San Francisco City Lights Cruise
Badge of Excellence
San Francisco, USA
+8
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
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Overview
Bypass the line and head directly to the gate with your prebooked tickets for this San Francisco Bay sightseeing cruise. This sunset cruise takes you across the bay with outstanding views of the city skyline, Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and Alcatraz Island. Relax while background music sets the tone. Watch the sunset or select a city lights cruise during winter months.
- Soak up views of the skyline, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge from the water
- Sail below the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge for unique perspectives
- Save time and bypass tickets lines by prebooking
- Onboard amenities include restroom and cozy bar for refreshments
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
There's no audio narration, making this a more relaxing cruise experience.
What's Included
- 2- hour sunset cruise (summer months) or city lights cruise (winter months) of San Francisco Bay
- "Straight to the gate" access
- Restrooms: Access to clean and convenient restrooms during your cruise.
- Gratuities
- Full bar is available onboard to purchase drinks and snacks.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- San Francisco Cruises (Red and White Fleet)Pier 43 1/2, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
Please enter in Google Maps: "Red and White Fleet" or "Pier 43 1/2, San Francisco" for exact location and directions. Pier 43 ½ ticket booth (corner of Taylor Street and the Embarcadero) Please come to our location 20 minutes prior to departure.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Make your way to the pier at Fisherman's Wharf in time for your chosen departure time (depending on the season). Listen to relaxing background music and watch the sights pass by on San Francisco Bay.
All cruise vessels operate on bio-diesel — a renewable energy source — and offer heated indoor spaces or outdoor viewing decks. There is no assigned seating or formal dress required during this casual, relaxing evening cruise.
Sunset Bay Cruise: If you embark during late March through early November, you’ll watch the sun setting over the the Pacific Ocean as you cruise toward the Marin Headlands and past the Golden Gate Bridge. Glide past Alcatraz, Angel Island and the San Francisco Bay Bridge.. On your return to Fisherman's Wharf you'll see many more notable sights, including the Presidio, the Marina District and Fort Mason.
City Lights Cruise: In the winter, the cruise makes the most of San Francisco’s spectacular city lights on a twilight tour. After the sun sets over the horizon, you'll glide past San Francisco's modern skyscrapers, historic landmarks, the infamous Alcatraz Island and both the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge. Enjoy the illuminated skyline — an unmissable San Francisco view.
All cruise vessels operate on bio-diesel — a renewable energy source — and offer heated indoor spaces or outdoor viewing decks. There is no assigned seating or formal dress required during this casual, relaxing evening cruise.
Sunset Bay Cruise: If you embark during late March through early November, you’ll watch the sun setting over the the Pacific Ocean as you cruise toward the Marin Headlands and past the Golden Gate Bridge. Glide past Alcatraz, Angel Island and the San Francisco Bay Bridge.. On your return to Fisherman's Wharf you'll see many more notable sights, including the Presidio, the Marina District and Fort Mason.
City Lights Cruise: In the winter, the cruise makes the most of San Francisco’s spectacular city lights on a twilight tour. After the sun sets over the horizon, you'll glide past San Francisco's modern skyscrapers, historic landmarks, the infamous Alcatraz Island and both the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge. Enjoy the illuminated skyline — an unmissable San Francisco view.
1
San Francisco Cruises
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Golden Gate Bridge (Pass By)
San Francisco Bay (Pass By)
Marina District (Pass By)
Fort Mason Center (Pass By)
Coit Tower (Pass By)
Salesforce Tower (Pass By)
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (Pass By)
Yerba Buena Island (Pass By)
Treasure Island (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Please come to our location 20 minutes prior to the departure time.
- This cruise is not narrated. If you would like to learn more about San Francisco, we suggest taking one of our narrated cruises such as the Golden Gate Bay Cruise or the San Francisco Bridge to Bridge Cruise.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 300 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
The experience was wonderful and I’d recommend for anyone looking for a sunset cruise. It was a beautiful sunny day, so an incredible sunset. Lots of space on the ship we were on and indoor heated spaces on the ground and first floor, for when it got a bit too cold on the top floor. Special thanks to the crew on board who were kind and helpful.
Reviews
4.5
based on 2,172 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
258 reviews
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Travelers praise the close-up views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Bay Bridge, along with stunning natural and urban scenery, especially at sunset and night. The boat offers a comfortable, spacious, and clean environment with appreciated amenities like hot drinks, a well-stocked bar, and charging outlets. Food and beverage options receive positive remarks for quality and value. While the relaxed pacing suits most, some find the two-hour duration too long due to idle periods.
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Nice experience with amazing team. The view was so good and mesmerizing. The ride was a smooth sail.
Amazing experience. The cruise sails on time and good views on all the levels of the cruise. If you end up sitting on the top most open deck make sure to layer up as it gets chilly especially for the sunset cruise.
Relaxing tour. Slow boat ride around the bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge. At different times, the history of different sites was described. The ship and rest room very clean.
Our experience was fantastic. The night temperature was cool and the sunset was perfect. The crew was amazing and let us sit in the captains chair. What a great way to see San Francisco. I would do it again and again. I would say it is #1 on any bucket list!
"Breathtaking views all around! The cruise sails under the Golden Gate Bridge, loops past the islands, and showcases the sparkling night skyline."
