SoMa (South of Market) Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience SoMa (South of Market). Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• San Francisco E-Bike Tour: City Highlights

• 2-Day Alcatraz Visit + San Francisco E-Bike Tour

• San Francisco Food Tour with a Local: A Feast for Foodies 100% Personalized

It’s free to visit SoMa on your own, as it’s an area of San Francisco, but there are many guided tours to help you explore. E-bike tours connect the city's highlights, including SoMa, and start from US$115, while private food tours begin around US$569. Multi-day tours that combine a visit to Alcatraz with a pass through SoMA cost from US$180.

Yes, SoMa is worth visiting—this sprawling San Francisco neighborhood packs in some of the city's top cultural attractions, from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) and the Yerba Buena Gardens to Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. The area is a blend of industrial warehouses, sleek tech headquarters, and nightlife, making it buzzier than the more polished downtown just north. Tours of the neighborhood, whether by e-bike or via a food excursion, are a great way to discover SoMa's many gems with a local guide.

Per one customer who booked the San Francisco E-Bike Tour: City Highlights, "An excellent overview of the city with an informative guide. It helped us orient ourselves to the important landmarks and also gave us an insight into the diverse culture of San Francisco."

SoMa is an abbreviation for “South of Market,” referring to San Francisco’s Market Street. (Many locals ditch this acronym and call the neighborhood by its full name.) It generally refers to the area closest to the Mission District, but SoMa also includes Yerba Buena, known for its museums, and South Beach.

SoMa was once a gritty, industrial neighborhood best known for its warehouses. In recent years, it’s emerged as a tech hub and arts and nightlife mecca. SoMa is home to restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, plus cultural centers such as the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

SoMa’s biggest attraction would probably be the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). With seven floors packed with modern and contemporary collections, it’s one of the largest art museums in the country. Another major landmark is the Moscone Center, a conference and event venue that stretches out for several blocks.

Yes, you can, and visiting SoMa on a guided tour is a great way to familiarize yourself with local hotspots that you might otherwise miss. Several tour options are available, from customized private walking tours to pub crawls. San Francisco’s hop-on, hop-off bus tours also include a stop in SoMa.

Yes, the SoMa neighborhood used to have a seedy reputation, but it has cleaned up its act. Many of its industrial warehouses are now rented as high-priced lofts. Visitors should be safe when walking around during the day, but it’s a good idea to avoid walking alone at nighttime.

That depends—the parts of SoMa that border the Mission District are similar in vibe—they both share a buzzy nightlife scene and a LGBTQ+ history. Just like San Francisco itself, SoMa changes drastically depending on where you go, from sleek nightlife venues to Oracle Park, home to the San Francisco Giants.

There are tons of things to do when you're done visiting SoMa. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in San Francisco:

• Alcatraz

• Golden Gate Bridge

• Golden Gate Park

• San Francisco Bay

• Bay Bridge

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in San Francisco.