We went on the combo tour of Alcatraz and the city. It is not very organized nor eas the time sufficient generally. I selected thia tour only because Alcatraz was sold out for weeks. We barely had enough time at Alcatraz to listen to the 45 minute audio tour before having to get back on the ferry. We were told by friends to skip the intro and head straight for the audio pick up or we would not have enough time for even that basis tour. There was confusion about where to meet for the bus portion because one email said pier 33 and another pier 39. I tried calling in the morning but received no answer. I texted and finally received an answer to meet in front of the Aquarium by the Bay and to look for Marcus. We actually got on the wrong bus after asking the guide who simply said yes , it is correct and to get on. We got off the next stop and had to run back. Found Marcus a non touristy bus. Apparently, this wasn't the tour but simply a connection to "the tour" in Sausalito. We drove an had 45 minutes to have lunch and to explore. Not enough time for lunch in crazy busy area. We were then told to go by the elephant square where Kathy would be in a red shirt. Got on an incredibly hot bus driven by Gordon. Yes , there was a heat wave but Gordon did not have the air on until he started driving. Also, this bus only had air blowing in the front and back so if you were near the middle you lose.. The stop at Marin was nice to cool off and take photos of Golden Gate Bridge. One other thing was that we were not given a current itinerary. The one that I found said we would go to Golden Gate Park for 45 minutes. We never stopped there. All stops were 10 minutes or less except for walking Lombardy Street. My party had already done that so we stayed on the bus. The driver however would not turn on the air. We should have gotten off to have a beer but did not know how long the stop was so we stayed. Kathy, our guide was surprised that the doors by the bathrooms at Grace Cathedral were locked. Last part was the bus does not drop you off where you start. We started at pier 33 but ended up a mile away at the Ferry Building. If we had an agenda, we could have planned for this. This is supposed to be one of the more expensive tours. It was NOT worth it. Our tour guide was pleasant and did her best. Avoid this company. Try Hop On Hop Off instead. Buy Alcatraz far in advance and not rush with this group. read more

San Francisco Shuttle Tours - Alcatraz - Tours Near Me

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San Francisco Shuttle Tours - (AKA - the Yelp Party Bus) were amazing to work with. Mary Beth - their dispatcher/coordinator was professional, quick to get back with me about any questions I had, and assured me throughout the booking process that there would be no hiccups. She dispatched Mike our driver early, and made sure to call me the day of, to brief me on all necessary information. Mike the Yelp Party Bus driver was prepared, patient, laid-back and alot of fun to work with. I was a little nervous at first that we had to pay up front, but Mary Beth and Mike made our experience with San Francisco Shuttle tours a "sigh of relief," sit back and enjoy, Keith Sweat's "Twisted" (best ballad ever...on a customized Richard T CD) kind of experience. P.S. I heard Twisted was fast forwarded at some point. BOoooooo. A classic I tell you. A classic. read more

I really wanted to love this tour, but it was frustrating right from the start. First things first- it is advertised as a 'small group' tour with a 'small motor coach that can go places larger busses can't' - and that's just a flat out falsehood. The tour is on a full city bus sized bus, and every last seat on our tour, including the half seat near the driver (!) was full. That meant something like 60 people crowding in at every winery we went to. It felt like cattle herding. Just a huge mooing group of idiots being steered from one trough to the next. Maybe we were extra unlucky, but on our bus, we had: -a sixty-something year old lady who wouldn't stop kicking the back of my husband's seat (for an hour and a half ride!!) -a gaggle of Asian women who talked SO loudly throughout every single presentation/ tasting, and carted selfie sticks with the stick extended during every. last. second. of the tour; constantly swinging it around and almost hitting people in the face with it -multiple people who would literally push people out of the way to get a pour or get into a room on the tour first -people who seemed drunk after the first stop (when we still had 3 more wineries to go, and -a weird guy who kept taking pictures of people in the group who were NOT with him Possibly worst of all, from the very second we got on the bus until the last person was off at the end, the driver/guide NEVER. SHUT. UP. Not for ONE minute. Literally. Not once in the two hours out, and not for one second while driving us in between wineries. The speaker system he used was SO loud and he kept saying the SAME things over and over, and he would completely cover everything the tasting host at the winery might possibly say before we got there, like he memorized their spiels and totally stole their thunder. And he just would NOT shut up! He said probably 8 times 'I'm going to stop talking now...' But he NEVER DID!!! It was like some kind of torture. Another thing is, tasting at 2 of the 4 wineries we went to was an extra cost ($25 extra per person). Also, the lunch included is basically grocery store sandwich ingredients, potato chips, and water (or you can buy a glass of wine). Pretty disappointing. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because 3 of the 4 wineries were really beautiful and very enjoyable once we got away from the nonstop yammering host, the seat kicker, the creepy photographer, the obnoxious selfie stick Asians, the drunks, and the pushy jerks. I would DEFINITELY not do this tour with this company again! read more

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Trip was a blast!! After scouring the internet for the perfect wine tour we found it here! The day started with a picture opportunity at the vista over looking the Bay and bridge, then breakfast and mimosas in the bus. Keith was our driver and a delight! He made the trip a great time. He set up an amazing picnic spread, kept the bus well stocked with water, and even serenaded us with some Brown Eyed Girl at the end of the day. It was totally worth the price for all the add ons we had, plus you can check around for discounts. What a fantastic day! read more

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My wife and I came to San Francisco for our 3rd anniversary and we booked the wine tour which was an amazing experience, the tour guide was friendly and was very knowledgeable. Wine tasting came included in two of the wineries and we payed for the other two 10 per person at each, so not a bad deal and they're very generous with their pouring. Lunch was a create your own sandwich buffet table and assorted salads and potato chips, the seating area was facing the vineyard the weather was amazing and food was good and I was accompanied by my beautiful wife.. Overall a great time, would definitely go back again and would recommend to all my friends..! read more

