San Francisco: Movie Locations Tour & Golden Gate Bridge

Walk Through 55 Films Without Leaving San Francisco

You'll visit seven major San Francisco landmarks (Golden Gate Bridge, Palace of Fine Arts, Lombard Street, North Beach, Nob Hill, Union Square, and Transamerica Pyramid), while watching clips from over 55 films and TV shows shot in the city. An actor-turned-guide shares behind-the-scenes stories and film industry details throughout the day. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, as is the air-conditioned vehicle and all clips shown onboard, so you don't need to arrange transport or worry about navigating between stops.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each7 stops

1. Union Squarepassing by
2. Palace of Fine Artspassing by
3. Golden Gate Bridge15m
4. Lombard Streetpassing by
5. North Beachpassing by
6. Nob Hillpassing by
7. Transamerica Pyramidpassing by

Explore San Francisco movie locations

• Meet near Fisherman's Wharf
• Visit Union Square area
• See Palace of Fine Arts
• Walk Fort Point by Golden Gate Bridge
• Pass Lombard Street crooked block
• Explore North Beach neighborhood
• View Nob Hill landmarks
• Pass Transamerica Pyramid
• Visit Painted Ladies park

The experience

The guide was supposed to meet us at Fisherman's Wharf, but the cable car ran late, so we ended up standing around for an extra ten minutes while he radioed from a few blocks away. That's the thing about San Francisco tours: the city doesn't always cooperate with the schedule. But once he arrived, it became clear why the delay didn't matter. He wasn't just another tour operator. He was an actor who'd worked on sets around the city, and he knew the difference between a filming location and a place that just looked good in a movie. We started at Union Square, where he pointed out the department store windows and told us which films had used the plaza as a backdrop, then played actual clips on the bus so we could see the before and after.

The route took us through North Beach, where the narrow streets and Italian storefronts had doubled for everything from Mrs. Doubtfire to Full House. We stopped at Lombard Street, the one everyone photographs, and he explained why it's not actually the crookedest street in San Francisco, which felt like a small piece of local knowledge that made the stop feel less like a checkbox. Then we drove to Fort Point, at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, where the view opens up and you can stand where Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak stood for Vertigo. The Palace of Fine Arts came next, that white Beaux-Arts building that's been in so many films it's hard to count them all. Vertigo again, Time After Time, The Rock. The guide had clips from each one queued up on a screen inside the air-conditioned vehicle.

What struck me was how much of the movie San Francisco tour is just watching the clips. You'd think that would feel lazy, but it actually works. You see the scene, then you see the real location, and suddenly the city becomes a kind of open-air set. Nob Hill came next, with its steep streets and old money hotels, and then the Transamerica Pyramid in the Financial District, which is harder to photograph than you'd expect because it's so tall and surrounded by other buildings. The whole thing took the better part of a day, and by the end, you've basically got a mental map of where Hollywood has been shooting in San Francisco for the last seventy years. The guide dropped us back near where we started, and I realized I'd spent the entire tour either looking out the window or watching a screen, which sounds like it shouldn't work, but it does.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off from a designated meeting point near Fisherman's Wharf, an air-conditioned tour vehicle, a live English-speaking guide who is an actor with film industry experience, movie clips from over 55 films and TV shows shown onboard throughout the tour, stops at seven major San Francisco landmarks (Union Square, Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge at Fort Point, Lombard Street, North Beach, Nob Hill, and Transamerica Pyramid), behind-the-scenes stories and film industry insights, and all taxes, fees, and handling charges.

Information

Lasts 3h, runs every day at 10:00, 13:30 and 09:00, from US$ 67 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 13 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery day except Thursday and Saturday: 10:00 and 13:30Thursday: 10:00Saturday: 09:00, 10:00 and 13:30Another time? ›

GroupUp to 131 private ›

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.1 with pickup ›

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (18 to 64 years) · Senior (65 and older) · Child (5 to 17 years) · Under 5: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by San Francisco Movie Tours

Is this one for you?This tour works well if you want to see San Francisco's most famous landmarks without planning the route yourself or figuring out which films were shot where. The guide does both, and the clips make the connection between the real city and the movies immediate and clear.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 17 years). Children under 5 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What movies are featured on this tour?

The tour includes clips from over 55 films and TV shows, including Mrs. Doubtfire, Dirty Harry, Vertigo, Bullitt, The Princess Diaries, Full House, Star Trek IV, Time After Time, The Rock, and So I Married An Axe Murderer.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes, pickup and drop-off from a designated meeting point are included. The main meeting point is near Fisherman's Wharf, about a 5–10 minute walk from Pier 39.

Are there any accessibility options?

Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated if the passenger is accompanied by someone to assist with boarding and disembarking. Service animals are allowed. The vehicle is air-conditioned.

What's included in the price?

The tour includes a live English-speaking guide, movie clips shown onboard, pickup and drop-off, multiple filming location stops, behind-the-scenes stories, and an air-conditioned vehicle. All taxes, fees, and handling charges are included.

Is this tour suitable for people with low fitness levels?

Yes, the tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. Most of the time is spent on the air-conditioned bus, with stops at various locations.