We had an amazing time at Yosemite as Sharon as our guide! She was a lot of fun, full of great information and had ideas for stops along the way. She told us of perfect places to go for lunch, and pointed out the most beautiful areas for photo shots! We also appreciate how accommodating she was. read more

Best Bay Area tours was awesome. We really enjoyed our charter trip and experience to Reno. Above and beyond that will leave an unforgettable memory that I and my family will forever cherish ! Thank you Best Bay Area Tours !! read more

Best Bay Area Tours - Wine Tours Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Greatest tour I've ever taken. Our tour guide "Big C" was awesome. He was super informative and accommodating. Our whole group were in the best hands possible. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone. Can't wait for our next adventure. Loved it! read more

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I can't say enough nice things about Kurt Hillbrand and the amazing experience we had on our tour of Yosemite! He treated us like family and said this was the best job he has ever had. He was so nice and called us all by name. He was so knowledgeable and sincerely loved showing us his beautiful workplace. He is a keeper and I really enjoyed spending the day with him! Thanks Kurt My husband Kurt says hi too!! read more

Best Bay Area Tours - Wine Tours Near Me - San Francisco, California

One of the best experiences of my life. Phil knows the area so well and it felt more like a friend showing us some of his favorite spots. We got to see the bridge and get great photos with no crowds. The forest we arrived at the perfect time no crowds. The whole experience was perfectly paced and Phil did just a great job. He was very communicative. The whole experience was both fun and educational. So much I could say about Kendall Jackson from the incredible garden to the farm to table meal and the delicious wine pairings. It was truly a one of kind experience. I've been on a lot of wine tours and this surpassed them all. Well worth the money read more

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With Steve as our guide we were able to get wonderful, once in a lifetime photo opportunities without the crowds.

Victor was amazing! He picked me up in the Fisherman Wharf at my hotel. We stopped at a Safeway to and from. We went through the Sierra Nevada first. The whole ride was smooth. I went by myself and I'm so glad I chose this tour. The park was so empty. No crowds. Yosemite is beyond amazing. We saw North Face, El Cap, Half Dome, Bridal and Yosemite Falls. I didn't get to see the Sequoias because the roads were closed. read more

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Steven Schwenka was a great driver and tour guide for our family. He provided a lot of time to enjoy the Armstrong Woods and prepped us about each stop. We will use this tour company again for sure! read more

We visited San Francisco for my birthday in late October. Our tour guide, Phil Siegel was FANTASTIC ! We was very personable and knowledgeable. We did the day trip from our hotel "The Marker" to the beautiful Redwoods and two wonderful vineyards in Sonoma. Please if you're in the San Francisco, CA, definitely book with Best Bay Area Tours! You'll love it ! For the record, I never leave comments that are positive but we were so happy with our experience - we had to leave a comment ! read more

Best Bay Area Tours - Thank you so much for a wonderful day Phil! - Wine Tours Near Me - San Francisco, California

Viktor called my my phone at 5:34. The other passengers waited for us a total of 8 minutes. Time. Time. Time. Time. Time. It's long. But I encourage everyone to read. Our family was so excited to have a great day in Yosemite. While we were preparing for the day, we had packed up our cell phones so we watched the hotel clock not realizing it was a few minutes behind. I received a call from Viktor saying they had been waiting and I immediately panicked. I felt horrible. I ran as fast as l could to him. He was extremely annoyed with us even though I explained the error and apologized to the group. My husband and young daughter were running behind me to catch up. He said, " I'm sorry. I have to go. I can't wait any longer for you and if I hadn't have been standing in the door, he would have closed it in my face. We boarded the bus, thinking all was well. I have never been more wrong. He apologized to the next guest (as did l), but still blamed us. As he started driving away, he said "TIME" seven times and told the entire group that we were rude and did not respect everyone's time. We were so humiliated. There were a lot of tears shed on the way, but I wasn't going to let him ruin our special day. When we arrived early to the park, he made sure to mention it was because of everyone else other than us. The day was filled with passive aggressive attacks towards our family, in turn alienating us from the group. Towards the end of the tour he even mentioned us to another tour guide for being behind a few minutes. Everyone else seemed super happy with him, but our family saw the ugly side of his fake generosity. We can't wait to go back to beautiful Yosemite, but will never give this company our money again. read more

