4 Best Silicon Valley Tours in San Francisco

Among the activities to see and do in San Francisco, one of the most interesting is visiting Silicon Valley, which is the starting point for some of the world's most important technology companies.

Located in San Francisco Bay, the area known worldwide for the Golden Gate Bridge, Silicon Valley is also home to Stanford University in Palo Alto and one of NASA's research centres, making it an area of great cultural interest, especially if you are a technology enthusiast.

This is one of the best excursions from San Francisco and consists of a day trip to the most iconic sites in Silicon Valley.

The tour is by bus and usually includes hotel pick-up and admission to the main companies' visitor centres.

What you'll see on this tour

On these tours , you will visit Spaceship, famous for being Apple's headquarters . There , you will be able to see the facilities and even try out some of the new products and other prototypes in development.

You will also have the opportunity to see the neighbourhood and garage where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded the company and the shed where Hewlett Packard was born .

These tours include one of the most interesting stops at the Googleplex Campus, where you can see the Android Garden and, after a stop for lunch, you will also visit Stanford University, Facebook's headquarters and the Big Like, the iconic thumbs-up monument.

These types of tours are ideal if you are visiting San Francisco during the winter, as this is when temperatures drop and it is preferable to take these tours on guided tours or on the city's tourist buses.

Details of interest

• Tour price... These tours cost approximately £158 per person, including bus transfers with hotel pick-up, the services of a local guide and admission to the attractions on the tour.
• Tour duration... Approximately 7 hours.
• Advantages of this tour... This is the conventional tour and one of the most convenient ways to visit Silicon Valley.

San Francisco and the Californian coast are very popular destinations for group trips, so a private tour of Silicon Valley may be the best option if you are travelling with other people.

On these tours, you can explore San Francisco Bay in a private vehicle with hotel pick-up and visit the main sites of Silicon Valley.

What you'll see on the private tour

With the assistance of a guide, you can visit the facilities of Yahoo, Google, Hewlett Packard, Apple, Facebook, eBay and Stanford University. On this tour, you will learn how Silicon Valley became the mecca of technology and the impact it had on the modern development of communications.

These half-day excursions, which last approximately four to five hours, are ideal if you are travelling in a group or plan to visit San Francisco in three days or less, as they will save you time and money on tour tickets.

Some private tours also include a bike tour of San Francisco and the main sites of Silicon Valley, although you will need a longer stay in the city to enjoy this.

Useful information

• Tour price... These tours cost approximately £85 per person, including private vehicle transfers with hotel pick-up, the services of a local guide and admission to the attractions on the tour, based on a group of six people.
• Tour duration... Between 4 and 5 hours.
• Advantages of this tour... This is an affordable and convenient tour if you are visiting San Francisco in a group.

If you plan to visit San Francisco for five days or more, this type of tour may be ideal for you, because in addition to seeing Silicon Valley , you can also visit Alcatraz, take a trip to Sausalito and see other main sites in and around San Francisco Bay, giving you a complete overview of the city.

What these tours include

These tours with hotel pick-up allow you to visit the Googleplex campus, Facebook's facilities and Stanford University. The tour also includes a stop for shopping in Palo Alto.

Afterwards, a boat ride through San Francisco will take you to Alcatraz, where you can explore the former island prison, one of the city's best museums

These tours are ideal if you want to book at the last minute, as you can secure tickets to Alcatraz Prison even when they are sold out to the general public.

These tours also include tours of San Francisco's Chinatown and other must-see sites in the city.

Details of interest

• Tour price... These tours cost approximately £575 per person and include hotel pick-up, admission to attractions and the services of an expert local guide throughout the tour.
• Tour duration... Between 8 and 10 hours.
• Advantages of this tour... This is a comprehensive tour of the city's main attractions and can be a good alternative if you need to get tickets at the last minute.

Another of the most popular trips in San Francisco is by car along the Californian coast. For this reason, it is also possible to take a self-guided tour of Silicon Valley in a rental car.

This is an interesting option if you are visiting San Francisco with children or if you are looking for a more economical alternative.

What to see on the self-guided tours

These self-guided tours will take you through the streets of Silicon Valley to visit the headquarters of Apple, Google, Facebook, Tesla, Microsoft and Amazon while you learn about the stories that pitted Bill Gates against Steve Jobs and the feuds between Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos.