San Francisco Shuttle Tours - Very nice experience.! - Tours Near Me

If you don't feel like toting a car around in the Land-of-No-Parking-for-Speed-Racer, but you want to see all the trendy tourist spots as quick as possible with the rest of the mindless tourists such as myself, this is the best way to do it. In a span of 5 hrs, I got to walk up and down Lombard Street, walk through Chinatown and visit the fortune cookie factory, see the city from the De Young Museum, visit Grace Cathedral, drive on the Golden Gate Bridge, walk in Alamo Square and see the Painted Ladies, take pics by the beautiful fountain by the Palace of Fine Arts building (contrary to the ad, we did not actually go underneath it), grab a quick bite and stroll down the streets of Sausalito, and ooogle and google the charming Sausalito and city skyline on the romantic ferry ride back to the City. So romantic I was holding myself.... No forreal, I really was... but that was only bc the ride back was cold. That Bay breeze will get ya. Haha. We also drove through some wooded areas to admire the trees, rolled through Mrs. Doubtfire's neighborhood in Pacific Heights, passed by the first Swensen's ice cream parlor, caught a glimpse of Coit Tower, and saw a few other sights from the shuttle. Our tour guide was Chris and he was really friendly and informative and offered to take pics for whoever needed them. read more

I really enjoyed this tour. It was my first time in SF and Napa Valley and my mom and I had been wanting to make this visit since I turned 21. We did the Napa Experience with Robert Mandovi which was around $120. We really enjoyed our tour guide Phillip. He was very funny and I thought his jokes were great. He was very educated on the area and was able to point out landmarks and explain them in detail. Some other reviewers thought this was annoying but being new to the city I was able to take notice to things I probably wouldn't have noticed otherwise. He let us know step by step what to expect of the tour and was very helpful. The first winery we went to was amazing and huge. We were able to take a tour of the of the winery and learn how wine was made. I loved the educational factor of this and being able to actually see and touch where wine was made. I would recommend the Mondavi tour because the other wineries didn't allow us to take a tour we just did tastings. I loved the Andretti winery it was definitely the prettiest out of them all. We were able to taste quite a few wines along with wine straight out of the barrel before it was ready to be bottled so we could taste the difference.The lunch was very tasty we got to make our own sandwiches along with pasta salad and chips. I didn't find the Folie a Deux anything special. They make the Ménage à Trois wine which is generally cheap. We were done with the tasting in 15 minutes and had to wait around for a while to leave. The tasting there was not private you were in the same room everyone else does their tasting. Most of the time at this winery I was waiting to leave. The last stop was the Franciscan Winery. I liked this tasting because we were brought into a large dim lighted room with a long table in the middle. Everyone was able to sit down and relax indoors during this tasting. The guide came to you and filled your glass up you didn't have to stand in a line or fend for yourself to get your wine. She answered a lot of questions and gave us her own suggestions on what each wine would taste good with during any meal. Taking the ferry home was definitely different and what pulled us into the tour. I would definitely try to get a seat on the top level next time as the water splashes up against the windows on the bottom so you can't even see anything. But we were able to beat traffic going back on the shuttle and the shuttle was hot after the long day so it was nice to get off. I really enjoyed the variety of this tour. Each tasting was different and unique. I would prefer if we visited a winery other than Folie a Deux but even that wasn't too bad. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who is new to SF and doesn't mind a group of 40. It honestly didn't feel like it was crowded to me. read more

San Francisco Shuttle Tours - The Robert Mondavi Winery tour - Tours Near Me

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This was one of the activities for my birthday weekend and my friends and I had a blast. Though I have to admit, 8am on a Saturday was super early....we had to drag ourselves from the Hilton in the Financial District over to the Ferry building and grab some coffee on the way. According to the bf (the one who booked the trip) they take over 150 people each Saturday...groups are broken out into 33 or so people (at least that's how many we had on our shuttle). From the ferry building it is about an hr and a half ride to Napa. Our guide was Christina, a native SF who was very knowledgeable and friendly. We enjoyed listening to all the wine tips and trivia info she shared. The wine tour is $95 and includes a shuttle that will take you to 4 wineries, a $10 voucher for lunch, free bottles of water and a ferry boat ride back to SF. The 4 wineries we visited were: - Domaine Chandon: House of sparkling wine- $10 tasting (they get a special rate- we tried 3 sparkling wines and got a tour of the facility) - Rutherford Winery: I believe we tried 5 wines - V. Sattui- $5 tastings and we had the $10 voucher for lunch where you can grab a variety of items (paninis, cold sandwiches, deli meats, crackers, cheeses, etc). - Signorello- $10 tasting for 3 wines- probably my least favorite. Beautiful views but the tasting felt rushed and I didn't think the wine was that great. Since this was the last stop it felt pretty rushed and that I would have to say was the only downfall. The ferry ride back was wonderful. We were dropped off at the terminal in Vallejo. It was nice to be able to take a nap on the way to the ferry then get on board to enjoy some wind in your hair as you cruise back to SF. You pass a lot of great sights along the way and it offers you a view of SF that you just don't get while driving. It was definitely a fun way to end the trip! Overall we had a fantastic time and I'd recommend it to others interested in joining a wine tour and too lazy to pick your own wineries. read more

San Francisco Shuttle Tours - Me and our shuttle bus - Tours Near Me

Beautiful trip to Napa! Wine Country indeed! Our host made it fun & shared great facts about San Francisco. So a special thanks to Carry for being a wonderful tour guide. Ben & Jen give you two thumbs up. We appreciated all the suggestions & helpful tips you provided. The tour included 4 different wineries, which was great it gave us variety. Who doesn't like options right?! As far as transportation goes it was pretty awesome! The shuttle was actually quite comfortable. We were pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the chairs reclined back. They stopped at Golden Gate Bridge which was great to capture some pics. On the way back we took the Ferry. Very romantic, we captured some priceless shots. read more

