4 h

About this activity

1960s-Era City Tour In the morning, head to Union Square and board the Magic Bus. Put a flower in your hair and travel back in time to the groovy 1960s! Using real archival material, the past comes alive with the original sights and sounds of 1960s San Francisco. Cruise through Chinatown, an important epicenter of Eastern philosophies that spread throughout the city in the 1960s.

Next, visit North Beach, where you’ll see the City Lights Bookstore, the hub of the Beatnik generation. This was an epicenter of social change in San Francisco, where many famous Beat-generation poems were published and Beatniks such as Jack Kerouac hung out.

Continuing your Magic Ride, watch modern San Francisco blend with the past as you travel through the Financial District and up central Market Street on the way to Haight-Ashbury – the home of the Summer of Love. As you discover this iconic neighborhood, you’ll see the past come alive with retractable projection screens that cover the windows!

Your next destination is the lush gardens of Golden Gate Park, where you’ll stop at the Conservatory of Flowers. Hear how America's largest urban park hosted the Human Be-In event in 1967 and the first Earth Day in 1970. If the weather is nice, you may even join a drum circle!

The '60s-era video, music and costumed staff of the Magic Bus will provide a fun, immersive experience of America's most memorable cultural movements. It’s not just a sightseeing tour – it’s a trip!

Your bus tour ends back in Union Square.

Alcatraz Walking Tour

Hop on the 3:50pm ferry from San Francisco’s Pier 33 and head to Alcatraz for an afternoon at your leisure exploring this famous former prison. Touring the whole island usually takes around 2.5 hours, but you're welcome to stay as long as you like.

Take the award-winning audio walking tour, produced by the same creators of the Magic Bus, which leads you on an immersive journey through the prison grounds. Featuring life-like sound effects and real interviews from former inmates and cell guards, you’ll discover what life was like here for some of history’s most notorious criminals, such as Machine Gun Kelly and Al Capone.

You’ll also learn about the history of Alcatraz Island, which was first utilized as a Civil War fort. After your tour, hop back on the ferry (departs every 30-40 minutes) and head back to San Francisco.

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Included

2-hour city bus tour
Live commentary on board the bus tour
Professional guide on the bus tour
Small take-home gift
Includes tickets to Alcatraz ($39.90 USD value) and self guided audio tour
Audio walking tour of Alcatraz

Not included

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Transport to Alcatraz ferry landing
Gratuities

Additional

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Bus portion of the tour is not wheelchair accessible
Date changes are not permitted once confirmation is received
Alcatraz is steep and hilly. A moderate amount of walking is involved. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
Alcatraz audio tour is available in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Mandarin, Portuguese and Korean
You may depart Alcatraz Island at any time. Ferries depart every 30-40 minutes
Magic Bus tour explores the history of San Francisco in the 1960s which includes some mature themes. Though light-hearted, some parental guidance is suggested

Features

Tourism

90%

Cultural

90%

Original

40%

Reviews

4.3

74

K

Kimberly Hoyt M

5 | 2018-07-29

Lots of history involving the late 60s and 70s music and cultural changes with video clips and humorous commentary from the costumed guide. Wish we could have gotten off the bus for a look inside some of the shops. Alcatraz was interesting and the audio tour was great with commentary from former guards and prisoners. Surprised to see beautiful flowers and plantings on the island.

V

Velvet s

5 | 2018-07-17

out of ordinary tour. Great energy. Great content. well organized. easy booking, super nice people. well thought out tour

M

Maria C

5 | 2018-07-09

I can’t say it enough I loved it all it was one of the best tours! Very entertaining and knowledgeable but with so much more fun than I expected to have. I’m so happy it was like that as I made the decision to buy tickets for my friends and me. They said it was very enjoyable and fun.

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Robert N

5 | 2017-08-26

I do not think I need to say much on the tour to Alcatraz, which we can safely recommend as a must-have for any trip to San Francisco if you have not seen it. The Magic Bus tour was definitely a worthwhile experience that takes you back to San Francisco in the 60s. Expect to ride on a bright and bubble-spewing bus to spread good moods to the outside world. Best to also plan time for other sites e.g. Golden Gate bridge, Fisherman's Wharf as not all can be fitted into the two plus hours tour.

C

Christopher B

5 | 2017-08-21

We had a great tour! Our tour guide was really fun, energetic and she had a lot of groovy information. Our daughter and friend who were on the tour with us said that the Magic Bus San Fran Tour was exactly what they expected we would have booked. They enjoyed it, too! We all did!! Combining it with the Alcatraz Tour was a perfect combo.

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Faith-Ann H

5 | 2017-07-11

I took my parents and they loved it! The tour guide and bus driver were great!

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louise l

5 | 2017-06-21

Very cool way of seeing the city and learning about San Francisco, very entertaining! the driver and our guide are super friendly! highly recommended

c

clsomerv

5 | 2017-03-28

Amazing tour, my husband and I LOVED this!!