Activities & Tours

Fun for HI-San Francisco guests, every day!

Our three San Francisco hostels offer an array of fun tours and activities for our guests, every day of the week. Take a free walking tour led by a knowledgeable local, join fellow hostellers for a pasta dinner or movie night, go on a day-trip excursion to Wine Country, Muir Woods, Gold Country, or Yosemite, hook up with a two-night trip to the Yosemite Bug Hostel, and more!

In addition to the regular schedule listed below, different outings are programmed every week, so be sure to check the activities board at your hostel when you check in. Also visit our events calendar for other free/low-cost activities happening around the city.

• Hostel Tours and Activities
  Free walking tours, museum outings, movies, and wine & cheese receptions

• Day Trips
  San Francisco, Muir Woods, Wine Country, Gold Country, Yosemite

• Overnight Trips to Yosemite

• More
  Carmel/Monterey, Sausalito, double-decker sight-seeing bus

Hostel Tours and Activities

Downtown San Francisco Historic Walking Tours
Every Saturday, 9 - 11:45 a.m.
Cost: Free! 

Meet your guide David for a free historical tour of downtown San Francisco.

Learn about Union Square, Chinatown, Nob Hill, and other downtown landmarks. Don't forget your camera!

Sign up in advance at your hostel's front desk. Tour begins at the Downtown Hostel.

Streets of San Francisco
Every Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Cost: Free! 

Join your guide Henry for an extensive walk through the streets (and over the hills) of San Francisco. Enjoy the sights of the city as you wander through neighborhoods such as Russian Hill, Nob Hill, Chinatown, North Beach, and Telegraph Hill. See Lombard Street, Coit Tower, and some of the oldest homes and hidden gardens in the city.

Sign up in advance at your hostel's front desk. Tour begins at the Fisherman's Wharf Hostel.

SFMOMA: Half-Price Thursday Nights
Every Thursday, 6:15 - 8:30 p.m.
Cost (for museum admission): $7.50 / $4.50 for students with ID

Join your tour guide Joe for an evening excursion to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Located in downtown San Francisco, SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art. Opened in 1935 to "explore compelling expressions of visual culture," the permanent collection comprises more than 25,000 works of modern and contemporary art, including photography, painting, sculpture, media arts, architecture, and design.

SFMOMA offers half-price admission and extended hours every Thursday starting at 6 p.m., making this the perfect chance to soak up some culture with your fellow hostellers.

Sign up in advance at your hostel's front desk. Meet at the Downtown Hostel.

Chinatown Walking Tours
Every Monday and Friday, 12 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Cost: Free!

Take a guided tour through one of San Francisco's oldest and most captivating neighborhoods: Chinatown.

Though it's only a few blocks away from the Downtown Hostel, Chinatown is another world unto itself, bustling with shops and buzzing with people. Explore hidden alleyways, sip various Chinese teas, see mysterious historic temples, and visit the famous San Francisco Fortune Cookie Factory.

Sign up in advance at your hostel's front desk. Meet at the City Center Hostel or the Downtown Hostel.

Wine and Cheese Receptions at the Downtown Hostel
Every Friday, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Cost: Free!

Join us on Friday evenings for complimentary wine and nibbles in the second-floor lounge at the San Francisco Downtown Hostel.

Meet and mingle with fellow travelers, whet your appetite for San Francisco's nightlife, then hit the town together, or settle in to plan your next day's adventure.

Anyone staying at one of our three San Francisco hostels is welcome! City Center guests please sign up in advance at the hostel's front desk.

Day Trips

San Francisco & Muir Woods National Monument (with Dylan’s City Tours)
Daily (except Sundays), 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Cost: $39
Book at the front desk; includes door-to-door transportation to/from the hostel.

Join Dylan, a native San Franciscan, for small-group van tours through the City by the Bay. Dylan will show you all the major sites in San Francisco, and stop for several great photo opportunities.

Tour includes Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks, Haight-Ashbury, Mission District, Marina District, the Castro, Pacific Heights, Palace of Fine Arts, the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, views of the bay and the Pacific Ocean, Chinatown, North Beach, cable cars, Nob Hill, City Hall, Financial District, and Bay Bridge. Also included in the tour is a trip across the bay to Muir Woods National Monument.

 

San Francisco & Muir Woods National Monument (with Elie’s Green Dream Tours)
Weekdays (Monday - Friday), 9:20 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Cost: $38 (cash only)
Book at the front desk; includes door-to-door transportation to/from the hostel.

Elie's Green Dream Tours is a small, San Francisco-based tour company catering to the budget traveler, which offers environmentally friendly trips in a 14-passenger biodiesel van.

During the tour, your guide Elie shares tips on cheap eats, nightlife, and the "Weekly Scoop," highlighting what’s happening that week in the city. All participants receive a complimentary discount card for savings on local hot spots, and a mix CD featuring famous San Francisco bands from the 1960s through today.

Sights include North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, the Marina District, the Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, views of Alcatraz and the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco City Hall, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Park, Twin Peaks, the Castro, Haight-Ashbury, Bay Bridge, and more. Also included in the tour is a trip across the bay to Muir Woods National Monument.

 

Muir Woods and Wine Country
Daily, 8:15 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Cost: $85 Adult / $75 Student with ID
Book at the front desk; includes door-to-door transportation to/from the hostel.
Available at the Downtown Hostel and Fisherman's Wharf Hostel only.

