San Francisco LGBTQ Walking Tour with Local Guide
5
San Francisco LGBTQ Walking Tour with Local Guide
By Cruisin' the Castro Walking Tours
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About
Discover the LGBT history of the Castro district in San Francisco on a guided walking tour led by a longtime resident of the neighborhood. Leave the navigation to your guide, as you explore several sites of interest and hear detailed commentary about local history and landmarks. You’ll also learn how the Castro continues to play a vital role in LGBT activism and events.
Lowest price guarantee
Ages 0-99, max of 2 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
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Highlights
- Gain insight into San Francisco's history as a center for LGBT rights
- Be inspired by the LGBT activism of this iconic district
- See landmarks from the Gold Rush, World War II, Harvey Milk era, and more
- Explore the Castro’s history with a guide who witnessed key events
- Local guide
- Entry/Admission - The Castro
- Entry/Admission - Harvey Milk Plaza
What's not included- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Make your own way to the Castro Pride Flagpole in the heart of the Castro to meet your guide. Travel to several places relevant to the life and legacy of Harvey Milk, the legendary gay rights activist who was also San Francisco’s first openly gay elected politician. See where he lived and worked, and hear about his contributions to the city and LGBT civil rights. Take in landmarks including the Pink Triangle Memorial Park, the Rainbow Honor Walk Project, the AIDS Quilt Names Project, and the Human Rights Campaign. The tour proceeds at a leisurely pace, and the public walkways are wheelchair accessible.
- Start:
- 400 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114, USAWe meet at SOUL CYCLE, 400 Castro Street, which is on the corner of Castro & Market Streets. Look up for the BIG Rainbow Flagpole next to it.
End:- 400 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114, USA
- Wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5094HISTORY- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Tours operate rain or shine
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
- Most travellers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 2 travellers
- All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5094HISTORY
From
£29.28
per adult
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Itinerary
- 400 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114, USAWe meet at SOUL CYCLE, 400 Castro Street, which is on the corner of Castro & Market Streets. Look up for the BIG Rainbow Flagpole next to it.
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- 400 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114, USA
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- ali24west0 contributionsNeeds improvementI was very disappointed with the virtual audio tour. I expected a audio guide tour around the Castro. I got a history lesson, much of which I knew. Happy I didn't pay for me and my partner!Written 6 September 2023
- Maps6042640 contributionsInspiring guide!Loved this tour!! Amazing history of the LGBTQ+ movement in SF and the Castro. Kathy was an excellent guide, answered all the questions, and then some!Written 9 May 2023
- hannahoD6989JF0 contributionsExceeded high expectationsKathy was amazing, the tour was amazing and informational, and the sites are a wonder. Can’t wait to go again and bring the rest of my family next time. Highlight of my trip.Written 30 April 2023
- 22toma0 contributionsGreat tour: book it!My partner and I hugely enjoyed this amazing tour. Kathy was the prefect guide - super friendly but also really informative about the history and culture of this wonderful neighbourhood, and its central place within the history and culture of the struggle for LGBT rights. This tour was by turns moving, fun, funny and inspirational, and we feel privileged to have been a part of it.Written 26 April 2023
- misspiggys0 contributionsA must do in SFI was visiting SF from Australia and I thought I knew a decent amount about queer history but I learned so much more! Cathy is a wealth of knowledge and had so many stories to share. It was a moving, reflective, connecting tour but still with lots of humour and fun. I went on another tour in SF later that week and the tour guide spoke to me about how Cathy’s work inspired him to start doing his own tours! A must-see for queer people travelling through USA but I think anyone could benefit from learning on this tour. The Castro area is a great place to be and after the tour I stayed for a few hours exploring and eating 10/10!Written 18 April 2023
- mikin20230 contributionswonderfulKathy was a wonderful guide. I loved this experience with nice people, which gave me the idea of a living diversity.Written 19 February 2023
- katestah0 contributionsWonderfulMy partner and I LOVED this tour. Kathy was friendly and knowledgeable and we learned a lot that we didn’t know about San Fransisco and it’s Queer history. I HIGHLY recommend this tour for anyone visiting San Fransisco!Written 8 November 2022
- danielhG4978RT0 contributionsA legend who loves and laughsAmazing, informative, funny, serious, a great time. Mind blown by how kind and open and friendly Kathy was. She stopped many times to talk to her local friends - ABC reporters, Nancy Pelosi staffers, museum volunteers. Truly out of this world. In the words of the great Gwyneth Paltrow: "I laughed, I cried, a number of times. I sweat, I danced."Written 30 October 2022
- kathrynfZ8312JU0 contributionsLGBTQ HISTORYKathy was an excellent tour guide, not only showing us wonderful sites, but facilitating conversations.Written 19 October 2022
- karenrS1822JL0 contributionsVery Informative TourMy sons (adults) live in SF and my husband and I were there for a visit. Kathy is extremely knowledgeable and we all learned a lot about The Castro District and the history of the "diverse" community in that area. Thank you so much.Written 27 December 2021