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Had a wonderful time on the wine country tour! My friend and I were looking for a way to go to napa for the day without driving and this was perfect. The tour began at the ferry building (allowing us to grab some blue bottle coffee!) and left promptly at 8:15am. The tour guide/driver was excellent and gave an informative account of SF history, wine facts, and other interesting tid bits along the way. We stopped to take pics and for a bathroom break right across the bridge but only for a few mins before hopping back on the shuttle to head to warmer weather and wine country! Our first stop was Franciscan winery. We had three tastings of a rose, white, and red. While beautiful this winery was a bit pretentious and underwhelming but definitely got us in the mood. We then went to V Sattui which is a must when wine tasting or visiting napa! We spent about 2 hours here and could have easily spent 3 as we got to have lunch here (yay!!!). We were given a $10 voucher which was perfect since with all the selection you definitely want to choose your own wonderful lunch. The wine here was also great, the people friendly, and the pours more than generous! We tasted 11 wines!!! For lunch we had the amazing mozzarella and tomato salad with pesto and the gnocchi. We also couldn't resist their homemade gelato for dessert. This was our favorite winery by far. Then we went to Whitehall lane which was also quite lovely. Our guide was fun and informative and we got to tour the cellars and learn more about the wine making process. We tasted 4 wines here I believe. Then we went to our last winery - Andretti. This one is so gorgeous and we had 4 tastings here as well. They also raffled off a bottle of wine. We then were driven to the ferry and traveled back to the ferry building in SF by boat which was great for the views and the fresh air. There were 37 people on the tour but it felt smaller and at everywhere except v sattui we had private torus and tastings. The guide was great and very well respected by the winery staff. I would highly recommend this tour if you want to just spend one day in napa and get a sense of the beauty and different wines. read more

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By far the best tour I have ever been on. Kyra was our guide and she was amazing. She is very knowledgeable and keeps you informed of everything you are seeing along the way. She made you feel like you were hanging out with a friend who was showing you the sights. George was a great driver and always had a smile on his face. The open top shuttle is great when you are cruising between wineries and the ferry back is a wonderful way to end the trip and avoid rush hour traffic. read more

We had a great time. Made new friends, drank some amazing wine. First stop had the best I think ;) Our guides name was Seth. If your booking this tour request him by name. This guy knows his stuff and was a blast to hang out with. Great time. Highly recommended. read more

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If you want to go to Alcatraz and forgot to order tickets weeks in advance, this company will get you there as part of an all day city tour. It is relatively pricey, but it does fill your entire day. They were prompt in getting us to our various locations. The shuttle bus is a mid size so it was comfortable. The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Besides getting us to Alcatraz the good parts of this tour is you do not have to worry about parking at the various tourist areas. The bad part is, you are constantly hopping on and off the bus which gets tiring after a while. Also be prepared to do some decent walking (including down Lombard St.) The ride to and stop in Sausalito was my favorite part. Alcatraz was fun, but it's at the end of the tour and it also involves some up hill climbing so you will be tired by the time you get there. read more

Absolutely would not recommend. Waste of time and money. We usually do Napa on our own with friends, and this was the first time doing a tour (friend planned this for her birthday). $99 did not include tasting fees or tours at any of the four wineries we visited. The group on the bus was ~32 people and the tasting rooms usually cannot accommodate so many people at once so it was extremely rushed and crowded. Way better to do it yourself at your own pace. Four wineries in a day is also just absurd. Literally all you're paying for for $99 is transportation and snarky, lukewarm tour guide commentary Four wineries on our tour: Castello di Amorosa, Vi Sattui, Beringer, and Marco Andretti. Also did not stop on the side of Golden Gate Bridge for pictures as advertised. By the time we got on the ferry back at Larkspur Landing (included) we were way past over it. read more

We booked this tour at the last minute and so glad we did! Epaul was our tour guide, and he was fantastic. He is super knowledgeable and gave us a full blown history lesson the entire way, from San Fran to Napa. It's like we had a city tour and a wine tour in one! We did the open air sprinter, which was cool, but if you want to be in the sun, don't sit in the first 2 rows, because the roof only opens from the 3rd row back. He was such a good sport with our group too and played along with all of our antics. He just wanted us all to enjoy ourselves and have a good time. Mission accomplished!! read more

Very rushed tour. I don't recommend this because you get like 5 seconds at each stop. Barely enough time to snap a selfie. The tour was behind schedule because stupid people kept getting on the bus late. They should have just left them behind if they were late! The bus was not comfortable at all and the speakers were so loud we had to put in ear plugs because we were getting a pounding headache from the tour guide talking so loud on the speakers. Not worth the money at all. I would recommend just taking an uber to the spots you want to see so you can take your time. This tour is not for people who want to stop and make memories at the attractions in the city. read more

Booked this tour hoping for it to go amazing, however it was just okay. The tour bus, well.... it was a party bus where the AC was broken on 100 degree weather day. It was very uncomfortable to the point where my friends and I could not drink on the last two winery's. The bus situation to say the least was horrendous. The winery's itself were great. Going to four different locations were amazing in Sonoma and Napa. I did feel a little rushed thou, however not too bad. Anyway, do I recommend it, yes and no- it is a good experience but your just going to be uncomfortable. read more

The shuttle arrived 50 minutes late and then the driver got lost twice. So we were on the bus for 3 hours to get to Muir Woods where we were told we had to be back on the bus in 50 minutes. Company would not refund our money. Horrible customer service and horrible company. Stay AWAY!!!! read more

I honestly can't believe other people have wrote good reviews about SFShutleTour - Napa Wine Tour. It was the worst tour I have ever been on. I emailed them while driving back from the tour for a full refund because it was literally a waste of money. But to add they 'never' received my original email and month later they still ignore every email I sent. Finally I got an answer that they will not refund me. Here's some of my email describing this awful tour: I recently followed up to inquiring about my complaint/refund email I sent on March 11th on our drive to the boat leaving the tour. It was sent via your contact us website link however I was having trouble with site that whole weekend so I should followed up sooner but was able to. Point is I sent an email listing out all the trips faults and things not noted on the FAQ section on the site. First, it was an extremely foggy 'morning' and we could not stop to take a picture at the Golden Gate bridge because of this. I completely understand that the weather cannot be controlled but that was first of many disappointments of this tour, since we did not have time to revisit the bridge assuming we paid to see it on the tour. no complaints about the first stop at Chandon, but it was weird to be told that we shouldn't walk into together as a big group or they will charge us. Then driving to the next stop my friends and I were unaware that the 'sun roof' only opens for the back of the shuttle and not the front, which then blocked our view even more. Then lunch felt rushed and we should of been warned to bring our own lunch or there should be a ticket option that does not include lunch because the lines for ordering were outrageous and then we need to leave. Not sure why we needed to leave so quickly because by the time we got to the 'Urban' winery was were done so quickly we had to wait an hour before we left for the boat. Also that winery should be reconsidered, because the beer and wine was not good, and the tasting was very awkwardly placed right in front of the bathrooms. During our hour of waiting to get back on the shuttle we discuss all the problems we had during this 'tour' and decided to write an email for a refund once I got on the shuttle. I don't want to call out the driver/host of tour, but he was really trying hard to entertain us with jokes and an A cappella phantom type opera signing, that just wasn't needed after a long day. To top it all off my email original was never received. read more

