Home » *Top Pick*, In Person, MLK Day, Outdoors, San Francisco, Walks & Tours

10 Free Guided Walking Tours of San Francisco for MLK Day 2025

Monday, January 20, 2025 - 9:30 am to 3:00 pm | Cost: FREE*
*Free tours, but donations to the guide are appreciated

All Over San Francisco | San Francisco, CA

Event Details

60 Free Guided Walking Tours of San Francisco (MLK Weekend 2025)

San Francisco City Guides offer free guided walking tours of many different neighborhoods in the city and will be offering a full slate of free tours over MLK weekend.

2025 MLK Weekend Tour Schedule
All walks are free, although donations to the tour guides are, of course, appreciated.

Friday, January 17, 2025

  • 9:30 AM: Japanese Tea Garden*
  • 10:00 AM: Architectural Gems South of Market
  • 10:00 AM: Cityscapes And Public Places
  • 10:00 AM: Embarcadero South: A Turbulent Port
  • 11:00 AM: Cable Cars: Halfway to the Stars
  • 11:00 AM: Mission Murals
  • 1:00 PM: Cityscapes And Public Places
  • 1:00 PM: Golden Gate Park: East End – Flowers & Tunnels & Bears, Oh My!
  • 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

Saturday, January 18, 2025

  • 10:00 AM: 1840s San Francisco and the Astonishing Legacy of America’s “First Black Millionaire”
  • 10:00 AM: Coit Tower Murals
  • 10:00 AM: Ferry Building
  • 10:00 AM: Mission Murals
  • 10:00 AM: North Beach
  • 10:00 AM: Online – Land’s End: Sutro Heights
  • 10:00 AM: Russian Hill Stairways
  • 10:30 AM: Golden Gate Park: East End – Flowers & Tunnels & Bears, Oh My! (No Tour Today)
  • 10:30 AM: Golden Gate Park: West End – Breakers, Old Trains & Windmills!
  • 10:30 AM: Mission Bay: Hidden Waters
  • 11:00 AM: 1850’s San Francisco: Paris Of The Pacific
  • 11:00 AM: Alamo Square and its Painted Ladies
  • 11:00 AM: Castro: Tales Of The Village
  • 11:00 AM: Fairmont Hotel
  • 11:00 AM: Pacific Heights Mansions
  • 12:00 PM: Corona Heights Stairways
  • 1:00 PM: Boom & Bust
  • 1:00 PM: Chinatown
  • 1:00 PM: Japanese Tea Garden*
  • 1:00 PM: Presidio: From Military Base to National Park with Tunnel Tops
  • 1:30 PM: Cable Cars: Halfway to the Stars
  • 2:00 PM: Japantown
  • 2:00 PM: Land’s End: Sutro Heights
  • 2:00 PM: Making Waves on the Waterfront

Sunday, January 19, 2025

  • 10:30 AM: Architectural Gems South of Market
  • 10:30 AM: Golden Gate Park: Mid Park Ramble – Hidden Gems, Rarely Visited
  • 10:30 AM: Mission Dolores Neighborhood
  • 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: Golden Gate Heights Stairways
  • 11:00 AM: Haight-Ashbury
  • 11:30 AM: Chinatown
  • 1:00 PM: Japanese Tea Garden
  • 1:00 PM: Presidio: From Military Base to National Park with Tunnel Tops
  • 1:00 PM: Victorian San Francisco
  • 2:00 PM: Architecture Downtown
  • 2:00 PM: Art Deco Marina
  • 2:00 PM: Gold Rush City (No Tour Today)
  • 2:00 PM: Nob Hill

Monday, January 20, 2025 – MLK Day

  • 9:30 AM: Japanese Tea Garden*
  • 10:30 AM: Gardens in the Sky: Salesforce Transit Center and Rooftop Park
  • 11:00 AM: Fisherman’s Wharf: A Hidden History
  • 1:00 PM: Architecture Downtown
  • 1:00 PM: Japanese Tea Garden*
  • 1:00 PM: Palace Of Fine Arts/Marina
  • 1:00 PM: Presidio: From Military Base to National Park with Tunnel Tops
  • 1:00 PM: Scandalous Murals of Rincon Center
  • 1:30 PM: Chinatown
  • 1:30 PM: Chinatown Family Associations, Tongs and Gangs

