For your Muir Woods, Sausalito and Winchester Mystery House Tour from San Francisco, you will be picked up from your hotel in an air-conditioned mini-bus by your English-speaking driver cum guide. An alternative pick-up location is Fisherman's Wharf Ticket Office, 2627 Taylor Street.
You will drive across Golden Gate Bridge and, at around 9:45am), arrive at , a magical and majestic forest of giant Californian redwood trees. You then have around an hour and 15 minutes to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of this enchanting place.
Take an easy walk on a level trail into the depths of the forest beneath giant trees around 1000 years old and 45 times taller than you are. Deer, river otters, pileated woodpeckers, and jays are some of the creatures you might see.
Wander along the murmuring waters of Redwood creek, home to California’s last remaining native run of coho salmon and steelhead trout, and one of the only few rivers on the west coast that have not been altered by man-made dams.
You will leave Muir Woods at around 11:00am and drive to Sausalito, a beautiful Mediterranean-style coastal town. Spend an hour enjoying the breathtaking views and waterfront shops before setting off back to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco where you can enjoy a lunch-break (payable direct).
At 2:00pm you will depart in the vehicle for San Jose along Highway 280, considered the most beautiful freeway in the US. You will arrive at the Winchester Mystery House, in the heart of Silicon Valley, at around 3:00pm.
There is an extraordinary story behind the building of this amazing mansion. It was once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester. Under her guidance, construction of the house proceeded round the clock, without interruption, from 1884 until her death in 1922. According to popular belief, Winchester thought the house was haunted by the spirits of people killed by Winchester rifles and that only continuous construction of the house would appease them.
The resulting mansion is famous for its size and complete absence of any master building plan. There are around 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms and two ballrooms. The house has 47 fireplaces, 10,000 window panes, 17 chimneys, two basements and three elevators. It has gold and silver chandeliers and inlaid parquet floors and trim. There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials.
There will be a guided tour of the Mansion, and time to see the beautiful gardens and museums.
Around 5:00pm you will board your vehicle for the return journey to San Francisco. The tour ends at about 6:00pm, when you will be dropped back at the starting point, your hotel or at Fisherman’s Wharf, whichever is applicable.