San Francisco Bay Ferry Routes: The Complete Guide

Reading the bay’s ferry map

San Francisco is a peninsula city surrounded on three sides by water, and its ferry network is less a single service than several overlapping ones, each run by a different operator with its own terminal, schedule and ticketing system. Understanding which company runs which route — and where each one departs from — saves more confusion in this city than almost any other piece of transit logistics. The good news is that once the map clicks, the ferries are consistently one of the most pleasant ways to move around the bay: no traffic, no bridge toll, no parking hunt, and views of the skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge that a car or train simply can’t offer.

Two hubs anchor almost everything. The Ferry Building, on the Embarcadero at the foot of Market Street, is the main terminal for regional commuter and day-trip routes — Sausalito, Larkspur, Oakland, Alameda, Richmond, South San Francisco and Vallejo all connect here. Pier 39/Pier 41, near Fisherman’s Wharf, is the departure point for sightseeing-oriented routes run by Blue & Gold Fleet, including a second option to Sausalito and Tiburon and the seasonal Angel Island service. A third terminal, Pier 33, sits between the two and is dedicated entirely to one destination: Alcatraz.

The operators, at a glance

Operator	Main routes	Departs from	Best for
Golden Gate Ferry	Sausalito, Larkspur	Ferry Building	Commuters, day-trippers avoiding bridge traffic
San Francisco Bay Ferry	Oakland, Alameda, Richmond, South SF, Vallejo	Ferry Building (some Pier 41)	East Bay day trips, avoiding Bay Bridge tolls
Alcatraz City Cruises	Alcatraz Island only	Pier 33	The only legal way to reach Alcatraz
Blue & Gold Fleet	Sausalito, Tiburon, Angel Island, bay cruises	Pier 41	Sightseeing cruises, an alternative Sausalito option
Angel Island Ferry	Angel Island (seasonal)	Tiburon	Combining with a Tiburon visit

These operators don’t share a single ticketing system, so a ticket bought for one route won’t work on another, even between two companies both going to Sausalito. Checking the terminal and operator name — not just the destination — is the single most useful habit before buying.

Golden Gate Ferry: Sausalito and Larkspur

Golden Gate Ferry is the public transit-style service, run by the same district that operates the Golden Gate Bridge toll system. It sails from the Ferry Building to Sausalito multiple times a day, taking around 30 minutes each way, with more frequent service on weekday commute schedules and a lighter timetable on weekends. A one-way adult fare is generally in the same range as other regional transit — paying with a Clipper card is usually the simplest and cheapest option, and the same card that works on Muni and BART taps in directly at the terminal gate.

The Larkspur route runs further north, primarily aimed at Marin County commuters rather than day-trippers, though it’s a workable way to reach the northern part of Marin without driving. For most visitors, Sausalito is the more useful destination: a compact, walkable waterfront town with restaurants, galleries and views back across the bay to the city skyline.

This crossing is also the backbone of one of the most popular half-day outings from San Francisco — riding a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito, then taking the ferry back rather than pedaling the return leg. Both Golden Gate Ferry and San Francisco Bay Ferry carry bikes on board at no extra charge, space permitting, which is exactly what makes the one-way version of this ride so popular. For a guided version of that exact route, a guided ride across the bridge into Sausalito with the ferry back handles the route planning and bike logistics.

San Francisco Bay Ferry: the East Bay and beyond

San Francisco Bay Ferry is the newer, expanding network aimed at commuters and day-trippers heading across to the East Bay. Its flagship route runs from the Ferry Building to Oakland’s Jack London Square, a roughly 25-30 minute crossing that lands within easy walking distance of Oakland’s waterfront restaurants and a short rideshare or bus ride from downtown Oakland and UC Berkeley. It’s a genuinely pleasant way to reach the East Bay, skipping the Bay Bridge toll and the congestion that regularly builds on I-80 and the bridge approach.

Other San Francisco Bay Ferry routes reach Alameda, Richmond, South San Francisco and, on a longer run, Vallejo to the north — useful for specific trips (Vallejo connects toward Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, for instance) but less relevant to a typical first-time visitor’s itinerary than the Oakland run. Fares scale with distance, and Clipper remains the simplest payment method across the whole network.

Weekday schedules run more frequently during commute windows (roughly 6-9am and 4-7pm) with reduced service at other times, and weekend timetables are noticeably thinner than weekday ones on some routes — worth checking the current schedule rather than assuming an hourly service applies all day.

Alcatraz: its own terminal, its own rules

It’s worth repeating clearly, because it trips up a meaningful number of visitors every year: the ferry to Alcatraz is not part of Golden Gate Ferry or San Francisco Bay Ferry. Alcatraz tickets and the ferry crossing itself are sold exclusively by Alcatraz City Cruises, the concessionaire authorized by the National Park Service, sailing from Pier 33, not the Ferry Building and not Pier 41. No other company can legally sell tickets to the island, so anything advertised as a shortcut or a resale is either the same official ticket at a markup or not legitimate at all.

Tickets are released 90 days ahead of the sailing date and commonly sell out weeks in advance, especially in summer, so this is one bay crossing that genuinely needs to be booked ahead rather than approached as a walk-up option. For the self-guided route with the audio Cellhouse tour, the Alcatraz ferry ticket with a self-guided app tour covers the crossing and the island exploration in one booking. Full pricing and booking-window details are covered in the dedicated Alcatraz tickets guide, and a combined itinerary that pairs the island with a broader bay cruise is laid out in the Alcatraz and bay cruise combo tickets guide.

