The 7 Best East Bay Tours from San Francisco

1.Black Food Tour – Downtown Oakland

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $150Our pick

Join local guide Ari at 11 a.m. for a 3.5-hour Oakland food walk featuring four to five Black-owned restaurants, dishes such as shrimp and grits, plantains, oysters, soul food, Haitian cuisine, and hibiscus tea. The tour ends about one mile from its starting point.

“This is a must do food tour!!!!!! Do not eat before you go. It was so much good food to taste. The host Ari was amazing and knowledgeable. The tour is very interactive for everyone on the tour. We walked Oakland streets and Ari gave us a lot of history about Oakland. We ate seafood, soul food, Haitian cuisine, and the hibiscus tea yum yum yum. I have traveled many places, done plenty of food tours, but this one takes the cake!!!!!! You will be very pleased with everything about this tour. BOOK IT NOW!!!!!!!!”

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2.Best of North Berkeley Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $137

Walk North Berkeley with a small group and an informed local guide, tasting pizza, cheese, coffee, chocolate, sandwiches, soup, gelato, tea, wine, and more. Meet at 1517 Shattuck Avenue at 11 a.m. and finish where you started after about three hours.

“Fab tour, tried lots of excellent food and plenty of it , well worth the time and tour quite was sooo good, very interesting thanks Would highly recommend”

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3.Ruth Bancroft Garden General Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $15Best value

Spend 1 to 2 hours at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, where cacti, succulents, and drought-tolerant plants from around the world fill 3.5 acres. Walk gravel paths, bring a picnic, take photos, bring your leashed dog, and shop for plants in the on-site nursery.

“The Bancroft Gardens has a really interesting collection of primarily drought tolerant plants. They have some very big agaves, etc. additionally, there are nursery has very reasonably priced plants to take home.”

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4.Guided Wine Tasting at Berkeley Wineries with Local Sommelière

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · 3 hours (approx.)

Join local sommelière Elisabeth for a three-hour Berkeley wine walk through two urban wineries. Taste flights, discuss farming and vintages, enjoy snacks, and learn how to talk about wine without feeling out of your depth. Groups are limited to six, and the tour begins and ends at Donkey & Goat Winery.

“We were looking for excursions during our time in the bay and lucked out to find this tour with Elisabeth! She is so knowledgeable about wine and really opened our minds to wine from outside of Napa!”

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5.Oakland’s Temescal Tastes Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $126

Spend about three hours tasting your way through Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood with a local guide such as Rebecca. Expect Baja tacos, Breton pastry, Ethiopian injera and wot, Korean tofu soup, pickles, seasonal produce, and ice cream. Food stops can change, so share dietary needs in advance.

“My wife and I went on the tour with Rebecca and it is great! Rebecca is super knowledgeable she gave lots of history and stories about the places we visited. She’s also got great energy. I definitely felt like I learned the ins and outs of Oakland‘s food scene by the end. There’s no shortage of food on this tour - plan to leave stuffed!”

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6.Private Transfer: Oakland International Airport to Hotel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $207

Book a private, one-way ride from Oakland International Airport to your Oakland, Berkeley, or San Francisco hotel or residence. Call when you have your bags, meet your driver, and ride in a hybrid, sedan, or SUV. Singh and Sing Buda have been praised for punctual, friendly service.

“Impressive service. From the first phone call made confirming details. We were met as advised. Transfer was without issue and Singh the driver was informative on the journey into Hotel. Even enquired if could assist with our onward transportation couple of days later. ArrangRead more”

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7.Private Walking Berkeley: Personalized Self-Guided App Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 4 reviews · 1 to 3 hours (approx.)

This private, self-guided app tour takes your group of up to 15 from Downtown Berkeley through UC Berkeley, Doe Library, North Shattuck, the Berkeley Rose Garden, Indian Rock Park, and Lake Anza. Allow one to three hours, bring headphones, and plan for a route that ends outside the city center.

“The app was recommended by a few friends and we decided to try out the tour, quite fun — recommend bringing headphones”

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