The bridge is free. The ferry to Alcatraz is not.
How far ahead to book the Alcatraz ferry, whether Muir Woods works as a half day, and what a day of Napa tastings costs from a Union Square pickup. Reviews of the tours that leave from San Francisco.
1The islandAlcatraz Ticket, Ferry, & Self-Guided AppThe Pier 33 ferry, the cellhouse audio tour and as long on the Rock as you like.
2Under the spanGolden Gate Bay CruiseAn hour along the waterfront and out beneath the Golden Gate. Bring a jacket.
3Into MarinMuir Woods and Sausalito (Return by Bus or Ferry)Ninety minutes in the redwoods, an hour in Sausalito, then the ferry or the bus home.
4Up the valleysNapa and Sonoma Wine Country Full-Day Tour from San FranciscoThree Napa and Sonoma wineries and Sonoma Plaza from one city coach.
Napa or Sonoma, a city pickup or a night up north. Choose your valley.
Napa sits about an hour and a quarter from the Golden Gate, Sonoma a little closer. Here is what a day of tastings costs from each, and what changes when the coach leaves from your hotel.
1★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · Napa and Sonoma Wine Country Full-Day Tour from San Francisco · from $165
Napa ValleyCabernet estates on Highway 29, trolleys and a castle winery.
Sonoma ValleyFamily wineries, an open-air trolley and lunch on the plaza.
HealdsburgRussian River pinot and a food walk round the square.
Every vineyard dayBoth valleys and the Russian River, with or without a city pickup.
All 157 Wine Country days →
Alcatraz in the morning, the Golden Gate from the water by sunset.
Every boat leaves from the piers between the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf. The island ferry runs from Pier 33; the hour-long bridge cruises go from Piers 39 and 43½. These three carry the most passengers.
- 1Golden Gate Bay Cruisefrom $38
- 2Alcatraz Ticket, Ferry, & Self-Guided Appfrom $79
- 3Alcatraz Island & 48-Hour Hop-On Hop-Off Tourfrom $120
Four San Francisco days that fill up before you land.
Most of the city works on the day: a cable car, a cruise, a walk through Chinatown. These four run on fixed capacity, dawn starts or one licensed operator.
- 1Alcatraz Visit with Night Option and SF Bay CruiseOne licensed ferry company serves the island, and the night tour runs on far fewer seats than the day sailings.
- 2Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San FranciscoThe valley is about four hours away, so the minibuses leave before dawn and seat around fifteen.
- 3Hot Air Balloon Rides in Napa ValleyBaskets lift off near Yountville at sunrise and only in calm air, with a fixed number of places in each.
- 4Guided Muir Woods ExcursionDriving in needs a parking reservation at the monument. A tour coach comes with its own.
What San Francisco books more than anything else.
Every San Francisco review →The ferries, the coaches and the city loops with the most travelers through the door, and what each one costs.
1
Muir Woods and Sausalito (Return by Bus or Ferry)
From Union Square or Fisherman’s Wharf, ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods for 90 minutes among coastal redwoods, then spend an hour in Sausalito. Choose a bus or ferry return, or a guided bike ride to Sausalito before the woods. Guides such as Don and George have shared local stories along the way.
Seats from $91
Read our review →
2
Big Bus SF: Hop-on Hop-off Tour with 17 Stops and Sunset Option
from $56
3
Napa and Sonoma Wine Country Full-Day Tour from San Francisco
from $165
4
Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San Francisco
from $239
5
Golden Gate Bay Cruise
from $38
6
Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour with 17 Stops
from $56
7
Yosemite Highlights & Giant Sequoias Day Tour from San Francisco
from $219
8
San Francisco Super Saver: Muir Woods & Wine Country w/ optional Gourmet Lunch
from $179
Cross the Golden Gate and the city gives way to redwoods within forty minutes.
Ride the bridge on a bike and take the ferry back from Sausalito, or let a small coach handle the hills up to Muir Woods. Fog tends to sit on the north tower until lunch, so the afternoon crossings photograph better.
Every Golden Gate tour →
June and July fog swallows the bridge. The Mission and Chinatown stay sunny.
The marine layer rolls through the Golden Gate on summer mornings and parks over the Presidio and the Sunset. Inland neighborhoods often sit in sunshine while the bridge disappears. September and October are the clearest months on the bay. On a grey morning, eat your way through North Beach and save the views for later.
Seven by seven miles, and every hill a different city.
Dim sum lanes under the pagoda roofs, espresso bars where the Beats drank, murals on every Mission alley and the sea lions at Pier 39. Where each one is best seen on foot.
A San Francisco day out, by budget.
Every tour on the site, sorted by price. A bridge bike, a bay cruise and a Chinatown walk all cost less than lunch on the Embarcadero.
Bike rentals, one-hour bay cruises, ghost walks, museum tickets and the ballpark.
- 1Golden Gate Bay Cruisefrom $38
- 2Skip-the-Line 1-Hour Bay Cruise by Boatfrom $38
- 3Skip-the-Line Escape from The Rock Bay Cruisefrom $47
Alcatraz with a guide, Muir Woods half days, food walks and the sunset sails.
Napa and Sonoma tasting days, Yosemite before dawn, seaplanes over the bay.
Three San Francisco days you will not find in any other city.
Every city has a bus tour. Only this one has a talking yellow go-kart on Lombard Street, thousand-year-old trees forty minutes from downtown, and the oldest Chinatown on the continent.
The GoCar
A two-seat yellow three-wheeler with a GPS that talks you through the route. It knows when you reach Lombard Street, tells the stories at Golden Gate Park and gets you to Ocean Beach without a single wrong turn. The early slots buy three hours for the price of two, before the hills fill with traffic.
- 1GoCar San Francisco Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 891 reviews
- 23-Hour Early Bird GoCar Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 · 550 reviews
- 3Golden Gate Bridge and Lombard GoCar Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 355 reviews
The Muir Woods Redwoods
Coast redwoods more than two hundred and fifty feet tall stand in a canyon twelve miles north of the bridge, and many are older than any building in California. The boardwalk loops are flat and easy. Mornings are quietest; by early afternoon the parking reservations and the tour coaches have caught up.
- 1Muir Woods and Sausalito (Return by Bus or Ferry)★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 5,098 reviews
- 2San Francisco Super Saver: Muir Woods & Wine Country w/ optional Gourmet Lunch★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 3,352 reviews
- 3Muir Woods and Sausalito Half-Day Trip★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 · 1,722 reviews
Chinatown
The oldest Chinatown in North America runs up Grant Avenue from the Dragon Gate, and the alleys either side are where it really lives: herbalists, fortune cookie bakers, the temple balconies on Waverly Place. Go with a guide and the dumplings, the tea shops and the history come in the right order.
- 1Chinatown & North BeachLittle Italy: 7 Tastings & History★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 1,070 reviews
- 2Ghost Hunt in SF Chinatown with a Professional Investigator★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 922 reviews
- 3San Francisco Chinatown Walking Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 778 reviews
Out of the city and back by dinner: Sausalito, the redwoods, the valleys, Big Sur’s edge.
Sausalito
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