1-Night Trip to San Francisco by Bus
This program offers a fun and educational San Francisco adventure filled with iconic sights, hands-on science, and memorable experiences.
Program Summary
Tour Number: 0225-195970
You’ll explore San Francisco with highlights including a scenic cable car ride, a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge, and free time at Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square. The program features an unforgettable ferry ride to Alcatraz Island with a self-guided audio tour, plus admission to the California Academy of Sciences for an immersive science experience.
Program Highlights & Inclusions
- Professional tour manager with your group throughout the tour
- Private Bus transportation throughout your tour
- One night Hotel accommodations in the San Francisco area
- Ticket for a ride on the cable car
- Ferry ticket and self guided audio tour on Alcatraz Island
- Admission to the California Academy of Sciences
- Visit to Pier 39 for free time to shop
- Visit to the Golden Gate Bridge
- Visit to Ghirardelli Square
Daily Itinerary
You’ll depart on the bus for your trip. When you arrive in San Francisco, you will meet your tour manager.
You’ll visit Pier 39 and have free time to shop and explore. PIER 39 is a 45-acre waterfront complex that is a gathering place for millions of San Francisco locals and visitors. In addition to its 14 full-service restaurants, 90+ shops and popular attractions, PIER 39 is home to a 5-acre waterfront park and a 300-berth marina. PIER 39 is known for its spectacular views of San Francisco Bay including the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge and Alcatraz, as well as the world famous California sea lions hauled out on K-Dock.
You’ll take a ride on one of San Francisco’s iconic cable cars. Since 1873, cable cars have run up and down the hilly city, though after the 1950s, these cars have been kept in operation more out of historic nostalgia. Seventeen miles of track remain and have been deemed a historical landmark
You’ll see the Golden Gate Bridge – a 4,200 foot long suspension bridge that was the world’s longest from 1937 until 1964. You’ll head to the viewing area on the San Francisco side of the water where you will have fantastic views of the bridge and the bay. Bring your cameras – there are lots of photo opportunities here!
After dinner you’ll visit Ghirardelli Square, a landmark with shops and restaurants in the Fisherman’s Wharf area of the city. Here you can visit the chocolate shop and ice cream parlor for sweet treat!
You’ll arrive at your hotel and check in.
After breakfast, you’ll check out of your hotel room and depart the hotel for the day.
You’ll take the ferry to Alcatraz where you’ll receive a headset for an audio guided tour of the island. One of the most infamous prisons in the country for housing notorious criminals, Alcatraz holds much history that will interest buffs and novices alike. No longer housing prisoners and managed by the National Park Service, Alcatraz allows tourists to visit by the boatload. Alcatraz was used as a federal maximum security prison from 1934 until 1963, when it was closed due to high costs and security issues.
After lunch, you will visit the California Academy of Sciences, a world-class scientific and cultural institution based in San Francisco. The Academy recently opened a new facility in Golden Gate Park, a 400,000 square foot structure that houses an aquarium, a planetarium a natural history museum and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof.
You’ll board your bus and begin the return trip home.
