Vantigo - The Original San Francisco VW Bus Tour
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
San Francisco, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
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Overview
Hop aboard a vintage Volkswagen bus for a San Francisco city tour to remember. Travel down streets a typical tour bus can't access while your guide fills you in on the history of the City by the Bay, from the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley. Get views of landmarks such as Twin Peaks, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Painted Ladies as you travel through distinct city districts, and see more of the city than you could if exploring independently.
- Travel in a vintage Volkswagen bus
- Stops for photos and explore several popular districts
- A small group size ensures a personalized experience
- Choice of morning or afternoon departure
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Access to districts the large buses cannot go
- Bottled water
- Vintage Volkswagen bus transportation
- Photo opportunities at major landmarks
- Commentary on San Francisco history and culture
- Children 0 to 4 require you to book a private tour
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- We require a minimum of 3 guests for a tour to proceed
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
Type to search
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Union Square (Pass By)
Fisherman's Wharf (Pass By)
Chinatown (Pass By)
1
Coit Tower
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
North Beach (Pass By)
Marina District (Pass By)
2
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Golden Gate Bridge
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Golden Gate Park (Pass By)
4
Twin Peaks
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Painted Ladies
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Civic Center (Pass By)
Haight-Ashbury (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Recommended tip amount: $15-20 per passenger (tips make up a large chunk of tour guide income in the U.S!)
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 7 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5,0
based on 805 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Danielle_M, Jul 2026
Great tour with a wonderful guide. Josh was informative, funny and friendly. Note - the van is bumpy so if you are prone to car sickness take an anti-nausea med ahead of time.
Simon_P, Jul 2026
Only had a day in San Francisco after a business trip and boy was I glad this stumbled upon me! Great way to discover the city. Josh was phenomenal with his local knowledge and paired with the ol’ VW van immersive experience - couldn’t have been a better way to spend my day :) It is really worth taking the tour! Highly recommend!
Brittany_H, Jul 2026
Josh was a funny, friendly, and full of info! His tour gives you a great feel for the city, along with a history lesson. He even gives you written recommendations for events and dining!
Denise_M, Jul 2026
Chad was a great guide! Entertaining, helpful and full of knowledge!! We enjoyed this tour so much!! I would highly recommend!!!
Margaret_C, Jul 2026
Fantastic tourbof San Francisco in a 1970s era VW bug. Chad was very knowledgeable and friendly, and gave us a wonderful tour of the city. He was always happy to take pictures, and shared not just the history of the city butbalao his memories as a native.
Patricia_K, Jul 2026
I loved seeing the different parts of the city I love. Price was perfect for the experience. I would have loved to stay a little longer at Coit Tower.
Kiran_B, Jul 2026
Chad was wonderful with an appreciated sense of humor and enthusiasm. Very knowledgeable and his love for the city is passed on to his passengers. Highly recommend!
Corinne_P, Jul 2026
This was such a great way to see many different areas of San Francisco our first day in town. We learned so much about the city and we had time at multiple sites to get great family photos. Josh was a fantastic guide - so friendly and knowledgeable - and a great photographer! Our teenagers loved it as well. It gave us great ideas of what we wanted to see more of in the city. Highly recommend!
Michael_D, Jun 2026
Josh was fantastic, very informative, and motivational. We’ve visited many of the places mentioned on the tour during our stay.
Kristina_M, Jun 2026
The guide was knowledgeable, friendly, took pics of the whole family for us. Rec doing this 1st to get ideas of where you may want to spend some time.
Anonymous, Jun 2026
Chad is amazing. Look no further than this tour company. There are other copy VW bus tours but this is the original and best.
Jason_G, Jun 2026
Wow what a tour probably the best one I’ve been on , Josh was so into the history of the city and really knew his stuff
Highly recommended you won’t be disappointed, we did it at the end of our trip, probably better at the beginning has so many great places or recommended to do and see
Kevin_O, May 2026
The Volkswagen van holds 5 passengers so it was a highly personalized tour. Chad did an excellent job of putting everyone at ease with his tales of the city.
Lynn_K, May 2026
Absolutely great experience! Chad zips all over SF in his 1971 VW van...telling great stories, sharing info about SF, and playing great music! Reserve your trip with Chad today!
Cathy_G, Apr 2026
Chad was out tour guide. Born and raised in San Francisco. Highly recommend. He was fun but informative.
max, Apr 2026
This was an experience like no other! Chad was my driver and he was very engaging and uplifting that it didn’t feel like he was reading a script. You can tell he love what he does. I would recommend this tour to everyone who has the chance to do so! He really is a local who will show you all of the good spots. Shout out to Lily (the van) for pushing through and get us to our destination safely!
