I got two boat tours - a Golden Gate tour and a Bridge to Bridge (Golden Gate to Bay Bridge) tour…read morewith the Go City Pass - 5 day All Inclusive. The Golden Gate was 1 hour, and the Bridge to Bridge was 1.5 hours. The Bridge to Bridge has few times, so check their website to find one that works for your schedule. On the boat, there is a bar, popcorn, and snacks you can buy. There is a bathroom, although I didn't use it. There are several floors and the lowest floor with the bar has tables. As you enter, if you need the narration in another language, get the headset. By default, over the loudspeaker is English. The first boat trip I did was more crowded on the top deck with more people talking loudly, so I missed about 1/4th of the narration. The volume was never too loud or painful, but with people talking loudly, you will miss it unless you move closer to the speaker. Biggest tips: Wear a jacket and dress warmly if you plan to sit on the top, open air deck. It is extremely windy. Also, having a hair tie is helpful, so you don't have hair blowing in your face. It can be pretty smooth but by the Bay Bridge, the wind makes the water rougher, so you may want to take a motion sickness medicine if you are sensitive. Staff was friendly from the ticket booth to the people at the end telling your goodbye. Nice boat tour!

We purchased tickets from Groupon and they were the cheapest bay cruises from…read moreanything I could find. It was just like the other ones we've taken too. This took about an hour or a little longer. You go under the Golden Gate Bridge and then pass by Alcatraz on your way back. There's even a recording playing telling you what landmarks are across and near you aid gives you a little back story of things. Overall; a must do!

A+ to my Bestie for finding out about these port of Oakland Harbour tour tickets…read more We arrived at 5:45-ish and they were already about 100 people in front of us so we were a bit iffy on if we would be able to make it onto the ship or not... but to my surprise, we were able to. Of course, with stand-up space only (some seats were still available on the inside) This cruise was very informative on what's going on in the harbor... really enjoyable and I can tell that The tour speakers love their job. Great views! Does get a bit chilly, but you're in the bay so of course. Got much closer to the Baybridge than I was expecting. Great experience and I would love to go again

Every season, the Port of Oakland offers free 90-minute tours if the port in the Red and White…read moreFerry. I just happened to go on the dirt one this year. The weather was perfect and it was a fun, engaging experience. They narrate most of the ride out, pointing out significant ships and places along the channel. You pass Alameda, sail over BART, glide under the Bay Bridge, and cruise by Angel Island. If you listen, you will definitely learn something new. The best place to sit or stand is on the right (facing Oakland). I was inside, because I needed to sit, but there was easy access to the back of the boat. I got some great pics. There is also easy access to the snack bar. They have candy, chips, soda, and other snackables. The surprise offering was cup of noodles, which seemed really popular. They did a brisk business the whole trip. The best parts for me were the cranes, seeing the bridge up close, and check your the lighthouse on Angel Island, particularly the cranes. Shout to George Lucas. He claims the cranes weren't the inspiration for the imperial walkers on Hoth. We all know better. Anyway, be prepared to stand in line a bit before boarding (like at least 1/2 an hour), lots of people, and lots of kids. It seemed popular with families. Time seemed approximate. The tour started "late" and ended a bit late. Nothing too obscene, just don't plan anything immediately following. The tours are popular, so sign up early. Again, it's free, and it's pretty delightful. Definitely recommended.

This was my first using the Ferry from Oakland to San Francisco. For only $4.50 and 30 minute ride,…read moreI went from the East Bay to the SF Embarcadero. OMG how easy it was to navigate the ferry. Tip: Download the SF Ferry App to save time & get schedules. Upper & Lower deck seating. Indoor or deck seating. Plenty of tables, bankette seating. Place for strollers, bicycles. Snack bar that serves alcohol like wine, beer & mimosas to small snacks. The view to San Francisco is beautiful arriving & departing Gate G. The closest street is Mission. When you arrive it's easy to get on the Muni system, a trolley, a tour bus, or an Uber/Lyft. If you're going to SF Giants game or the Chase Center, there's a special events Ferry for that. Don't worry if your event ends late, the special events ferry will take you back to Alameda &!Oakkand. Study the schedules to plant plenty enough time to travel. For example. I arrived at Gate G and I was going to The Presidio District. There's a free Go shuttle, but it takes about 40 minutes to get there with all the stops. If you're running short on time, grab a taxi or an Uber to drop you off quicker. Since then, I have taken the Ferry four more times. Why did I wait so long. Next is the BART system. See you some more on Yelp 2026

Highly enjoyed the ferry trip from Oakland to San Francisco. I couldn't believe how quick the ride…read morewas. They have a lovely bar inside the boat where we ordered drinks. The ride is smooth and fun. It's a great and reasonably priced option to get from Oakland to San Francisco and/or back to Oakland.

We got a combo tour through these folks since the ones directly from the alcatraz site were sold…read moreout. Ordered online, and price was reasonable compared to many others I looked at. The small shop is a bit tricky to find - it's behind the other shops out toward the water on the dock. Ticket pick up went flawlessly, and the fellow at the booth was careful to instruct us well on what to do at the pier where the alcatraz boats are. This ticket booth is a few piers from there, but not super far - an easy walk. We got a combo with a bus tour which we also used, so all in all, it felt worth the money.

I chose this cruise for my family that was visiting from the east coast. The boat offers a full…read morebar, snacks and bathrooms. The 1.5hr cruise takes you on a scenic route from the GG bridge to the Bay bridge. There is a narrator that gives a multitude of historic facts as you pass specific landmarks. It was a great experience and glad we chose this option!

