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Activity San Francisco, USA

San Francisco Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

2 hours Free cancellation Private tour
Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

San Francisco Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

About this activity

Beat poets, a copper-green flatiron and the city's most famous spire — San Francisco's District 3 is one clue away.

This app-led scavenger hunt takes you through San Francisco on foot, using phone-based riddles to guide you from one landmark to the next. No guide, no fixed start time.

  • Browse the legacy of City Lights Booksellers, cradle of the Beat Generation
  • Crane your neck at the Transamerica Pyramid, the skyline's unmistakable spire
  • Sleuth around Cafe Zoetrope in Francis Ford Coppola's Sentinel Building

Available in 24 languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian — see the full list when booking and choose yours when you start the game in the app.

Around 2 hours - any group size.

North Beach stories, downtown views, one scoreboard.

Self-guided Tours Walking Tours Fun & Games Scavenger Hunts Short term availability Weather Dependent - Weather-Proof Agent Low Quality Product

At a glance

Duration
2 hours
Confirmation
Instant confirmation
Ticket
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group
Your group only
People per booking
1–15
Guide
Norwegian, German, Hindi, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese, Greek, Cantonese, English, Italian, French, Hungarian, Spanish, Czech, Ukrainian, Japanese, Polish, Danish, Romanian, Dutch, Turkish
Operated by
Explorial

Ages: Children (0–9 years) · Adults (10–90 years)

What is included

Included

  • Included: Learn about town stories, history, and local legends
  • Included: Total flexibility: no waiting, start anytime, walk at own pace and do as many breaks as you want
  • Included: Free download of the Explorial App from your appstore required (iOS and Android supported)
  • Included: Points and scoring system — compete with your group
  • Included: Self-guided city tour with interactive riddles, trivia challenges and photo tasks
  • Included: Clear hints and map guidance — so you never get stuck or lost

Not included

  • Not included: A Smartphone is required and not provided. Fully charged with active data connection (internet)
  • Not included: No live guide: The tour is 100% self-guided – no one will be meeting you at the starting point
  • Not included: This is not an audio guide

Itinerary

Starting at the Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason St, you'll open the Explorial app, enter the 6-digit game code that you received by text and Viator chat message, and roll downhill into the hunt. The tour is fully self-guided — no guide, no fixed start time, just your group and the city. At City Lights Booksellers, riddles honour the shop that published Ginsberg's Howl and gave the Beat Generation a home. Literary trivia rewards the well-read. Then the Transamerica Pyramid takes over the skyline — and your screen. Challenges explore how the once-controversial tower became San Francisco's signature silhouette. At Cafe Zoetrope, in the copper-clad Sentinel Building, clues connect espresso, cinema and Coppola's slice of North Beach. Expect around two hours of hills, history and head-scratchers. The leaderboard settles once and for all who knows the city best.

  1. Stop 1

  2. City Lights Booksellers

  3. Grace Cathedral Episcopal Church

  4. Cable Car Museum

  5. Chinese Historical Society of America

  6. Canessa Gallery

  7. Transamerica Pyramid

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

  • Book your Explorial tour today. Start whenever you want.

    *** After booking, you’ll receive your game code via text message and a Viator message.

    *** Download the Explorial app for free.

    *** Head to the meeting point and enter the game code provided (6 digits) to start the tour.

End point

  • Book your Explorial tour today. Start whenever you want.

    *** After booking, you’ll receive your game code via text message and a Viator message.

    *** Download the Explorial app for free.

    *** Head to the meeting point and enter the game code provided (6 digits) to start the tour.

Using your ticket

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*** Thank you for choosing EXPLORIAL. Next steps:

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*** 1. DOWNLOAD THE APP ***

Before starting, download the Explorial app from your app store, or from: https://s.explorial.com/T3SE3

(copy url in your internet browser)

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*** 2. GET YOUR GAME CODE ***

Your game code is sent by text message to the phone number from your booking. Additionally:

  • Viator: under your booking -> "Help & support" -> "Message activity provider"
  • Tripadvisor: under your booking -> "Contact Tour Operator"

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*** NO CODE after 3 minutes? Look it up at: https://support.explorial.com/

(copy url in your internet browser)

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*** 3. HOW TO START ***

  • Go to the meeting/start point and open the app
  • Tap "Enter code", type your game code, tap "Join game"
  • Confirm you're at the start, or tap the map for directions
  • Tap "Create team" and name it (required even if playing solo)
  • Or tap "Join team" if a teammate already created one
  • Enter your player name

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*** IMPORTANT: Don't press "Start game" until all players have joined the team in the app

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*** GOOD TO KNOW ***

  • Language: each player picks their own at game start (from the advertised languages)
  • Date & time: start whenever you like, regardless of your booking
  • Pause anytime and continue later — even the next day

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*** SCORE & RANKING ***

Finish the tour and all tasks in the app to see your score and full statistics.

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*** REMEMBER ***

This is not an audio tour. It's fully self-guided — no guide will meet or wait for you.

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Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel You get back
At least one day before 100%
Less than a day before 0%

Good to know

  • Service animals allowed

  • Public transportation options are available nearby

  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

  • Max 15 people per booking. For larger groups, make multiple bookings.

  • After booking you receive a text message and a Viator message with your game code. Open the app, enter your 6 digit game code

  • Weather & Health Guarantee: If bad weather or illness prevents you from starting the tour, you can simply reschedule it for another day. You can also rebook to a different city or request a refund

  • Smartphone required: Bring your own fully charged smartphone with an active mobile data connection to the start of the tour. Please disable any VPN and avoid city Wi-Fi, as these will cause the app to malfunction or disconnect.

  • Recommended attire: It’s best to wear weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes — approx. 2 hours of light walking

Activities, prices and reviews are from Viator. Booking and payment happen on Viator; Vacantier may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

San Francisco Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

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