*Free for San Francisco Residents. Please note for Japanese Tea Garden tours, a garden admission charge is required, except for free entry for San Francisco residents with ID, Gardens of Golden Gate Park members, Veterans, and those eligible for the Museums for All program. Admission is free for everyone before 10 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE*
*Free tours, but donations to the guide are appreciated
Categories: *Top Pick*, In Person, MLK Day, Outdoors, San Francisco, Walks & Tours
Address: San Francisco, CA

Monday, January 20, 2025

7:00 am   Free National Parks Day: Muir Woods + Yosemite for MLK Jr. Day 2025  FREE*
*The entrance fee waiver for fee-free days does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours. Although the entrance fee is waved, paid parking/shuttle reservations required for Muir Woods even on free days.
8:00 am   SF’s MLK Jr Day 2025 Festivals & Marches (Jan. 13-20)  FREE*
*Mostly free but check the links for ticket purchase
8:30 am   MLK 2025 Celebration Train: Free Caltrain & BART Rides to SF’s MLK Day Festival  FREE
8:30 am   SF’s “Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service” 2025 Volunteering Weekend (Jan. 17-20 )  FREE*
*RSVP Required
10:00 am   SF’s Holiday Ice Skating Session at Union Square (Final Day)  $20*
*Tickets are $20 with skate rental included in the cost of admission
10:00 am   “IlluminOdyssey” Dazzling Winter Lights  $27.95*
*$27.95 Adults; $23.95 Children, Students & Seniors
11:00 am   SF’s Annual MLK Day March & Parade Over the Bridge (2025)  FREE*
*Participants in groups of ten or more (10+) are encouraged to register.
11:00 am   MoAD Free Museum Day on MLK Day 2025 (SF)  FREE
11:30 am   MLK Community Sing with Deborah Levoy  FREE*
*All welcome
12:00 pm   San Jose’s “Downtown Ice” Ice Skating (Final Day)  $21*
*$21 includes skate rentals
1:00 pm   2025 MLK Jr. Day Music Festival at Yerba Buena Gardens (SF)  FREE
6:00 pm   SF Arcade Bar “Emporium” 8 Free Game Tokens for “Industry Night” (Every Monday)  FREE*
*8 free game tokens if you are part of the "industry"
6:00 pm   2025 Napa Lighted Art Festival w/ Special Projection Artwork (Jan. 18 – Feb. 16)  FREE
7:00 pm   “Motown On Mondays” DJ Night (Madrone Art Bar)  FREE*
*Free before 8pm; $5 after
7:00 pm   Oakland’s Free “Town Biz” Comedy Night w/ HellaFunny (Mon + Tue)  FREE*
*Free with RSVP. Food/drink for purchase
7:00 pm   CANCELED: SF’s “Wurst Drag Trivia” (Every Monday)  FREE
7:00 pm   MLK Day “Black Laughs Matter” Comedy Night at SF’s Only Black-Owned Comedy Club (2025)  FREE*
*Free with RSVP. Two drink minimum. Tickets at door without RSVP are $20
7:30 pm   Dead Funny: A Night of Comedy and Zombies  $15
7:30 pm   The Marsh’s Online Storytelling Night (Every Monday)  FREE*
*Everything is FREE. But feel FREE to make a donation through our tip jar to support and sustain The Marsh and MarshStream performers.
8:00 pm   Mirthquake: Monday Live Comedy in the Richmond w/ $5 Drinks (SF)  FREE*
*free tickets, RSVP to ensure a spot, 21+
8:45 pm   Monday “Hayes Valley Comedy Night” at SF’s New Black-Owned Comedy Club (The Function)  FREE*
*Exclusive free tickets with Eventbrite RSVP. Otherwise $20-25 at door. Please note like most comedy clubs, there is a two drink minimum per person
< Sunday, January 19 Tuesday, January 21 >