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History

About Financial District of San Francisco

The Financial District of San Francisco was the City’s first commercial district, and is one of the largest and oldest financial districts in the Western United States. A quilt of architectural artifacts, styles and structures, FiDi has a history of maritime trade, finance, shipping, law, and world class shopping and fine dining. The district employs over 220,000 office workers. Situated next to the San Francisco Bay, FiDi defines a section of the City’s edge with key landmarks like the famous Transamerica Building making the city’s skyline one of the most recognizable by many visitors from around the world.

About Jackson Square

Jackson Square has a history with an edgy past, known as the Barbary Coast --- once home to brothels, bars and gambling dens during the height of the Gold Rush era. Largely established in the mid-1800s, the neighborhood was built along the original eastern shoreline of the city. Jackson Square was the first central business district of early San Francisco. Today, the neighborhood offers alleys with historic low-rise brick buildings lining the street, and is home to unique boutiques, art and antique galleries, architectural offices and interior designers.

History Tours

The ground beneath your feet is steeped in pioneering history. From buried ships left as modern day ghosts of the 1849 Gold Rush to architectural diversity found nowhere else in the region, San Francisco's historical treasures await you.

Self Guided Tours

Unfolding the Financial District: Design adventures in San Francisco's hub

Photo of the Transamerica Pyramid among other towering buildings
Image courtesy of VoiceMap

If you love architecture, San Francisco’s most surprising landscape may be the historic Financial District. You'll discover a neighborhood inhabited by gargoyles and walruses where redwood trees hug an 850-foot pyramid, past collides with present, and busy streets pass by an alleyway lined with outdoor cafes. Allow John King, the San Francisco Chronicle’s design critic, to guide you through the truly unique architecture of Downtown SF.

Architecture Tour


Barbary Coast Trail

Map of SF's Barbary Coast Trail
Photo courtesy of Barbary Coast Trail

The Barbary Coast Trail® is a San Francisco walking tour that connects the City’s most important historic sites.

Bronze medallions and arrows set in the sidewalk guide you along the trail, drawing you into a world of gold rushers and railroad barons, writers and visionaries, shanghiers and silver kings.

Barbary Coast Trail


             


Guided Tours

City Guides Financial District Tour

A view of SF's Financial District from North Beach
Image courtesy of San Francisco City Guides

Learn about the kingmakers and titans of the Financial District, and how they’ve dictated the trajectory of San Francisco history. We’ll follow the money — and learn some curious facts about the city’s skyscraper hotbed.

City Guides Tour


1840s San Francisco and the Astonishing Legacy of America’s “First Black Millionaire” Tour

Image Courtesy of San Francisco City Guides

Civic leader, diplomat, hotelier, and entrepreneur William Leidesdorff was the “life and soul” of early San Francisco and did much to establish it as a place for business and American power on the eve of the Gold Rush. His untimely demise in 1848 started a race to control the vast fortune of this remarkable man who concealed his biracial identity for much of his life. We’ll visit the sites of his many achievements, from bustling wharves and luxury hotels to the foundations of California’s first public school. Along the way, we’ll weigh his impact on early San Francisco, consider the battle to control his legacy, and visit several public works of art that attempt to reflect and sometimes direct his fascinating story.

City Guides Tour


Scandalous Murals of Rincon Center Tour

Image courtesy of San Francisco City Guides

Explore a collection of art that shocked, challenged and enthralled 1950s America. It’s an exclusive walk through a hidden gem, featuring the egregious details of the panic these murals once incited.

City Guides Tour


Emperor Norton's Fantastic San Francisco Time Machine

The host of Emperor Norton's Tours posing for a photo
Image courtesy of Emperor Norton's Fantastic San Francisco Time Machine

Emperor Norton's Fantastic San Francisco Time Machine is a lively, informative, and entertaining walking tour of historic San Francisco led by Emperor Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.

Emperor Norton Tour


Drag Me Along Tours

Image courtesy of Drag Me Along Tours

Enjoy a special one-of-a-kind walking tour with a historic and fun perspective through the eyes of the infamous Countess Lola Montez.

Drag Me Along Tours


San Francisco Ghosts Booze and Boos Haunted Pub Crawl

Image Courtesy of US Ghost Adventures

Enter into the foggy embrace of the City by the Bay with a late-night, tipsy, adults-only stroll through the old streets of the Barbary Coast. Tours are held nightly. Book now below to see available dates and times.

Haunted Pub Crawl


Gold, Greed, and Gunslingers: Forging San Francisco Tour

Photo Courtesy of US Ghost Adventures

The Gold, Greed, and Gunslingers: Forging San Francisco tour turns the pages of San Francisco’s early days in real-time. You’ll learn the history of Yerba Buena, the Barbary Coast, and Chinatown while visiting iconic buildings and cultural stops. The City By The Bay was once home to some of the West's most dangerous and twisted individuals. Hear these stories on this historical San Francisco walking tour!

Gold, Greed, and Gunslingers Tour


The Haunt Ghost Tour

People standing around a host on a ghost tour
Image courtesy of The Haunt

Haunted SF is San Francisco’s only real ghost hunting excursion. Get ready to travel through Gold Rush-era neighborhoods after dark, seeking out paranormal activity while learning of the city’s haunted past.

The Haunt Ghost Tour


Secrets, Scandals, and Scoundrels Tour

Black and white photo of San Francisco looking out towards the Bay
Photo courtesy of Free Tours by Foot

On the Secrets, Scandals and Scoundrels tour, you'll learn about a war that was fought over breakfast food, you'll meet the most powerful homeless man in the world, you'll hear about one of the largest robberies ever committed in California, and more!

Secrets, Scandals, and Scoundrels Tour