Thanksgiving Weekend: 11 Free Guided SF Walking Tours on Black Friday (2023)

Relatives in town? Show off the beautiful city by taking them on one of San Francisco City Guides free guided walking tours of San Francisco’s greatest neighborhoods. There is a full slate of free tours on Thanksgiving weekend, Thursday through Sunday.

Tour starting times range from 9:30 am to 2 pm and there are 50 different tours for you to choose from over the four day weekend including the Japanese Tea Garden (yes, even on Thanksgiving Thursday), Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and many more.

Tours are free, but donations to to the tour guides are greatly appreciated.

2023 Thanksgiving Weekend Free Tours

Thursday, November 23, 2023 – 3 Tours

• 11:00 am Salesforce Transit Center
• 1:00 pm Japanese Tea Garden*
• 2:00 pm Making Waves on the Waterfront

Friday, November 24, 2023 – 11 Tours

• 9:30 am Japanese Tea Garden*
• 10:00 am Cityscapes And Public Places
• 10:00 am South of Market (SOMA) Architecture Stroll
• 10:30 am Golden Gate Park: Mid Park Ramble Hidden Gems, Rarely Visited
• 11:00 am Cable Cars: Halfway to the Stars
• 11:00 am Fisherman’s Wharf: A Hidden History
• 1:00 pm Japanese Tea Garden*
• 1:00 pm Presidio: From Military Base to National Park with Tunnel Tops
• 1:30 pm Gold Rush City
• 2:00 pm Salesforce Transit Center

Saturday, November 25, 2023 – 20 Tours

• 10:00 am Coit Tower Murals
• 10:00 am Mission Murals
• 10:00 am Palace Of Fine Arts/Marina
• 11:00 am 1850’s San Francisco: Paris Of The Pacific
• 11:00 am Castro: Tales Of The Village
• 11:00 am Chinatown
• 11:00 am Ferry Building
• 11:00 am Pacific Heights Mansions
• 1:00 pm Japanese Tea Garden*
• 1:00 pm Presidio: From Military Base to National Park with Tunnel Tops
• 1:00 pm Scandalous Murals of Rincon Center
• 1:00 pm Terrific Street: The Devil’s Playground
• 1:00 pm Victorian San Francisco
• 2:00 pm 1906: Earthquake And Fire
• 2:00 pm Fort Mason Historic District
• 2:00 pm Golden Gate Park: East End Flowers & Tunnels & Bears, Oh My!
• 2:00 pm Land’s End: Sutro Heights
• 2:00 pm Murals And The Multi-Ethnic Mission
• 2:00 pm San Francisco, Boom & Bust
• 2:00 pm Telegraph Hill Stairway Hike

Sunday, November 26, 2023 – 16 Tours

• 10:00 am Applause! SF’s Performing Arts Hub
• 10:30 am Cable Cars: Halfway to the Stars
• 10:30 am Mission Dolores Neighborhood
• 10:30 am Russian Hill Stairways
• 11:00 am Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco
• 11:00 am Billionaires’ Row: Outer Broadway Architecture
• 11:00 am Castro: Tales Of The Village
• 11:00 am Dogpatch and Potrero Point
• 11:00 am Golden Gate Bridge
• 11:00 am Haight-Ashbury
• 1:00 pm Golden Gate Park: American History Memories in Trees, Stone & Bronze
• 1:00 pm Japanese Tea Garden*
• 2:00 pm Architecture Downtown
• 2:00 pm Art Deco Marina
• 2:00 pm Gold Rush City
• 2:00 pm Nob Hill

*Although the tour itself is free, the afternoon Japanese Tea Garden tour may require separate admission charge to the gardens for non-San Francisco residents

Japanese Tea Garden Admission Fee
FREE – San Francisco Residents and Veterans
FREE for all – Mon/Wed/Fri between 9am and 10am

Non-Residents – Tickets

• FREE for all – Mon/Wed/Fri between 9am and 10am
• Adults: $14
• Seniors (ages 65+ w/ID) $7
• Youth (ages 12-17) $7
• Children (ages 5-11) $3
• Children (under 5) – FREE