San Francisco Tourist Attractions with Go San Francisco Card
Spending two weeks in the United States was one of the most unforgettable birthday trips that I had. In two weeks, I was able to visit San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Arizona. But in my two-week time in the US, it was in San Francisco that I spent the most. A great city that features iconic landmarks, historic sites and beautiful vistas, no wonder why this place is everyone’s favorite in the West Coast. One of the best things about the city is that it also offers so much to do. With several San Francisco tourist attractions to check out, I decided to explore the city using a Go City card.
What is Go San Francisco Card?
The Go San Francisco card makes easier for tourists to travel around the city. The card is all in one pass that gives free entry to more than 25 attractions. You can choose an all inclusive, explorer type or build your own. The pass also provides tourist huge discounts, which is up to 60% compared to buying tickets separately.
I purchased an Explorer Pass through Klook. I selected the pass with 5 choices, which was enough already for me to be able to visit some of the best San Francisco tourist attractions.
How to use Go San Francisco Card?
After booking the Go San Francisco Card through Klook, I received the confirmation instantly on my email. It comes with a mobile-friendly PDF file that has a QR code that serves as my pass. The file also contains information on how to use the pass and a list of San Francisco tourist attractions that I can choose from. The pass is very easy to use. There’s no need to print out the PDF. You simply present the QR code to every attraction that you will visit.
What are the San Francisco Tourist Attractions to visit?
There are more than 25 attractions that Go San Francisco card holder can choose from. Using my Explorer pass that comes with 5 choices, here are the activities that I selected.
1. Hop On Hop Off Big Bus Classic Tour: One-day Ticket
The first activity that I availed using my Go San Francisco Card was the Hop on Hop off bus tour. This sightseeing San Francisco bus tour allowed me to hop on and off over 15 stops around the city including Golden Gate Bridge view vista point and The Palace of Fine Arts. The bus tour also has a guide onboard, who tells more about the history of the city. The guide also gives some interesting tidbits about the places and other San Francisco tourist attractions.
- Golden Gate Bridge – Undoubtedly, an icon of San Francisco bay area. This is the most recognisable landmark when you mention the name, San Francisco. It is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
- The Palace of Fine Arts – This beautiful old palace is one of the most important architectural landmarks in San Francisco. The building was originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific exhibition. But now, it hosts an ever-changing roster of events and performing arts.
2. One-day MUNI Pass
Muni is the public transit system of San Francisco. The pass gave me one full day unlimited rides on buses, light rail and trolley. I initially purchased the pass so I can experience riding the city’s cable car system. But using the one-day Muni Pass, I was also able to visit some of the best San Francisco tourist attractions like Union Square, Lombard Street, Pier 39 and Painted Ladies.
- Union Square – A public plaza in San Francisco surrounded by upscale shops, restaurants, hotels and nightlife.
- Lombard Street – Another iconic San Francisco tourist attraction known as the “Most Crooked Street in the World”. It is a one-way section in which the roadway has eight sharp curves.
- Pier 39 – A busy bayside pier famous for its scenic views and sea-lion sightings. The center is also a great place for shopping, food and entertainment.
- Painted Ladies – It is one of the most photographed locations in San Francisco. The place features row of Victorian houses that are famous for their appearances on movies, TV shows and postcards. The Painted Ladies is one of the most beautiful San Francisco tourist attractions with a backdrop of the city that I was able to visit.
3. Bridge 2 Bridge Cruise
One of the activities that I think a must-do when in San Francisco is going on a boat tour. So on my third day in the city, I went on a Bridge 2 Bridge cruise with Red and White Fleet. The boat tour has schedules and takes about 90 minutes exploring the scenery and what lies between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge.
During the Bridge 2 Bridge cruise, I was also able see Alcatraz Island and Treasure Island. The sightseeing bay cruise also gave me nice views of the city skyline.
4. Madame Tussauds & Dungeon Combo
Two of the San Francisco tourist attractions that I was interested to visit were Madame Tussauds and Dungeon. Good thing, these attractions are part of The Go San Francisco Card – and they offer it as a combo ticket.
Madame Tussauds is a wax museum. It features wax figures of famous personalities from movies, music, politics, popular culture and sport. Some of the wax figures include Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Steve Jobs, Barack Obama and Audrey Hepburn. Next door is the Dungeon. It’s a tourist attraction that recreates historical events using nice set-ups, special effects and live actors. When we tried this attraction, the story was about the Bay area’s darkest times.
5. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
I used the last slot of my Go San Francisco Card by visiting SFMOMA. It’s a modern art museum with seven floors of extraordinary art and world-class exhibitions. The museum features internationally recognised collection of modern and contemporary art. It also has paintings, installations, photographs and other media.
These are just 5 of the attractions and activities that can be selected using the Go San Francisco Card. For the complete list, you may visit this link.
How much did I save using Go San Francisco Card?
One of the benefits when using the Go San Francisco Card is the huge savings that one can get compared to buying individual tickets. Below is the breakdown of the prices and savings that I got using the Explorer Pass.
- Hop On Hop Off Big Bus Classic Tour: One-day Ticket
Normal ticket value: $55 - One-day Muni Pass
Normal ticket value: $23 - Madame Tussauds & Dungeon Combo
Normal ticket value: $56 - Bridge 2 Bridge Cruise
Normal ticket value: $44 - San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
Normal ticket value: $25
Total value when tickets bought individually: $203
Price of San Francisco Go Card – Explorer Pass with 5 choices: ~$100
Savings: $103
*rates in US dollar
Tours – San Francisco Tourist Attractions
Find the best activities, attractions and fun things to do in San Francisco with exclusive discounts by booking amazing travel experiences with Klook. Use the search box below to get the best deals.
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Tours and sightseeing in San Francisco
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