San Francisco Bay Adventure Sightseeing Cruise
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
San Francisco, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See San Francisco’s top attractions from the water on this 1.5-hour tour by rigid inflatable boat. Your guide will provide gear to keep you dry and warm as you take off from Pier 39. Pass the infamous prison of Alcatraz, Coit Tower, the Presidio and glide under the Golden Gate Bridge while your captain provides insightful narration. Numbers are limited to 12 people to keep this small-group tour as intimate as possible.
- Discover San Francisco’s top sites on a 1.5-hour bay tour by rigid inflatable boat
- See Coit Tower, Alcatraz, Fort Point and other popular attractions
- Hear narration on board from a captain
- Enjoy special gear to keep you warm and dry while sightseeing
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Live commentary on board
- Weather gear (West Marine jacket & Helly Hansen pants)
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Bay Voyager, Pier 39 Concourse, Gate i, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
We are located at Gate “ i ” ( i as in INDIA) on the West side of PIER 39, down by the world famous sea lions.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Pier 39
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Ferry Building Marketplace
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Golden Gate Bridge
8 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Presidio of San Francisco
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Fort Point National Historic Site
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Mile Rocks Lighthouse
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Coit Tower (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- It is recommended to dress in layers, including warm socks, gloves, camera, lip balm, and sunglasses
- Minimum age is 5 years
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- You must arrive 30 minutes prior to departure to get suited up, safety instructions & Boarding.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Amanda_M
Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, selfie of golden gate, seeing a navy ship coming in for fleet week. Having experiences of seeing things up close & personal that you would never see. Enjoyed the history. Captain Charles was extremely knowledgeable and fun!!
Reviews
5.0
based on 347 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Mindy_B, Jul 2025
Very fun experience. Kids loved it! Adults love it too! We look forward to booking it again next summer.
Joni_T, Aug 2024
Great trip, very fun and informative, the pants and jacket provided were perfect. Wish we have seen/heard about Alcatraz.
Kalani_P, May 2024
Charles is top notch! Native to the bay he was an encyclopedia! So generous and kind. My favorite part was jumping the waves :)
Dan_B, Sep 2023
An absolute must do experience! A great opportunity to get up close to the Golden Gate Bridge in addition to other sights around the waterfront.
Liliana_F, Feb 2023
Loved it! Was worth the $. Had a blast and want to do it again when I come back! The captain was great and friendly. Was a great experience.
Sarah_D, Sep 2022
Was my fourth trip…really great! A special View on San Francisco combined with a lots of fun! Could only recommend!
Adam_M, Jul 2022
Amazing views and an amazing guide! Such a great way to view the bay and the city. Would definitely do the tour again.
VictorIa_F, Jul 2022
We covered so much area in a small amount of time.
Words of advice ladies, don’t bother with your hair!
Mark_G, Apr 2022
Amazing experience, Capt Charles was brilliant. Great way to see the bay and more fun for kids with it being a speed boat
Steven_A, Mar 2022
We did a 90 min tour with Captin Charles yesterday. Firstly he was lovely to meet, did a through safety briefing. We got on the boat and it didn't dissapoint. We had a fantastic trip he gave excellent commentary was enthusiastic and knowledgable ..
We even sang happy birthday to one of the other passangers. Let us stop by the sea lions for us to look! Would 100% recommend this trip to really see the bridge and bay its it's best light. Thank you Captin Charles.
Amanda_M, Oct 2021
Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, selfie of golden gate, seeing a navy ship coming in for fleet week. Having experiences of seeing things up close & personal that you would never see. Enjoyed the history. Captain Charles was extremely knowledgeable and fun!!
Leslie_B, Oct 2021
The gate is confusing. We waited @ gate 1 and it it’s @ gate I (i). They refused to help rebook or refund. The Viator lady even told us it was gate 1. Very upsetting. If they are making the same mistake- a little grace would have been appreciated. This event has No refund - think twice
Anna_B, Aug 2021
Unfortunately due to mechanical issue/fishing line, the boat was not able to run and we had to cancel. Captain Charles kept us informed and also took the time to make other great recommendations for us. Although we were not able to go on this excursion, I would still recommend it based on the service and also after reading all the five star reviews. Thank you Captain Charles!!!
