Are Helicopter Tours Worth the Money?

I’ve ridden in a helicopter before for practical reasons—it was the only easy way to get to the top of a glacier for hiking. And while it was cool to fly over the ice fields of Juneau, the highlight of the experience for me was strapping on the crampons and having a great hike, the helicopter ride was incidental. It never occurred to me to take one for sightseeing. First off, they seem fairly expensive compared to other tours, and are they really all that special?

Once I started working at Viator, I rapidly discovered that helicopter tours are hugely popular amongst travelers. Helicopter tours are one of the top things to do in Las Vegas and New York. And when you read traveler reviews like, “This San Francisco helicopter tour was excellent. Definitely worth the money,” it makes you think.

So I thought I should find out for myself. I booked (and paid for) the San Francisco Vista Grande Helicopter Tour. The tour meets at the private terminal of SFO, which was in and of itself pretty cool. If you’ve ever wondered where people like the Jolie-Pitts wait to board their private planes, it is in places like the private terminal. I need to consider becoming a gajillionaire if only to continue to enjoy the pleasant security (!), flat screen TVs, and free coffee bars of the private terminals of the world.

Back to the helicopter flight.

It was a gorgeous day, and San Francisco was looking its best, sunny and crisp. We flew from the airport over my old neighborhood (Inner Richmond in ‘da house!), and onto Golden Gate Park. Seeing the waves lapping Ocean Beach in the sunlight was truly beautiful. Then we flew past Sharon Stone’s house, which was not (salmon pink?! c’mon Sharon!). Sausalito, the TransAmerica Pyramid, and the ballpark were all great as well, but the greatest part of the flight, the one that made me think every penny I paid was worth it and all those traveler reviews are right, was when we flew under the Golden Gate Bridge. Flying near the bridge, around sunset, was breathtaking enough, but then to descend just above the water and fly under it was, well, amazing.