Tour Guide: San Fran’s Chinatown

In many major U.S. cities, you’ll find a cultural hub we all know as Chinatown (unless you’re in Seattle, where it’s the politically-correct “International District“). As many people flock to Chinatown for its cheap eats, the history and cultural aspects of these places often get forgotten.

That’s why the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco offers guided Chinatown Walking Tours through one of the largest Chinese communities outside Asia. San Francisco’s Chinatown was settled in the 1860s along what is now Grant Avenue. The tours begin at the Cultural Center (750 Kearny Street) and may stop at the Tin How Temple (the oldest Chinese temple in the U.S., founded in 1852), the Chinese Historical Society of America, and churches, schools, tea shops, and food markets, along with other interesting historical sites.

The two-hour tours cost $18.00 and are available Tuesday-Saturday. Don’t miss the Cultural Center’s Chinese Culinary Walk, which visits the poultry market and fortune cookie factories, and also includes a dim sum lunch. The Culinary Walk is temporarily unavailable, so be sure to check with the Cultural Center before planning your tour.

If you’d rather brave Chinatown on your own, be sure to check out our Places of a Lifetime walking tours of San Francisco, which include Chinatown, Union Square, and Telegraph Hill.

Photo: Heather Allamon