Of all San Francisco’s famous neighborhoods, Chinatown stands apart.
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There’s the fact that it’s the oldest Chinatown in the United States, along with its size. Chinatown spreads around 30 square blocks—and much of it is designed with iconic, distinct architecture.
Then come the cultural factors that make Chinatown unmissable: its history as a nucleus for Chinese-American culture, the hometown of the first fortune cookie, and an annual Lunar New Year festival that attracts millions.
In short, San Francisco’s Chinatown isn’t just a neighborhood you need to check out. It’s one of the United States’s most complex and intriguing cultural hubs. And, whether or not you’ve visited the Bay before, you probably only know the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Chinatown.
Lucky for you, there’s a quick fix for that: finding tours in Chinatown in San Francisco that make it easy to appreciate the area’s history and identity. Here’s where to find them, whether you want a foodie tour with a slice of history or a culture tour that dives deep into the neighborhood.
Food tours in Chinatown in San Francisco: fortune cookies, dim sum, & more
- Chinatown Culinary Walking Tour: This straightforward tour takes you to Chinatown’s most iconic foodie locations, including a stop to see fortune cookies being made live. As you explore the neighborhood, you get to sample other well-known dishes and learn about Chinese-American cooking techniques.
- Food Walking Tour of Chinatown & North Beach: Take on Chinatown and its famous neighbor, North Beach. In addition to sampling Chinese mainstays, you’ll also get a taste for North Beach. North Beach is home to many Italian-American eateries, along with many odes to the Beat Generation.
- Little Italy & Chinatown Food Tour: North Beach is San Francisco’s Little Italy, meaning this tour and the last are quite similar. This tour is one hour shorter (three hours) and includes over five tastings, including pizza and dim sum.
- Chinatown & Little Italy Tour with 7 Tastings: Still craving Chinese and Italian? You have one more option to take you around Chinatown and Little Italy. This tour is a bit more expensive because it includes seven tastings. Your guide is also a local with insider knowledge, letting you pick up on some culture and history lessons along the way.
- Chinatown Food & History Tour – Small Group: Take a full tour of Chinatown, leaving no nook unexplored on this 2.5-hour tour. As you learn about the district’s extensive history, you’ll get to sample some of its most famous dishes—including freshly-made fortune cookies.
- Chinatown Tea & Dim Sum Food Tour: Looking for more than just bites? This tour is a sit-down experience that lets you learn the ins and outs of dim sum. You also get to sample delicious teas, which aren’t included on too many Chinatown tours in San Francisco.
Tours in Chinatown in San Francisco that focus on culture and history
- Chinatown Walking Tour: Take this tour for a full overview of Chinatown, including its most famous landmarks and its hidden alleys. As you navigate the colorful streets, you’ll see the famed fortune-cookie factory and herbal medicine shop.
- Chinatown Walking Tour with Guide: This tour is similar to the last. Both are highly rated and cost about the same. I’m including both on this list in case one of the tours is booked up for the day. You should have a good experience with either.
- Rebellious SF: Chinatown & North Beach Walking Tour: If you’re okay booking tours with fewer reviews, this is a casual walking tour that dives deep into the culture of Chinatown and North Beach, aka Little Italy. Your local guide focuses on stories about free love, counter-culture movements, and social rebellion from both districts.
- Ghost Hunt in Chinatown with a Professional Investigator: Want to know more about Chinatown’s spiritual side? This ghost hunt crisscrosses Chinatown with a professional paranormal investigator in the lead. You’ll use an EMF detector as you connect to San Francisco’s ghostly residents.
- Chinatown, Russian Hill, and North Beach Tour: Get an overview of Chinatown, North Beach, and Russian Hill on this tour. The tour begins in Chinatown, where you’ll check out the fortune cookie factory and Cable Car Museum before heading to Russian Hill and North Beach. You’ll cover three iconic neighborhoods on this walking tour, which lasts between three and four hours.
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