A full memorable day on my Yosemite tour. Phil, our guide, was engaging, knowledgeable, obviously experienced with the route and familiar with maneuvering a group of 12 people through an active, full agenda. It was a well-paced day with plenty of appropriate stops to break up the 4 hour drive to Yosemite Valley. The photo stops were well-considered and timed once we were in the park. The whimsical playlists helped pass the time on the way (ie, themed music depending upon the landscapes we were traveling through). There were telescopes once we were in the park to watch insane climbers scaling the face of El Capitan in real time. Particularly enjoyed the video "The Dawn Wall," about freestyle rock-climbing on the trip back home. It's a tough gig to offer a running commentary, manage music and video, and safely drive simultaneously ~ Phil more than met the challenge and handled it admirably. Highly recommended. read more

Our group of 4 had a wonderful time on the small bus tour of San Francisco with Best Bay Area Tours and guide David on August 14, 2023. David was very knowledgeable, friendly and entertaining. He showed us highlights of the city from the Golden Gate Bridge to Armstrong in Redwoods State Natural Reserve, and gave us plenty of time to explore, take pictures and have lunch on the beach. The bus was comfortable and clean and the group size of 9 was perfect, I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see some of the best. San Francisco has to offer in a day. read more

Best Bay Area Tours is just that. I did the Yosemite and Sequoia forest tour; I had an awesome experience. Well worth every penny. Super courteous and professional team. You get exactly what you pay for plus more. Go ahead, book your Bay Area tour with this company. read more

Best Bay Area Tours - Tunnel View - Wine Tours Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Steven from Best Bay Area Tours took us on the best Yosemite Tour. It is clear he loves his job and his job is making you have a good time while learning about the area. The videos provided in the vehicle made the trip to and from San Francisco a breeze. The stops were breathtaking. His knowledge unsurpassed. If you're in the SF area and want a quick one day Yosemite tour, this is your best bet.in fact, if you weren't planning on a tour but have a free day, do yourself a favor and take this tour to the National Park. You won't regret it. read more

Steven was great. He was funny and engaging and made sure everyone was taken care of and accounted for. He made a point to make small talk with everyone. Appreciated his story telling as well as his photo op recommendations and offering to take our pics. The brakes on the bus need to be replaced though, they were grinding. The squeaky doors also need to be lubed. The trip was absolutely worth it and would book through them again. read more

We did the Yosemite day trip, and it was incredible! Our tour guide far exceeded my expectations with his vast knowledge of San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. He gave us suggestions for our free time and helped us to find a hiking path to a beautiful waterfall. He also stopped halfway through the drive at a cute little grocery store for the group to get food or stretch our legs. The drive was 3 hours from San Francisco and we got picked up at 6am, but it was 100% worth it since we saw many amazing views! My favorite part was seeing the giant sequoias! I would highly recommend booking a tour with Best Bay Area. Our entire experience was perfect! read more

Our Yosemite one day tour was amazing! Don was the best driver and tour guide. Very knowledgeable and delightful to talk to. Really appreciated all the different places we got to see. Highly recommend. read more

Best Bay Area Tours - Yosemite - Wine Tours Near Me - San Francisco, California

GREAT tour, we had the best time. Our tour guide Kurt was so amazing. He even went out of his way to drop us off to our hotel when we were way out of the range. Was a great day overall, definitely recommend going on the tour (go with kurt) read more

I am a New Zealander, a year ago I visited San Francisco and decided to book a day trip to Yosemite. This trip ended up being a highlight of my stay, the tour guide Mike was incredible, I felt well informed and relaxed throughout the trip which let me take in the majestic sites of Yosemite Valley. I would highly recommend Best Bay! I just wish I could come back right now! read more

Best Bay Area Tours - Wine Tours Near Me - San Francisco, California

We had so much fun on this tour! Wineries selected each had something special about them! Group atmosphere was enjoyable! Would do this again! read more

