San Francisco Walking Tour #2: Circle in the Square

• 10 hours
• $101.00/person
• Ages 16 or older
• Minors must be accompanied by adult
• Please fill out our Online Form to make your reservation

The Circle in the Square is the longest of the Stairways Across San Francisco walks. It requires a full day of walking. The walk is circular in design and is set in what could be considered the inner perimeter of San Francisco. In rough terms, the city is shaped like a square. This is the basis for the walk's name.

The walk begins at Portsmouth Square, the birthplace of San Francisco, and is designed for the person who truly wants to see all of San Francisco. Each corner of the city is visible at some point on the walk, and a full spectrum of San Francisco neighborhoods is presented -- the oldest, the suburburban-looking, those that are remarkably rural in character, and the most revitalized and contemporary. The scope of visual treats is endless, and consideration is given to the ways that sound, odor, and wind affect the urban setting as well.

This is a physically demanding walk that has no shortage of steep hills. However, this intensity of activity is balanced by a number of quiet, wooded settings as well as tranquil, charming residential areas. Compared with Border to Border (Walk #1), the Circle in the Square incorporates many more commercial districts and tourist areas of San Francisco. For the visitor staying for an extended period, this allows for a sampling of some of the other noteworthy attractions of the city.

There are two scheduled break points. Participants can eat their own food or pick some up at markets or restaurants at those locations. Owing to one particular long, flat stretch of the tour where stairways don't exist (a good portion of San Francisco is built upon landfill), the tour employs a bus ride at one point to bridge this gap in space. It could be thought of as taking a ferry across water to get back to land, as it once was water, after all. This bus ride allows for completion of the circular route. The walk concludes at the same Chinatown location that it begins. Here you will be able to choose from many fine retaurants to satisfy the appetite you will likely have built.

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image, which will open in a new window.

Atop one of San Francisco's highest and most windy points, ready to descend a steep stairway into another neighborhood.		San Francisco's unique and fabled cable car system was created specifically to ascend the City's steep hills. As shown here, the cable cars also provide a good deal of charm.		One of San Francisco's many pedestrian-only streets, complete with painted stairways and well maintained gardens.

E-Mail me at: Webmaster

Please click here to view my Privacy Policy

Tour 1 | Tour 2 | Tour 3 | Info | FAQ | Reservations | Links | Home Page

Site Design © 2002- Perfect Sites Web Design
All content and graphics © 2002- DM Footworks