An excellent way to see San Francisco is to walk it. There are several walking tours, some of which are self-guided (such as the Chronicle Books series.) There are titles available for several cities around the world, and they consist of a deck of 50 cards, with a map on one side, and highlights on the other. Each card indicates the difficulty of the walk, so if there are people in your party who can’t handle rigorous walks, you can plan accordingly. As in the case of anything published, there is always the risk that information (such as transit directions to the starting point) do go out of date. The most recent edition was published in 2004, and not only has a new light rail opened since then, other changes have been made to the transit system, so you may want to double-check with an up-to-date SFMuni map to make sure the bus or trolleycoach they suggest you take even still operates. Still, you can’t beat the portability.

Victorian Home Walk is another opportunity. It operates every day, around 11am, but it is the same itinerary. It costs $25, and includes a bus ride from Union Square to a neighborhood you might not choose to go to yourself since it is a little bit off the beaten path. There are no hills on this tour, so it is an easy walk.

One of the most interesting guided tours, however, is a series called San Francisco City Guides. The series was started by the San Francisco Public Library, and has been associated with the Friends of the SFPL for several years, but is now part of the city’s Parks Department. The docents are knowledgeable, the tours are all free, and there are several different tours. For example, in a one-week period, we were able to join both the Alamo Square tour and the Russian Hill tour. (A given tour might only run once every week or two.) They are mostly free — you just show up at the appointed time and go along with the group. These two were, of course, both hilly, but not onerously so.

The nice thing about the guided tours is that the docents can add some history and background. The Alamo Square tour, for example, includes handouts that detail the differences in the various architectural styles that are unique to San Francisco. On the Russian Hill tour, you will have the staircase pointed out that was used in the TV series Tales of the City. In fact, much of the Russian Hill tour takes place you through shared gardens and courtyards, and you wouldn’t notice them from the street.

So rather than just visiting the sites you know about, learn about some of the history of this beautiful city the next time you go.