Listen to the sounds of history and make your tour come alive. Our Barbary Coast Trail audio tours feature period music, sound effects, and historic reenactments. You’ll hear the rumble of the 1906 earthquake and the roar of the fire. Listen as Sam Brannan kicks off the Gold Rush in 1848. Hear a tong war battle in Chinatown, and listen to a Beat poet startle the nation. You’ll feel as though history is unfolding before you.

It’s easy. Download one or all of our audio tours and maps onto your computer, then copy the tours onto your iPod or MP3 player and print out the map. Now you’re ready to tour the Barbary Coast Trail at your own speed and at your own time. For more detailed instructions on how to download and use the Audio Tours go to our Instructions Page.

We offer three Barbary Coast Trail audio tours. The amount of time it takes to complete each tour is listed below, however you can shorten the time by visiting fewer sites or lengthen it by exploring sites in greater depth.

Order all three audio tours for a discounted price and tour the entire Barbary Coast Trail, add the pocket guide and save even more!

Starts at the Old Mint, a national historic landmark, visits Hallidie Plaza, Union Square, one of the first public squares in SF, Maiden Lane, a sunny street with a shady past, St. Mary's, the first cathedral in the western US, and Chinatown, including the “street of the painted balconies.” Audio length: 40 minutes Time to complete the tour: 2 hours Printable map included.

Begins at Portsmouth Square, birthplace of the village of Yerba Buena (later renamed San Francisco) and the site where Sam Brannan jump-started the Gold Rush, the western headquarters of the Pony Express, follows the original shoreline into the Jackson Square Historic District, and ends in the old Barbary Coast, including the last shanghaiing den in SF. Audio length: 45 minutes Time to complete the tour: 2 hours Printable map included.

Begins at two haunts of the Beat generation, explores North Beach and Telegraph Hill, including Coit Tower and its priceless Depression-era murals, travels along the waterfront to Hyde Street Pier, the largest collection of historic ships in the US, and includes a cable car ride up to Nob Hill. Audio length: 65 minutes Time to complete the tour: 2 1/2 hours, plus 1 hour for the Nob Hill section. Printable map included.