Explore the many sides of San Francisco on these free walking tours
San Francisco might be one of the most expensive cities in the world, but there's one thing that tourists can get free of charge: walking tours.
The city offers a wide range of free tours led by volunteers through many of the city's hip and historic neighbourhoods, as well as many that focus on niche themes.
There are, of course, walks through the famous Haigh-Ashbury area, the Castro district and the Gold Rush City. Visitors can also take the tour to learn more about how the city's cable car lines changed the landscape of San Francisco by making hilly neighbourhoods accessible.
Other tours explore the city's murals, a Japanese tea garden and the Russian Hill Stairways. The newest tour in a growing selection focuses on climate change and also gives you a magnificent view of the iconic Golden Gate bridge and runs through Crissy Field, a former US Army airfield that has been converted into a park.
Walkers on the two-hour tour learn about how climate change is affecting the city and about the risk posed by rising sea levels.
Some 70 tours are available and you can register for free online through SF City Guides. SF City Guides, set up in 1978, has more than 300 volunteer guides and is mainly sponsored by the San Francisco Public Library.
