Golden Gate Bay Cruise

San Francisco, United States of America

Want to experience San Francisco's must-do attraction? Take the 60-minute Golden Gate Bay Cruise and you'll see why it's the perfect introduction to San Francisco. The narrated one-hour cruise does a loop of San Francisco Bay, sailing next to Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge!

Departing from Pier 43 in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf, you'll sail past the San Francisco skyline and view the lively neighborhood of North Beach and San Francisco Maritime National Park.

As you head west toward the Golden Gate Bridge, cruise along Fort Mason and the Marina District which was devastated in the 1989 earthquake. Don't miss incredible photo opportunities when sailing directly under the massive 4,200-foot (1,260-meter) span of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Steaming back into the bay, you'll travel past the wildlife reserves of the Marin Headlands and the legendary town of Sausalito, home to the 1960s flower generation. With Angel Island State Park to your left, you'll slowly cruise around the infamous island of Alcatraz.

On your way back to Fisherman's Wharf, look out for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and Coit Tower. After a full hour of exciting sights, the barking sea lions at Pier 39 will welcome you back to Pier 43.

All cruise vessels offer indoor and outdoor seating, restrooms, and seasonal snack bar service. The award-winning audio narration is available in English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, Dutch, Russian, Thai, Hindi, Portuguese, French and Hindi. Vessels operate on biodiesel - a renewable energy source.

Don't worry about the unpredictable San Francisco weather! This is an open ticket which is valid for use on any day within one year of your booking date.

USD $23.99

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Ronald E S	March 2012
We had a great time! The weather was wonderful and the views spectacular.

Review by: Michael G. T	January 2012
I really enjoyed the trip. Booking and redeeming the voucher were easy. The crew on the boat were very friendly. My only complaint is that you held the hold on my credit card too long. After the charge was placed on my card and I saw it on my online statement, the hold remains on my card. This seems unnecessary.

Review by: Alison Z	January 2012
It would have been a lot better if we hadn't already been on a few tours - none of the information given was new to us, so we didn't listen to the headsets. There was also a lot of feedback, which made listening difficult.

Review by: Paula P	December 2011
This cruise was wonderful. I had been to San Franciso several times in the past, but this was the first time that I had done the "tourist" thing. I was so glad that I took this trip. It was awesome. The weather was a little windy, but just for a short stretch of the trip and when it did become windy, there was enough room inside for all. Great trip!

Review by: Jeff T	December 2011
This was average but it was very cool to cruise under the Golden Gate bridge.

Review by: Steven B	December 2011
Trip around the Bay was interesting and informative. Worth the price.

Review by: bj	November 2011
nice one hour cruise. need to make sure that guests have headphones in their language. i got one in foreign language and had to find another traveler to get right channel. but once that was done, all was good.

Review by: Diane	November 2011
I took the first boat out so it wasn't crowded. The weather was great, some great photo opportunities, and just so relaxing. My earphones didn't work so I have no clue what the audio entails but I didn't really care.

Review by: Jac	September 2011
This cruise was great. It was a little foggy that day but the golden gate bridge was amazing._br/_ Another smooth check- in at the ticket booth from Viator. Highly recommend.

Review by: Terry R	September 2011
We all really enjoyed this cruise. We had planned to do this on our first day, making it a nice slow start to our trip. However, the weather didn't clear that day and so we decided to wait as the 'open ticket' allowed. The location of pier 43 was a little tricky to locate. It was at the back and behind an open car park. We lined up for a trip later the next day and were boarded onto a smaller boat than expected. No real issue, but the larger boats looked that little more impressive but maybe they board according to the numbers taking that particular trip. The commentary was clear and good. Having just ridden bikes over the bridge it was nice to see it from underneath. We also liked seeing Alcatraz Island from the other side. Am pleased we decided to take this trip - a nice start to the vacation.

Review by: Brad P	September 2011
The cruise was just ok and I guess to be honest it was of no fault to the cruise company. The narration was nice and informative, but unfortunately for us, the it was extremely foggy that day and you could hardly see anything. I would reccomend it for the narration and information on the cruise.

Review by: L S	September 2011
Service excellent; boat fine; commentary very informative; sadly golden gate bridge and berkeley shore totally invisible in fog

Review by: Sandra L	August 2011
We really enjoyed our trip around the bay. Having head phones and a recorded tour guide was so helpful and informative. Beautiful scenery!

Review by: vel53	August 2011
Wow, great way to see the bay of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.Excellent friendly tour staff. Have precious memories and lots of photos. Recommended

Review by: Dennis J H	August 2011
The bay cruise was good, we took the trip in the afternoon after the fog lifted, got some great shots of the bridge and Alcatraz. Wear a vest or fleece, gets cool on the water. Dennis Holmes Winnipeg Canada .

Review by: Caroline C	July 2011
it was very foggy and chilly when we went at 6pm in July, but still probably worth the money. No real food on board, just drinks and snacks.

Review by: Roy G	July 2011
awesome trip and boat ride would do it again.

Review by: Jennifer E	July 2011
This cruise was a perfect short cruise in the bay. My husband and I went 4th of July and it gave AMAZING views of the golden gate bridge. You were able to hang out on the bow as well. We would recommend this as a 1st time cruise to anyone.