Blue & Gold Fleet and sightseeing routes from Pier 41

Blue & Gold Fleet operates out of Pier 41, near Fisherman’s Wharf, running a mix of scheduled point-to-point ferries and narrated sightseeing cruises. Its Sausalito and Tiburon service is a genuine alternative to the Golden Gate Ferry crossing from the Ferry Building — useful if the schedule or terminal location fits a particular day’s plan better. Blue & Gold also runs seasonal bay cruises that pass under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island without landing, plus themed sunset and evening sailings; the golden gate bay cruise guide and the sunset dinner cruise guide cover those sightseeing-focused options in more depth, distinct from the point-to-point transit routes covered here.

Angel Island: ferry-only access

Angel Island — the largest island in the bay, with hiking trails, old military fortifications and panoramic views — has no bridge or road access at all; a ferry is the only way in. Angel Island Ferry runs a seasonal service from Tiburon, a short hop across from where the Larkspur/Tiburon area sits on the Marin side, while Blue & Gold Fleet also runs a route directly from Pier 41 in San Francisco, typically on a lighter schedule outside the summer months. Combining an Angel Island crossing with a stop in Sausalito or Tiburon on the same day works well given how close the terminals sit to one another.

Terminals and getting to them

• Ferry Building — on the Embarcadero at the foot of Market Street; reachable by Muni streetcar, BART (Embarcadero station, a short walk), or on foot from downtown and Union Square.
• Pier 33 — Alcatraz City Cruises only; walking distance from North Beach and the Embarcadero, with limited nearby parking, so transit or a walk beats driving.
• Pier 39/Pier 41 — inside the Fisherman’s Wharf tourist district; easily combined with a wharf visit before or after a sailing.
• Sausalito, Tiburon, Larkspur, Oakland (Jack London Square), Alameda — small, walkable terminals on the far side, generally within a few minutes of a town center or a connecting bus.

None of the ferry terminals connect directly to BART, though the Ferry Building sits a short walk from the Embarcadero BART/Muni Metro station, making transfers straightforward. A broader comparison of BART, Muni and other transit options citywide is covered in the BART vs Muni guide, and the overall getting around San Francisco guide ties the ferries into the rest of the city’s transit network.

Ferry vs. bridge vs. BART: which to pick

For a Sausalito day trip, the ferry usually beats driving: it skips the Golden Gate Bridge toll (charged only southbound back into the city, currently in the $10-11 range depending on payment method), avoids scarce and pricey parking on the Marin side, and adds the bay crossing itself as part of the experience rather than a means to an end. For Oakland or the East Bay, BART is generally faster point-to-point, but the ferry is the more scenic choice and sidesteps the Bay Bridge toll — a reasonable trade for a leisurely day rather than a fast commute. A full comparison sits in the ferry to Sausalito vs. driving breakdown.

Combining ferries into a bigger day

The ferries pair naturally with several nearby stops. From Muir Woods, many visitors return via Sausalito rather than driving straight back, turning a redwoods morning into a ferry-and-waterfront-town afternoon; guided options that build this into a single day are covered in the Muir Woods day trip guide, and a fully escorted version is available as a guided day trip from San Francisco to Muir Woods or, for a smaller-group excursion, a guided Muir Woods excursion from the city. Oakland’s ferry terminal sits close enough to downtown Oakland and Jack London Square to make a half-day out and back easy, as outlined in the Oakland and East Bay day trip itinerary, and a similar approach works for a broader Sausalito and Marin day trip built around the ferry crossing rather than a car.

Visitors staying downtown and building a car-free week around Muni, BART and the ferries can lean on a downtown guided walking tour to cover the city center on foot before heading out to the water, or a broader San Francisco highlights tour with a guide for an orientation day before venturing across the bay independently. Families planning several days around the city and its ferries may also find the San Francisco with kids guide useful, since a ferry ride is consistently one of the most kid-friendly ways to see the bay.

Practical tips before boarding

• Get a Clipper card or the phone-based Clipper pass early — it works across Muni, BART, Caltrain and every ferry operator, and avoids fumbling with separate tickets at each terminal.
• Double-check the terminal, not just the destination. “Ferry to Sausalito” could mean the Ferry Building (Golden Gate Ferry) or Pier 41 (Blue & Gold Fleet) — they’re a 15-20 minute walk apart.
• Alcatraz is Pier 33 and nowhere else. No ticket bought elsewhere gets onto that boat.
• Weekend and off-season schedules thin out. A route that runs hourly on a weekday commute schedule may run every 90 minutes to two hours on a Sunday.
• Arrive 20-30 minutes early for any route with security or bag checks, particularly Alcatraz sailings, and note that bikes are usually welcome but boarding order and space can vary by sailing.
• Bring a layer. The bay is windy and noticeably cooler on the open deck than on shore, even on a warm day in the city.

The ferries are, for a lot of visitors, the single most underused part of San Francisco’s transit system — genuinely faster than driving on several routes, free of bridge tolls and parking headaches, and scenic in a way no highway crossing can match. Sorting out which operator sails from which pier is really the only homework required before stepping aboard.