Ferry -- Commuters & Residents

Sausalito Ferry Info for Commuters and Residents

Fast Forward Summary^TM:  This article provides information for Sausalito ferry commuters and frequent travelers.  See our Sausalito Ferry Guide for comprehensive information.  Our easy-to-print Sausalito Ferry Schedule is the only major website online chart covering both services (updated May 11, 2009 for summer).    

Click here for our list of restaurants within walking distance of the Ferry, and our page on parking in Sausalito.  We also have video voyages on the Sausalito ferries.

 

Golden Gate Ferry to the Ferry Building

If you ride the Ferry frequently you can buy a Translink card, a card-key that gives you 37%-46% discounts on Ferry tickets.  Those are huge discounts!  You can put money into the card at any Golden Gate ferry ticket window, and it works on the Golden Gate Ferry service and Golden Gate Transit buses, as well as BART across the Bay Area and MUNI in San Francisco. 

You can use the machines at the Ferry building to "recharge" your Translink card with your credit card or debit card.  The Sausalito Ferry Company store at 688 Bridgeway (two doors south of Vina del Mar Park) also can sell you a new Translink card or re-charge your old card.  The store is also a fun place to visit -- through the window it may look like a tourist shop, but it is actually a fabulous miniature toy store that has a big local region fan base.  The store is not owned by the Ferry and there is no affiliation other than their name and the fact they sell tickets.

If you're ever stuck without enough cash as you leave the boat in San Francisco the ticket-takers will let you veer left to the ticket window and pay using a credit card, but it's a hassle and will slow you down.

INSIDERS' SUMMERTIME TIP:  Voyages from Sausalito to San Francisco in the summer in late afternoon may be packed with bicycle riders fresh from a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge.  These voyages can actually fill up and leave people standing on the pier waiting for the next ferry.  Arrive a little early if you need to take one of these departures to ensure you make the boat.

Riders on this public ferry receive free San Francisco Muni transfer passes (bus and light rail) upon arrival in San Francisco.  Rules for their use are here, and one of our videos of the ferries shows Annie using the machine that dispenses the transfers.

The Golden Gate Ferry "End Run"

INSIDERS' TIP:  Sometimes you'll arrive at the Sausalito pier and find that you can take a ferry to Fisherman's Wharf immediately, but might wait a while for a ferry to the Ferry Building.  In summer late afternoon crowds can compound the problem by filling a Ferry Building-bound boat to capacity.

One option is to take that boat to Fisherman's Wharf, then take the San Francisco Muni "F Line" Train back to the Ferry Building.  The train travels at a leisurely pace so you might not save that much time, but many of the rail cars are fun antiques from the US and Europe that are worth the price of travel all by themselves, some close to 100 years old.  If you love classic rail cars or industrial design you just have to check out this link about the trains on the F Line.

The same technique used in reverse will allow you to visit the Ferry Building en route back from Sausalito, then take the train to Fisherman's Wharf if you left a car parked there.

Blue & Gold Fleet to Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 41)

This ferry is run by a private company and is focused on Sausalito visitors rather than commuters, so there is no frequent user discount program.  They do, however, accept Commuter Check if your employer participates in the program.

 

Links to Public Transit in Sausalito and San Francisco

Both BART and Muni trains in San Francisco serve the Embarcadero Station, which is across the street from the Ferry Building and service to Sausalito.  Many San Francisco Muni bus routes also stop at the Ferry Building or at Fisherman's Wharf and the Pier 39 - Pier 41 area.

For connecting to bus service in Sausalito, a transit district map showing the Golden Gate Transit bus routes is here.  The numbers in colored circles on the map indicate route numbers that connect to the ferry service.

 

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