15 Free Sunday Guided Walking Tours in SF: Thanksgiving Weekend 2024

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.

San Francisco City Guides will be offering over 40 different tours over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It is a perfect reason to get out of the house, learn about our fabulous City’s history and better yet – it is something fun to do with your out-of-town family and friends.

San Francisco weather is cool in November, but it is much warmer than most of the rest of the country. This makes it a great time to visit and be outdoors. To make sure you are prepared for San Francisco weather in November, bring along warm clothing that you can layer.

Tour starting times range from 9:30 am to 2 pm and there are 40 different tours for you to choose from over the four day weekend including the Japanese Tea Garden, Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and many more.

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

2025 Thanksgiving Weekend Free Tours

Thursday, November 27, 2025 – 2 Tours

• 11:00 am – Gardens in the Sky: Salesforce Transit Center and Rooftop Park
• 2:00 pm – Making Waves on the Waterfront

Friday, November 28, 2025 – 15 Tours

• 9:30 am – Japanese Tea Garden*
• 10:00 am – 1850’s San Francisco: Paris Of The Pacific
• 10:30 am – Fisherman’s Wharf: A Hidden History
• 10:30 am – Golden Gate Park: American History: Memories in Trees, Stone & Bronze
• 11:00 am – 1906: Earthquake And Fire
• 11:00 am – Beat Generation in SF: Rebels, Writers, and Visionaries
• 11:00 am – Bohemians And Other Unconventional Women
• 12:00 pm – Alamo Square and its Painted Ladies
• 1:00 pm – Chinatown
• 1:00 pm – Golden Gate Park: East End, Creating San Francisco’s Great Urban Park
• 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 – Maritime SF
• 2:00 pm – Telegraph Hill Stairway Hike

Saturday, November 29, 2025 – 12 Tours

• 10:00 am – Chinatown Family Associations, Tongs and Gangs
• 10:00 am – Coit Tower Murals
• 10:00 am – Ferry Building
• 10:00 am – Golden Gate Park: West End, Breakers, Old Trains & Windmills!
• 10:00 am – Mission Murals
• 10:00 am – Russian Hill Stairways
• 11:00 am – Castro: Tales Of The Village
• 1:00 pm – Japanese Tea Garden*
• 1:00 pm – Presidio: From Military Base to National Park with Tunnel Tops
• 2:00 pm – Boom & Bust
• 2:00 pm – Land’s End: Sutro Heights
• 2:00 pm – Making Waves on the Waterfront

Sunday, November 30, 2025 – 15 Tours

• 10:00 am – Cow Hollow
• 10:30 am – Mission Dolores Neighborhood
• 11:00 am – Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco
• 11:00 am – Billionaires’ Row: Outer Broadway Architecture
• 11:00 am – Bohemians And Other Unconventional Women
• 11:00 am – Castro: Tales Of The Village
• 11:00 am – Golden Gate Bridge
• 11:00 am – Haight-Ashbury
• 11:00 am – Potrero Hill
• 1:00 pm – Gold Rush City
• 1:00 pm – Presidio: From Military Base to National Park with Tunnel Tops
• 2:00 pm – Architecture Downtown
• 2:00 pm – Corona Heights Stairways
• 2:00 pm – Nob Hill
• 2:00 pm – Telegraph Hill Stairway Hike

*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: $18.75
• Seniors (ages 65+ w/ID) $10.75
• Youth (ages 12-17) $10.75
• Children (ages 5-11) $6.75
• Children (under 5) – FREE