Getting across San Francisco Bay is as easy as taking to the water. The San Francisco Ferry runs one-way and round-trip service to Sausalito, so rather than worry about traffic, you can sit back and relax while savoring incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, and the San Francisco skyline. The bayside towns of Sausalito makes a great day trips from San Francisco, and each boasts a bevy of boutiques, galleries and restaurants to explore. Linger by the water, enjoy a drink (own expense) or simply stroll along the narrow streets and delight in the surrounding scenery. This ticket allows you to skip the box office line and head straight to the gate.

One-way or round-trip ferry service from San Francisco to Sausalito
Skip the box office line and go straight to the gate with your ticket!
Soak in views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge on your scenic ferry ride
Browse art galleries, boutiques, specialty shops and museums on a self-guided tour
Enjoy a meal at a lovely waterfront restaurant offering stunning views of the San Francisco Bay
Multiple departure times give you the flexibility to explore at your own pace
Drinks and snacks available for purchase on board

What's Included

One-way or round-trip ferry service from San Francisco to Sausalito
Embarkation fee
Fuel surcharge
"Straight to the gate" access

Food and drinks (available for purchase on board)
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

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Start time

12:01 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Skip the box office line and head straight to Pier 41 to catch your ferry. Choose between indoor and outdoor seating and get ready to take in some spectacular views. As long as Karl the Fog stays away, there will be plenty to hold your interest: the Bay Bridge and its new streamlined eastern span, the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island and its notorious former prison. There are drinks (including beer and wine) and snacks for sale on the ferry, restrooms are available, and bicycles are allowed on board. Once reaching Sausalito or Tiburon, you can catch any of the return ferries that are running that day.

Sausalito

A lovely bayside city with hillside homes and a bustling downtown, Sausalito attracts tons of day-trippers who come to browse its galleries and relax by the water, enjoying views of the San Francisco skyline. You can explore its boutique and specialty shops, rent a kayak or bicycle or take a tour of Sausalito’s iconic houseboats. There are also plenty of dining options ranging from Mexican to Italian. Thinking of spending the night? Sausalito has several fine hotels.

Once in town keep an eye out for the Elephant Light Standards. These two concrete elephants stand at the entrance to Vina Del Mar Park and are recastings of original sculptures designed for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, held in San Francisco.

Tiburon

Tiburon is a picturesque former railway town perched at the end of a peninsula that juts into San Francisco Bay. It’s best known for its Main Street, home to a selection of wine stores, antique shops and chic galleries. It’s also the jumping-off point for Angel Island State Park, which offers plenty of good hiking.

There’s plenty to do here, from bicycling along Tiburon’s waterfront to exploring the Tiburon Uplands Nature Preserve or Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary. Take in a leisurely meal (own expense) at one of the bayside eateries, or learn about the town’s railroad and maritime history at the Railroad & Ferry Depot Museum. While in town don’t miss Old St Hilary’s, a restored Gothic church constructed of redwood. It’s one of the few Carpenter Gothic churches that haven’t been moved from their original settings.

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
PLEASE NOTE: you will need to purchase 2 tickets per person for Round Trip service.
Wheelchair accessible
In fall and winter, please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. In spring and summer, please arrive at least 25-30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time.
Ferries are wheelchair accessible, though boarding ramps may vary in steepness due to tides. Please advise in Special Requirements at time of booking if wheelchair assistance is required.
Stroller accessible
Wheelchair-accessible restroom facilities are available aboard all ferries, however wheelchair tie-downs are not currently available

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Animals are permitted on the ferries but must be leashed at all times. Owners remain wholly responsible for their animals.
Children from 0 to 4 years old sail for free
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 300 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Patricia_M

The ferry was an enjoyable ride Walking along Bridgeway was pleasant with all the beautiful shops and restaurants. We had the most delicious lunch in Poggio Trattoria. Food was great and prices reasonable. Staff was friendly and informative about the area. Absolutely a go to afternoon excursion

Reviews

4.0

69 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 69 reviews

Saualito

Patricia_M, Jul 2023

Response from Host, Jul 2023

We are proud to offer ferry service to the quaint little community of Sausalito. We're glad you enjoyed the day over there.

Great day out, worth a visit

Lisa_C, Jul 2023

Easy process lady scanned tickets to get into boat. Still had to stand in line to access. Nice big boat with a small cafe inside. Great views of Alcatraz and some fabulous flying pelicans joined us on the way over. Golden Gate Bridge was in haze/fog so couldn’t really see it. Lovely friendly peaceful place went to Fred’s diner a mile north of town for lunch which was outstanding and even bought a T-shirt, the town was very busy with the usual tourist shops/restaurants and cafes.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you for sharing your day with us. We're happy to see it was a wonderful day.

Lovely day

Tania_M, Jul 2023

Had a great day at Sausalito - easy to access with the boats. Recommend having a walk along the streets.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thanks for sharing!

Easy breezy

Jennifer_C, May 2023

Easy breezy way to get the tickets. Having the pass on the phone worked perfectly. Ferry left right on time.

Response from Host, May 2023

Easy Breezy Lemon Squeezy. That's the way we like it! Thanks for bringing back a fun poetic way of enjoying something.

Sausalito

Manfred_G, Apr 2022

Nice view, and Sausalito a nice place. The Ferry departes Always on time. We have a great time. 💯 recommended

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thanks. We're glad you had a nice time.