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Phil Siegel was our guide for the giant sequoia and Yosemite tour. It was on Memorial Day, so he asked us to leave early to beat potential crowds. Picked up up at 5:25am and got us back to the hotel at 8:00pm. We stopped at a fruit stand on the way home and many spots along the tour. He narrated and gave us many tips. I highly recommend this company and especially Phil. read more

We took the Armstrong Redwoods and Kendall-Jackson winery tour. The trail for the redwoods was fine but I prefer Muir Woods- less bugs and cooler temps. The standout for this tour was the winery/gourmet lunch pairing. Kendall-Jackson was great at accommodating different diets (gluten free, seafood allergies, etc). Steven S. was our tour guide-picked us up at our hotel and provided a very enjoyable guided trip including a stop for a photo opportunity of the Golden Gate Bridge. The small group was just right for this tour. Don't hesitate to book it. You won't be disappointed. read more

I would give 100 stars if I could. My husband and I took a Yosemite tour, picked up from and returned to our campsite outside of the park. We spent all day touring not only the big sites but also hidden gems of the park with a super informative guide, Brian. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we returned with a large group the next year and booked a private tour. Brian built our private Yosemite family tour around the needs of our family (young kids and ability to hike or not). During the drive he played amazing videos and even kept the attention of our teenage kids. Brian also took us to the best photo op locations and helped us get amazing pictures. I heard they also tour other locations which we plan to do. Would recommend. read more

Best Bay Area Tours - Our family tour of Yosemite that was loved by all age groups. - Wine Tours Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We took the Redwoods, California Coast & Sausalito tour. Joe was great!! Awesome and accommodating tour guide. He picked us up promptly at 8am at our hotel. He stopped when we wanted to stop for things but also added side stops that were interesting and fun. Probably don't need the stop in bodega to see the church in Birds movie but rest of tour good. Not for the constructive feedback: We were excited about the Mercedes van and were disappointed. The ride was rough and uncomfortable during parts of the trip. Poor Joe had technical problems all day with headset microphone and TV. We felt bad for him. read more

Well organised. Did the small group day tour to Yosemite with Phil and it was excellent! With a heads up, it started earlier than would normally happen to avoid the rush of other tourists and get better views - definitely avoided the rush! Phil was entertaining, considerate and helpful throughout. It was a long, hot day but the drive was pleasant enough all things considered, and Phil was very knowledgeable on some things along the way as well as, of course, in Yosemite itself. read more

Dishonest operator and booking company While the actual guide was excellent (Brian), our experience with this tour was that the operator was dishonest at every opportunity. At booking (months ago) the Giant Sequoias was advertised to be included, we later found out it was already inaccessible. It seems that while the Giant Sequoias are still unavailable, from recent extreme weather, they are still being advertised as a big part of the tour. The operator waited until the very last possible moment to inform us via a single email that the Giant Sequoias wouldn't be included and assured us they would be replaced by something else. Our experience was that it wasn't a comparable replacement, more like "killing time", for such a big part of tour. Viator was useless and didn't engage at all with any request for a partial refund for such an expensive tour. Would suggest postponing your Yosemite visit and use a different operator. Won't be using Viator again. read more

Phillip was great We used Best Bay Area Tours to book a trip from San Francisco to Muir Woods and back. Well worth it and would absolutely recommend and use them again. Phillip was the driver and he was funny and entertaining. The entire time there and back he gave an interesting commentary on all kinds of local themes from music to celebrities, to cost of living and history of the area in general. It made the trip there and back fly by. In addition a to taking you to Muir Woods and back, the tour also includes a couple other stops, and takes you over the Golden Gate Bridge. In a couple hours, you get to take in quite a bit. Definitely recommended. read more