Spend your morning in the only old-growth redwood forest in the Bay Area, then cruise over to Wine Country to sample the offerings of wineries such as Homewood, Cline Cellars, and Benziger Family (tasting fees may apply). Afterwards, take some time on your own to explore Sonoma’s town square, Mission San Francisco de Solano (the northernmost California mission), or Sonoma Jack’s Cheese Factory.

This tour is offered through Incredible Adventures, which specializes in outdoor adventures tailored to an international backpacking crowd. Transportation is by biodiesel-fueled shuttle.

 

River Rafting and Gold Country
Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday (May 25 - September 20, 2009), 6 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $199 Adult / $179 Student with ID
Book at the front desk; includes door-to-door transportation to/from the hostel.
Available at the Downtown Hostel and Fisherman's Wharf Hostel only.

An afternoon of adventure awaits in California's Gold Country! In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, you’ll experience 8 miles of Class III rapids on the American River. While on the water, you'll see the historic location of Sutter's Mill (where gold was first discovered in California in 1848). Once you’ve dried off, you'll head over to "Old Hangtown" (now known as Placerville), to get a firsthand view of a real gold mine.

Tour cost includes all rafting safety equipment and gear, gold mine walking tour, and barbecue lunch by the river. Wetsuits and booties are provided for the rafting in May (not needed June - September).

This tour is offered through Incredible Adventures, which specializes in outdoor adventures tailored to an international backpacking crowd. Transportation is by biodiesel-fueled shuttle.

 

Yosemite
Daily, 6:15 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $139 Adult / $129 Student with ID
Book at the front desk; includes door-to-door transportation to/from the hostel.
Available at the Downtown Hostel and Fisherman's Wharf Hostel only.

This trip includes a 1.5-hour narrated tour of the Yosemite Valley, including sights such as Yosemite Falls (the tallest waterfall in North America), El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridalveil Falls, Sentinel Dome, and more. Tour also provides 3-4 hours of free time in the valley.

This tour is offered through Incredible Adventures, which specializes in outdoor adventures tailored to an international backpacking crowd. Transportation is by biodiesel-fueled shuttle. 

Overnight Trips to Yosemite

Two Days/Two Nights San Francisco to Yosemite
Departs Monday, 9-10 a.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m. - noon; and Friday, 6-7 p.m.
Cost: $205-550; additional $30 for all-meal package
Book at the front desk; includes door-to-door transportation to/from any HI-San Francisco hostel. 

Operated by Hostelling International's Yosemite Bug Hostel (a.k.a. HI-Midpines), the Yosemite Bug Bus picks up hostellers in San Francisco and whisks them away to the quiet majesty of Yosemite National Park.

Spend your days exploring Yosemite while spending your nights snug at the Bug. Take your pick of accommodations between the hostel’s dorm beds, private rooms, or a tent-cabin (prices vary).

On your first day, take a dip in the hostel's swimming hole, or a guided bicycle ride along the Merced River. Visitors who arrive on Friday also have the option of checking out a local mine and mining museum. Day two is spent hiking through Yosemite Valley, including five sightseeing stops along the way. Both days end with a group campfire, and guests receive discounted access to the Bug’s health spa.

 

High Sierra and Hot Springs Camping Trip
Departs Wednesday, some Mondays (seasonal)
Cost: $175
Book at the front desk; includes door-to-door transportation to/from any HI-San Francisco hostel.

Operated by Hostelling International's Yosemite Bug Hostel (a.k.a. HI-Midpines), the Yosemite Bug Bus picks up hostellers in San Francisco and whisks them away to the quiet majesty of Yosemite National Park.

Explore Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite, Mono Lake, and an authentic "ghost town," and soak your worries away in a natural hot spring. Trip includes a quick stop in Yosemite Valley before heading back to San Francisco. All food and equipment provided.

 

Yosemite Escape Camping Tour
Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday (May 25 - October 15, 2009)
$325 Adult / $305 Student with ID
Book at the front desk. Tour leaves from Mason and O'Farrell streets (half a block from the Downtown Hostel).
Available at the Downtown Hostel and Fisherman's Wharf Hostel only.

Spend three days and two nights exploring majestic Yosemite. Picnic amongst giant millennia-old sequoia trees, hike through the high country to May Lake, and drink in the sights that have made this park so famous.

Tour cost includes camping equipment (except a sleeping bag), six meals, all camping fees, park fees, taxes, transportation, and professional guide service. Campers need to bring their own sleeping bags, or can rent one from Incredible Adventures for $30.

May through July, campers can add a class III-IV whitewater rafting trip on the Merced River to their Yosemite camping package for an additional $140-160.

This tour is offered through Incredible Adventures, which specializes in outdoor adventures tailored to an international backpacking crowd. Transportation is by biodiesel-fueled shuttle. 

More!

Hostellers at the City Center Hostel and Downtown Hostel can also book with Super Sightseeing Tours and San Francisco Sightseeing, who both offer tours in large, motorcoach buses to Wine Country, Monterey/Carmel, Muir Woods/Sausalito, and Yosemite.

Guests who prefer a more spontaneous, San Francisco-based itinerary can take advantage of Super Sightseeing's double-decker Hop On - Hop Off tour bus, which is always on the go around city landmarks. City Center Hostel guests can buy tickets at the front desk; Downtown Hostel visitors can catch the bus at the corner of Post and Powell streets (3 blocks from the hostel). A one-day pass is $35 for adults, $25 for children ages 5-11.