San Francisco New Year

Check-in to your hotel this morning in free-wheeling San Francisco. Colorful, cosmopolitan and creative, San Francisco is full of characters, different elasticities and artists. The city has a mixed history as the hometown of the Gold Rush, new immigrants, the Beats and of course, the hippies.

Meet up with your fellow travelers and Tour Manager before heading out for first taste of the city’s diverse neighborhoods. Get familiar with buzzing San Fran as your Tour Manager shows you North Beach, the Italian neighborhood and former center point of Beat culture. Walk over the landmark suspension bridge, the Golden Gate, and take in the spectacular views across the harbor and the city on Twin Peaks.

During our in-depth look into the city, we’ll also stop off at Fisherman’s Wharf for a slice of the historic waterfront lifestyle. Try out some fresh fish or crab from sidewalk stands for lunch.

Tonight, get to know your group over dinner and take it easy on the night before New Year’s Eve. Relax back at the hotel, a historic building that was once the Town Hall, or take a short walk down to the heart of the city, Union Square.

Hotel Dinner

With a couple of days here, you’ll get a real feel for San Francisco and its hilly streets. Chalk up a local experience and explore it at your own pace with the three-day public transport pass your Tour Manager will give you.

Today, we jump on a ferry and head out to Alcatraz together. This former maximum security prison is on an island in the harbor and once held A-list criminals like Al “Scarface” Capone, Soviet spies and crime bosses. Walk around the old cells and get the background on these bad boys.

Free time means a chance to keep exploring San Francisco. Hop on an iconic cable car and walk around Alamo Square, famous for its row houses. Turn back the clock to the “Summer of Love” with a visit to cool Haight-Ashbury, the center point of 1960s alternative culture. Once packed with 75000 hippies, it now has chilled-out cafes, record stores, second hand clothes shops and bookstores to rummage through.

Get ready for New Year’s Eve and our hot party cruise out in the bay. Take in the lights of the city and kick back with the group at the open bar. You’ll enjoy dinner before watching the spectacular midnight fireworks over the bay. Afterward, keep it moving with some friends in a fun night out.

Hotel Breakfast, Dinner

Today’s a free day, so use your time to get out and about.

Head back to Union Square in the core of San Francisco’s trendy shopping district for some for designer labels or hang out in one of the city’s parks.

Thriving with activity, Chinatown is a fun, kitsch experience. Choose the optional trip there with your Tour Manager and see its hidden spots. Learn about the history of the gold rush as you walk through the bustling district, past traditional herb-sops, Buddhas, and flashing neon lights. Then eat together at one of the many authentic restaurants here.

With over 3000 places to eat and drink, San Francisco has more choice per capita than anywhere else. Head to the city’s gritty Latin American quarter, the Mission District, for Mexican tacos or El Salvadorian pupusas (corn flat breads stuffed with cheese, pork or beans) or hit North Beach for some Italian.

Hotel Breakfast

This morning the tour ends and it’s time to say goodbye to your new friends.