With these options , you can also customise your tours, add stops, use the self-guided tour recommendations for lunch and ensure you get a detailed understanding of the sites you will visit.

These tours are paid per car, not per person, so you can save money and also ensure that you get to know Silicon Valley at your own pace.

The self-guided tour is an ideal option to combine with the best food tours in San Francisco or a family visit to the city's Aquarium

Details of interest

Tour price...

• Tour price... These self-guided tours cost £15 per vehicle.
• Tour duration... Between 2 and 3 hours.
• Advantages of this tour... It is the most economical option and an ideal alternative if you are touring the California coast by car or travelling with children.

You can book these tours online in advance or hire a tour once you are in the city.

My recommendation is that if you visit San Francisco in June or during the high season, it is best to book your tours before you arrive in the city to avoid them selling out or last-minute price increases.

Silicon Valley is one of the most visited areas in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I recommend booking your tour in advance, especially if you want to take one that includes private services, full tours of Alcatraz or food tours of the city.

The answer depends on the option you choose, although on average a day tour of Silicon Valley, whether private or in a group, can last approximately 5 to 7 hours.

On the other hand, tours that include visits to other attractions in the city can last between 8 and 10 hours, especially those that include a visit to Alcatraz Island.

If you plan to visit Silicon Valley on a self-guided tour, the tour lasts approximately 2 to 3 hours, which you can start at any time, stop and resume, allowing you to move at your own pace, especially if you are planning a short stay in the city.

If that's the case, here's a guide so you don't miss anything in San Francisco in 2 days

If you take the Silicon Valley tour , you will be able to visit the facilities of the world's largest technology companies, such as Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Tesla, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft, as well as the Stanford University campus.

Some tours also include a visit to the Android Garden, the Googleplex Campus and a photo opportunity with Facebook 's Big Like.

If the tour also includes other parts of the city, you will also visit Alcatraz Prison, Chinatown, Sausalito, and the Palo Alto shopping area.

You can also see some important landmarks in the Silicon Valley area, such as the garage where Apple was founded and the shed where Hewlett Packard was born.

If you visit San Francisco during Christmas or in the high season, which is when the city is most crowded with tourists, I recommend booking your excursions in advance to avoid sold-out tickets or last-minute surcharges.

If you are staying in the city for several days, I recommend taking a tour that lasts several hours so you can enjoy all the attractions of Silicon Valley and Palo Alto and listen carefully and at your own pace to the stories of the entrepreneurs who changed the history of communications.

You can also make the most of your visit to the California Bay by visiting Sausalito or the Golden Gate Bridge to enjoy one of the best views of the city.

The answer depends on the option you choose, but a typical 7-hour tour of Silicon Valley that also includes hotel pick-up and drop-off and the assistance of an expert local guide costs approximately £158.

If you are travelling in a group, you will need to book private options, which can be cheaper, starting at £95 per person for groups of six people.

The most expensive option includes other city tours, such as Alcatraz Island, which costs approximately £575 per person with hotel pick-up and drop-off .

The most economical option is the self-guided tour of the Californian coast by car, which costs £15 per vehicle. This is an ideal option if you are visiting the city with children, in which case you can also visit the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco

Why is it a good idea to take a tour of Silicon Valley in San Francisco?

Silicon Valley is a must-see on your visit to San Francisco, not only because it is fascinating to discover one of the world's technology hubs, but also because its streets are steeped in history, which I am sure you will love to learn about during the guided tours.

Silicon Valley tours are accessible for the whole family, making it a plan that can be adapted for a trip with children or in a group, as it will be of interest to everyone.

Silicon Valley's proximity to the most iconic sites in the San Francisco Bay Area is also a good excuse not to miss a tour of the only neighbourhood in the world where you can come across an Android robot walking along the pavement outside Microsoft's offices.

You can explore Silicon Valley on your own, but without the assistance of an expert local guide, you'll miss out on the best stories, so I recommend at least booking a self-guided tour to get the most out of your visit.

Also keep in mind that if you want to access company facilities, tickets are often sold out if you try to buy them at the last minute, so even in that case, a guided tour will allow you to access the attractions.