Our guide was Anthony. He is British and has 17 years living in San Francisco. He knew a lot about movies and TV shows current and iconic. It seems like he was always looking for a new tidbit to share with the tourists. We had 2 children and we brought a car seat and a booster. There is a lot of freeway and windy road driving so I recommend parents bring their own. We started at Armstrong Forest. It is not Muir Woods. It is farther away and much less crowded. The trees are older and taller. I was happy because we wanted to see Redwoods and not tourists. You get there early so there aren't a lot of people, at least on a Monday. The trail is well marked and about a mile. It's gorgeous. It's fairly flat and says accesible. We carried our toddler part way because we forgot the stroller. We had an hour 20 because I chose to do a coffee stop. Great Mexican mocha btw. That was just enough. We stopped for lunch in a little town. We went to a sushi hamburger restaurant which had good sushi and hamburgers. My bento was meh so I would order a turkey burger next time. Next we went to the ocean. It was a gorgeous black sand beach with lava formations off the coast. The view going down the hill was amazing. It reminded me of Hawaii. We also went to Bodega Bay for a bit. And Sausalito for 25 minutes, which is fine to walk a bit and take some photos. If we didn't have the kids we would have stayed longer and taken the ferry. I highly recommend this tour for families. The afternoon stops are short but there is enough down time for kids. I can't imagine arranging all this ourselves and covering so much ground on our own plus dealing with GPS, parking, tolls, traffic etc. read more

We just finished a full day tour. Our guide was so good. He knew about wine, history of the city, plants. He covered it all. thanks for a great day! Ray Loop read more

Best tour ever. We did two tours and you have to pick this tour. Phil, our guide, was so knowledgeable and went above and beyond and really cares that you have a great time. Can't wait to take another tour! Fantastic!!! read more

I booked this trip last minute the night before. The afternoon trip that I wanted was full, so I was hem-hawing around about booking the morning trip because it left so much earlier than I wanted to go. But the owner (who had answered the phone when I called after 7pm on a Sunday) assured me the morning is a perfect time to go because the place isn't so crowded. He also advised the best way to get into the city on time early on a Monday morning, and his suggestions for taking BART, the timing of my departure, and which station to use, worked flawlessly. I arrived in town with about 10 minutes to spare at 8am Monday, and the tour van driver, Brian, sought me out among the crowd & introduced himself before rounding up the other tour guests inside the hotel. We were a group of 11, and everyone was in high spirits, so it was a fun trip. Brian pointed out scenery along the way, including the hill from the chase scenes in the movie "Bullitt". I got an amazing shot of the Golden Gate out of my window on the passenger side of the van as we approached it. Brian told stories and pointed out interesting locations all the way out to Muir Woods, which was a winding and very scenic drive. The drive back was harrowing to me, because there are no guardrails and no shoulder on that road which hangs on the side of steep mountains, and my seat had a view straight down the cliff walls. I just had to look at the other side of the road, and trust that we were in capable hands, which of course we were. I cannot imagine how scary it would have been going along that roadway on a big tour bus!! If you fear high places, get a seat on the driver's side of the van. Muir Woods itself is a magical place. I was so glad to have gone in the morning, as the light filtering through the trees made for the most beautiful scenery and some of the best photos I've ever taken. Many times I had the trail to myself and could hear myself breathing because it was so quiet around me. The air is heavenly, cool and richly fragranced with pine. As the sun rose higher in the sky, mist began rising from the boardwalk and posts, and the bright green moss growing on the branches glowed like neon. At one point I saw a lone smallish tree in a little clearing, glowing green in a sunbeam. I just stood there marveling in the magic of that moment. I tried to capture it on camera, but could not take a picture that did it justice. I stayed on the boardwalks which made for a very easy walk, and made sure to set my alarm to notify me when the halfway point was reached so I could head back. This particular tour lasted longer than the big tour buses provide, and I was very glad for the extra time. I took about 40 minutes each way for a very easy walk, and saw lots of beauty during that time. I left feeling like it was the right amount of time for me to spend there. I only left myself 10 minutes in the very crowded gift shop, which wasn't nearly enough time. Once in lovely little Sausalito, Brian gave us some ideas for luncheon places and took those of us who were ferrying back to town directly to the ferry launch and told us how to get our tickets, etc. so that we understood how things worked. At Brian's spot-on recommendation, I lunched at a little Tequileria called Copita. After a few minutes of strolling around town, I caught the ferry back to SF, and enjoyed a beautiful ride surrounded by marvelous scenery. I highly recommend this tour, and suggest going in the morning if you can. Although you can take the van back to your hotel/drop point, I suggest riding the ferry. For less than $12 it adds a lot to the experience. read more

