San Francisco Ghost Tours: Gold and Ghouls Tour
Badge of Excellence
San Francisco, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
San Francisco's rollicking, rags-to-riches history has left plenty of haunted happenings in its wake, so explore the city's more sinister side on a walking ghost tour. Visit some of San Francisco's most historic and allegedly haunted locations on and around Nob Hill, once the epicenter of San Francisco high society. Learn trivia and hidden history that you won't find in any guidebook on this ghoulishly fun, after-dark adventure.
- Hear San Francisco ghost stories right where they happened
- Explore a fabled hilltop neighborhood after the sun goes down
- Makes a great evening activity away from the bar scene
- Enjoy spooky fun and history any time of year
What's Included
- Professional and Courteous Guides
- Intensely researched true stories of history
- Documented accounts of hauntings and paranormal activity
- Dinner
- Private transportation
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Union SquareSan Francisco, CA 94108, USA
All tours meet at Union Square, 333 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94108, on the corner of Powell Street and Post Street, across from the giant lit sign that says "Saks Fifth Avenue". Please look for your guide wearing a US Ghost Adventures t-shirt and carrying a lantern. Please arrive 15 minutes early.
End point
- Beacon Grand A Union Square Hotel450 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Our tour will end at Sir Francis Drake Hotel, where your guide will recount eerie tales before sending you on your way.
Itinerary
1
450 Sutter Building
7 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
California Street
8 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Fairmont San Francisco
8 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Pacific Union Club
7 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Huntington Park
8 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Nob Hill (Pass By)
6
870 Bush St
7 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Beacon Grand A Union Square Hotel
7 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 35 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 306 reviews
Andrea_M, Jun 2026
Fun walking tour, loved all the stories! Wish it was longer because I had a great time! Learned a lot about Nob Hill and SF! Thom is a great storyteller and guide~
Melissa_G, Jun 2026
Very knowledgeable and entertaining! Thom had all the good stories and knew his SF history. Interacted with everyone on tour in a positive and exciting manner. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Melissa, thank you for your hauntingly wonderful review! We’re so glad you had such an enjoyable experience with Thom. It’s great to hear his knowledge of San Francisco history, engaging storytelling, and positive energy made the tour both fun and memorable. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to see you again for another spooky adventure!
Charles_M, Jun 2026
It was very exciting and fun. The hills were a bit of a challenge but part of the expierence.
Host made it very interesting and fun.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Charles, thank you for your hauntingly wonderful review! We’re so glad you had an exciting and fun experience. Those hills can definitely be a challenge, but we love that you embraced them as part of the adventure! It’s great to hear your host helped make the tour interesting and enjoyable. We truly appreciate you joining us and hope to see you again for another spooky adventure.
Nicholas_M, May 2026
My wife and I go on many ghost tours—not necessarily due to a belief in the paranormal but because it’s usually a great pairing with a more traditional city tour at learning a city’s more complete history. Thom demonstrated a masterclass performance and due diligence at inculcating us all with his dark tales of San Francisco alongside the spirit of renewal and resurgence the city itself lives as a credo. Brilliant orator with a fine set of approaches to all of these stories—this is THE guy to share this local history!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello, thank you for your hauntingly wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you and your wife enjoyed the tour and appreciated the blend of San Francisco’s darker tales with its rich history of renewal and resurgence. It’s wonderful to know Thom delivered such a masterful experience—his storytelling and thoughtful approach truly help bring the city’s history to life. We truly appreciate your kind words and are so glad he made the tour so memorable for you!
Armando_S, May 2026
Thom was great super informative and funny made the whole thing amazing, would definitely recommend this to friends
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello Arman, thank you for your hauntingly wonderful review! We’re so glad you had such an amazing experience with Thom. It’s great to hear his mix of humor and knowledge made the tour so enjoyable for you. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to see you again for another spooky adventure!
Amanda_S, May 2026
This was a great short walking tour to get to know the city better and learn more about its spooky history.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello, thank you for your hauntingly wonderful review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the short walking tour and had a chance to learn more about the city’s spooky history. It’s a great way to explore and discover new stories, and we truly appreciate you joining us. We hope to see you again for another spooky adventure!
