San Francisco Bay Cruise

Badge of Excellence

San Francisco, USA

Trending

Booked 20+ times in 12 hours.

1 hour (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.4

· Monique_M ·

May 2026

Fun ferry ride. Lots and of good sights. Bring your coat and a hat it gets windy. Staff was friendly.

· Luis_G ·

Apr 2026

You can take some nice pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz…. Great views of town. Nice and friendly crew. Make sure to wear a light jacket, since gets really windy and can be a little chilly.

Overview

Take in panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline and Alcatraz Island, and sail beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, on a relaxing San Francisco Bay cruise. Sit indoors or savor cool bay breezes from an outdoor deck and experience San Francisco in a new way. This ticket allows you to skip the line and go straight to the gate. Access an audio guide via your smartphone or other device.

Choose between indoor or outdoor seating areas
Learn about the sights with an audio tour on Wi-Fi-enabled devices
Food and drinks are available to purchase on board
Choose from multiple departures to suit your own travel schedule

What's Included

"Straight to the gate" access

Food and drinks (available to purchase)
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Blue & Gold Fleet
Pier 41, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
PIER 39, The Embarcadero at Beach St. San Francisco, CA 94133

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Pier 39

Admission Ticket Free

San Francisco Bay

Admission Ticket Free

Golden Gate Bridge (Pass By)

Angel Island State Park (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children from 0 to 4 years old sail for free
Cruises may not operate during inclement weather. Check with ticket booth on day of sailing for schedule.
Wheelchair accessible
Multi-language audio tour available in nine languages (English, Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, German and Taiwanese). Please bring your Wi-Fi enabled device to access the tour.

Times are subject to change without notice.
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Luis_G

Reviews

4.4

based on 343 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Loved the Cruise, but have cocktails prior

Mary_T, May 2026

Great experience for family visiting from Memphis TN. Purchased 2 cocktails while aboard. Tequila Sunrise 10$ , Vodka N Tonic w/splash of OJ ??? Total for both 34$,. I found this absurd, server could/would not explain charges and didn't give receipt when asked. I spoke with Fleet main office and concern to be forwarded to private vendor, operating on cruise

A must do in San Francisco

horse, May 2026

We had a great experience! We’ve never done this before although have been to San Francisco many times. The boat is just the right size and we had beautiful views the whole trip. Viator always comes through with memorable experiences for us all over the world.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thanks for such wonderful words about our cruise. And Viator. We're super happy that you able to enjoy the experience.

Great Staff. Seniors and anyone with limited mobility is well taken care of and can enjoy the cruise.

Sharon_A, May 2026

An enjoyable cruise. Staff was very accommodating to senior passengers and anyone using assistive mobility devices. Don’t let a walker or wheelchair make you miss the experience.

Response from Host, May 2026

Hi Sharon, Thanks for sharing your review. We want everyone to feel welcome, and we want everyone to feel safe getting on and off the boat. We appreciate your recognition, and I'll share with the staff that they are appreciated.

Its expensive that how...

Jasdip_S, May 2026

Its expensive that how they plan to charge people more for additional services and offers like pictures booths

Response from Host, May 2026

Hi, thanks for the great review. Please note that the pictures are only an option if you want to purchase them at the end. There is no obligation to buy. But taking the photos gives you a free digital pic as a souvenir for free. :)

Fun ferry ride. Lots and...

Monique_M, May 2026

Fun ferry ride. Lots and of good sights. Bring your coat and a hat it gets windy. Staff was friendly.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thanks for joining us out on the Bay. And thanks for the great review. :)

Great views from the water

Gail_M, May 2026

Great way to see the city, Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz from the water. There’s plenty of glass enclosed space to protect you from the wind and drinks and snacks are available.

Response from Host, May 2026

Yes, thanks for sharing. There are 3 decks offering different vantage points along the way. On the chilliest of days, you can face the elements when under the Golden Gate and then slide back into the warmth.

Nice boat trip

Olaf_K, Apr 2026

A nice one hour trip to the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz with helpful information about the history of the different places You see.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thanks for the great review. And thanks for joining us.

Packs it all in!

Barbara_S, Apr 2026

A great quick tour of the harbor. Seals, Alcatraz, The Golden Gate Bridge, some history- packed it all in. I read reviews that complained of the cold- you are on the bay- it will be windy and cooler than on land. Great trip!

Response from Host, May 2026

Thank you so much. Really appreciate the great review and the part about the weather. San Francisco is a cooler city than most as we're right on the coast. It's nice to be a little chilly every once in a while. :)

Nice cruise through the bay.

Shawn_H, Apr 2026

Great cruise through the bay, but I got their a little late. My ticket showed pier 41, but it actually left out of pier 39.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Our apologies on the misdirection. Our mailing address is PIER 41, but there is a spot that shows where the boat departs from, which is between PIER 41 and PIER 39. We'll work on making it clearer.

Boat tour

JamesWallace, Apr 2026

The boat had restrooms and a bar. The staff was friendly if you want a good seat get there a little early

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Sound advice! Early bird gets the worm. Luckily for the late birds, the boat has 3 levels and different viewing areas to see the sites.

Great views

Luis_G, Apr 2026

My friends and I had a...

Latoria_W, Apr 2026

My friends and I had a great time on the cruise! It was an hour long and provided a ton of different facts about San Fran! Would do this cruise again!

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Wow, thanks for the great review! We're happy to hear you had a great time.

Overall, the trip was a...

