Half Day by the Bay: North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf & Scenic Bay Cruise

For many, the beating heart of San Francisco and its legacy lies within a generation of artists and activists. From its revolutionary, push-the- envelope residents to the immigrant communities who found themselves on these shores, San Francisco is a million stories at every step.

On this three-hour walking tour (paired with an hour-long cruise) journey through the years of the counterculture movement - the 1960s, when Beat poets like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac mingled with the little Italian grandmothers on the streets of North Beach. Following a deep dive into the city’s artistic roots on Jack Kerouac Alley, move up Columbus Avenue - the main strip through the thriving neighborhood. Here your guide will uncover more of the hidden gems the lie beneath the usual hotspots. Hollywood titans dreamed up some of their most iconic ideas in this area - understandable given the palpable artistic undercurrent that ebbs and flows through the city’s veins.

Further north, climb two blocks to "The Crookedest Street in the World", before heading into the chocolate empire of Ghirardelli Square, Here pause to savor a piece of chocolate (complimentary, of course), then wander on down to Fisherman's Wharf. It may be one of the city’s busiest tourist areas, but your guide will show you how to navigate the popular area before heading to Pier 39 to meet the real stars of the city: San Francisco’s resident sea lions.

We leave you here but that’s not the end of your tour! You’ll round out the afternoon with a cruise across the bay, taking in some of the city’s best sights from the sea. Your boat sails along the waterfront past the Marina District, on to the Presidio, and travels under the Golden Gate Bridge. A loop of Alcatraz Island is a welcome addition to the hour-long jaunt - the closest you can get to it without Alcatraz tickets. Afterward, you’ll return to Pier 39 where you can spend the evening exploring the area for yourself and musing over everything you learned on your tour.