Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ferries and Bay Trips
Bay Trips
Bay sightseeing cruises from
Fisherman's Wharf are operated
by Blue and Gold Fleet and
Red
and White Fleet
. Destinations
include Angel Island and towns
on the north shore of the Bay
(see pp162-3)
. There are also
combined boat and bus tours
to visit San Francisco and Muir
Woods
(see p162)
. Tours cost
$45-$100.
Many Bay trips pass near
Alcatraz
(see pp84-7)
, but only
Alcatraz Cruises
sells tickets
and tours to The Rock.
Hornblower Dining Yachts
offers weekend brunches and
dinners from Wednesdays to
Sundays on its charter cruises
(call to check timings).
Oceanic
Society Expeditions
arranges
nautical environmen-tal safaris
with an onboard naturalist to
the Farallon Islands, 25 miles
(40 km) offshore. These safaris
often spot whales on the way to
the islands from March through
May. There are also whale-
watching expeditions off San
Francisco's west coast (from
$120 per person,
see p260
).
Check with individual
operators for schedules and
seasonal variations.
Before the construction of the Golden Gate and Bay
bridges, ferries would shuttle from shore to shore,
carrying people and goods to and from the northern
counties and East Bay. Although no longer a necessity,
boats and ferries are still a favorite way to get around.
San Francisco Bay includes the cities of San Francisco
and Oakland
(see pp166-9)
, as well as the smaller towns
of Tiburon and Sausalito
(see p163)
.
Ferry Services
Bay Area residents adore their
ferries. During the week,
commuters use them to avoid
traffic on the bridges, and at
weekends suburban families
leave their cars behind and
hop on for jaunts to the city.
Ferries do not have audio
tours to identify the sights along
the coastline, but they are less
expensive than sightseeing
cruises (the trip from San
Francisco to Sausalito is $7.85
each way). Food and drinks
are available on board. Note
that ferries carry only foot
passengers and bicycles,
not motor vehicles.
Golden Gate Ferry
services
depart from the Ferry Building,
on the Embarcadero, which is
a destination in its own right
(see p114)
, housing food shops,
a weekly farmers' market, and
several restaurants. The
Blue
and Gold Fleet
docks at nearby
Fisherman's Wharf
(see pp80-81)
.
Vallejo
Popular Ferries
and Bay Trips
Larkspur
DIRECTORY
Ferries
Blue and Gold Fleet
PIER 39, 41.
Map
5 B1.
Tel
705-8200.
∑
blueandgoldfleet.com
Golden Gate Ferry
Te l
455-2000.
∑
goldengate.org
Bay trip vessel
Tiburon
Sausalito
Alcatraz Island
Bay Trips
Alcatraz Cruises
Pier 33.
Map
5 C1.
Te l
981-7625.
∑
alcatrazcruises.com
Hornblower Dining Yachts
Pier 3.
Map
6 D3.
Te l
438-8300.
∑
hornblower.com
Oceanic Society Expeditions
Te l
256-9604.
∑
oceanicsociety.org
Red and White Fleet
Pier 43½.
Map
5 B1.
Te l
673-2900.
∑
redandwhite.com
Fisherman's Wharf
piers
Ferry Building
piers
KEY
Alameda
Bay trips
Alcatraz Island (Alcatraz Cruises)
Sausalito ferry
Tiburon ferry
Larkspur ferry
Vallejo ferry
East Bay ferry