Michael_B, Aug 2021
Great time! Exciting adventure. Fun. Very educational … even for a local who lived in the city for 12 years.
Charles is very professional and friendly. He is very clear in explaining things. He is very cool under pressure. It had to be very frustrating when a fishing line got caught in the propeller and had us stranded under the Golden Gate Bridge. Although his boat will likely be sidelined for the rest of the season, he didn’t miss a beat, calling in the necessary help and allaying fears of the passengers on board. He didn’t even waste time, and while we waited, he continued to give us great information about the history of San Francisco Bay. He fully refunded the trip although honestly I was already satisfied with the experience we had at that point. When he’s up and running again, I highly recommend this SF bay boat adventure for locals as well as out-of-towners. My 12 year old daughter and I had an amazing time!
Shawn_D, Jul 2021
A must do boat tour when in San Francisco. Captain Charlie was fantastic, knowledgeable, and funny. We felt very safe for the entire boat ride. Even during the fast and exciting moments. Having the ability to take a selfie directly below the Golden Gate Bridge was most memorable.
Highly recommend this wonderful boat excursion.
John_K, Mar 2020
The trip was amazing. Seeing the giant houses on the coastline, riding under the Golden Gate Bridge, and the various ships all along the bay was nothing short of incredible. The captain's details about all the various sights we saw was fantastic. Speeding really fast along the bay only made the tour even more awesome. I would recommend the cruise to anyone, simply great.
John_G, Aug 2018
Excellent trip! Brian was a great captain! We highly recommend this trip! You will see so much and it was so fun!
John_G, Aug 2018
Brian was very knowledgeable and friendly. We went to Golden Gate Bridge to Bay Bridge. Would highly recommend this tour!
Robert_C, Aug 2018
Captain Charles was awesome. Very personal and knows all the history of the area. Truly he loves his city!
Paul B, Mar 2018
Awesome experience. Captain Charles was very knowledgeable and made it fun for everyone!
Louise L, Sep 2017
Brilliant boat tour speed, sights and informative too, what more could you want? Captain Charles is a great host of the tour. Would highly recommend.
Jeanne S, Aug 2017
My 9 yr old grandson and I had the best time ever on our boat tour! We learned so much and what an incredible way to see San Francisco! We even saw several humpback whales! Captain Charles was the best so knowledgable, answers all our questions and takes terrific pictures for us! We are locals in the Bay Area and we would recommend this tour to everyone! Anyone can get on those 2-3 story ships, but this is so much better and any age can experience this tour safely, comfortably and you will never forget it!!!
Jayne N, Jul 2017
Fantastic trip around San Francisco bay with Chares, our very knowledgeable and friendly captain. Worth every penny. Not as touristy as Alcatraz, but probably more to see and more enjoyable.
Mark E, Sep 2016
Excellent tour! Fantastic views of SF, the Golden Gate Bridge and the experience of going out on a RIB is awesome!
Adrian S, Jul 2016
Super trip with a very informative skipper. The bonus was being surrounded by lots of hump back whales while in the Bay. Fantastic!
janet l, Oct 2015
This trip was fun, exciting and the guide Charlie is such a pro. His experience on large, small, commercial, private and tug boats is amazing. We had a glorious time and I highly recommend this adventure for everyone in the family. We were amazed with the sites from the water. Take this journey on the RIB Boat.
Kim V, Aug 2015
We loved this activity!!!! The owner, Charles, was friendly and accommodating and was great about answering and encouraging everyone's questions! He also shared really interesting facts about the history of SF, as well as restaurant and activity recommendations! My husband and I went, along with our two boys 8 and 10 and we all LOVED the experience! The ride lasts about 90 minutes long way more time than other high speed boat rides! We all highly recommend this adventure!!!!
Natalia E, Jul 2015
The boat cruise was excellent! Charles was very friendly and knowledgeable.
We were able to see whales and that what the highlight of the trip. I felt very
safe on the boat eventhough the sea was choppy and there was a lot of wind.
Being able to see the city and its surroundings by boat was great!! I would
totally recommend this cruise !!
Floor_E, Aug 2024
Heel erg leuk! Kost wat, maar dan heb je ook wat! Veel verteld over de uitzichten en lekker hard gevaren👍
From $115.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Current
San Francisco Bay Adventure Sightseeing Cruise
347
1 hour 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
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