Nob Hill Walking Tour with Optional Lunch by Explore San Francisco

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Duration: 2h+
Location: Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA United States | San Francisco, United States


Category: Tours & Sightseeing

Highlights:
Grand hotels & impressive mansions of early SF tycoons
Nob Hill landmarks like the Fairmont, the Mark & the Ritz
Fascinating tales of intrigue, scandal, hoaxes & corruption
Sights like the Tonga Room, cable car & Grace Cathedral
Insight into the devastation of the 1906 earthquake & fire

Inclusions:
Guided walking tour of Nob Hill
Live tour commentary provided in English

Description:

Delve into Nob Hill’s storied past as you explore its elegant hotels, impressive mansions, and peaceful hilltop parks. An expert local guide shares intriguing tales of money, scandal, and corruption as you learn about the earthquake that destroyed this hill and the incredible wealth that rebuilt it.

Named for San Francisco’s wealthy, upper-crust denizens—the name “Nob” comes from the Hindu word nabob, meaning a person who has amassed a large fortune in the East—this downtown hill is topped with some of the city’s grandest architecture. The 4 stately hotels that crown the hill—the Fairmont, the Mark Hopkins Hotel, Stanford Court, and the Huntington—are each named for tycoons from centuries past.

Visit the places where impressive estates once stood, like the yard-turned-green space at Huntington Park and the former site of Charles Crocker’s “spite fence,” which he built to block the sunlight and views from a neighbor who refused to sell him his lot. Maybe it was karma, but Crocker’s grand manse tumbled in the 1906 earthquake, and Grace Cathedral now stands in its place.

Walk to the Stanford Court Hotel, situated where Stanford University founder Leland Stanford once lived, and admire the neoclassical façade of the Ritz Carlton, which fronts the classic cable car line on California Street. At the stately brownstone Pacific-Union Club—the former residence of silver baron James Clair Flood—hear about the club’s noteworthy members, and peek into the famed tiki bar at the Tonga Room inside the Fairmont Hotel. As you walk, listen to the story of the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872, the creation of the cable car, and other historic events that shaped the future of San Francisco.