Dechasa_T, Apr 2026

Overall, the trip was a great experience. Wasn't overcrowded and had plenty of seating space. A few things I wish were better was the speaker on the boat wasn't as loud, talking about the history of GG and Alcatraz. I know you can pull it up on your phone, but I needed my phone for pictures. Also, there was a small bar for drinks and refreshments, but it didn't seem like they were serving anything, and I didn't get an explanation of why, so that was discouraging. So, would I do it again? Probably not, well I would shop around more for sure.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

HI there. Thanks for joining us. Sad to hear that you wouldn't join us again. I'm curious about the snack bar because we have had a bartender on board for all of our cruises. Thank you for your comments, we'll make sure the speakers are nice and clear.

Deck hand was great.

Dane_H, Apr 2026

The deck hand was awesome. The trip was a great quick tour of the bay. The boat was clean and seemed safe.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks for joining us!

Vacation dollars well spent!

Mike_D, Apr 2026

What a great time! The best money we spent in San Francisco, by far! Informative, a very courteous staff, and some Marvel Universe trivia to boot!

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks for joining us and thanks for the great review!

Golden Gate Girls Trip

Jill_H, Apr 2026

Ilia on the top deck who worked on the boat gave us a lot of great information in the most entertaining way! It really made our trip!!

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks for being a friend! And giving us a great review. :)

Family tour

Robert_M, Apr 2026

Good crew nice ride, would recommend reasonable pricing. Golden Gate Bridge was cool to see that way. Even got lucky and saw a whale

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Isn't the Golden Gate Bridge majestic? I see it every day, and I'm still blown away. And the fact that you saw a whale is pretty amazing as well! That certainly doesn't happen every day, but it is happening more as the Bay waters are becoming cleaner and cleaner.

I would recommend this tour

Kimberly_C, Apr 2026

We all loved it. Service is excellent. The price for 2 adults and 3 children is affordable. You do see the sea lions from close view.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks for sharing! We're glad you were able to join us.

Lovely Cruise

Melissa_E, Apr 2026

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our Bay Cruise! The cruise was educational regarding San Francisco, and the views were fantastic! The weather was great and the staff were friendly.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks for coming along!

Quick, fun trip around the bay!

Jill_L, Apr 2026

Neat tour. Gives you audio history of San Francisco. Goes under the Golden Gate Bridge which is neat, and makes a circle around Alcatraz.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks much!

We chose to sit up on the...

Paula_N, Mar 2026

We chose to sit up on the top level. It is the best way to feel the cool air and see in every direction as the boat travels to the Golden Gate Bridge. They gave a lot of very informative information and history about the entire surrounding areas. We really enjoyed it!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

So happy to hear that you enjoyed the cruise. And you had the PERFECT weather to be up on the top deck. Thanks for sharing your kind review.

I loved it, the tour...

Elle_R, Mar 2026

I loved it, the tour guide was super silly and funny and the views were amazing. Would def do it again.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

So Great To Hear! Thanks for sharing.

Good

Clint_F, Mar 2026

Good little tour it was plenty of time to take pics and see the island. The peer is an awesome place to be as well

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks for coming along!!

Rain

Kevin_H, Feb 2026

Cloudy/sunny in the morning. Walked to pier 41 from hotel, queued/boarded boat then it rained! It stopped once we returned to the pier. Mother-Nature's fault. The crew were great and informative. Try to do this sort of trip on a sunny day.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Hi Kevin, We would have loved to have had a sunny day for a cruise for you, but unfortunately Mother Nature isn't on our payroll. Hopefully you'll sail with us again on a beautiful day so we can turn those 2 Stars into 5.

Excellent - must do trtip

Nicola_D, Feb 2026

Excellent trip , well worth the money taking in amazing view points . Take a coat , and hat and gloves if you have them , it was cold going across the bay. Parking very expensive at bay 39 ($12 per hour)so you might want to search for something cheaper .

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Hi Nicola, Thanks for the great review! All great advise with taking layers in case it gets chilly, and the warning about the cost for parking. If you come back and join us again, making advanced reservation at the PIER 39 garage can save you a few bucks. Thanks again!!

Al Johnson hits San Fran Bay!

Allen_J, Jan 2026

Great short trip around the bay, Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz. Comfortable boat, great views, Nice crew, and good stories.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Al Johnson! Thanks for joining us. :)

Exploring the world my title

Paul_M, Jan 2026

Best experienced we had so far and unforgettable locatiion, the pier 39 was great spot it has everyrhjng walking distance...

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Wow, thanks for the great review. And great advice. This location is pretty special as it has everything is walking distance. Thanks again!!

Very well organized tour...

Taeho_L, Dec 2025

Very well organized tour guide. Fantastic view of Golden Gate Bridge & Alcatraz! Lunch at Pier 39 was great even though very crowded with waiting time. Thanks.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you, for the kind words. We're glad you were able to join us.

Amazing

Marisol_S, Dec 2025

The overall boat ride experience was amazingly beautiful and very informative! The Viator app however, failed to give me a QR code or any barcode as a ticket therefore we had to go to the blue gold stand to get them printed out there. I 100% recommend this short cruise if you want to see Alcatraz and the Golden Bridge up close.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

We're glad you enjoyed the cruise! And thanks for the nice write up. This comes to us here at Blue & Gold Fleet, but I'll share this information with Viator that there was an issue with your order. Thanks Again!

Fun activity

Jocelyn_A, Nov 2025

It was a nice tour to see the Golden Gate bridge up close, a glimpse of the Presidio and Palace of fine arts and Alcatraz. Make sure to sit at the top deck to be able to enjoy the view.