Dan_P, May 2026
Great experience with some special insider peaks inside some buildings. Prepare for a big hill climb but worth it after a nice meal and some exercise to wear out the kids.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello Dan, thank you for your hauntingly wonderful review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the experience and those special insider peeks inside the buildings along the way. It’s great to hear the hill climb was worth it after a nice meal and some family adventure time definitely a fun way to explore the city and keep the kids happily worn out! We truly appreciate you joining us and hope to see you again for another spooky adventure.
Dan_M, Apr 2026
Tour guide walks fast and the path of the tour is very steep hill at the beginning. Stories at the stops were entertaining as was the history of the city.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello Dan, thank you for your hauntingly thoughtful review! We’re glad you enjoyed the stories and learning about the city’s fascinating history along the way. We also appreciate your feedback regarding the pace and the steep hill at the beginning of the tour, and we’ll be sure to share it with our team. Thank you for joining us, and we hope you had a memorable experience exploring the city’s haunted past!
Michelle_H, Apr 2026
My friends and I really enjoyed the Nob Hill Ghost Tour. We are locals, and the tour gave us a fresh, historic (and creepy) lens through which to appreciate our city. Thanks Shumit!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello Michelle, thank you for your ghostly great feedback! We’re so glad you and your friends enjoyed the Nob Hill Ghost Tour. It’s especially meaningful to hear that, even as locals, you discovered a fresh, historic, and delightfully creepy perspective on your city. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with Shumit. Thanks for joining us, and we hope to see you again for another spooky adventure!
DAVID_B, Apr 2026
Eric was an amazing tour guide. He was funny and informative.
We've visited SF every year and this is the most entertaining tour we've taken in at least a decade maybe more. I highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello David, thank you for your hauntingly wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that Eric made such a lasting impression. Knowing that this was the most entertaining tour you’ve taken in San Francisco in over a decade truly means a lot to us! We’re so glad you enjoyed Eric’s humor, knowledge, and storytelling. Thank you for your recommendation, and we look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit to San Francisco!
Dale_C, Mar 2026
Fun tour, taking in some interesting sites with great insights from the guide Eric, who was knowledgeable and experienced.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello Dale, thank you for your ghostly great feedback! We’re so glad you enjoyed the tour and exploring some of the area’s fascinating sites. It’s wonderful to hear that Eric’s knowledge and experience helped make the experience both fun and informative. We truly appreciate you joining us and hope to see you again for another spooky adventure!
Cindy_M, Feb 2026
The experience was honestly very boring and not spooky at all. Our entire group arrived much earlier than our tour guide, all 15 minutes plus in advance whereas he walked in 5 minutes late, no lantern or shirt to identify him. He claimed he would tell us these great ghost stories from the gold rush and earthquake, but everything was so BORING. Everything was surface level information and nothing interesting at all. We went inside the lobby of one building and that was it. Pictures were shown from his phone, could have at least printed and laminated photos like other walking tours do, so we could see details better. Our guide often looked like he was trying to remember a script, forgetting words, and going back to redo it. We did more walking than we had stories.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hello Cindy, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear the tour did not meet your expectations and that you found the experience less engaging and immersive than you had hoped. It’s unfortunate to hear the guide’s arrival, presentation style, and storytelling did not provide the experience you were looking for, as this is not up to our normal standards and we are used to receiving great feedback from our guests.
We appreciate your detailed comments and would like the opportunity to look into this further. Please reach out to guestrelations@usghostadventures.com with your booking information so our team can review your experience and assist you directly. Thank you.
Kimberly_K, Jan 2026
A fun experience to do with kids, not too long and not too short. Price was better than other tours too
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hello Kim, thank you for your review! We’re glad to hear it was a fun experience for the kids and that the tour length and pricing felt just right. We appreciate you choosing us and hope to see your family again!
psteinik, Dec 2025
The hills were insane!!! We had to bow out early because of the hills and the cold. And it just wasn’t spooky at all.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hello, thank you for sharing your experience. We truly appreciate the honest feedback. We’re sorry to hear the hills and cold made the tour challenging and that it didn’t feel as spooky as you were hoping. We understand how important comfort and atmosphere are, and your comments help us continue improving. Thank you for giving the tour a try.
