San Francisco Bay Area Tour

See San Francisco in a whole new way as you take part in curated tours and experiences. After deplaning at SFO, check your bags at the historic Hotel Spero, two blocks from Union Square. Board a cable car to Chinatown and meet your All About Chinatown tour guide, then walk under the Dragon Gate to explore lantern-lined streets, a fortune-cookie factory, and a dim sum dining room. After the tour, switch cultures with a self-guided passeggiata around Italian-accented North Beach. Taste the tiramisu at Caffe Greco, sip espresso at Caffe Trieste, and browse three stories of books at City Lights Bookstore, the seat of 1950s Beatnik culture. As afternoon wanes, bundle up for the Alcatraz Night Tour. Board a ferry at Pier 33 and cruise to The Rock’s abandoned prison for a fascinating self-guided tour. Finish out the day back at Union Square, dining on Nikkei cuisine (Peruvian ingredients cooked with Japanese techniques) on Chotto Matte’s dazzling rooftop terrace.

Today you’ll explore San Francisco’s western edge. Start in Golden Gate Park with a VIP tour of the California Academy of Sciences. You’ll learn what it takes to catalog 46 million specimens, check out the museum’s eco-friendly living roof, and peer into the museum’s very own gem vault. From there, a two-minute walk brings you to the Japanese Tea Garden. Enjoy the serenity of this oasis before zipping over to the tony Saint Francis Wood neighborhood, where the quirky Gregangelo Museum ignites curiosity. On the Into the Rabbit Hole tour, your guide leads you through a labyrinth of winding hallways and secret rooms crammed with thought-provoking art. End the day with dinner at Outerlands, a Sunset District eatery beloved for its crusty sourdough, celery root soup, and lamb meatballs. Sleep at the historic Lodge at the Presidio, once a military barracks, now a hotel set within a 1,500-acre national park. 

A redwood-studded detour on Highway 84 leads to Woodside, one of the San Francisco Peninsula’s most well-heeled towns. Start at Filoli, a classic country estate with a grand manor house and 654 acres of gardens and natural areas. Then pick up gourmet snacks at Roberts Market, then visit the history museum housed in the Woodside Store, a redwood-built structure with exhibits on the peninsula’s logging industry, which supplied the lumber for San Francisco’s Victorian homes. Take a hike among the redwoods, oaks, and madrones at Wunderlich Park, then have lunch at Alice’s Restaurant, a woodsy hideaway serving burgers and sweet-potato fries. Before returning to the interstate, drive two miles to the top of Windy Hill Preserve and stroll the 0.6-mile Anniversary Trail. As you circle this grassy hill, you’ll enjoy expansive views of Palo Alto and neighboring peninsula cities.  

San Jose prides itself on ingenuity, and it extends far beyond self-driving cars and virtual reality. California’s third-largest metropolis also delivers on innovative museums and cutting-edge cuisine. At The Tech Interactive, survey mind-expanding exhibits on computers, robotics, healthcare, and space exploration. See the West’s largest collection of Egyptian artifacts at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. View contemporary and modern art at the San Jose Museum of Art. When your brain hits museum overload, take a tour of the unusual Winchester Mystery House, a 160-room Victorian mansion built by a firearms heiress who made some interesting design choices—like doors that open onto blank walls and a stairway that leads straight into a ceiling. In the evening, drop into downtown’s Nomikai for sake tasting, then find your dinner table at Orchard City Kitchen, a creative eatery serving pork belly, lamb riblets, and mushroom yakitori. Sleep in historic opulence at the Hayes’ Mansion, a 1905 Mediterranean Revival charmer. 

On the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito’s terraced hills tower above the indigo waters of Richardson Bay. Wind downhill on Rodeo Avenue past eucalyptus trees and Victorian cottages, then stop by the Bay Model Visitor Center to see a 3D hydraulic model of San Francisco’s waterways. The Army Corps of Engineers built this football-field-sized simulator in 1957 to interpret how water flows from the rivers and delta into San Francisco Bay. While you’re focused on water, wander over to Sea Trek’s office, rent a kayak and paddle out to admire Sausalito’s houseboats and harbor seals (guided tours are available). Lunch is at Fish’s picnic tables—ask the counter staff to steer you toward the day’s fresh catch. Before you leave town, stop in to Heath Ceramics to admire artisan pottery that’s been formed, glazed, trimmed, and fired in this 1959 factory. 