- lsussman0 contributionsA must seeKathy was a wonderful tour guide, providing a great overview of the history and culture of the Castro area. This is a must see tour for everyone, not just the LGBTQ communityWritten 21 February 2020
- janereid700 contributionsGreat tour!!!We were in SF for only 3 days and packed in as much sights/history as we could. I’m so happy we did this walking tour on our last day in the city!!! Becky, the guide, was so incredibly informative and clearly a fixture in the community; she made us feel like we friends she was showing around her home. Take this tour of the vibrant, historically important Castro district; you will thoroughly enjoy it!!!Written 18 December 2019
- WillyNgg0 contributionsFabulous 10/10Loved every minute of it. Kathy was very informative and gave us the legacy of Harvey Milk and this history of gay rights movement in San Francisco. A well deserved 10/10 tour!Written 9 November 2019
- LeonardKam0 contributionsGreat tourI recommend the Castro tour with Kathy to everyone visiting San Francisco. We learned so much, not only about the Castro and the community, but about SF history and society in general.Written 6 November 2019
- LuHodgson0 contributionsFantastic Saturday morninfWe had a great day out with Kathy who gave us a tour packed with so much local knowledge on LGBTIQA community, Castro history, civil rights, politics and all we need to know. The Castro is so full of energy, is more than a gay neighborhood, is where a movement was grown and history made. Thanks for sharing your experience with usWritten 11 October 2019
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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5.0
460 reviews
Excellent
435
Very good
23
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Matthew Mifsud
Gran Canaria, Spain14 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
As the headline says, this was the best tour I did this weekend. Kathy, who's lived around Castro for a good nos of years, is extremely knowledgeable and takes great care in explainling how the LGBTQ community changed thoughout the years and the general importance in American history. It was an eye openning for me. She involves her audience and takes them on such an fantastic journey. I got emotional at one point. Highly recommended.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joanna H
Yorkshire, UK156 contributions
Feb 2020
Kathy - cannot thank you enough!
It was a totally fabulous walking tour all round. Brilliant!
Kathy, our guide, was really funny, informative and passionate about her subject. She was charming and interested in every member of the group. She also gave us space to ask questions, encouraging everyone in a way that was warm and inclusive. I also loved the way that she checked that my (16 year old) son would not be offended by anything discussed or seen. (He never wouldn’t be!). So again, thank you Kathy. A total pleasure.
The walk itself was interesting and provided us with different areas and places to look at. The information was poignant, humorous and challenging in different measure. We saw both well known and more obscure places, all of which built a picture of both the struggles and the joys of living in The Castro. It also felt very welcoming and warm.
I can not recommend the tour enough. Go, take friends, enjoy and then recommend to others.
As an extra, we travelled up to The Castro on the Muni tram - which added to the experience.
It was a totally fabulous walking tour all round. Brilliant!
Kathy, our guide, was really funny, informative and passionate about her subject. She was charming and interested in every member of the group. She also gave us space to ask questions, encouraging everyone in a way that was warm and inclusive. I also loved the way that she checked that my (16 year old) son would not be offended by anything discussed or seen. (He never wouldn’t be!). So again, thank you Kathy. A total pleasure.
The walk itself was interesting and provided us with different areas and places to look at. The information was poignant, humorous and challenging in different measure. We saw both well known and more obscure places, all of which built a picture of both the struggles and the joys of living in The Castro. It also felt very welcoming and warm.
I can not recommend the tour enough. Go, take friends, enjoy and then recommend to others.
As an extra, we travelled up to The Castro on the Muni tram - which added to the experience.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicole R
1 contribution
Aug 2021
It was a great experience - well paced (even had a bathroom/sit break in the middle) and included important highlights of history anchored to different locations in the Castro. I particularly appreciated that Kathy welcomed feedback on terminology she used within the presentation. It is clear that Kathy has a deep connection to the neighborhood and history of advocacy. I would recommend to anyone (tourist or not) interested in learning a bit more about the history of this historic neighborhood.
Written 30 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne
Auckland, New Zealand2 contributions
Feb 2020
Kathy was warm, welcoming and genuinely interested in each of us and our stories. She was open to sharing her own journey and engaged with us throughout the walk individually and thoughtfully. I learnt lots of great history and was deeply moved by the experience. Would recommend to all. Thanks so much Kathy.
Written 1 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael B
San Francisco, CA12 contributions
Jan 2022
Kathy made this tour both fun and informative. She was great at providing information but also great at eliciting views and experiences from the participants on the tour. Definitely worthwhile for anyone interested in San Francisco and/or LGBTQ history.
