Experience the best of San Francisco in one unforgettable walk, where gold-rush grit, skyline icons, and noir legends all share the stage. A self-guided GPS walking tour with audio stories and local tips, perfect for getting oriented fast.
Admissions not included.
Your purchase is for 30-day access to our self-guided cell-phone tour. Tickets or entry fees
for museums, historic sites, and other attractions are sold separately.
Sample the best of San Francisco in a single walk that gathers standout stops from our Barbary waterfront, city-icons, and noir-night routes. Climb from foggy alleys to cathedral steps, trace movie chases and skyline turns, and listen as the city’s legends unfold from gold-rush grit to Hollywood glow. With a self-guided GPS walking tour, audio stories, and flexible pacing, it’s one of the smartest things to do in San Francisco when you want a first deep look at the city’s character.
Highlights
Broadway & Columbus Strip — neon-lit crossroads of North Beach and Chinatown nightlife; hear how jazz, beat poets, and clubs turned these corners into a wild stage for art and rebellion.
Columbus Tower (Sentinel Building) — green copper flatiron at the edge of North Beach; discover how this survivor became a creative beacon for filmmakers, writers, and downtown legends.
Flood Building (Exterior View) — massive stone-and-steel landmark on Market Street; trace how a 1906 fire survivor later became a glowing backdrop for films and streetcar-era city life.
Grace Cathedral Steps — Gothic hilltop church terrace atop Nob Hill; see how this sanctuary and its steps became both symbol and stage for faith, survival, and classic San Francisco scenes.
Jackson Square (Hotaling Building) — brick warehouse block from the old waterfront; learn how these buildings defied the 1906 fire and preserved the city’s earliest shoreline stories.
Lombard Street Top Curve — lookout at the top of the “crookedest” block; see how one family’s clever street redesign turned an impossible hill into a twisting icon filmed worldwide.
Powell Cable Turntable (Night View) — busy cable car turnaround on Powell Street; watch how crews, cables, and headlights keep the city’s transit story spinning after dark.
Sam Spade Office Corner (Bush & Stockton) — quiet downtown corner tied to Dashiell Hammett’s detective; uncover how fog, fiction, and film turned this block into the heart of noir.
Taylor & Vallejo Intersection — steep Russian Hill crossing above the bay; relive the roar of Bullitt’s car chase and hear how this slope helped reshape movie realism on real streets.
Tenderloin Neon Block — gritty corridor of vintage signs and small businesses; explore how rain, reflections, and neon created the perfect backdrop for crime dramas and late-night energy.
Waverly Place Alley (Chinatown) — short temple-lined lane glowing with lanterns; step into a narrow world of community, myth, and cinematic mystery between Grant Avenue and the back streets.
Zoetrope Bar Nook — intimate corner bar inside Coppola’s Columbus Tower studio; hear how this copper landmark became a living monument to storytelling, film craft, and late-night conversation.
All this, plus additional "hidden gems," expertly brought to life through our virtual guides....with rich, vivid history, local stories, and unmatched knowledge you will not find elsewhere. Even better, no tipping required!
Tour area: San Francisco – Greatest of San Francisco
Distance: ~3.6 miles (5.8 km) • Time: 3 hours • Stops: 12+ • Terrain: Steep hills, cable car climbs, brick curves, city sidewalks
Shaded area = approximate tour area
What you’ll experience
GPS location tracking — see your current location on the map.
Virtual Tour Guides — Detailed narration at each stop & answers to common questions.
Vast local knowledge — history, legends, and insider spots.
Local weather updates — stay prepared as you explore outdoors.
A “Free Roaming” adventure — start anywhere, wander at your pace.
What exactly unlocks when I buy?
You’ll get the full tour map with hot-air balloon markers (our map pins), our suggested walking path for orientation, detailed stories and site info, narration, and tons of local tips. Your purchase gives you unlimited access for 30 days via a private link. It runs right in your mobile browser — no installs, no storage — just open and go.
How do I start the tour?
Open your private tour link on your phone and tap the compass icon on the map to show where you are. Simply walk to the nearest stop and tap its marker to start the story. Then just visit any other stops you like, in any order, at your own pace.
How does a SmartWalkTour differ from a traditional tour?
It’s your pace, your path. No buses or group schedules. No tour guide tipping. Explore freely with on-map markers, narration, and an optional suggested path for big-picture orientation. Pause for a café, browse a shop, and pick up where you left off anytime — your guide is always in your pocket.
Screenshots from an actual tour. (Key West example)
Swipe or scroll to see more →
Multiple tour stopping points. Start at any one, then tap the hot air balloon for detailed tour guide information.Virtual tour guides share rich stories at every stop, with Q&A and helpful links.Always know the local weather and plan your walk comfortably.Discover more tours nearby—walkable options to keep exploring.Four map styles, live GPS, and a suggested path you can toggle on/off.Helpful information is built in, plus links for even more detail.In app tips, FAQs, Local festivals and events. Maps show a wealth of detail, with public restroom locations.Direct links to attractions for hours, tickets, and more.