I have gone to napa.sonoma.st helena many times, and this tour was kind of pointless and expensive. My sister, her friends, and my besties decided to go to a napa tour on saturday, and tour around napa... well guys it sucked!! not only did we feel rushed, we toured around sf and they told us the history at 8 in the morning really... really 8 in the morning...I thought this was a fun tour and not a lecture!!!! Maybe it's because I already know the area's and the history of sf so it just sounded redundant to me. The tour itself was kind of hilarious, we started off at domaine chandon, and had a 45 min history lecture on how it's made and what sparkling wine goes with what. Then finally we had our sparkling wine tasting from brut to due, and our "sales guy" didn't really know how to pronounce it, and that really bothered me..... Then we were rushed from that presentation and had 5 mins to buy anything which I thought was bullshit, seriously the presentation was too damn long, and our tour guide gave us a time limit, and said if we didn't get on our bus we'd get left behind, and we could taxi it over to our next destination.. wow really? So we ended up at v sattui winery, and that winery is my favorite ever... but last time I was there I had more time to taste the wine, and such and such.. but this time we had only a half hour to eat, and buy wine.. crap why did we get the big rush of wine tour people, and just normal people that just drove there.. dang it.. our guy was taking so dang long we had to grab our wine ourselves!!!!! That totally pissed me off and we bought 12 bottles of wine, and half of our party got left behind... The next winery was across the way at flora springs next to dean and deluca, and might as well be a night club bumping britney spears, and michael jackson while drinking syrah is quite weird hahaha... all in all we were on this time limit restraint and we were one hour early..coming back to the ferry dock.. for 7 girls equalling 700 and then paying for our wine tastings, and bottles of wine while being rushed does not sound like something that is really worth it... Next time we'll town car it, or limo it down there.. so not worth.... DO NOT DO THIS TOUR.. YOU'RE JUST WASTING MONEY!!!!! just towne car it, or drive there yourself..... then you won't be rushed.. and I'll give you the heads up of the wineries I like and don't feel like. just p.m. me noted : sales people are not sommelier's..... so don't get sold on a guy that doesn't educate you on notes, legs, or how to taste the wine... read more

This is a great tour if you are a tourist - but if you're a local who just wanted a DD, like my boyfriend and I, seek out another option. Our day began at 8:15 on a Saturday morning in front of the Ferry Building. (really close to Embarcadero bart station) We had a group of about 40 ppl and we boarded the bus around 8:30. You must plan to tinkle before you board because they DO NOT stop, no matter what. There was this poor woman who really had to go, but the tour guide made it clear relieving herself was not an option. From the second we sat on the bus our tour guide talked our ear off for an hour and 40 minutes. (The time it took to get to our first stop in Napa) She talked, talked, talked! Her voice made it very difficult to enjoy the scenery or the company of the loved one sitting next to you. The content of her spiel was very factual for the CA visitor, but was much the bore for the CA native. Our first stop was Chandon, a sparking wine winery. (aka champagne, but our tasting guide Mark made it very clear that there is a huge difference... whatev) The tasting was great - 3 different champagnes for $10. The guide, Mark, though was a little over the top. He tried far too hard to get us to laugh. Next we stopped at V. Sattui winery, a napa exclusive. You can not get their wine anywhere else. How's that for family secrets... Along with delicious wines, they have an extensive deli and outdoor bbq pit for lovely picnics. You get a $10 voucher/person to go toward your lunch - and boy is that a GREAT DEAL! The food is on the pricier side, but $20 for two people was more than enough. I don't remember the names of the next two wineries, but they focused more on the red wines, and I am more of a fan of the whites. The tour ends in Vallejo where you take a the ferry back to SF. Overall, I felt that the time we were given to explore and taste at each winery was rushed. My boyfriend and I literally had to down our lunch in less than 10 minutes in order to make it to the bus on time. Also, our tour guide continually harped away on how important it was for us to get back to the bus on time. I understand that we had places to go, but the constant reminding just made me feel like I couldn't even enjoy the moment. Another reason why this tour is not enjoyable is the tasting fees. We already pay close to $100 for the tour, why do we have to pay for the tastings? Our tour guide claims that our tastings were discounted, but really, for 4 wineries I ended up paying $35 extra to taste. You'd think the bus would take you to at least one place where they covered the wine tasting fee. Makes me wonder what the $100 I paid for goes to.... read more

For $95 a person, this is the cheapest tour I could find that picks you up in SF, takes you back, and gives you a $10 voucher for lunch. All other ones I researched did not provide lunch, or a ride from SF. All others are $105 and above as well. This tour was OK. It was fun only because I went with fun people. The other folks on the bus were boring. The tour guide was nice, and very informative. They gave complimentary water bottles on the bus during the entire tour so that was definitely a plus. It is good to stay well hydrated when you're on a wine tour and like my friends and I, drink all the wine instead of spitting or pouring it out while tasting...haha =). I recommend drinking it all, since you're not driving ;). The food at the lunch stop was good. Salami = good, crackers = good, cheese = good, spread = even better. Sandwiches were huge. I say you share w/ who ever your came with, and get another side like potato salad or rice jambalaya which are both good and tasty. We went to the following wineries: V. Sattui: Their Gamay Rouge red mixed with white wine is yummy and is the only bottle of wine I purchased on the tour. Not as expensive as the rest of the wine on the tour either. Cheap tasting fee of $5. Domaine Chandon: Tasting fee is $10 but you get a pretty cool tour with some explanation on sparkling wine and how it is made. I am from the South Bay and they sell these in the store so I did not bother to buy anything. If you're from out of town, meaning out of Cali, I suggest a purchase. Andretti: Didn't taste, didn't buy. Expensive tasting fee, and expensive wine. LOL. Plus by this time, we were pretty much wined out. Black Stallion: our last stop and a fairly new winery and vineyard so we decided to join the group taste. The only good one was the Cabernet Sauvignon and the crackers they served, yum! Anyone know where they get those? LOL. I want to buy some. All in all the tour was a good bang for your buck. The wineries were good choices. The only reason I don't give it a full 5 stars is probably the actual shuttle you ride in. Its extra bumpy, and uncomfortable. It may have been because we rode on the back of the bus. But I was still able to nap through the long parts of the ride. I give it 4 stars though because we got to ride the ferry back, and the deal is too good to pass up. To say the least, the tour was pretty cool. I recommend it! Go now! =) read more