Review by: Kim C	July 2011
We were unable to get tickets to Alcatraz so I decided to take my son on the bay cruise which went around the island. He loved it! The audio tour was very informative and learned alot about the bay.

Review by: Robert T	July 2011
It was an excellent cruise...the right length and a great crew. Unfortunately, not everyone on the boat was given a headset as advertised. The largest population, in our case Korean, had the audio over speakers throughout the boat. It was extremely difficult to hear the narration in English on the headset while the speakers blared Korean. It ruined the trip.

Review by: John A	June 2011
Nothing special. The ferry to Alcatraz at night gives you great views.

Review by: Jackie L	May 2011
Another great tour that i would recommend to anyone

Review by: datzme49	May 2011
great trip...saw wonderful sights of the golden gate bridge,alcatraz and the san francisco skyline...not too long...not too short...well worth it!!!

Review by: Vincent R	April 2011
No Complaints. Very Scenic, Very Informative.

Review by: Jo A B	March 2011
Good informative cruise. Wish snack bar was open

Review by: Claire J	March 2011
Magnificent scenery. We did this tour as we hopped off the plane from Australia and with the magnificent weather, it helped sooth and relax us into our journey ahead.

Review by: Claire J	March 2011
Magnificent scenery. We did this tour as we hopped off the plane from Australia and with the magnificent weather, it helped sooth and relax us into our journey ahead.

Review by: Yomesh D	January 2011
Awesome

Review by: Shannon M	November 2010
I dragged my reluctant boyfriend out of the house for some couple time and at first he complained and resisted. But when we hit the water he stood at the mast the whole time and looked so at peace. I think he even teared up when we went under the golden gate bridge (his father was an bridge engineer). I went on a overcast day- Oct.30th. It was not too cold, surprisingly but very windy in the middle. We are Bay natives so it was nice to learn about where we live with beautiful sights at the same time.The boat was pretty empty, except for some tourists, but it is still a good cheap date ^_^

Review by: Alison B	October 2010
Beautiful views to be seen on this cruise plus its very informative too with a free audio commentary. You get some great sights of the Golden Gate Bridge that you could only get by boat, would highly recommend!

Review by: Bruce L	October 2010
A good time was had by all. A bit unfortunate about the fog around the Golden Gate Bridge, but i expect that is outside your control. The commentry was very good. The air show was a bonus. Well worth the experience.

Review by: Lewis T	September 2010
Good trip and easy access.

Review by: PRABHJOT SINGH B	September 2010
It was a great experience.The cruise was amazing and we enjoyed a lot.

Review by: Yolanda H	August 2010
It's a great way to learn about the history behind buildings and structure of San Francisco CA.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
Was great! Had a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the surroundings. Good view of The Rock too! Definitely a

Review by: Anonymous	July 2010
Got every that was promised. Great views, very good guided tour.

Review by: Scott H	June 2010
It was a very fun, informative and exciting ride but the waters got pretty choppy so we had to turn around sooner than I believe the trip was supposed to. Regardless, it was a lot of fun and would do it again.

Review by: Louise W, Ireland	May 2010
Fab! We had the most glorious sumnny day and LOVED the tour. The boat was almost empty and we got lots of great pic's...great way to see the bridge and alcatraz!

Review by: Harry K, United States of America	April 2010
Great cruise.

Review by: Amanda P, United States of America	April 2010
A great way to learn about San Francisco and get photos of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city skyline. A very relaxing way to spend an hour.

Review by: Anonymous	April 2010
A great way to learn about San Francisco and get photos of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city skyline. A very relaxing way to spend an hour.

Review by: David R, Australia	March 2010
This cruise is great if you are on a time limit for sightseeing. We were promised 60 minutes and what we got was 60 minutes jam packed with facts and features. The tour commentary is delivered by audio device in about 12 different languages and the only fault with this system was that we could not get the desired volume and so missed some of the commentary due to other noises. The only other criticism I have is that when you board, you are asked to stop at the bottom of the gangway to have a photo taken. Unfortunately, the quality of the finished product was not good but no pressure was applied to buy. All in all, an excellent tour.

Review by: Nellie G. R, United States of America	August 2009
It was fabulous!

Review by: Sheldon F, United States of America	August 2009
This is a very lovely way to spend an hour.

Review by: Sunil S, United States of America	August 2009
This was a great service!

Review by: Joann H, United States of America	July 2009
The trip was great! It was a good overview of San Francisco Bay and was very well narrated as we viewed the areas seen from the boat.

Review by: Nathalie, French Polynesia	July 2009
The weather was not part of the party, but everything went very well! Would definitely do this cruise again!

Review by: DOROTHY S, United Kingdom	November 2008
Amazing wonderful views of the bay and Golden Gate Bridge.

Review by: Charlotte B, United States of America	August 2008
What a great deal! We got to see the entire bay area and got ideas on other points of interest to visit when we return.

Review by: Michael M, Australia	January 2008
Thanks for the experience!! The tour was great and it was nice to have the narration as you go around, but it sometimes cut out a bit.