We enjoyed our tour, although we didn't see much of a sunset. That's on Mother Nature, not on the cruise. Spectacular views!
It get's chilly out on the water, so bring the necessary items. BUT it was AMAZING!! Will absolutely do this again on our next visit!!
I had an amazing time. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I'll definitely be booking another one soon.
I was expecting more narration about what we were seeing. There was something being played on the speaker but the boat mufflers were so loud you couldn't hear anything. Basically it was just a boat ride..
A great way to see the iconic bridges and the lights of the city. It was foggy and windy but still a great experience. Dress in layers to be prepared.
It was very fun! They played great music and the view was beautiful. The boat is clean, the bathrooms are nice, and the bar was great. It wasn't crowded and there were a lot of good options to sit.
It was a beautiful tour, just make sure you have a sweater or jacket out on the bay. I enjoyed the view very much. It so peaceful overlooking the skyline.
Really nice trip, really nice to see the city at night, the sun set, beautiful views!
Perfect time for pics
I was late by 5 minutes and the ship had already left. I was stuck in traffic. Email states to arrive 20 minutes early and it leaves right at 6:30. I’ve taken boat rides before and there’s always about a 10 minute waiting period. Not this one. I was all the way over on the other side of town and with traffic I was still late. Didn’t get to get on. They put me on one that had the jaws movie playing and it didn’t even do the tour. I didn’t care about the movie and I wish the lady assisting the window would have told me it wasn’t a tour.
You can explore whole San Francisco’s night city and it is really beautiful and awesome. I really recommend this tour. But you have to pack a lot of clothes. It’s a little bit cold in night!
Very enjoyable and peaceful. Harbour lights were amazing to see at night. Even got to see a whale before sun went down!
Had an awesome time! Bring a jacket gets chilly. Views were amazing! Even the rocky moment were fun and added to the experience. A must when coming to San Francisco!
Brilliant. Fantastic views of the bridge and the city.
Bring warm clothes as it can get very chilly.
Long wait in very cold weather, screaming kids all over, too much narration, too many islands. Need more sunset and golden gate and beautiful views. In a relaxed atmosphere.
The best place for pictures is up top. From the inside the windows are usually full of water splashes distorting the outcome. Other than that, the cruise was perfect.
A must do. Plan for the weather. Don’t let a little chill keep you from seeing the most beautiful sunset and the coastline….and of course the city lights. Layer up as needed. I would do this again on the next trip. Get your beverage first because the line gets long and you don’t want to miss the view.
Everything was well organized, easy to navigate on arrival, and the staff and crew were friendly and helpful.
The sunset cruise itself is a must do experience if you are visiting San Francisco. We did it on the last night of our stay, and it was the perfect way to wrap up our trip. The whole thing was amazing. Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge so close up as we sailed underneath, the beautiful sunset from just beyond, the charming evening views of Sausalito, the slightly creepy vibe as you float past Alcatraz after dark, the lights of the Oakland Bay Bridge and the stunning nighttime skyline of San Francisco, while music plays on the boat giving you a soundtrack to match the experience all felt a little surreal. There were pauses in the music for facts and history about the various landmarks as we passed which was interesting too.
It was very windy at points, and got quite chilly out on the deck, but I would say dress for the weather and catch the views from outside if you can. Come with a full cellphone battery too, you’ll be taking photos throughout guaranteed.
There were a variety of snacks and beverages available on board for purchase, which was handy as the cruise is two hours long.
Just book it, worth every penny.
It was very beautiful trip. First time seeing the city come to life at night. Loved how they would stop at certain places so pictures turned out great. Definitely recommend doing this experience.
I love the music the views. The crew was also nice. There is outlets if you bring a charger to charge your phone. Nice mini bar. Wish there was more snack variety.
Great service with wonderful views.
The crew members were super nice and very time efficient. A Great ride!
Beautiful views and great value, awesome way to experience SF and I am so glad that I did it! Recommend eating before as snacks at the bar are minimal and the timing of the sunset cruise means you aren’t eating from 6-9
SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!! Definitely recommend September because the fog was GONE the whole trip!! Everyone (staff and passengers) were so friendly!! Got amazing photos and amazing memories ❤️ 10/10 recommend
The whales are tricky to see but the cruise is still worth it. Very friendly service and informative as well.
We loved the sunset cruise! Getting up close to Alcatraz and riding beneath the Golden Gate Bridge was amazing!!
My only complaint was we couldn’t hear any of the comments as we sat inside near the snack bar. It was pretty.windy so we decided to sit inside. We couldn’t hear any of the history or comments during the trip. I did move outside but the wind made it hard to hear and be comfortable.
I’m just sad I missed what I’m sure was a lot of cool
Facts and insights!
The boat ride is a comfortable ride with three levels of seatings. I loved the ride and the history of the bay area. We circled Alcatraz Island, went under the Golden Gate Bridge, which was eerie with the fog, but way cool as well, Went past Sausalito and a few other sites. Great time. Eat before you go, there is only chips and candy for purchase on the boat. Everything is closed when you get back so that is important to know, unless In and Out or Applebee's is your jam.
Member Pricing
From
$55.10
per personWas $58.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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San Francisco City Lights Cruise
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2 hours
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