Our Napa tour, with our guide, Ken, on 4-22, was among the very best sightseeing/tour experiences we have ever enjoyed anywhere. We were lucky to choose a sunny Monday morning with 22 other happy guests and a superb tour guide. First, we were greeted on time, left the Ferry Terminal area on time, stayed on time all day, and didn't feel rushed. As Ken drove us through SF on the way to the Golden Gate Bridge he gave us a wonderful explanation of SF. From the different countries controlling SF prior to California joining the Union, to the 1849 gold rush, to the collapse of the Embarcadero freeway, Ken knew it all. Then he stopped at the Golden Gate bridge scenic stop area to allow those of us who already had too much coffee to use the restrooms and give others time to get great pics of the GG Bridge. As we entered Napa County on this full sun, 90 degree, zero humidity day, Ken explained how, and why, Napa became famous for wine. He told us how it grows, why the vines are trained into various shapes and the difference between cheap wine and fine wine. We visited four great tasting rooms including V Sattui, Andretti, Whitehall Lane and Franciscan. This being my first trip to Napa, I don't have anything point of comparison for these wineries. However, it seemed as though we got to see one boutique, one large production and one owned by a celebrity (race car driver Mario Andretti). I think is was an ideal mix. At each winery, the staff was waiting for us (it was a quiet Monday in April, however). At Andretti, we were given a deli style buffet lunch. There was enough food for a group double our size. Our guide at Andretti even encouraged us to save a glass of wine from the tasting to drink with lunch. A private vineyard patio was reserved for us and white table cloths were on the tables. This was very generous, and leisurely. At each winery we learned a little something different about wine and grapes. Also, at each winery, we had ample time to shop for wines and decide if we wanted to ship bottles/cases home. Finally, on the ride back to the ferry, Ken offered us even more California history, geography and wine information. Ken got us back to the ferry drop off point on time; but in a relaxed manner. If you want to enjoy the wine but don't want to worry about driving then this tour is for you. If you already know about Napa but want to see some very interesting wineries then this tour is for you. If you know want to learn how to be a perfect tour guide - then get on Ken's tour because this trip is for your. I can only envision two types of people who wouldn't think this trip, on warm sunny day, is ideal. One group is the people who are critical of everything. The other is Bay area residents who already have a great wine knowledge (and their own car in the area). For everyone else....this tour is for you. So, book your tour with this company, and ask for Ken...you won't be disappointed. Oh yeah, one other thing, drink more water than wine - otherwise, you will be toasted by 11 am. And yes, the tour bus is stocked with plenty of water (which is included in your ticket price). read more

First thing to note that $99/person does not include any wine tasting which was a little deceptive given that on the website it implied there was one wine tasting at Franciscan Winery. Additionally, the picnic lunch was deceptive as well. On the website, it said, "We provide you with a picnic lunch at one of our premium Napa Valley wineries during the tour. The lunch will includes, meats, salads and fruit." Now, I'm taking this as they will provide food but instead, they gave a $10 voucher to a winery. We did not know this was our lunch and was never explained to us as we used this to buy bread and cheese at the winery. I was not impressed. Our driver in addition was either still a little drunk or a little high. First of all, he was 30 minutes late for our tour. During the drive to SF, there were moments where we caught him sleeping behind the wheel and he was also slurring his words when he was talking. The guy def raged the night before. The wine tours were nothing special, with 4 people, we could have rented a limo to go there. I've driven to Napa a bunch of times and that's prob the better option. This wasn't really a tour, more like a party bus. read more

We selected the 9:00 AM five (5) hour premium city tour. The meeting place for the tour was across the street from the ferry building marketplace on the embarcadero. There will be a tour host wearing a red jacket directly across from the street from the building's tower (clock). Our tour guide was Hannah and David was the driver. They were great!! Our family enjoyed their knowledge of the city of San Francisco and Hannah's vivacious personality. We visited over 9 SF landmarks as noted on the website starting with the most crooked street in the world. We were dropped off at the top of Lombard St. and enjoyed the walk to the bottom. There were many photo ops as we walked down the steps and the best photo ops were at the bottom of Lombard St. The walking maybe a challenge for those who may have any ailments or physically disabilities. However, tour participants have the option of staying on the tour van. A few individuals on our tour stayed in the van and took pics from it. The van met us at the bottom of the hill afterwards. The kids enjoyed it!! The tour concludes in Sausalito where we were allotted some time to eat lunch and we took a ferry boat back shortly thereafter to SF (ferry building marketplace). The boat ride took us closely in the area of Alcatraz via the SF bay. It was nice way to end the tour. It was very beautiful and cold. Oh by the way, we stayed in SF during the second week of October 2014 and it was military fleet week. Thus, while taking the ferry boat ride back to SF on our Saturday afternoon we were able to watch the "Blue Angels" from the gorgeous SF bay!! The kids loved it!! It was a very nice bonus. On a side note, David, the tour van driver, also took the group to the home that was portrayed in the movie, Mrs. Doubtfire with the former Robin Williams. It was only a drive by but we were given time for pics. The kids saw the 90s hit movie Mrs. Doubtfire this past summer and I had no idea that the setting was in SF city. Very nice bonus indeed. Again, the kids enjoyed the brief visit and the funny memories from that 90s blockbuster movie as many of the film footage came from directly in front of the home. Thank you, David. As noted earlier, be prepared for a brief to walk at each landmark and tour participants have the option of staying on the van with the driver and taking pics from the vehicle area if they desire. The shuttle tour uses a very comfortable large white tour van type of shuttle and it makes sense as it is easier to maneuver around on the streets of SF. This tour is time compressed as we were taken to over 9 SF landmarks in 5 hours. Hannah was pleasantly firm with the group as we were frequently reminded to be back at the tour van within the allotted time. It was a bit rushed but very understandable as time was of the essence. I would recommend this premium city tour for those who want to visit the landmarks in SF but don't have a lot time on their hands to do it on their own. Parking in SF is very pricey and traffic is horrendous. This tour made it easier for me to relax and enjoy being shuttled to the SF landmarks without the stress of driving and monitoring the GPS. Overall, I enjoyed it and the kids had a lot of fun. You know the kids enjoyed it when the keep talking about it. read more

