Tour details

Join your guide, Jay Gifford, on a tour of Pacific Heights with its colorful Victorian row houses, famous mansions, and beautiful gardens. Visit the inside of a period Queen Anne Victorian. See where Mrs. Doubtfire and Princess Diaries were filmed, or where Robin Williams and Francis Ford Coppola lived. The walk is easy and there are no hills to climb. Enjoy lunch after the tour on Union Street. The tour length is approximately 2 hours. Only private tours will be operating, group tours have been suspended.

When

PRIVATE TOURS are available at the time of your choosing at a rate of $150 per couple, $25 for each additional person.

BOOKING

Reservations are required. To reserve please text at +1 (415) 252-9485, or email at victorianwalk@yahoo.com with the date and number of people joining.

Where

Private tours meet at the Queen Anne Hotel located at 1590 Sutter St, San Francisco.

 Additional information

• No big buses are allowed on our tour route through Pacific Heights! Go where tour buses are prohibited, and learn about the real San Francisco from locals who live here!

• There are over 200 meticulously restored Victorians on the tour!

• Learn to appreciate the difference between Queen Anne, Italianate, and Stick-Style Victorians and the evolution of the city's architecture through time.

• Visit famous locations including:

  • the Victorian where "Mrs Doubtfire" was filmed

  • the filming location for Anne Hathaway's scenes in "Princess Diaries"

  • the Victorian featured in the "Party of Five" television show

• Discover the homes owned by famous people including Robin Williams, Don Johnson, Francis Ford Coppola and many more!

• Walk past beautifully manicured gardens in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.

• Enjoy spactacular views of San Francisco Bay including Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

Your guide, Jay gifford

PhotoS

VICTORIAN INTERIOR PHOTOS

Reviews

The following are a select few reviews picked over the last two decades of our remarkable tour. In addition, checkout our reviews on Google, Trip Advisor and yelp!

“GREAT EXPERIENCE ON OUR PRIVATE TOUR”

Just wanted to thank you for such a great experience on our private tour. My 14 year old granddaughter and my 70 year old husband both enjoyed the history shared, architecture explained, and beautiful gardens observed on our tour last Saturday, June 19, 2021.
We all felt this private tour with your ability to personalize the information was one of the highlights of our trip.

“Private Tours Are Best”

This tour was a great way to learn some of San Francisco's history.
Jay was very friendly and a great storyteller. I was a little hesitant about this tour only being available for small private groups, but that is absolutely the best way for this tour to be done.
It allowed for great conversation and personalization based on our questions.

“Perfect Birthday Celebration”

Had a lovely private tour with a group of friends to celebrate my birthday. It was a truly lovely experience for a group of locals that gave us a greater appreciation for SF. Jay is a great storyteller and teacher, and we would definitely recommend the experience to both Bay residents and visitors alike.

“Great Team Building Event”

Jay led a fantastic architecture tour for our team. It's nice to walk around and look at San Francisco with someone who sees the world like Jay does. He tells stories of the city and matches it with a deep understanding of the details of San Francisco architecture. I realized a new level of diversity of San Francisco, and felt like I toured through 20 countries by the end. It was also a beautiful walk on a gorgeous day, without hardly any hills for those worried about SF's notorious steep streets :)
Five stars for Jay's tour for a team building event!!

“Don't Worry About the Hills”

This is one walking tour in San Francisco that you don't have to worry about the hills. It was quite a hot morning when we did this walk, but thoroughly enjoyed it. Being from the UK it was interesting to see the Victorian properties. Jay was very knowledgeable about the architecture and we had a visit to the Queen Anne Hotel which was a real eye opener of times gone by. We ended up in Union Street which was an ideal place to conclude the tour by having restaurants and coffee bars and it was so easy getting back to Union Square by bus.

“My husband even loved it”

The tour was great! Jay was right on time, informative and gave us great details about the city and how they structures evolved over time. My husband, who hates Victorian homes, thought it was really interesting and cool. So for you couples out there--you guys don’t have to check your man card! Afterwards he told us where to eat and shop. Great tour for the money!!

