The ferry ride from Sausalito to San Francisco Ferry was recently named the second most exciting ferry ride in the world in a poll of professional travel writers conducted by the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW).
Views of the San Francisco skyline from Sausalito’s waterfront are stunning, and they get even better when on a ferry ride to the City. The ferries from Sausalito to San Francisco dock in downtown Sausalito at Humboldt and Anchor Streets. Photo by Joel Williams
SATW members had high praise for the ferry ride. Eric Lindberg, a freelance travel writer and photographer, said, “Crossing San Francisco Bay on a sunny afternoon, with Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge to the right, the Berkeley Hills to the left, and that glorious San Francisco skyline looming ahead; all that’s missing is a bar of Ghirardelli Chocolate and a warm loaf of sourdough bread.” For the budget-conscious traveler, freelance writer John Flinn noted, “The San Francisco-Sausalito ferry follows almost the same route as the more expensive tour boats.”
Ferries from Sausalito to San Francisco are operated by Golden Gate Ferry and the Blue and Gold Fleet. Golden Gate Ferry operates nine departures a day from the Ferry Building and Sausalito, with a one-way fare of $7.45, while the Blue and Gold Fleet operates four to five departures per day from Pier 41 and Sausalito, with a one-way fare of $9.50. The ferries dock in downtown Sausalito at Humboldt and Anchor Streets.
“Public and private ferry boats provide an inexpensive alternative to cruises, often traversing some of the world’s most beautiful harbors, fiords, rivers and waterways at bargain prices,” said SATW President Bea Broda.
In terms of the other entries on the list, Hong Kong’s Star Ferry came in first, with a writer noting that “a ride aboard Hong Kong’s Star Ferry is crammed with views and people to create the cheapest multi-cultural, multi-sensory cruise experience in the world.” New York’s beloved Staten Island Ferry came in third; “Busy and bustling New York City shows you an entirely different, more romantic side when you’re viewing it from the water,” one SATW member wrote.
Other west coast entries included the Washington State Ferries from Puget Sound to the San Juan Islands and the British Columbia Ferry System that connects the City of Vancouver with Vancouver Island. Rounding out the list were the ferry from the Sydney Harbor to Manly in Australia, the ferry system of the Greek Islands, the Alaska State Ferry System, the ferry ride from Flam to Gudvangen in Norway and the ferry from Mallaig to the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
