Easier
- 10 miles (16km)
- 270 ft (82m)
- 4 hrs
Alamo Square’s Postcard Row of Queen Anne Victorians, one of the most famous views in San Francisco.
It’s hard to believe the Conservatory of Flowers, and the rest of Golden Gate Park, was built on shifting sand dunes.
Golden Gate Park’s de Young Museum is awe-inspiring – for young and old.
Haight Street is filled with funny sites and funky shops. These legs belong to Piedmont Boutique.
Haight-Ashbury, birthplace of the Grateful Dead, is famous for its hippie revolution 50 years ago.
The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood is filled with Victorians, including these colorful Queen Annes.
The Castro neighborhood is anchored by the Castro Theatre, San Francisco’s most famous – and most ecclectic – movie theatre.
Even crosswalks are happier in the Castro.
The Women’s Building’s MaestraPeace Mural is perhaps the Mission’s most famous.
A surprisingly large proportion of San Franciscan’s diets consists of Mission-style tacos and burritos.
Pick up some nopales at one of the many Mission-district markets.
These Alamo Square hounds will tell you dogs rule in San Francisco. In fact, SF has more dogs than kids.
Cable cars get all the glory, but SF’s old-timey streetcars deserve a ride as well.
Package Includes
- Guided bike tour
- Adult day tour ticket to Alcatraz (retail ticket price of $38)
Bike tour and Alcatraz tour can be taken on same or different days. 7-day advance purchase required. Request your tickets here.
Alcatraz Day Tour Details
The Alcatraz Day Tour ticket includes the roundtrip ferry and the audio tour inside the prison cellhouse. The audio tour is available in 11 languages and headsets are provided inside the cellhouse. Boats depart from Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing and your departure time will be confirmed prior to your visit.
Guests are free to explore the different parts of the island or join any of the scheduled guided tours that day. There are program boards at Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing and at the dock on Alcatraz Island that list the day’s free guided tours.
Boats return to Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing every 30-40 minutes, and you can return at any time. The schedule is posted at Pier 33, at the Alcatraz Dock, and throughout the Cellhouse.
Request your tickets below.
What You’ll Explore on Bike
You’ll get to know San Francisco’s patchwork of neighborhoods on the Heart of The City.
The Heart of The City Bike Tour is your introduction to the city’s colorful history and cultures, with routes through its most vibrant neighborhoods, including the Mission, Castro, Haight-Ashbury, and Alamo Square. You’ll see how SF has been shaped by waves of settlers, from Spanish missionaries to Silicon Valley techies. Join us as we pedal past dazzling murals, Victorian row houses, famous viewpoints, thriving commercial districts, and gems of Golden Gate Park.
You’ll surely come away with new perspectives on the city, and you’ll have plenty more ideas about where to go next.
Hills
The Heart of The City minimizes the hills and uses the gentlest ascents possible. This tour is designed for anyone comfortable on a bike with a modest level of fitness.
Food
We don’t stop for lunch on this tour, but we do include a snack stop.
Request your tickets below.
$5 discount for students, teachers, and military
Start & Finish
This tour starts and finishes at our shop next to Golden Gate Park on Haight Street. The address is 1816 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117.
Neighborhoods & Areas Visited on Bike
- Hayes Valley: Our start and finish. A local’s favorite with boutique shops, cafes, and a busy park on sunny days.
- Mission: Dynamic neighborhood with Latino roots and an abundance of historic murals.
- Bernal Heights: Off the tourist track, it’s here we see an inspiring hilltop view savored by locals.
- Castro: Vibrant, colorful, and rooted in activism, the Castro is sure to put a smile on your face.
- Duboce Triangle: Residential neighborhood filled with old architecture and a lovely park.
- Haight-Ashbury: The famous 1960’s hippie hangout and former home to the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and more.
- Golden Gate Park: The city’s ultimate treasure, it is where we go to run, ride, play, and think.
- Panhandle: The handle to Golden Gate Park’s “pan,” this narrow park boasts redwood, cypress, and pine trees.
- Alamo Square: Home to the Painted Ladies and one of the most iconic views in the city.
Bike Type
City Bike with 7-8 speeds & upright sitting position. Regular and “step-through” frame styles available. Brands include Public, Specialized, Breezer, and Civia in a variety of colors.
Need to Know
- Price includes bicycle and helmet for the bike tour and ticket for Alcatraz. Gratuities not included – please consider tipping your guide.
- Booking for one person? Great – we love solo travelers! Please note we require 2 or more participants to run a tour. If you are the only one booked the day before a tour, we may ask you to move to a different tour or give you a full refund.
Difficulty
This is our easiest “regular” bike tour, however, you are still riding a bike and going up some minor hills. We ride at a casual pace and make frequent stops.
Safety
We take safety very seriously. Our tours take you on San Francisco’s safest bike lanes, bike routes, and quiet streets. We provide safety instructions before each tour. Helmets (provided) are mandatory.
Before and After Your Tour
Need to grab a coffee or a bite to eat before or after your tour? Check out our recommendations.
Continue your Bicycle Adventure
We offer bike tour participants a 30% discount on bike rentals at our sister company CityRide Bike Rentals. We include a rental discount code in your bike tour confirmation email. Make sure to enter this code when reserving your bike rental online at the CityRide website. Please contact us if you don’t find it or have any questions.
The Heart of The City/Alcatraz Package Request Form
Please fill out the form below to start your booking. We will do our best to respond to you within 24 hours.
Important Notes:
- 7-day advance booking required
- Bike tour and Alcatraz tour do not have to be on same day.
- See our tour calendar here.
