San Francisco Chinatown

The Basics

Nearly all San Francisco city tours include a stop or drive through Chinatown. For history, check out the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Portsmouth Square; alternatively, book a Chinatown walking or Segway tour for insight into the neighborhood’s food and culture. A stop in the area is often combined with a visit to nearby North Beach or a tasty, traditional lunch. Chinatown food tours are especially popular.

Things to Know Before You Go

This is a neighborhood to explore on foot, so wear comfortable shoes.
Chinatown bumps right into North Beach, another favorite San Francisco neighborhood, so it’s easy to visit both in one day.
Grab cash before you go, as many of the small shops and food venues only accept cash or have credit card minimums.
The streets of San Francisco Chinatown are mostly wheelchair accessible, although not every shop and restaurant will be.

How to Get There

Chinatown covers about 24 city blocks in northeast San Francisco between Powell, Kearny, Bush, and Broadway streets. Enter through the Dragon Gate at Bush and Grant, walking north into the crowd to find souvenir shops and eateries. Located in the densest area of the city between Nob Hill, Union Square, and the Financial District, Chinatown is easy to reach by walking, city bus, and the Powell Street Cable Car. Driving is not recommended on the traffic- and pedestrian-heavy streets.

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When to Get There

For shopping, go in the late morning when the shops are open but many visitors haven’t yet arrived. Otherwise, the evening hours offer a lively atmosphere, when locals head to Chinatown for drinks and dinner. To see the neighborhood at its best, visit during Chinese New Year, which falls in January or February.

Chinatown’s Fortune Cookie Factory

For a look at the making of fortune cookies, visit Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Co., in business since 1962. Located on Ross Alley, off Jackson Street, the factory offers a free tour that allows you to watch how the cookies transform from hot, flat dough into their iconic, fortune-stuffed shape.

Recent reviews from experiences in San Francisco

Thank you Linda!

rebecca_h, Nov 2021

San Francisco Chinatown Walking Tour with Optional Lunch

I really enjoyed all the history that Linda had to offer! She was an engaging story teller and was able to answer a lot of the questions thrown her way. She was also mindful of COVID precautions which is always a plus!

Great day activity in San Fran with our nephews!

EugeneS_U, Sep 2021

Big Bus San Francisco Hop-on Hop-off Open Top Tour

1st morning bus was clean and speaker for audio were clear!! 2nd bus in the afternoon had half functioning audio machine, volume and channel-dials were defective. 3rd bus in the afternoon driver was very kind an patient, we had to run to catch the bus. Thanks for waiting sir! 😇

Great time

Lindsay_P, Aug 2021

The One Day in San Francisco Tour with Alcatraz

Great stops, clean comfortable mini bus. Pat was amazing!!! Loads of information about the area, great recommendations. Worth every penny!

Great Classic tour

Nancy_P, Jul 2021

Friendly staff Good narratives with historical facts Clean bus Good schedule Should provide wind xwarnings before crossing bridge

Excellent tour !!!

Tom_S, Jul 2021

Skip The Bus: San Francisco By Luxury Van Tour

One of the best guided tours I've ever had! Highly recommended! So much information provided about San Francisco! Excellent tour guide! Would do it again. Wife and 2 grandchildren (17 & 15) toured with Brian. Even with the COVID virus, but all had been vaccinated- no worries! We had been on a SF tour 10 years ago. This one surpassed it by far.

Absolute Perfection!!!

TonyDale_C, Jun 2021

Painted Ladies San Francisco City Tour

The tour was absolutely amazing in every way!!! Our tour guide, Josh, was also amazing in every way too!!! We saw many major sights of the city and took some breathtaking pictures!!! The vehicle was very clean and comfortable and we had a blast with the different people on our tour!!! Josh was so friendly, accommodating, patient, and informative!!! This was a perfect choice for a day of our stay in SF!!! 🙌🏻🙏🏻💜

Great overview of the...

Kelvin_S, Dec 2021

Great overview of the city. Muir woods and Alcatraz great experiences. Pat, our guide, was awesome and very knowledgeable.

All the information and...

SueAnn_G, Dec 2021

San Francisco Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour | 1 Day Pass, Unlimited Use (Classic)

All the information and nicely done. Rode this in Chicago and the voices on the audio were like little kids. They were loud and silly, didn’t care to listen to them.

Best Way to Tour San Francisco!

Barbara_W, Dec 2021

The audio made the tour! Very informative! Stops at all the major sites! Best way to explore the city $

Great experience!

Sara, Jul 2021

The guides were great, bus was clean and guided tour was informative. Good for all ages and needs. Worth the money

SF tour

Dana_P, Nov 2021

We had Armando as our tour guide & he was phenomenal! He provided such a wealth of knowledge & took us to all the places that were on our “to see” list! He even provided some great restaurant recommendations and some additional things to see & do when while in town! Would def recommend Armando & the Painted Ladies!

A Fun Way to Tour San Francisco

George_F, Nov 2021

San Francisco Love Tour

We loved the tour. Our driver and guide, Alfred, was great. He made it a lot of fun. The bus is hand painted and very cool. We saw a lot of tourist taking pictures of the bus as it drove by. The next time I visit San Fran I plan to do this again, but I’ll be wearing a tie dye shirt, those small round hippy “John Lennon” glasses, while flashing a peace sign at people we pass. I recommend this tour. It’s a fun way to tour the city.