Ferry -- San Francisco Ferry

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Sausalito Ferry Guide

The Golden Gate Ferry at the pier in Sausalito before a trip back to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. 

For special Sausalito Art Festival Ferry information click here.

Fast Forward Summary^TM:  Two different ferry services connect Sausalito and San Francisco, with different boats, schedules and ticket prices.  They share the same pier in Sausalito, but their San Francisco terminals are almost 2 miles apart.

The ferry schedules can be confusing.  Our easy-to-print Sausalito Ferry Schedule, is the only online chart covering both services.  Make sure you choose the right "Weekday" or "Weekend-and-Holiday" schedule, and for the route to the Ferry Building or Fisherman's Wharf.  There is very little night-time service on the ferries, especially in winter.  

The Sausalito Ferry is like the world's biggest Disneyland ride, and it's faster than driving or taking a bus from San Francisco.  The Sausalito Ferry was just selected as the #2 best ferry ride in the world, after #1 the Star Ferry in Hong Kong.  (I've ridden both, and they're travel highlights of my life.)  The fog and the changing seasons ensure that no two rides are ever the same.

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.

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.

Sausalito Ferry Tickets and Prices: Routes To the Ferry Building

Golden Gate Ferry:  This ferry is run by the public Golden Gate Bridge District.  The Sausalito Ferry Schedule for Golden Gate Ferry linking Sausalito to the Ferry Building has the following current ticket prices (updated July 1, 2010):

     Adults                                         $8.25 each way ($16.50 round trip)

       with Clipper / Translink Card   $4.40 each way ($8.80 round trip)

     Seniors / Disabled / Medicare    $4.10  ($8.20 round trip)

     Kids Ages 6-19                           $4.10  ($8.20 round trip)

     Kids 5 and Under                        Free with paid adult, Max. 2 per adult.

The Golden Gate Ferry is pictured at the top of this page, and you can check their website here.  Sausalito Ferry tickets are sold from the ticket window at the pier on the Ferry Building side in San Francisco (see photo below).  On the return trip you buy the ticket as you board the Ferry in Sausalito.

If you ride the Ferry frequently you can buy a Clipper (formerly called Translink) card, a card-key that gives you 37%-46% discounts on Ferry tickets.  Those are huge discounts!   More information for Ferry commuters and frequent travelers is here.

Riders on this public ferry no longer receive free San Francisco Muni transfer passes.  This benefit was discontinued in 2009.

 The ticket window and entry area for the Golden Gate Ferry, at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.  Walk through (or around) the Ferry Building and come out the back to reach this area next to the water.

 

Sausalito Ferry Tickets and Prices: Routes To Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 41)

Blue and Gold Ferry:  This ferry is run by a private company.  The Sausalito Ferry Schedule for the Blue and Gold Fleet service linking Sausalito to Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 41, next to Pier 39) in San Francisco is very different from that of the Golden Gate Ferry.  Current ticket prices (revised as of May 9, 2010) are:

     Adults                                      $10.00 each way ($20.00 round trip)

     Kids Ages 5-11                        $5.75  ($11.50 round trip)

San Francisco ferry tickets are sold as you enter the ferry on the Sausalito side, and at the Pier 39 terminal at Fisherman's Wharf on the San Francisco side (next to Pier 41).  You can also buy tickets for the Blue and Gold ferry online here.  Credit cards can be used for online purchase and to buy tickets at the Fisherman's Wharf terminal, as well as on the Sausalito side when you pay on the ferry as you board.

If you ride during the winter:  Note that some trips on the schedule from Fisherman's Wharf take longer than others because they stop in Tiburon on their way to Sausalito.  It's a beautiful variation on the voyage, but takes a few minutes of extra time.  In summer the voyages are separate and this does not apply.

 

 The Fisherman's Wharf terminal for the Blue and Gold Fleet Ferries at Pier 41 in San Francisco.

 

Ferry Piers in San Francisco

The map below shows the Fisherman's Wharf pier as "A" and the Ferry Building as "B".

Google Map Instructions:  Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out, the arrow keys to scroll the map, and the SAT button to see the satellite view.

View Larger Map

 

The Ferry Pier at Sausalito

  
There is no ferry ticket window or building at the pier in Sausalito, shown on the left. You buy your ticket as you board the ferry.  The pier is called the Ferry Terminal, even though there is no building. 

 

 

 

Parking at the Ferry Pier in Sausalito

A series of city-owned lots surrounds the Ferry pier, and Sausalito city residents receive discounted parking.  The entrance to the closest parking lot is located at the intersection of Anchor St. and Humboldt St. in Sausalito.  This Google satellite image (which you can zoom and scroll) shows the Ferry terminal and parking lots.  The two main tree-lined lots are next to the pier itself at the lower right and next to the little street labeled Ensign at the upper left:

 

Google Map Instructions:  Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out, the arrow keys to scroll the map, and the SAT button to see the satellite view.

View Larger Map

 

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.  MUNI gives a 50-cent discount to people transferring from the Ferry.

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.

 

Bicycles on the Sausalito Ferry

You can bring bikes on the ferries, though the walking passengers are allowed to disembark first.  You can even rent a bike in San Francisco, ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, and then take the bike on the ferry to go back.  Our page about this popular round trip visit is here.

 

The Sausalito Ferry Boats

Although there are some variations from boat to boat, each of the ferries offers both interior seating and the chance to sit outside on the deck.  The Golden Gate Ferry has a top deck that is partially covered with glass and has really powerful directional heaters, allowing a semi-outdoor view on a chilly day. 

 

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Comments

[Retha Wright]

If we ride the ferry from SF, will it be too far to walk to the Point Bonita Lighthouse from where we disembark?

[Editors]

Retha, we've answered your question on our "Ask Annie" page (link is just below "About" at the top of the left hand column). Thanks for writing in!

[arnaud]

Does any ferry from Sausalito come back to S.F at Fisherman Wharf?

[Editors]

Yes, the Blue and Gold ferries sail from and return to Fisherman's Wharf.

[Shirllo@gmail.com]

if I ride the ferry from SF to Sausalito, will the dock be close enough to walk to the floating homes tour? Thanks

[Editors]

Shirlio, the area of the Floating Homes Tour is about a 2 mile walk away from the Sausalito Ferry pier. It's level sidewalks most of the way, but that's still a pretty long walk.

Taxis are available one block from the Ferry pier, and it would be a relatively inexpensive cab ride up to Gate Six Road in northern Sausalito.