Written 19 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Clement Tan
Singapore, Singapore1 contribution
Jan 2022
I usually never write reviews, but I felt that I had to for this experience!
The tour was incredibly informative, and Kathy was engaging, humble, experienced, and a riveting storyteller. Even though I've read about the history of the Castro, it was a completely different experience altogether seeing and hearing about it firsthand from a fierce pioneer. I felt so overwhelmed with emotions at some parts, I started to tear.
The tour was incredibly informative, and Kathy was engaging, humble, experienced, and a riveting storyteller. Even though I've read about the history of the Castro, it was a completely different experience altogether seeing and hearing about it firsthand from a fierce pioneer. I felt so overwhelmed with emotions at some parts, I started to tear.
Written 27 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simon M
14 contributions
Small group tour with a captivating guide who provided a breadth of history and knowledge. She promoted discussion and debate and cover a long and colourful history of the area.
This tour far exceeded my expectations and I would recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the history.
I went with my partner but there were people in the group who were alone. It was a very inclusive experience.
This tour far exceeded my expectations and I would recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the history.
I went with my partner but there were people in the group who were alone. It was a very inclusive experience.
Written 28 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Judy
3 contributions
May 2022 • Friends
Kathy gave a great tour. She informed people without disrespecting beliefs of others and let everyone know that we all were included in the neighborhood. She is a wonderful guide and remembered everyone in our group by name. She was personable and asked all of us details about where we were from, why we were on the tour and gave us information about the history of lgbtq rights and how row vs wade law changes will affect all rights. She also informed us about many different signals in the community. Amazing tour guide and would do this tour again with other friends if I travel to San Francisco again.
Written 15 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Will D
1 contribution
Sept 2022
Kathy was an excellent tour guide. I appreciated that she opened the tour inviting folks to correct her language, as things are often changing. I see some comments expressing upset that she's not more up to date with things, but even as a Millennial myself, who is a queer therapist supporting queer clients, I still get it wrong. Language changes daily and it's not realistic to expect people to be completely up to date.
That being said, there were a few points where Kathy's statements were a bit outdated. Again, she was open to feedback and that's what's important. I do agree with prior comments that this tour is mainly best for those who don't know much about the queer community, but I'll add the AMERICAN queer community. So for international tourists, straight folks or queer folks who've never bothered to learn about what our community went through in the 80's and 90's (and beyond), it's a great tour.
Sure Kathy could've gotten into more details about things, but it'd be impossible to address all the complexities of the queer community, such as issues we still face, as well as the long standing history of the Castro as a whole. I think she did a great job at explaining a little about a lot, which is about what I expected going into it. She also does a great job at encouraging conversation. This is the first tour I've ever been on where I connected with each person on the tour at least once. I even made friends from it and we hung out later that night and now plan to visit each other (we were both visiting). That speaks to the culture of love and acceptance that I feel lacks from our community in present times, but it's something that did seem to exist once upon a time and Kathy does an incredible job at replicating that on this tour.
That being said, there were a few points where Kathy's statements were a bit outdated. Again, she was open to feedback and that's what's important. I do agree with prior comments that this tour is mainly best for those who don't know much about the queer community, but I'll add the AMERICAN queer community. So for international tourists, straight folks or queer folks who've never bothered to learn about what our community went through in the 80's and 90's (and beyond), it's a great tour.
Sure Kathy could've gotten into more details about things, but it'd be impossible to address all the complexities of the queer community, such as issues we still face, as well as the long standing history of the Castro as a whole. I think she did a great job at explaining a little about a lot, which is about what I expected going into it. She also does a great job at encouraging conversation. This is the first tour I've ever been on where I connected with each person on the tour at least once. I even made friends from it and we hung out later that night and now plan to visit each other (we were both visiting). That speaks to the culture of love and acceptance that I feel lacks from our community in present times, but it's something that did seem to exist once upon a time and Kathy does an incredible job at replicating that on this tour.
Written 27 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel S
4 contributions
Jun 2022 • Solo
Kathy led an interesting tour of the Castro, taking in some sites and features I wouldn’t have known to look for otherwise. Highlights for me were the restaurant where they began making the AIDS quilt (and where they still have pieces of the quilt!), as well as the pink triangle memorial. Kathy was really knowledgable and willing to engage with our own questions and experiences!
Written 3 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello! Do you offer this tour with Spanish speaker guide?
Written 22 December 2018
If memory does not fail me, my tour ended at the building where Harvey Milk used to have his studio, and that is in the heart of The Castro district. By then you will be able to head different directions to explore on your own. It's truly a great experience.
Written 28 June 2018
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