Petaluma attracts a fun-loving crowd with its spontaneous outdoor drum circles, indie bookstores (Copperfield’s and Word Horde), artsy shops, and food-truck fare at The Block. The neighborhood around Washington and D Streets offers walkable browsing with a bohemian vibe: Tall Toad Music sells new and used guitars and mandolins. Flourish is filled with succulents, nature-centric art, and botanical-themed housewares. Field Works sells artsy Petaluma merchandise, from block-printed textiles and drinkware to local wildflower honey. Spend the night in the Art Deco Hotel Petaluma on the Petaluma River—an overnight stay will buy you time for restaurant-hopping. Among many great options, you’ll want to try Central Market’s multicourse tasting menu; Street Social, a tiny culinary temple located down a dark alley, and Speakeasy‘s late-night mac ‘n’ cheese. 

An hour’s drive north brings you to Healdsburg, the ever-evolving epicenter of the Russian River wine region. Stylish shops and tasting rooms surround its Spanish-style plaza, a serene expanse of manicured lawns and leafy trees. You’ll find yourself compelled to browse and sip: There’s Lime Stone for wine country decor and tableware, Jam Jar Goods for vintage jewelry and home goods, Noble Folk for pie and ice cream, and Journeyman Meat Company for artisan charcuterie. Stroll over to Portalupi to taste “Cal-Ital” wines made with Old World methods, or Siduri Wine Bar to compare Pinot Noirs made from grapes grown at various California sites. End the day at Roof 106, an irresistibly charming perch featuring imaginative wood-fired pizzas, ultra-local produce, and a sparkling view of the plaza.

A soothing day awaits in Calistoga, a laid-back Napa Valley town famous for its hot springs. Start with a hike on the Oat Hill Mine Trail for stunning views of Calistoga and surrounding vineyards. Sit down to brunch on the patio at Lovina, a woman-owned eatery set in a historic Craftsman home. Then wind down with deep relaxation—mud bath, massage, or both—at Indian Springs Resort and Spa. Backstroke your cares away in the Olympic-sized mineral pool, fed by the property’s four thermal geysers. Calistoga has fun finds for shoppers too: Browse Grove 45 for specialty olive oils, Blackbird for upscale home goods, Picayune Cellars and Mercantile for wine and gifts. For a memorable dinner, reserve a table (far in advance) for Michelin-starred Auro, helmed by rising star Rogelio Garcia.

Embrace the Napa Valley state of mind in St. Helena, a Shangri-la for food and wine aficionados. Tempt your sophisticated palate with dinner at Michelin-starred Press or lunch at Gatehouse Restaurant, prepared by chefs-in-training at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Tour centurion wineries like Charles Krug (founded in 1861) and Beringer (founded in 1876), then drive a few miles out of town to sip and survey the gorgeous grounds at Fantesca Estate on Spring Mountain. Book lovers, don’t miss the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of memorabilia from the Treasure Island author. Stay an extra day with an overnight at Meadowood Napa Valley so you can indulge in a therapeutic massage, mustard bath, or healing Reiki treatment. 

Motor south through Napa Valley’s glorious sun-kissed vineyards to Yountville. Once a sleepy hamlet, the town is now Napa’s culinary capital. Arrive with an empty stomach and start at Regiis Ova Caviar & Champagne Lounge, cofounded by superstar chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry (which is also located here). Treat yourself to a tasting but don’t fill up too much because cassoulet and escargot await at the cozy French restaurant, Bistro Jeanty, a short stroll away. Not into French fare? Then reserve a seat at Keller’s Ad Hoc, where buttermilk-fried chicken gets a gourmet upgrade, or Ciccio, a haven for wood-fired pizza and field-to-fork comfort food overseen by the former head of Restaurant at Meadowood, Christopher Kostow. Plan to end the day at the Hotel Yountville, an eco-minded, 80-room resort in the center of town.