When things went wrong this company didn't have anything set up in the way of a contingency plan or an acceptable level of customer service. The premier 5 hour tour began with a ferry ride to Sausalito. We were given 50 minutes to explore, eat, etc. Our guide Ed brought us to the bus pick up but there was no bus. As we waited we were told the bus was five minutes away, then that the bus driver was new and they didn't know where the bus was and finally 40 minutes later that the bus had broken down and that we were taking the ferry back to SF and being given a refund. No attempts were made to give us an alternative other than to take the same tour the following day. It was disappointing because our time in San Fran was was limited and this tour had been booked for weeks. Things happen, but when they do you hope a company will do what they can to accommodate or make up for the inconvenience- I felt none of that from this company. read more

**REVIEW 300** We used San Francisco Shuttle Tours for 2 different tours: the "5 Hour Premium City Tour With Ferry Ride" and the "Napa Experience with Robert Mondavi" - both were well worth the money!! Our first tour was the City Tour on our 2nd day in San Francisco, finding our way to the meeting place (the Ferry Building) was fast and easy from our hotel...finding parking on the other hand, was a little tricky. But we managed! The guides (yes, 2 - they pulled the ol' switch-a-roo on us!) were friendly and very knowledgeable. We made lots of stops and had ample time for picture taking and exploring. One of our stops was supposed to be Golden Gate Park, but there was a whole lot of traffic around the area, so our guide asked the driver if he could show us around the ritzy neighborhood of Pacific Heights. Yes, our little shuttle tour bus drove up and down those steep hill and tight turns - it was pretty fun! Our tour also included Muir Woods - which was nice. I also like going to the Muir Beach Overlook! Lunch in Sausalito was nice, but the time crunch was not fun :P For our Napa Valley tour, our guide was also our driver - "Handsome" Ken! Of course I enjoyed the wine tour, especially because there was a never ending supply of bottled water! Each winery was beautiful and the hosts were all friendly and willing to answer any questions we may have. I really enjoyed the lunch at the Andretti Winery, which was just a simple make your own sandwich with assorted cold cuts, potato salad, and macaroni salad probably from Costco or Safeway - but the ambiance was so relaxing that I didn't mind! I just soaked in the scenery and had my wine! This is a great company to book with - I really enjoyed both tours and highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to drive to all of these places themselves! read more

Yes, it did take us all over the place and to the main tourist attractions but maybe we are just the type of people who like to do things on our own pace. Actually, that is exactly how I am. Taking this tour just seemed like the best idea at the time, we didn't have to cab it everywhere...yet, after a couple of stops...we were done and just wanted to do our own thing. As we approached the Japanese Tea Garden, which we have already been to but was not complaining seeing how we both loved this place, we agreed that we were not getting back on the shuttle. We told the tourist guide that we were going to catch a cab from the garden to where ever it was we decided to go....do not get me wrong, the tour is a great thing for people who want to see everything in one day and don't mind seeing things they weren't very interested in seeing. It is a good tour just wasn't for our tourist style..... read more

Our tour guide was Ken, I absolutely loved him from the moment we loaded the bus in SF. Not only was he personable, he was so well informed about the history of SF, Napa and the art of wine making that the entire time you were on the bus you were learning something new and exciting. Our drive to Napa flew by! Ken took us to 4 wineries and each one had an extremely unique flare. The first stop was a small family owned winery. They were generous and informative. I absolutely loved it! The second stop was lunch and V. Sattui. We had $10 credit for lunch at the most devine deli around. We ordered a panini and some sides, ate on the picnic tables outside and went back in to explore some more wine tasting. Ken was always around and if you wanted to ask him any questions about wine etc, he was always very helpful. This winery was large but also very, very cool and rustic. People were so sweet and their customer service was incredible. Have I mentioned how much I LOVED Ken, yet? By this time, we were sipping on water in the bus on our way to the next stop. We were still learning a lot about Napa as a town, it's history and a TON about wine. We landed on another winery that was super cool! We got to go into the Wine Library to taste some wine and then we walked out to the Vineyard to enjoy another glass. Again, everyone was very, very generous. The day was GORGEOUS!! (in February, I may add...). Last stop was a neat little winery that offered some of the best desert wine I had tasted. Ken mentioned it was his favorite place to get Merlot so I had to buy a bottle!! They offered it half price because we were on the wine tour. YES, PLEASE! The overall experience was awesome! We even got to take the Ferry home from Sausalito! We paid a flat rate of $99 and got 5 star service from start to finish. The day was long but well worth it and I would do it again in a heart beat! I wish I could rent the entire bus, request Ken as the driver and take all friends and family for an exciting day in Napa. Loved it!!! read more

One star is even too good for this piece of crap company. With the exception of Kyra and Garrick, this company is trash. ESPACIALLY Dennis. He was the rudest piece of garbage to walk this planet. And the owner is a coward who avoids customers every chance he gets. We booked our tour for 1145 am. When we got to the meeting point our tour guide told us we had a 9 am appointment and that we had missed our ride, when we called the "office" to figure out what had happened, the "customer service rep" Dennis, answered with a very rude tone, when we told him qhat happened, he told us that it was our fault because we missed our appointment, we told him about the mistake about us having an appointment for 1145 and not 9 am, to which he responded with " we didnt make a mistake, you did." He then continued to tell us that we could try to ask for a refund, but we most likely would be wasting our time. Needless to say I asked to speak to the owner, to which I was told that he did not speak to customers. What kind of small business owner does that?!? Do yourself a favor and DO NOT BOOK these CON ARTISTS for your tours. They will steal your money and flip you off while they do it. read more

