The 15 Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours in San Francisco Travellers Rate Highest

1.Big Bus SF: Hop-on Hop-off Tour with 17 Stops and Sunset Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 4,539 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $56Our pick

See San Francisco without renting a car on a 24 or 48-hour open-top bus pass. Ride the Red Route past Pier 39, Chinatown, Alamo Square, Golden Gate Park, Lombard Street, and the Golden Gate Bridge, then hop off where you like. Add a sunset tour, Chinatown walk, aquarium entry, or wine outing.

“There is a lot to see and explore. Make sure to have a coat ready when passing over the Golden Gate if you want to sit on the open deck!”

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2.Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour with 17 Stops

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3,600 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $56

Ride Big Bus San Francisco’s open-top route past Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Alamo Square, Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate Park, and across the Golden Gate Bridge. Use the recorded commentary, live bus tracking, and flexible hop-on, hop-off access to shape your own city tour.

“The driver was great negotiating tight turns and was informative and polite.”

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3.Alcatraz Island & 48-Hour Hop-On Hop-Off Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,245 reviews · 2 days · from $120

Pair Alcatraz’s ferry, cell-house audio tour, and island views with 48 hours on Big Bus San Francisco. Add a Chinatown walk, Aquarium by the Bay, and a panoramic sunset ride. Redeem your voucher at 99 Jefferson Street before your Alcatraz date.

“Fantastic highly recommend! So pleased i did this as a solo traveller!”

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4.Hop-On Hop-Off Deluxe Bus Tour with 20 Stops

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 659 reviews · 8 hours - 2 days · from $55

See San Francisco by double-decker bus with live commentary from guides such as Jamal, Kirk, Chino, and Willie. The 20-stop route links Union Square, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, and more. Hop off selectively, or stay aboard for a city overview.

“Our tour guide “Chino” was awesome! He was funny and very knowledgeable.”

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5.Alcatraz Island & Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 647 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $120

Combine Alcatraz’s ferry, Cell House audio tour, and island views with two days on an open-top Big Bus. You can board at 15 city stops, including Pier 39, Haight-Ashbury, Union Square, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Extras include Aquarium by the Bay, Chinatown audio touring, and a sunset bus ride.

“Alcatraz was great! The reason for the two stars is due to we did not get much information for the big bus tours After we went to Alcatraz, we went to the big bus pickup location and the guy told us to please sit inside while we wait, then another couple showed up and told them they are frat in line when the tickets needed to be printed the app would not show us the barcode for the representative scan and that took a while”

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6.Big Bus San Francisco: Sightseeing Sunset Tour by Open-Top Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 339 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $45Best value

Set out from Fisherman’s Wharf at 6:30 pm for a 90-minute Big Bus ride through Chinatown, the Financial District, Embarcadero, and across the Bay Bridge to Treasure Island. You’ll hear digital commentary, see San Francisco’s lights, and return to the same meeting point. Arrive early for the upper deck.

“We loved sitting on the top area of the bus! The tour guide was awesome! We saw places in San Francisco that we would have never seen on our own. Great tour with interesting information.”

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7.Hop-On Hop-Off Bus with Ferry & Alcatraz Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 324 reviews · 2 days · from $159

Spend two days seeing San Francisco by open-top bus, then visit Alcatraz by ferry at a set time. Expect city commentary in six languages, an award-winning prison audio tour, Golden Gate Bridge views, and a possible night tour.

“This is a must if travelling to San Francisco, the trips are amazing, the drivers and tour guides make the tour so interesting adding wit and humour to what could be a boring subject, Don't forget to wear warm clothing on the Golden Gate Bridge tour it gets cold! You get a lot of trips for your money, well worth it.”

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8.San Francisco Hop-On Hop-Off Open Top Bus Tour (Essential) 24Hour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 191 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $78

See San Francisco from an open-top double-decker bus with a 24-hour hop-on, hop-off pass. Ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, stop at Pier 39, Haight-Ashbury, Alamo Square, Union Square, and more. Recorded commentary plays as you ride, and buses usually arrive every 15 to 30 minutes.

“The audio was great in that it was time perfectly. Even the elevator music was enjoyable! Staff were helpful especially those at the depot. And the tour itself was really enjoyable”

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9.Hop-On Hop-Off Tour with Optional Night Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 94 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $69

Use one or two days of hop-on hop-off access to reach Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Add a 60 to 90-minute evening tour with live narration, multilingual audio, and possible views from Treasure Island.

“Die Nachtfahrt findet um 18.00 Uhr abends statt und endet 22.00 Uhr , da ist es alles andere aber keine Nacht!!!Auch noch kein Sonnenuntergang ,dies Tour kann man sich sparen . R-R Hardt”

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10.SF: Golden Gate Cruise & Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour (Save 15%)

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 86 reviews · 1 day · from $99

Combine a one-hour Golden Gate Bay cruise with 24 hours on Big Bus San Francisco. You will pass beneath the bridge, view Sausalito and Alcatraz, then explore stops from Fisherman’s Wharf to Haight-Ashbury with multilingual audio commentary and a Chinatown walking tour.

“The very long wait we had to get on the bus at the beginning of the tour. My husband is disabled and can’t walk or stand for long periods of time, there was nowhere he could sit and wait, so that was a serious issue for us as he was in a lot of pain. We asked the staff and they said there was nothing they could do. The rest of the tour was fantastic and the driver amazing.”

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11.2 Day Hop-On Hop-Off 20-Stop Deluxe Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 42 reviews · 2 days · from $65

See San Francisco by double-decker bus over two days, with 20 stops covering Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, and more. Live guides such as Willie and Kirk add personality, while a multilingual audio app fills in the gaps.

“liked that it went all over. jokes were meh to inappropriate in the beginning. no step to get on and 2nd driver had us board and disembark from street level. I use a walker and my body hurt after doing this.”

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12.Hop-On Hop-Off City Bus Tour and Bay Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 16 reviews · 1 day · from $99

Use an open-top double-decker bus to see San Francisco’s key sights, then take a narrated 60-minute Bay cruise beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and past Alcatraz. You get live or multilingual audio commentary, flexible hop-on hop-off stops, and time to explore Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Lombard Street, and more.

“Unfortunately your system did not register my request to cancel due to flight being cancelled. Also Did not accept my date transfer.”

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13.Hop-On Hop-Off + Muir Woods Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 5 reviews · 2 days · from $159Top rated

You’ll cross the Golden Gate Bridge, walk among the giant redwoods of Muir Woods, and visit Sausalito with an English-speaking guide. Your package also includes two days on the open-top Official City Tour, with audio commentary in several languages and flexible stops around San Francisco.

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14.SF: Guided Muir Woods Tour & Hop-On Hop-Off Tour (Save 15%)

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3 reviews · from $140

Travel with a live English-speaking guide to Muir Woods, walk beneath towering coastal redwoods for 90 minutes, stop in Sausalito, then use a 24-hour Big Bus pass with 16 San Francisco stops, digital commentary, and a Chinatown walking tour.

“Patrick the guide was a bit all over the place with his stories. Like they were memorized but not authentic”

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15.SF: Napa & Sonoma Wine Tour & Hop-on Hop-off Tour (Save 15%)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2 reviews · from $169

Start near Fisherman’s Wharf by 8:30 AM for a guided Napa or Sonoma wine tour with three tastings, then use your 24-hour open-top bus ticket to see San Francisco’s landmarks. Commentary is available in several languages, with a 1 PM Chinatown walk included.

“I liked that we stayed on time; i feel like we could’ve done 3 wineries, the bus driver talked too much and never let us have a moment of peace and the A/C wasn’t working and it was miserably hot”

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