What can I say? The trip to the Napa and Sonoma wine country was one of the nicest days I've ever had. I researched various tour companies, and I feel so lucky that we ended up on Alan's Best Bay Area Tours. The day was perfect, from beginning to end. Starting with the pick-up ... I live in Noe Valley San Francisco, and I was delighted to find out that Alan was happy to pick us up right at our house. Wow! Alan's beautifully designed van arrived right on time. We drove through the San Francisco fog and picked up the other passengers (a lovely couple from Victoria, Canada) near Union Square. It felt like a very private tour because it was just Alan and the four of us. As we departed the city, we watched the clouds lift and were treated to a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge in the morning sunshine, as we headed for the sunny golden hills of Marin County. Alan was a great tour guide, helping to get the conversation going with introductions; he had the most charming jokes and commentary about things we said, and things we passed along the way, and he was very knowledgeable about the wine-making process and the wines ... but he didn't prattle on endlessly .... it was just right. We went to four wineries in all. For the three wineries that Alan picked ... Grgich Hills, Milat, and Jacuzzi ... we were greeted warmly and received very personalized service. At Milat winery, the OWNER HIMSELF was the one who personally gave us the tasting, entertaining us with stories about his family and the winemaking business, and showing us the recent wounds he had from pruning his own vines. It was this "insider connection" that made us feel very special, and I am very thankful to Alan for this. Now Benzinger winery, that was my idea .... Alan said he didn't normally go there, but I wanted to try it because I had heard about Benzinger's tram tour of their biodynamic vineyards, wine cellars and wine processing machinery etc. Alan was very flexible about deviating from his usual track and taking us there. The tour at Benzinger was fabulous. We loved seeing how the wine is made and how the barrels are made, etc ... and the views from the tram were breathtaking! So I'm really glad we did the Benzinger tour. But ... I could definitely see the difference between Benzinger, where we were just some faces in the crowd, compared to the wineries that Alan picked out, where we had a much more personalized experience. The lunch stop in Sonoma was very nice, too. We got to see the old military barracks and the Spanish mission. The lunch stop was sold out of veggie burgers, but luckily I had brought a vegan lentil wrap in my bag. So I didn't go hungry and had a wonderful time. My brother and I walked around the town square after lunch. It was so lovely to soak up that nice warm sunshine while enjoying a light buzz from all the wines we had tasted thus far! :) This reminds me of one important tip. You might like to bring something to snack on, during the drive ... I brought carrots, a banana, an apple, some crackers, and a chocolate almond bar (Chocolove!) ... which I snacked on along the way, as we went from winery to winery. I think this really helped, because I don't know how I would have handled the alcohol otherwise. (We arrived at the first winery at 9:55 and visited wineries all day long.) Also ... having some munchies on hand usually helps keep me from getting carsick. There is quite a lot of driving on this trip, some of it being on winding roads ... and with my snacks at the ready, I had no trouble with nausea and felt FANTASTIC the entire day. :) Now about the tastings ... if I can remember properly :) .... we sampled 5 or 6 wines at Grgich Hills ($15 per person, with a beautiful Grgich Hills wine glass included; I think he gave us a couple tastings for free), four or six? wines at Milat (free if we bought some wine, and we bought 2 bottles there), and 10 wines at Benzinger (included in the tour price; 5 wines per person, but my brother and I shared each tasting, so we got to taste 10), and about 5 wines at Jacuzzi (included in the tour price). At Jacuzzi they had chocolate shots for $2 each ... itty bitty dark chocolate cups with a bit of wine in each one ... you sip a bit of the wine first, and then put the tiny chocolate cup (still with wine in it) in your month, letting the chocolate and wine blend together. Yummay! On the way back home, we stopped off at Hawk Hill / Conzelman Loop for pictures in front of the Golden Gate Bridge under brilliant blue skies, with our fair city, the bridge, and the ocean beyond ... beautiful. After Alan dropped us off (in front of my house) we walked to Paxti's in Noe Valley for their deep dish pizza, which turned out to be the perfect dinner after a full day of wine tasting. I've been to the wine country a few times, but I never really discovered and experienced how fun it could be, until I went on this tour. Highly recommended! read more