Dr_S, Nov 2025
We had a wonderful time and I want others to know, if they have a hard time with steep hikes, they need to be prepared for that. Otherwise, the stories were wonderful. Our family included a party of eight including people who were 12, 16, 21, 26, and 53. All genders and ages enjoyed this.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thanks for your thoughtful feedback! It’s great to hear that guests of all ages and genders had a fantastic experience. We appreciate your advice about the steep hikes, and we hope to see your family again on a future tour!
Stephen_T, Nov 2025
Good historical walk and interesting highest tales. Overall it was good. Guide was very good……..,,,.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for your detailed feedback! We’re delighted you enjoyed the historical walk, the stories, and that you had a great experience overall. We’ll be sure to pass your compliments on to our guide. We hope to welcome you again soon for another memorable tour.
Eleanor_H, Nov 2025
Great little experience. It was just me, the host and the ghosts, and I'm glad the excursion wasn't cancelled because it was the last night of my trip.
It does include *hills* like only San Francisco can offer so be wary if you're daunted by a hike.
That being said, the host took her time and let me asthmatically wheeze up the hill which I was grateful for.
The stories and history were fun and there were plenty of photo worthy stops.
Also a fair amount of SFs walking their dogs so puppy loving along with spooky vibes 😍
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thanks so much for your feedback! We’re so glad you enjoyed your private excursion, the stories, and even the local puppies along the way. We’ll pass along your compliments to your host and hope to see you again for another spooky adventure!
Janell_R, Nov 2025
Wear comfortable shoes, remember San Francisco has lots of streets that are uphill. So maybe a bottle of water also.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thanks for sharing your advice! Comfortable shoes and water are definitely a must for exploring the city. We hope you’ll join us again for another fun tour!
Camille_A, Oct 2025
Great tour with lots of history! Thanks to our great tour guide! Super excited about hearing about ghosts!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hello Camille, thanks for joining us and for the great review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the mix of history and ghostly stories our guides love sharing those eerie details. If you had fun on this tour, be sure to check out our other haunted walks in nearby cities for even more chills and local legends!
rachelle_b, Oct 2025
Our tour guide Mike spent the entire two hours regaling us with conspiracy theories, stories of secret societies, and tales of who “really” runs the government.
He used his cell phone to bring up photos of things he wanted us to see rather than have a print out of the picture.
He walked at his own pace with no regard for the age or physical condition of the group including up some very challenging hills.
When we walked up the third very steep hill in a row and were questioning where we were going he told us “it will be worth it in the end”
At the top instead of a ghost story or a panoramic view of the city we were given a conspiracy theory about the number nine and the building of a particular tower in the city.
When crossing busy intersections he would walk with little regard for the group saying “come on we can make it” and then seem disappointed when not everyone made it across the street.
When booking this tour we booked a Ghost Stories of San Francisco. We did not book a conspiracy theories and why the government is run by the rich in one man’s opinion tour.
I cannot in good faith recommend this tour for anyone.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're truly sorry to hear that your experience did not align with the expectations set for a ghost tour. The content and conduct you described fall short of our standards, and we understand your frustration—especially regarding safety, pacing, and the lack of relevant storytelling.
Please reach out to guestrelations@tourismo.com
with the name your booking was under so we can assist you further. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and will be following up with our team. Thank you.
Stephen_V, Oct 2025
Dress in layers, walking shoes, have cash,tip is not included, very educational, great tour for history buffs
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! We're happy to hear you enjoyed the tour and found it educational—perfect for history lovers. Great advice on what to bring, too! If a guide was involved, we’ll be sure to pass along your compliments. Hope to see you again on another one of our tours!
Tess_W, Oct 2025
We had an absolute blast on this ghost tour! Our guide, Mike, was phenomenal—so knowledgeable, engaging, and a wonderful storyteller. He brought San Francisco’s history and hauntings to life in such an articulate way, weaving in fascinating details that kept us hooked the entire time. We got to see so many spots we never would have discovered on our own, which made the experience feel extra special.
And of course, a huge shoutout to Oakley, his adorable pup and tour “sidekick.” Oakley stole the show with a little performance playing dead! Between the spooky stories, hidden corners of the city, and the perfect mix of history and humor, this tour was truly unforgettable. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for the glowing review! We're thrilled you had a blast with Mike and, of course, Oakley—our favorite four-legged co-host. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words. Hope to see you again for more spooky fun!