Ideas

Victoria_B, Mar 2022

Friendly, beautiful day I think a good idea would you have had either a food truck or something set up in the area where you were waiting for the ferry most people were hanging out there for about an hour and I’m sure would’ve enjoyed an ice cream or a coffee or something to enhance the experience just a thought

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thanks for the Idea! Did you depart from San Francisco? Because funny enough we are in talks with a popular food truck about doing business together. But there is a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream right around the corner of where we depart. Maybe we need a sign letting people know. Thanks!

Customer service is terrible

Brandon_J, Mar 2022

Terrible customer service. Don’t use this company. Please improve your service . Won’t be booking or recommending in the future

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank for taking the time to write this review. I am devastated to hear there was an issue with our customer service. Can you please reach out to us to tell us what happened? We would like to address this issue immediately. We can be reached at info@blueandgoldfleet.com

Book the Ride!

BreannaNicole_R, Mar 2022

I had so much fun. It was beautiful and Sausalito was nice as well, I had a couple glasses of wine and lasagna at an Italian bakery and it was delicious. Totally worth the trip.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

That sounds yummy! It makes me want to go to Sausalito right now. Thanks for taking our ferry!!

Fun experience riding thecferry

Fred_V, Mar 2022

Easy access to board, choices where to sit and ease to de-board. Round trip tickets made it convenient for boarding heading back to San Francisco.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. Can you let us know what we could have done to earn a better star rating?

Help!

Dawn_P, Oct 2021

We tried to make our reservation on line but when we got to the gate we learned our reservation was in error. The ticket person was kind enough to update and correct our 2 way tickets for Sausalito. We were told to be at a certain gate at 10:30 but were given the wrong gate number. We recognized the error and made the ferry to Sausalito. You can do a LOT BETTER.

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate you letting us know, and we will do better in the future. I'm glad you made the ferry to Sausalito.

Purchasing tickets was...

Bruce_K, Sep 2021

Purchasing tickets was quick and easy. However, it did not help us skip any lines. Once we lined up to board, we were told to go to another building to wait in line to have our tickets printed. So it actually took longer.

Not good

kelly_F, Sep 2021

Missed how to retrieve FERRY TICKETS ! Thought someone could help when we arrived in San Francisco . No on could give us answer to our VIATOR / Ferry Ticket Did not it’s a email for our ferry tickets !

Response from Host, Oct 2021

We're sorry there was confusion on retrieving your tickets for the ferry. Usually all of the information is in the email confirmation so we will look into why you didn't receive that email.

Departure time incorrect

Cheryle_D, Aug 2021

The trip was great the only thing I disliked was your schedule did not match the actual one and we had to wait 3 hours for the next trip

Response from Host, Aug 2021

We apologize for the inconvenience. We sometimes have to adjust our schedules to accommodate other ferry companies and the city of Sausalito. We will do a better job of having updated information readily available.

Mobile ticket

Michael_L, Mar 2020

Online ordering is simple to use. Just print your ticket or even easier, pull the ticket up on your phone.

Was an Awesome time

Carherine_H, Mar 2020

The ferry ride was a warm and friendly experience. The water views were awesome. The staff was very friendly and accomodating !!! 😊

The trip was fine. The trip back was horrible! Bikes took up where people should be sitting and that should not be allow

Karen_C, Mar 2020

The trip was just fine it was a lovely ride to Sausalito. The trip back however was a complete nightmare. The water was a little choppy and we had to stand because people with bikes were allowed to put the bikes right near the benches and they were taking up so much room. Plus people were allowed to put their bags in the seats instead of on the floor that’s causing so many people to have to stand. I went to a couple of the guys that were in charge And they seem to not care one bit. This is very uncomfortable for people that are older and even people our age. That absolutely should not be allowed!

Convenient travel to Sausalito

Kathy_U, Jan 2020

Insider bonus: get in line early prior to departure; however, if you are in line for check in, it does move quickly. We rode on the very top and although it was cold and windy (we traveled in early January) the views of Alcatraz, Golden Gate and San Francisco skyline on our day were majestic. Captain handled the boat with ease and crew were friendly and helpful. A bonus ... after leaving Sausalito (return trip) you'll get a bonus ride to Angel Island and Tibouron before heading back to the San Francisco port. (more majestic views!).

easy way to Sausalito from SF

nathaliemori07, Nov 2019

So easy to take the ferry, we booked online, just came at the right door and it was done! We reached Sausalito and manage to visit as we wanted then took the ferry back. Lavatory available, seated places and nice point of view to take pictures of the coast.

Love that ferry ride!

Mark_C, Aug 2019

I have traveled all over the country and my favorite city is San Francisco. My favorite thing to do in San Francisco is to take the ferry to Sausalito for shopping and lunch with my wife. Straight to the gate made it all quite easy.

Conflicting times

sanuradewa, Jul 2019

The times on the website conflict with another source of information which made it hard to know when we had to be there. We took the ferry to Sausalito and thought we were on time but we had to wait in line for almost 30 minutes. Because of this inconsistency, we didn’t take the ferry back to SF we just took an Uber because we had no desire to go to the ferry port only to find out that we were late or had to wait in a long line to get back. Otherwise, the ferry ride is beautiful and worth the money.