My tour guide was Phil today, and not only was he funny, but he also had lots of truly amazing advice about Yosemite and a great knowledge base. He pointed out things not normal tour guides point out, and even pointed us in the direction of a secret river hidden in the Brush between Yosemite valley. I got to not only hear the history of Yosemite, but the history and mythology of the Native people who resided there. Absolutely gorgeous. Wonderful tour. Thank you Phil!! read more

Patrick was awesome! He gave us a very entertaining tour of the area, along with great music and local trivia. The visit to Armstrong woods was a long one but our guide kept us entertained the entire time. We made plenty of stops to take photos and Patrick was nice enough not to leave my wife and I when we were late back to the bus because we got a little lost. read more

Had a great time on the tour. Went to redwoods and three wineries. Our guide, Joe, was absolutely awesome in making sure everybody was having a good time. read more

So I'll be honest, I was a bit concerned with this tour as all the reviews looked fake to me (people with single or few reviews). However, the tour ended up being fantastic. It was a group of 10. It started out quite but when the wine started flowing everyone loosened up. As for the tour itself, our guide (I forgot his name it he was fantastic) gave us just enough info to make it interesting. I appreciated our free time at each of the stops. On this tour we went to Cline, Homewood and Jacuzzi with a stop in Sedona for lunch. Highly recommend! read more

Many people have written great things about Alan's Best Bay Area Wine Tours. Suffice it to say when asked what was the best part of out trip my daughters said - the day we spent tasting wine. Alan chooses some unusual wineries to visit but in retrospect I can understand his choices. They were different, less travelled, mostly good wine with people of character who own or work there. A small bus is a definite thing to look for on these tours. We were picked up at our hotel and dropped off on time - even when it was they day of the fireworks for the 75th anniversay of the Golden Gate Bridge. Sharing our wine with the other passengers was nice. Great Day, good value and I would use him again. read more

Awesome tour ALAN took us to some awesome wineries. We all had a blast some more than others since they drank more than they sampled lol. Muir Woods part of the trip was incredible want to try this tour again. Alan told us that the rainbow on one of the tunnels just appeared and has been maintained ever since. Though later that night on the news that same rainbow was mentioned saying it was created for Robin Williams for his suspenders lol. read more

Best Bay Area Tours - Jacuzzi Winery #Allan rocked this tour. He picked the best wineries for us to visit. If you get the chance book this tour - Wine Tours Near Me - San Francisco, California

I have done 2 tours with Best Bay Area Tours and cannot recommend them enough. I did the Redwoods tour with Phil and Yosemite with Brian a couple of days later over Dec 19 and Jan 20. Both very knowledgeable about their tours and while Yosemite is a very long day it was fantastic and well worth doing. The smaller group numbers were particularly a plus and I would have no hesitation and using their services again should I be lucky enough to come back to this beautiful area. read more

Best Bay Area Tours had the perfect combination tour with a visit to the redwoods in Muir Woods followed by wine tasting in Sonoma. Our tour guide, Alan, was awesome -- knowledgeable funny and lots of fun. We have friends that went on other tours with him (Cheese and Wine Tour and Marine Mammal Tour), and they loved those as well. We really appreciated the extra time we had in Muir Woods so we could walk/hike and explore the redwoods. (Other tours we looked into didn't stay as long in the redwoods.) Great choice of wineries too. Each winery was different (one larger one, one small family owned one, one with olive tasting), but all had delicious wines, beautiful properties and staff that knew lots about the wine. We even got to talk to one of the winemakers. Perfect day. Can't wait to try one of Best Bay Area Tours' other trips. read more