The Tours
Fogcutter Tours creates unique sightseeing and outdoor guided tours of San Francisco and offers Alcatraz Island tickets. We share the best that San Francisco and Marin County have to offer, including access to Alcatraz Island.
Each small group tour is a customized experience. We tailor the itinerary to match the interests of guests on board that day as well as add in any of the many special events happening in the City.
Our custom-built, surf-inspired "Woody" van is open-sided, and allows for brilliant views of the city and bay. Plus, it’s small enough to go where big bus tours can't, and encourages great conversations and making new friends.
The Guide
Founder Eric Schaefer has been a resident of San Francisco since 2006 and a tour guide since 2010. After working with quirky companies like Mr. Toad’s Tours and The Urban Safari, he bought one of the old TUS vehicles in 2015 and broke out on his own. He lives in the city’s greatest unknown neighborhood, Saint Mary’s Park, with his wife, daughter, and dog. When he is not leading tours and running the company you can find him with the family, brewing beer, swimming at the Dolphin Club or on his bicycle.
The Inspiration
We based the design of our custom-built tour van on the quintessential California surf and travel car, the Woody.
The idea was born from Eric’s love of California surf culture and for the classic “woody” wagons driven by pioneering surfers and others in the ‘60s. These vehicles were popular for touring and hotel work all over the country in the ‘30s and ‘40s but eventually fell out of favor. They were rediscovered by surfers and others looking for cheap, durable rides to get out to the beach and to the woods with their gear and were immortalized by films like Endless Summer and groups like the Ventures, Trashmen, and Beach Boys.
The “Woody”
Built on the base of a Nissan NV Van, “Woody” comfortably seats twelve guests. It features comfy custom upholstery and the windows are removed to open up the views and the feel of the city. A custom-built canopy shades guests from the sun and occasional drizzle. The coloration and vinyl wrap echo the late 1930s Packard pictured above, but inside you will find all the comfort, safety and reliability of the modern vehicle.