Be informed and entertained on this one-of-a-kind 3-hour walking tour of downtown San Francisco, led by an impersonator of the late Emperor Norton. Self-proclaimed as the Emperor of the US, this 19th-century character comes to life as your guide leads you back to the past. Step into a time machine of sorts and learn about the Barbary Coast, the 1906 earthquake, and historic landmarks surrounding Union Square.
Posted By : SlowMachine
Emperor Norton shares San Francisco history in an entertaining and genuine way, bringing the past to life, one block at a time. The City never looks more beautiful as you stroll along the old Barbary Coast with SFPD saluting the Emperor along the way.
The nuts and bolts: He’s a fantastic storyteller. The information is well-researched and easy to understand. The pace of the tour is perfectly balanced, not strenuous and not lethargic. The path is through the essential historical areas without being too touristy. The route is also very safe and clean. You’re pretty much guaranteed to have “only in San Francisco” magical moments. It lasts about 2.5 hours, but that flies by.
San Francisco is a city like no other — constantly reinventing itself and encouraging citizens and visitors alike to be open, free, kind, and curious. Let Emperor Norton show you the beauty and the story of the City by the Bay.
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Posted On : 2023-09-10 20:51:43 
Posted By : Annette B
Great way to learn the colorful history of San Francisco as well as a base of what to explore next. Emperor Norton knew an amazing amount of information and was very informative and helpfu.
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Posted On : 2023-02-13 16:06:27
Posted By : Linda_O
So much information…we took his recommendations for lunch and also popovers at Neiman Marcus. Yum yum!
I loved that people shouted at the Emperor as if he was an old friend along the way. What a character!
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Posted On : 2022-11-13 12:31:28 
Posted By : David K
One of the best walking tours we have ever taken. Emperor Norton is an expert on San Francisco history and makes the city come alive with tales of the earthquake and city live before and after. He gives you so much information that even a city native is going to learn new fun and historical facts about the city. The three hours flew by and we appreciated the restaurant recommendations at the end. The perfect way to spend some novel time a little time in SF! (don't call it Frisco:) Thank you Emperor for sharing your vast knowledge of the city with us today.
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Posted On : 2022-10-22 19:57:55
Posted By : susanlR5399BJ
My favorite part was listening to the facts and tales of the City. The walking tour is about 4 miles. Our tour guide, the Emporer Norton himself, was very entertaining.
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Posted On : 2022-10-16 18:21:39
Posted By : shoshanasaurus
Emperor Norton was a great tour guide—he was funny, knowledgeable, and put a lot of effort into making this a fun and informative history tour! He stayed in character the whole time.
Since I know my mom and grandma would want to know this before embarking: there IS a bathroom stop with clean bathrooms.
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Posted On : 2022-10-15 22:46:05
Posted By : Feleenas
Our tour guide was absolutely amazing and seemed to know just about everything about San Francisco. Wear comfortable shoes because you’re going to see parts of San Francisco that you didn’t know existed.
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Posted On : 2022-08-28 12:38:27
Posted By : Sacto111
Fun, entertaining, and we learned a lot. Lots of information and some delicious historical gossip. About 2 and a half hours.
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Posted On : 2022-07-27 12:31:41
Posted By : 550artieb
Emperor Norton was a revelation! His knowledge of San Francisco is encyclopedic. The tour was great good fun, and the Emperor never missed an opportunity to demonstrate his ample wit and delightful sense of humor. We learned more than we ever could have imagined, and laughed more as well. It was immensely enriching to spend a few hours with this costumed cicerone! We can't wait to return to San Francisco so we can take another one of his tours!
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Posted On : 2022-07-23 20:58:22
Posted By : I_love_Wisconsin
My 12-year-old son and I were visiting San Francisco for the weekend, and I was looking for activities we'd both like to do. We went to Alcatraz, rode cable cars, swam in the hotel pool -- but this walking tour was really the highlight, for both of us.
The guide embodying the eccentric Emperor Norton gave the tour enough humor to entertain my son, while we both appreciated seeing and hearing history presented by such an enthusiastic and knowledgeable expert.
As a parent, I also appreciated that he approached me before the tour to alert me about "PG" portions (a few mentions of brothels, drinking, and crime, as one might expect on a historical tour).
I've taken quite a few tours of SF over the years, and this really was the best!
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Posted On : 2022-05-17 16:55:53
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