Laurie_P, Apr 2026
I can’t say enough wonderful things about this experience with Vantigo! Josh (our driver and tour guide) knows everything there is to know about SF, and he took us off the beaten path in several instances. I would never have seen some of these spots on my own. These guys are experts at what they do! Don’t walk, run to book with them!
Ron_M, Mar 2026
Our experience exploring San Francisco was absolutely unforgettable, thanks to our amazing tour guide, Josh! From the moment we stepped into a charming 150-year-old Volkswagen van named Harvey, we knew we were in for something special.
Josh was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely fun to be around. He took us to all the must-see spots around downtown, making sure we didn’t miss a single highlight. What really stood out was how relaxed and unhurried the entire tour felt—we never felt rushed and were able to truly soak in the beauty and history of the city.
He went above and beyond by offering snacks and drinks throughout the ride, and even took photos for us so we could fully enjoy the moment without worrying about capturing it ourselves.
This tour was worth every penny and more. If you’re looking for a unique, comfortable, and memorable way to experience San Francisco, I can’t recommend Josh and his vintage van Harvey enough! Vantigo bus tour was truly one of the highlight of our San Francisco vacation.
Robert_B, Mar 2026
This was the most informative, encompassing, fun, and interesting tour we have ever been on! San Francisco has so many things to see, so many stories to tell, and taking a tour of the city with an experienced local guide (Chad is amazing) in a classic and well maintained VW bus is the single best thing we did on our trip. From standing right ubder/next to the GG bridge, to a photo at the Coit tower, to seeing all the historic houses, streets, and hidden “locals only stops for a quick photo and view of the city and bay”. Stop looking for other tours and sign up for this experience now! I am already planning to come back with my friends and will recommend it to anyone who tells me they are coming to SF.
Peter_N, Mar 2026
Didn’t really know what to expect with this tour, but it turns out there is so much more to San Francisco than I thought, the tour guide was excellent and very knowledgeable and the camper van was brilliant
Josh_H, Mar 2026
Great tour around the city with lots of narration and music to complement. Chad was very knowledgable and could navigate the city with ease. He kept the tour paced nicely, hit all the hot spots, took great photos of our family and shared an in-depth knowledge about all we seen.
I would highly recommend. The tour was approx 3.5 hours but honestly it did not feel like it. We could have gone another hour with all the info and great photo ops. He even swapped shotgun with all of us so we could get a view from the passenger seat.
Great details, great attitude, and perfect weather.
Thanks Chad!
Samuel_H, Mar 2026
This was an amazing tour of San Francisco, the Kombi van is a perfect way to be introduced to SF and Chad is a great guide. You get taken to great vantage points to take photos of all the landmarks but you keep in mind that you don't actually drive across the golden gate bridge.
Jarod_B, Mar 2026
Great, all-encompassing tour that hits all the highlights of San Francisco. Our guide was very knowledgable about the city and we learned a ton about the area.
Shawn_F, Mar 2026
My wife, daughter and I took this tour last week. We took the 10am tour with Josh. Josh was punctual to the point where I had to let him know we were running about 5 minutes late.
Over the next three hours we visited some of the most iconic places in San Francisco including Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street, The Mission, Little Italy, Chinatown and an amazing view of Golden Gate bridge. Beyond that, Josh was able to speak about San Francisco in a way you wouldn't understand just going online. Why are the trees around San Fran the way they are? Josh will tell you. Why isn't Haight-Ashbury becoming gentrified? Josh can tell you. What's the best IPA made by San Francisco Brewing? Josh knows! I don't because they were out when I went to try it. But there's always next time! Honestly, this was an amazing way to see a lot of San Francisco in a short amount of time. Josh even offered to drop us off at a location of our choice.
If you get a chance, take the tour! Can't recommend it enough.
Valerie_S, Mar 2026
Smooth travels that feel safe. No need for small talk with a driver. Listened to what we wanted and all eyes on the scenery.
Matthew_K, Mar 2026
Great tour! Showed us all the spots in Sausalito and gave great recommendations. Gave us excellent info!
Sayre_K, Mar 2026
Chad was awesome! Great insight about local history. The van tour was an amazing way to see the city and get a feel for where everything is. Definitely doing this again when the rest of my family comes to visit, and would 100% recommend this your to anyone coming to San Francisco for the first time!
Victoria_G, Mar 2026
Josh was a great tour guide. The VW can tour was AWESOME! It was a great overview of San Fran and stopped at all the important places. 10/10 highly recommend.
Kevin_D, Mar 2026
Must be mobile enough to get in and out of a vintage VW bus. We had a small group experience—just 6 total. Josh had many special spots that were new to us and we have visited SF several times before. Amazing how much ground we covered in 3 hours. Great tour!
Kimberlee_D, Mar 2026
Perfect tour! Josh is a
Californian and knew so much history. Book this tour! The best part was
Seeing twin peaks
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