We added the 11:15 five hour tour of SF onto the last day of my mom and sister's visit in April. I joined them and though it was a great way to see so much in 5 hours. Even as a long time local I couldn't cover that much ground in so little time. Our tour guide, Marilee I believe, was a well informed local, very friendly and strict enough with the group to keep everyone on time so we could see everything we had planned. Just a FYI, currently they have a 9AM and an 11:15AM tour. The only difference is the order of the tour. For the 9AM you begin your tour in a shuttle around the city and end up driving into Sausalito and taking the Ferry back to the Ferry Building. For the 11:15 you take the ferry over to Sausalito and shuttle from them into the city for that part of the tour. I have heard others say that the advantage of the early tour is that you can spend as much time as you want in Sausalito and take any scheduled ferry back at your leisure. For the 11:15 you are allotted an hour in Sausalito. I Highly recommend this tour if you have someone visiting from out of town or if you are the visitor. Don't worry too much if you have someone that you are afraid won't be able to handle the walking tours, they are very short and it is always and option to remain on the bus and meet the rest of the group at the end of that segment. I would suggest you do this tour early in your trip so you have time to revisit some of the places where you want to see more, like Golden Gate Park and the surrounding museums and gardens. San Francisco Shuttle Tours is well worth the money and time. read more

My family took the 9 hour combo tour with Karl. It was by far the best way for first -timers to see the city! San Francisco has terrible traffic and the outrageous parking fees, which is why we used public transportation (i.e. The City Pass) and booked this tour. The tour lasts all of nine hours, so in retrospect, it would have been better to split up the combo tour. While it is true that the tour starts near the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero in San Francisco. It actually starts across the street from the Ferry Building just beyond the F-Line tracks. This caused me a bit of confusion, as it did others, since the tour guide isn't actually at the Ferry Building as their website implies. It was a large group that started with us that morning, so the tour split into two buses. We had to walk back to Market Street to board the bus, since it is impossible for a bus to stop on the Embarcadero to load 28 people due to the ever-present traffic. The buses are small. They are not the huge Grey Hound style tour buses. They have to be small to navigate the narrow streets and be able to on/off load people quickly enough. Yes, you do get off the bus a lot and there is a sufficient amount of walking involved. For instance, you walk, down Lombard street sidewalk. A bus couldn't fit down it, but walking it affords you more time to enjoy the view, but it is steep. Truly, the best way to see San Francisco is on your feet. You can see what the 9 hour combo tour includes on their website. They visit each and everyone of the stops that they show. You get about 15 minutes at each stop and an hour for lunch in Saucalito. The best part about taking this tour is it gives you the best of of San Francisco in 9 hours, that you could never navigate by bus or car (plus parking fees). It would cost you a fortune in time and/or money to do it on your own. Plus, you can always go back to those places you want to spend more time at later, which is what we did. Twin Peaks and the Golden Gate Bridge were fogged in the day of the tour, so we went back later and got to enjoy them. I fully recommened this tour of San Francisco. It was worth every dime. FYI - We didn't use the tour for Muir Woods, but in hindsight it would have been easier for us. There is very little parking and fills up quickly. By 11 am most days, there are lines of cars vying for parking spots and it can get ugly. Tour buses have reserved spaces, which are always open. read more

We went on the Napa Wine tour to Robert Mondavi with a ferry ride. I had an extremely great time minus the hangover I had that night. Bright and early we had to meet at 8:00 am at the Ferry Building. Oh my goodness, that's a long time to drink wine. We had to meet at 8:00 am and then return off of the ferry boat at around 4:30 pm. Phew. Anyway met our driver and immediately knew he was awesome. His name was Phil. Laid out the guidelines about timeliness and was super personable and informative. Our shuttle was amazing. Leather seats and really comfortable. Went to four different wineries (and of course by the last one I could not taste the difference). Ate lunch at our second winery where we could purchase a glass of wine with lunch (such a mistake). Other then my blood alcohol level being comprised mostly of wine leaving for a horrible hangover later that night, the wineries were really interesting, scenic, and awesome. We also got a ferry ride back which was nice. Overall awesome shuttle tour. It's the only way to go if I ever feel like doing wine tasting again. read more

Yes it costs a bit. But as the usual designated driver - I would do it again. Being local, I know where to go and what I like, but if you're coming from out of town, I think its great. I learned a little bit about the wineries as we passed them. Our guide on the bus was funny and informative, called out people's birthdays, anniversaries... - Our bus even provided cold water for us. I also realized that all those times I drove up, I had to hold back - this time, I thouroughly enjoyed myself, and gave in to the warm afternoon wine coma we had after a good picnic at Sattui. Our tour at Chandon was great - given by Joe. Sattui - always a fave Flora Springs - fun and hip and next to DnD. Andretti - very pretty, but I was too tipsy to taste. By the end of the afternoon we had a pretty rowdy fun young bunch on the bus, and a group of more reserved people up front and I think our guide handled it perfectly. I also remebered that there would be traffic on the narrow highway back, but we took the last weekend ferry from Vallejo and it was nice to just relax. I have never taken the ferry from Vallejo and its quite pretty and there are great views. I get motion sickness and didn't take and dramamine, but I felt better on the deck and after I rehydrated. The staff on the ferry was nice too. The ferry gives you a choice to get dropped off at Pier 39, another SF attraction, or the ferry building, where we started, and it was nice to finish in the market with some affogato. FYI for out-of towners, the start/finish point is really close to Embarcadero BART. read more

Took the tour a few weeks ago while I was in SF. Glad I did! There's a $99 tour and a $120 (i think) tour. I chose the $99 tour. My tour guide was Ken. First of all, the Tour Guide Ken is very knowledgeable and eager to please. The drive with almost an hour and the bus was never bored. Ken provided free bottled water. The tour included visiting 4 wineries. Wine tasting are not included.They are about 10-15 for each winery. Bring cash. The wineries themselves are cool except the Sutton Home one. It was kinda lame. V. Sattui & the Andretti winery are amazing and you get to wonder off see the areas. If you are not planning on buying wine from every winery, I would recommend buying from V. Sattui. The wine tasting offers 6 tastings of your choosing and you get your money back if you buy at least 2 bottles. Prices are anywhere from $16 - outreageous so you should find something you like and can afford. I bought 2 bottles for their Madeira ($50 each), Try it at the tasting! Pinic lunch was included. Just a Make your own sandwich station at the Andretti Winery. If it's not raining, it would be outside. The Ferry ride back to the Pier is a great end to the trip. You see San Quentin, The golden gate and Alcatraz in the distance. Great pictures if you have a decent camera. Have fun in Napa! read more