James_O, Sept 2025
We're three locals who were psyched for this ghost tour. Unfortunately it was riddled with historical errors (for example, "Nob Hill was the wealthiest zip code before COVID") and a lack of enthusiasm from our guide. It was actually so bad that we left early and used Google to create our own tour.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for your feedback, and we’re truly sorry to hear that your experience fell short of expectations. We understand how disappointing it must have been to encounter inaccuracies and a lack of enthusiasm from your guide—especially as excited locals. This is not the standard we aim to uphold.
Please reach out to guestrelations@tourismo.com
with the name your booking was under, and we’ll be happy to assist you further. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.
Gina_S, Sept 2025
Our tour guide was energetic and very educational on San Francisco and the hidden history behind it. Oakley the ghost hunting dog was such a good and sweet boy! Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We’re glad you enjoyed the tour and loved Oakley. We’ll be sure to pass along your compliments. Hope to see you again soon!
lisamegna, Aug 2025
Tour leader left early, leaving a group of us to fend for ourselves wandering around looking for a person holding a “lantern”. Missed 20 minutes of a 1 he expensive tour, only to be taken to 4 buildings out side and told the least ghost like story’s ever. Most of the group left and before the last stop, the rest of us snuck into a pizza place for food! horrible!!!!
But the kicker is: NOWHERE does it state you will be walking STRAIGHT UP HILLS the entire time, no rest, just one swoop! She never stayed with the group, was always running ahead and could Barely hear her!
She embarrassed my family on 3 separate occasions by having the entire group clap as we would finally make it up the hills! 64 yrs old with emphysema , thanks a lot!!!!! I want a refund and an apology! I DID NOT book this tour, but was FORCED to take it since the one I wanted cancelled on me!
Response from Host, Sept 2025
We’re very sorry to hear about your disappointing experience on the tour. It’s unacceptable that the guide left early, causing you to miss part of the tour, and that the walking conditions were not clearly communicated, especially given your health concerns. We sincerely apologize for any embarrassment or discomfort caused to you and your family. Please reach out to guestrelations@tourismo.com
with the name your booking was under, and we’ll be happy to assist you further. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Mary_T, Aug 2025
The tour guide was knowledgeable but because the group was so large, it was difficult to hear the stories. And remember, you are in San Fran - the hills during the walking tour were brutal.
Response from Host, Sept 2025
Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad you found the guide knowledgeable. We understand how large groups and San Francisco’s hills can make the tour challenging. We’ll pass your compliments to the guide and hope to see you again soon!
GENIE_B, Aug 2025
This is a walking tour. Guide showed up late. You can’t even hear her. This was a total waste of time.
Response from Host, Sept 2025
We sincerely apologize for the disappointing experience you had with the tour guide arriving late and being difficult to hear. This is not the standard we strive for, and we understand how frustrating that must have been. Please reach out to guestrelations@tourismo.com
with the name your booking was under, and we'll be happy to assist you further. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Andrew_M, Aug 2025
Great tour. Mike was great and very knowledgeable. I learned alot about the history of San Francisco
Response from Host, Aug 2025
We truly appreciate you taking the time to leave such thoughtful feedback! We're thrilled that you enjoyed the Gold and Ghouls Tour and that Mike’s deep knowledge of San Francisco history made the experience memorable. We’ll definitely share your compliments with him. Thanks again for joining us—we hope to see you on another one of our tours soon!
Hector_S, Jul 2025
Mike and Oakley the investigator dog were awesome. We learned a lot about the history of San Francisco. So many secret societies; we have a lot of googling to do!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much for your review! We're thrilled that Mike and Oakley helped bring San Francisco's hidden history to life. Secret societies definitely leave a lot to dig into—we’ll pass along your kind words and hope you’ll join us again for more discoveries!
Kay_L, Jul 2025
Our ghoul and gold tour was awesome!!
Our tour Guide and his ghost hunting companion ( his dog) We’re totally delightful!!
Stories were rich, and our guide was very entertaining!!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for your feedback! We’re thrilled to hear you had an awesome time on the Ghoul and Gold Tour. Our guide and their ghost-hunting pup are quite the team, and we’ll definitely pass along your kind words. Hope to welcome you back for another spooky adventure!
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