City Guides Online Tours

City Guides is delighted to offer a selection of tours of people and places that shaped San Francisco as an online experiences. Our knowledgeable guides will lead you on an online tour of the people, places and events that make San Francisco a unique and cosmopolitan city.

Our online tours are live, interactive, narrations throughout the history of San Francisco. Using historical and contemporary images as well as documents and discussion, our guides will lead you through a live discussion. These presentations run around 60 to 90 minutes with the presentation and live Q&A. They are presented via Zoom and can be enjoyed from anywhere around the globe.

Once you sign up, you will receive an email with the secure Zoom link for the on-line tour. When it is time for the actual online tour, just click on the link to join. See below for our current online tour line up. Please follow the links for more specific tour information and to sign up.

These presentations, like our in-person tours are free, but donations are appreciated.

Please note these online tours are in the Pacific Time Zone.

Upcoming Tours


Spreckels’ Sugar Empire – February 18th at 4:00 pm

Beginning in the late 1850s, Claus Spreckels arrived in San Francisco and set his sight on building his sugar empire that would later bring a tremendous amount of wealth to the Spreckels family.  The reach of the Spreckels’ sugar empire would reach from Hawaii to the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.  We will be focusing on Claus Spreckels and Alma de Bretteville Spreckels contributions.

This online presentation is hosted by Paris of the Pacific City Guide Bruce Bennett.

To sign up, please visit: Online – Spreckels’ Sugar Empire


Bay Area Trails Confidential – March 1st at 7:30 pm

The Bay Trail Confidential programs explores the inviting and spectacular public places along the Bay Trail route. On each show, we spotlight a particular place and have guests providing inside knowledge on what to expect and how to make the most of your visits. We also discuss the wide array of activities the Bay Trail supports such as hiking, biking, kayaking, photography, birding, swimming and many others. We talk about the wildlife you can see and history you’ll learn about along the Trail.

Each month’s show will provide specific recommendations and valuable information to help you make the most of this amazing public resource.

This online presentation is hosted by Haight-Ashbury City Guide Rodney Paul.

To sign up, please visit: Online – Bay Trail Confidential


Land’s End – March 11th at 10:00 am

Across the West Coast, there are a few ocean vistas more arresting than Land’s End — a fact millionaire Adolph Sutro was well aware of when he built the first passenger steam train to the park in 1880. The act made him a local hero, allowing the rich and poor alike to experience the dramatic, wind-swept scenery available just outside the city. He wasn’t done there: Sutro transformed the land, adding an elaborate public garden, renovating the quaint Cliff House and constructing the Sutro Baths, a massive swimming facility on the oceanfront.

This online presentation is hosted by Land’s End guide Breck Hitz.

To sign up, please visit: Online – Land’s End


Spreckels’ Sugar Empire – March 19th at 4:00 pm

Beginning in the late 1850s, Claus Spreckels arrived in San Francisco and set his sight on building his sugar empire that would later bring a tremendous amount of wealth to the Spreckels family.  The reach of the Spreckels’ sugar empire would reach from Hawaii to the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.  We will be focusing on Claus Spreckels and Alma de Bretteville Spreckels contributions.

This online presentation is hosted by Paris of the Pacific City Guide Bruce Bennett.

To sign up, please visit: Online – Spreckels’ Sugar Empire


For a complete list of our online tours, click here.