It's a glorious day in San Francisco, which means it's an even more glorious day across the Bay in Sausalito at the other end of the Golden Gate Bridge. I find that a lot of my San Francisco friends say, "I love Sausalito, but I haven't been there in years. I keep meaning to go but just never take the time." So take the time. This article will help you plan your ferry ride, and we offer a list of great restaurants and delis to consider visiting when you get there.
The Sausalito Ferry
You could always drive from San Francisco to Sausalito, but the ferry ride can actually be faster and the cost of the round trip ticket is about the same as gas and toll. You can take two different ferries from the City to Sausalito. Sailing from the Sausalito side I enjoy both, and vary my choices based on how much time I have and where I need to go in San Francisco. There are snack bars and room for bikes on all the ferries.
Golden Gate Ferry from the Ferry Building
The Golden Gate Ferry takes the route to the east of Alcatraz before angling west to Sausalito on this 25-minute voyage. On cool evenings the upper rear outside deck has heaters running under a glass roof so you can have "the best of both worlds" riding inside and outside.
Blue and Gold Ferry from Pier 41 at Fisherman's Wharf
This route can take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour so read the schedule carefully since some ferries also make an extra stop in Tiburon, bringing you close to the shores of Angel Island State Park. Some trips are served by dual-hull catamarans, which ride extra smoothly on the Bay, and the direct trips often take the route to the west of Alcatraz so you have The Rock on one side and The Bridge on the other.
Both ferry services use the same pier in Sausalito. You'll see it referred to as “The Ferry Terminal” but all that's there is a pier and a million dollar view of the Bay and San Francisco. One caution: During the winter the ferries don't run late, so be sure to check the schedule and allow enough time to get back for your return trip.
Article comments
1 - Anna
And if you are up for a little walk, hang out with the locals on Caledonia Street, home of Sushi Ran and other eating and browsing places. Just keep heading north on Bridgeway, and take a one block jag west near Taste of Rome.
2 - Kare Anderson
Plus discover more about he people, places and happenings in our quirky town by visiting Sausalito Loves You.
3 - bliffle
Back in the 60s and 70s my buddies and I would ride our bicycles up the old county road from Palo Alto, Mission street, Powell, through SF, Up Filbert Street (steepest street in SF according to the City Engineer), across the bridge, onto hiway 1 to Stinson beach, back over the brow of Tam and into Sausalito to take the ferry back to the SF Ferry building, and thence back home. Pretty satisfying day. Nice thing about the ferry: you don't have to watch your bicycle closely: where's a thief going to go?
Well, I still like to drive up to SF once in awhile and take the big cat across the bay. The "Dolphin" comes to mind. You've gotta ride up front on the bow in the wind. I wear a windproof jacket, silk scarf, watch cap and leather gloves, for comfort. Anything less will freeze your arse off. When that big cat gets up on it's hulls you're in for 45 minutes of pure sailing thrill as you blast into the wind like an ancient viking sailing off to adventure. You've gotta ride the bow because in the stern you get a snoot full of diesel fumes.
4 - ComeToSausalito
Biffle, somewhere over the years we probably have walked/ridden right past each other in Sausalito!
I'm terrible remembering the names of the ferries -- was the Dolphin one of the Blue & Gold boats? Golden Gate has moved the catamarans around on different routes as well.
Your advice on how to enjoy the great feeling of being on the bow is dead accurate. The other day on a 4:00 sailing on a catamaran to the Wharf, even with the weather nice, I had a hat and a nice jacket and had forgotten to bring gloves. I lasted about 5 minutes before it just got too cold.
Thanks for coming by and posting this comment.
5 - Kery
A hidden gem on the other side of the golden gate bridge is marin headlands. Great views of the city, water, and bridge.