The Heart of The City

Moderate

  • 10 miles (16km)
  • 270 ft (82m)
  • About 4 hrs
  • Alamo Square's Postcard Row, San Francisco

    Alamo Square’s Postcard Row of Queen Anne Victorians, one of the most famous views in San Francisco.

  • Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

    It’s hard to believe the Conservatory of Flowers, and the rest of Golden Gate Park, was built on shifting sand dunes.

  • de Young Museum and bicycle, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

    Golden Gate Park’s de Young Museum is awe-inspiring – for young and old.

  • Piedmont Boutique on Haight Street, San Francisco

    Haight Street is filled with funny sites and funky shops. These legs belong to Piedmont Boutique.

  • Jerry Garcia Mural in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco

    Haight-Ashbury, birthplace of the Grateful Dead, is famous for its hippie revolution 50 years ago.

  • Haight-Ashbury Painted Ladies in San Francisco

    The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood is filled with Victorians, including these colorful Queen Annes.

  • The Famous Castro Theatre, San Francisco

    The Castro neighborhood is anchored by the Castro Theatre, San Francisco’s most famous – and most ecclectic – movie theatre.

  • Castro rainbow crosswalk, San Francisco

    Even crosswalks are happier in the Castro.

  • Meastra Peace Mural on the Women's Buillding, Mission District San Francisco

    The Women’s Building’s MaestraPeace Mural is perhaps the Mission’s most famous.

  • Mission District taqueria, San Francisco

    A surprisingly large proportion of San Franciscan’s diets consists of Mission-style tacos and burritos.

  • Nopales for sale in the Mission District, San Francisco

    Pick up some nopales at one of the many Mission-district markets.

  • Dogs playing in Alamo Square, San Francisco

    These Alamo Square hounds will tell you dogs rule in San Francisco. In fact, SF has more dogs than kids.

  • San Francisco streetcars on the F Line, Castro neighborhood

    Cable cars get all the glory, but SF’s old-timey streetcars deserve a ride as well.

What You’ll Explore

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.

$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

  • Hayes Valley: Our start and finish. A local’s favorite with boutique shops, cafes, and a busy park on sunny days.
  • Alamo Square: Home to the Painted Ladies and one of the most iconic views in the city.
  • Nopa: Residential neighborhood filled with Victorian architecture.
  • Panhandle: The handle to Golden Gate Park’s “pan,” this narrow park boasts redwood, cypress, and pine trees.
  • Golden Gate Park: The city’s ultimate treasure, it is where we go to run, ride, play, and think.
  • Haight-Ashbury: The famous 1960’s hippie hangout and former home to the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and more.
  • Lower Haight: Less famous than its Haight sibling up the hill, Lower Haight boasts hip shops, local bars, and the famous Wiggle bike route.
  • Castro: Vibrant, colorful, and rooted in activism, the Castro is sure to put a smile on your face.
  • Mission: Dynamic neighborhood with Latino roots and an abundance of historic murals.

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.

Bike Tour Map

Please Note: Our tour routes vary day to day. Your tour’s route will probably differ slightly than the sample route below.





Need to Know

  • Prices include bicycle and helmet. 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.

Book The Classic

The Classic