20, 2019
Are there restrooms available during the tour?
Written March 15, 2019
No problem finding restrooms at several of the designated tour stops.
Written June 20, 2019
Hi! Is it ok to bring my luggage with me to the bus? (I’m switching hotels that date so I can’t leave my bag at the previous hotel since checkout is 11). I have a small rolling bag.
Written March 14, 2019
Tough call. There is very little extra room in the bus except maybe under the 2nd row. Our driver kept a cooler in the back with water for guests, etc. I would simply call the tour company. They were very accommodating and friendly.
Written March 14, 2019
Buenos días el tours es en español?
Written January 29, 2019
I would love to come on a tour but it seems I may be unable to make the timings. Are there any available after 2 pm?
Written January 19, 2019
Rasty3AZ
Winslow, Arizona
yes....
Written January 25, 2019
I went on morning tour so no one was drinking. I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t. Suggest you call Vantigo and ask them
Written November 17, 2018
Since will be with a toddler, how much is the private tour?
Written September 13, 2018
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.