“Jay deserves to be the number 1 tour guide in SF”

A relatively low key tour, there were only 15 in total on a Sunday morning tour. Jay arrived promptly, warmly greeted us, and laid out the entire tour for us. The walking is breezy with level streets and gentle slopes, that don't take their toll on your knees! True to his word, we saw the Golden Gate bridge and the Hollywood film locations among the Victorian homes.
Jay was able to answer questions on demand, and was well versed in the architectural field. He was friendly without being invasive, courteous and approachable.
The homes are so beautiful with intricate details and are hallmark features of San Francisco.

From Peggy S.

My friend and I cannot think of a single thing Jay (our guide) could have done to improve the tour we took last Saturday. It was thorough without being dry. There was time for photo taking, question asking, and a little wall-sitting for this senior citizen. It was so interesting and enjoyable that even though the weather was getting mistier and mistier, no one seemed inclined to quit early. He did not disappear the minute the tour concluded, but made certain we knew how to locate return transportation and lunch. As a result ,we found a new (to us), fun part of the city to explore and had a super lunch at one of the restaurants he mentioned. He's a wonderful ambassador for a city he obviously loves.

From Shannon D.

Had a blast with our tour guide Jay. This was a fun historical tour that took us out of the tourist areas. I absolutely love Victorian Homes and was able to take about a hundred or more pictures. Saw the "Mrs.Doubtfire" house, as well as Jessica McClintock's. Saw some homes with windows designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and lots of beautiful "Painted Ladies".

From Mike and Peg G

On Tuesday, September 16th, my wife and I took your Victorian Home Walk. It was a most enjoyable and informative time and one of the highlights of our stay in San Francisco. My wife has volunteered as a tour guide here in Wisconsin for 16 years and when she speaks well of a tour guide, it is high praise indeed! The pace was perfect and we simply cannot say enough about the quality of the experience. Thank you for offering such an enlightening perspective on this period of San Francisco architecture.

From Shirley and Keith G (U.K.)

We recently visited San Francisco and one of the highlights of our visit was the Victorian Tour walk. We live in a Victorian house in England and how much more colorful and fresh are those of San Francisco. It was fascinating to learn of the different styles of these Victorian houses and to be able to go inside one was the icing on the cake. Thank you for making the tour so interesting and so easy in terms of the amount of walking involved. We could hardly believe we had seen well over 100 Victorian houses in the course of our walk. We would certainly recommend this tour to any other visitors to San Francisco.

From Tricia

My friends and I had a wonderful time on Saturday on the Home Walk. We loved the Queen Anne and it was so interesting learning about the history of the Victorian home era and seeing and being able to identify the different styles. And you were right, we did have the neighborhoods to ourselves except for those people who lived there. We are bragging about our adventure to all of our friends!!!! I'm glad you decided to go into this full time. It was worth the drive from Fresno for the day!!!!

FAQ

Are reservations required?

Yes, reservations are required.

What should I wear or bring?

We recommend that you wear comfortable walking shoes, and bring a light weight sweatshirt or jacket. You may also want to bring a bottle of water or sunscreen as the weather can be unpredictable.

I am not in great shape. Is this a difficult walk?

This is an easy walking tour geared towards all abilities. The tour is roughly 2 to 2.5 hours, but it includes the local bus ride, time to explore, time inside a Victorian, and many stops at different homes. 

Are there any hills?

No. There are no hills to climb, and the pace is leisurely. 

Are there restroom opportunities? 

Yes, there is one restroom stop during the duration of the tour.

What about lunch? Are there places to eat?

You have the option to remain at Union Street in Cow Hollow when the tour ends right around 1-1:15. That area is full of great restaurants and shops. 

I have a question that hasn’t been answered?

Don’t hesitate to contact us if we haven’t been able to properly answer any of your questions or concerns.

Where can I buy snacks and water?

There is a corner store at the beginning of the tour where water and snacks can be purchased.

Contact us

Don't hesitate to contact us for any unanswered questions, general inquiries and be sure to contact us to reserve your tour!

We can be reached via text or telephone call at +1 (415) 252-9485 and via email at victorianwalk@yahoo.com.