United States
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington

International
Argentina
Australia
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Cambodia
Canada
Chile
China
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
Fiji
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Mongolia
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
Portugal
Singapore
South Africa
Spain
St Martin (St Maarten)
United Kingdom
United States

Authors
Visual Travel Tours, "Beyond the self-guided tour" Denver Business Journal, 2/19/10 excerpt.

America's Largest Chinatown: San Francisco


 

The 24 square blocks of San Francisco's dynamic Chinatown teem with activity 365 days a year. Beloved Grant Avenue, with its red lanterns and bright facades, brims with woks, kites, and kitschy souvenirs galore. Locals shop at Stockton Street's bargain-priced open-air markets, or relax and gossip at monument-filled Portsmouth Square. Enticing smells waft through the air: dim sum dumplings, mooncakes from traditional bakeries, and fortune cookies from a back-alley "factory." Vying for space on the packed thoroughfares and quiet alleyways are old-fashioned apothecaries, incense-filled temples, historic churches, one-seat barbershops, family benevolent associations, serene teahouses, fresh fruit stalls, and worlds more.

 
Purchase Tour Options

Tips in this Tour:
Head to bustling Stockton Street for some of the best deals on fresh produce, plus an extensive variety of Chinese spices and traditional treats. Just be prepared for elbow action on congested sidewalks.
This is one of the worst neighborhoods for street parking in San Francisco! Skip the headache of looking for a spot and head straight to the garage under Portsmouth Square.
There are many narrow alleyways that can be used as shortcuts to quickly scamper through when the congestion of major thoroughfares becomes too much to bear. You might discover an interesting shop or restaurant along the way, too!
This neighborhood isn't too hilly (at least compared to some other treacherously steep parts of the city), however the incline does increase dramatically once you are west of Stockton Street. Chinatown is serviced by several Muni bus lines, but be prepared for a sardine-packed ride in the morning and evening. If you're not going far, walking may be more enjoyable.

Enjoy an audio/video sample of this tour:

Click to see a QuietGuide™: Scroll as you stroll. Text+photos formatted for mobile. 

Transportation: By Foot - Easy walking
Specialty: City/Town
Category: Guided Tour - play before & while you tour
Added:09/05/2008
Duration: 30 min

Chapters in this tour:
     Introduction
     Grant Avenue
     Historic Portsmouth Square
     Eating Throughout Chinatown
     Chinatown Alleyways
     Places of Worship
 
Gift Box  Gift Certificates
Download Now
Download Now
Download Now
Order Now

Quantity:
 
* Free Map With Purchase

Visual Tour + Free Map
Be sure you have sufficient space on your device, approximate sizes listed below.
      For PC and Windows Mobile Devices - .wmv - $15.95 (65MB)
      For Mac, iPod, and iPhone - .m4v - $15.95 (75MB)
      For most cellphones - .3gp - $15.95 (30MB)
      For most smartphones - .mp4 - $15.95 (79MB)
  Audio Only + Map for any audio device - .mp3 (15MB) + Free Map - $9.95


Provider: Barbara Rockwell

 Barbara Rockwell is a San Francisco-based writer specializing in travel and the arts. A native of the SF Bay Area, she has written for guidebooks including "Step by Step San Francisco" and "Smart Guide San Francisco," and regularly contributes to a variety of destination-based websites.