Went Two days before Christmas. They have a Santa handing out a Santa hat to everyone and then they…read morehave small toys for the kids to keep them occupied. The audio devices given for free are educational and good. Great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Brusge. A little bit pricey at the gate price. If you get City pass, then it's reasonable. Note that if you have city pass and have a child pass, you don't need to get a pass if your child is under 5 years old.

Easiest and cost effective way to see the Bay…read more Use a clipper card and travel from the San Francisco Ferry Building to Oakland / Alameda. It is a relatively quick tour with wonderful views of downtown San Francisco skyline, Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge. I use the word 'tour', but this is a commuter ferry. Be on the lookout for wildlife. I love the accompanying birds, especially the occasional squadron of pelicans. Once I even saw a dolphin while the sun set behind the skyscrapers. Both the San Francisco Ferry Building and Jack London Square have loads of restaurants and cafes. Bring a jacket and sunglasses to better enjoy the outside experience. The chairs inside are comfortable with large windows to enjoy the sights.

This was our first time going to San Francisco on the ferry and it was an excellent experience…read more There was plenty of parking on a Saturday morning. We arrived early and waited in our car until we noticed that a queue had formed to board, so we got in line. There was no need for urgency as the ferry we boarded was less than 1/2 full. We both have Clipper Cards so it was easy to present our cards to one of the card readers. Once you heard the tones, you could walk up the ramp to board. We sat on the upper level on the outbound and on the lower level on the return trip. Both ferries left on time and the crew was friendly. The rides were relatively smooth, and it beat the bejeebers out of driving into The City.

The Bay City Guide works great for me for a few reasons. First of all the maps, especially the…read moredetailed Union Square and Golden Gate park maps, are great for explaining things to tourists and locals alike as they are very up to date and easy to read. The information inside the guide is simple but useful, it highlights neighborhoods in SF that tourists wouldn't normally even think about and this is important for tourists who want to get the full SF experience. Lastly, and this might sound odd, but I like the ads. IT highlights locals businesses that I wouldnt have normally thought about, and I like when money in San Francisco is recycled within the city, it creates long term relationships between vendors and local businesses. Great guides, thanks being a great part of our local hospitality culture!

My review also relates to the Alcatraz, Open Sky city tour and Chinatown Walking Tour, all booked…read moreas a package for $87. In the city for the weekend, we booked the tour on Saturday and were told to check in at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday. At that time, the gentleman at the desk told us that we would take the ferry to Alcatraz at 11:00 a.m., the city tour at 3:00 p.m. and the walking tour at 5:00 p.m. The Alcatraz portion went fine. We had a couple hours to kill after that, and then went and took the city tour. As another reviewer mentioned, the bus is a school bus (stickers for school bus rules still attached at the front of the bus) with its top cut off. The seats/benches are not precisely built for comfort! I have re-named this portion the Psychedelic Bus Tour because it was so bizarre. We, too, had Timber as our guide, an aging hippy who was apparently a professional photographer (and insists you let him take your photos if you want them to turn out well), a bit actor and now a tour guide. The tour was unintentionally hilarious -- and would have remained so throughout the three long hours had one been drunk or perhaps on 'shrooms; however, after two hours everyone on the bus was looking for an escape route. First of all, the only stops we made were at the Palace of Fine Arts and the Golden Gate bridge, both of which occurred within the first 30 mins of the tour. We were then regaled with the driver's stream of consciousness ramblings about anything from a new bike trail ("Oh, wow, I hadn't noticed that before!") to comments about pretty young women on the street (all spoken over the loudspeaker so that the women in question could undoubtedly hear as well) to police activity near the Disney museum ("Look at that -- three police cars! I wonder what's going on there. We definitely don't want to stop here!") We were also subjected to his politically incorrect sociological views, such as the "fact" that there are "10-12 reasons" that people become homeless (this as we were stopped at a light in front of Golden Gate park where said homeless were happily smoking pot) and, while driving through Chinatown, the observation that one thing the Chinese know well is capitalism! Ah, and we were also introduced to a transgender club (with a warning to the gentlemen that pretty ladies might not be ladies at all) and a topless club. And there were children on the bus!!! Lest I forget, in the middle of the Golden Gate bridge, on went the radio to a local 70's/80's station and we were 'treated' to such best-forgotten hits as Janet Jackson's "Nasty Boys" and Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight". I'm telling you, a drunk would have had a blast on this tour; me, being all too sober, not so much! As for the walking tour, well, how were we supposed to be there at 5:00 p.m. when the bus tour lasted over three hours??? We were dropped off at 6:15 p.m. and had obviously missed it. Since we left San Francisco that same night, there was no way to do it on another day. In fact, we weren't even told that we could do it another day, which strikes me as rather unethical, seeing as how the man we originally checked in with had to have known that the bus tour was 3 hours long and would overlap with the walking tour. All in all, I'd recommend that others book the tours separately. The bus tour definitely isn't for families, but a group of college age kids or single (drunk) adults might get a kick out of the guide's bizarre ramblings.

I booked the behind the scenes tour, which came with the night tour. It was fascinating honestly…read more Learned a lot of history for sure. The only downside was the rough waters on the way in, but the rest (the guides, the audio tour, the sights) were fantastic.

Great tour of Alcatraz! All the employees were super friendly, the park rangers in the island were…read moregreat! It is an amazing experience to see Alcatraz and see the conditions the inmates live in! What a great trip down history lane.