San Francisco Ghost & True Crime Tour

San Francisco, USA

3 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Get to know San Francisco’s dark and seedy history on this small group tour of crime and scandal. In the company of a guide, stroll through the city’s neighborhoods and hear stories about scandals of the past. Visit China Town, Maiden Lane, and more and stop in the oldest bar in San Francisco.

Visit spots from San Francisco’s scandalous past
Travel in the company of a small group
Learn about San Francisco’s history from your guide
Explore the city on foot

What's Included

Tour Guide
We donate $1 for every guest to a non-profit, Climate Cents.

Gratuities not included, because voluntary. Please allow 15-20% if you enjoy the tour.
Drinks are not included.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

390 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
The guide will be checking in guests the Northwest corner of Union Square - Powell and Post Streets - opposite the St Francis Hotel, from 15 minutes before the tour is due to begin. Be sure to allow extra time for traffic and finding parking. We CANNOT wait for latecomers, there are other guests.

End point

The Old Ship Saloon
298 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA
Tour ends outside this historic bar (the oldest continuously operating one in San Francisco). It's a 15 minute walk from the meeting point (around one mile distance).

Operating hours
.6:00 pm

Itinerary

Westin St. Francis (hotel)

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Union Square

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Maiden Lane

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Chinatown

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Comstock Saloon

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Columbus Avenue

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Portsmouth Square

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Jackson Square

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Old Ship Saloon

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Aim to get to the meeting point 10-15 minutes early. If you’re late you may miss the tour.

Not recommended for children under 15 years old (adult content).
By making a booking for this tour you agree to be bound by Real San Francisco Tours terms of service.
We can go into two different bars for cocktails on this tour, each for 15 minutes. You do have to be over 21 y.o. to order an alcoholic drink – but you don’t have to be over 21 y.o. to do this tour.
Please check dates/times carefully BEFORE making a booking.
This is a walking tour and we move at a reasonable pace. Please book a private tour if you have mobility issues.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.1

based on 13 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

This is not a ghost tour

sammi_b, Jul 2025

We got a history lesson instead of a ghost/ crime tour. The guide was a fill in. He started the tour telling everyone he doesn’t believe in ghost. We did not follow the itinerary or have any breaks at the bars. I wish I had booked a different tour.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

We're really sorry that this guest didn't enjoy the tour, we always strive to make tours fun and interesting, it's why we do this. However there are a few inaccuracies in this review that we would like to correct. We don't know what the reviewer means by saying the guide was a fill in, since the guide does this tour regularly (and enjoys doing it). Guides aren't required to believe in ghosts in order to do the tour, people have different belief systems. What we love at Real San Francisco Tours are ghost STORIES, of which there are several very scary ones on this tour (and which the guide did tell the guests).The tour DID follow the usual itinerary and the guide asked the guests several times if they wanted to take a break in one of the historic bars that we pass, however the group declined. This guest could have told the guide that they wanted to stop and the tour would have done so. We'd really appreciate it if this guest could email us with more information about their experience, so that we can look into the issues in more detail. - Catalina

Francisco Fun

Mary_F, Apr 2025

Hands down the best walking tour I’ve ever been on! I don’t ordinarily take the time to leave a review, but I’ve found myself thinking about how much I enjoyed the tour many times over the last week. Not only did I learn a lot about San Francisco’s history, see far more than I expected, but I also I had a delightful time soaking in its beauty while in great company.

Historical tour

Sherry_S, May 2024

We learned a lot of neat things about San Francisco. While a few ghost are included, it’s mostly historical. This tour is great for history buffs!

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Just to be clear these guests cut short the tour early, since they had flown in that day and said, at the beginning of the tour, that they were tired. That probably explains why they didn't hear all the stories and why they may not have been in the best shape to do the tour. Nevertheless, as we explain in the description, this is a true crime AND ghost tour, not JUST a ghost tour.