Heard about this tour from a friend before visiting San Fran for the first time. Booked about a week before the trip. Couldn't be happier. They call this the COMPREHENSIVE tour and they are right. You see everything. It is 5 hours packed with good stuff. I visited SF with two others who'd been there 8-9 times before and we three went on this tour. Each of them saw more of SF in these 5 hours than they had in the 8-9 trips made previously. The list of sights is on the website and it is accurate. You get out and walk a few times near Lombard Street and in Chinatown. You get to stop for lunch in Sausalito. The tour was laid back and the tour guide was very informative. It was not gimmicky at all. Just get you to the locations and provide interesting facts along the way. Our guide was very personable and helpful with a great deal of knowledge. This was my first trip to SF and I feel like I saw just about every big ticket item on this tour alone. I'd recommend it to anyone who is up for a good tour of the city. read more

A great tour for those coming from out of town and want to experience Napa in a day. For those of us locals perhaps other alternatives should be sought. First, the tour starts very early in the morning. Being at the ferry building before 8 am on a Saturday morning and living in Berkeley, left me seriously questioning my choices for that day. The day begins with a narrated tour of San Francisco, Sausalito, and Napa Valley which was very informative. While I'm a recent transplant to the area, I did learn quite a few things. Our first stop was the V. Sattui winery. We were there just as they opened. We had an hour to get lunch, eat it (at 10 am), wine taste, and make our wine purchases. I felt a bit rushed, an hour was simply not enough time. I left this place cursing my decision to come to the winery on this tour because I wanted to spend more time here. The next place was Chandon. The tour of the facility was nice but abbreviated from what a normal tour would be. We had a private tasting out on the lawn which was nice. But again, only an hour here, not quite enough time. The next stop was the Andretti winery which was simply beautiful. The hour here seemed to last forever, while the hour at the previous two stops wasn't enough time. At this point, my friend and I were wanting some food after three hours of serious drinking, but that option was not available. The final stop was the Black Stallion winery. This place is evidently the newest addition to the wineries up in Napa Valley and is one of the tours' alternative wineries. The other tour happening that day went to Flora Springs which I gathered is the usual stop. I really liked Black Stallion, but they weren't ready for us. There was a miscommunication between someone at the tour and the winery. We had to wait a while to get through the tasting, but the wine was excellent. They had food here, but we did not have time or the option to order it. I would highly recommend this tour to out of towners, or those (like myself) who are new to the area and don't know where to go in Napa. But the one hour time limit at the wineries was sometimes not nearly enough. Perhaps going to fewer wineries (maybe three) and spending more time there would have made it better. The price for the wine tour is quite steep (at $95) but when you consider that it's a small tour of SF, a designated driver for the day, reduced tasting fees at the wineries, and a ferry ride back to SF; it's more reasonable. A few of the wineries had reduced tasting fees because we were apart of the tour. The tour guide on the bus explained that the wineries were chosen because they are on the lower end of the tasting fees for the region but still serve excellent wine. All and all, an excellent day. read more

We had a great experience doing the Muir Woods/Sausalito tour. It was well priced, the pickup location was conveniently located in Fisherman's Wharf right near where we were staying, and it dropped us off back at Fisherman's Wharf at the ferry stop, and the vans were comfortable. Narration was good and the guides were very pleasant, helpful and knowledgeable. Made it very easy to take our family (with 2 teens) to go and see these rather crowded, popular locations all in one day trip. I would recommend using this company. No complaints. Marcus was our driver/guide to the woods and did an excellent job. read more

Phil was our tour guide for the Mondavi experience tour. It started out with a drive to the Golden Gate Bridge. I loved the commentary he offered with history and facts as we drove through San Francisco. Once across the bridge, we had a chance to take pictures then it was off to Napa. Phil continued to keep the ride interesting with information. First stop was Mondavi. We had 2 tasting and a guided tour that finished amongst French oak barrels - truly amazing! Next was off to Andretti. You can pay $15 for 5 tastings. We had a delicious lunch here as well. Then it was off to V Sattui - this was my favorite stop! I did the reserve tasting for $25 for 5 tastings. The wines you had the chance to choose for the tasting were so wonderful!! The reserve tasting is mostly reds- so if you aren't a red wine fan - I'd do the standard tasting instead. Last, we headed to Franciscan. It was an intimate setting and a beautiful end to the tour. 4 tastings were provided. Then we headed to the boat. This tour was a great value and an amazing experience I would recommend to anyone! read more

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Dave Barry once said, "My policy with wine is very similar to my policy with beer, which is I just pretty much drink it and look around for more." that being said, I do appreciate good wine, and going to Napa's famous vineyards is apparently an activity that all American couples must do at least once in their lives. AMERICA! we were initially slated to take the other Napa itinerary from this company, but they had to cancel and offered to switch us to the Robert Mondavi / Mario Andretti / Menage a Trois / Franciscan itinerary. this turned out to be AWESOME, so a big thank you to Mario from their customer support line for the early heads up (a week before) and excellent communications via email. also, the one we booked originally was cheaper, but they didn't tack on any additional fee for the change. we had Carey as our bus driver. met up at the Ferry terminal, where someone in bright red checked us off on her clipboard. just like the email said. Carey was an excellent driver, navigating the bizarre streets of San Fran like a boss in our shuttle bus and narrating as he went along. he pointed out various landmarks and gave us a quick history lesson of San Fran. a quick stop at the Golden Gate Bridge park for scenic photos, and we're off to Napa (approx. 40 minute drive)! the wineries are all pretty good - the first two were my favorites, but the other two were also good. the tastings at Mondavi and Franciscan were included in the price. this company also includes a boat cruise down the bay in the ticket price - a ferry run by Hornblower Cruises, no less - which was an epic way to end our journey of day-drinking! and lunch at Andretti was included (cold cuts, sandwich bread, cheese, fruits, salads, chips). Carey also had a phone number sent up which would text us reminders about getting back on the bus. really helpful. for about a hundred bucks, considering all your transportation needs are taken care of and half of the tastings too, this is an excellent deal and I would wholly recommend their wine tour. the price is on par with other companies I researched, but the fact that they included a boat cruise and the excellent customer service would make me take them again. read more