Of all the times I've been to the Bay/Oakland, I've never taken the Ferry until now. If you've…read morenever been and not sure how it works, let me tell you what to do to make it way easier on yourself on your first Ferry ride. 1. Download the app SF Bay Ferry 2. Look at the schedules. Tip if you're taking the Ferry to the SF Giants game, look for the baseball next to the schedule. This Ferry line drops you off right at the ballpark with very little walking. 3. After the game, look for the Special Events Ferry, that takes you back to Alameda/Oakland after your late night event. 4. Pay via apple pay or load your credit card 5. Cost is $4.00 That's It! Super Easy When arriving in San Francisco, you'll arrive at Gate G which is close to Mission Street. There is a Marketplace at the Embarcadero with shops, restaurants, cafes, and photo ops. The ride was quicker than I thought and the breeze and views are way cool. I got some great shots. There's a lower and upper deck on the Ferry and concessions on the lower level that serve alcohol, coffee, soda, specialty drinks and snacks. There is a place for bikes but be educated knowing that passengers with bikes are the last to embark and depart off the Ferry. Staying in Oakland is way better and taking the Ferry to SF is fast and convenient. Feel free to add me as a friend and follow for more reviews and travel tips. See you some more on Yelp 2026

The ferry ride itself in both directions was great…read more Information desk at the ferry building in SF is useless, you ask questions and they answer all defensive, simply wanted to know which gate to use and dude caught an attitude like I accused him of sending me somewhere incorrect when I simply asked which gate to get back to Harbor Bay. Someone needs a new job, clearly unhappy with his, I witnessed him speak to everyone with a question in the same a**hole condescending tone

First yelp post: Loved the Bay Cruise, easy to book, has beautiful views and a bar on board with…read morebeverages and snacks for kids and adults. My husband and I took our two sons who have never been on a boat before and they had a blast until one got sea sick! Fortunately their deckhand Quinn was there to help us through the whole ordeal and went above and beyond. I can tell he really care about the safety and wellbeing of each person riding and made our sons feel comfortable through the remainder of the cruise. We will definitely be back to bring more family on. Highly recommend going on the bay cruise if you are a first time boat rider and want a good history lesson of landmarks throughout the bay.

Great customer service from the entire crew going and returning from Sausalito…read more Especially Valentino who was friendly and welcoming! The ride is pretty smooth and less than 30 minutes. Great view of the Golden Gate Bridge!

We had a great evening, my daughter and granddaughter were visiting from Mississippi and my…read moregrandaughter's wish was to see the lights of a big city at night, so I took her and my daughter on the 2 hour night cruise..It was such fun and Thomas one of the employees of Red and white was extremely helpful and amusing, he also took great pics of us..the view were spectacular.the company was great and wishes were fulfilled good times..

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!

My Husband and I were looking for an activity with the kiddos and also to celebrate our middle…read morechild's birthday. My husband bought the tickets online to the ferry that would bring us to Angel Island where we can watch the fireworks. Luckily public parking was half a mile from the ferry, we brought a cart to put in our chairs, blankets, snacks and pizza that we got from one of the nearby businesses. The crew was nice, helpful and efficient especially when loading the ferry with customers and holding people and ancillary staff. They were very accommodating with people needing assistance with their canes, walkers, and other passengers were kind enough to help accommodate those who needed seating most. Great experience, quick trip to the island, and we had fun with the kids.

Third ferry experience over 6 Years and I must say they stop manage to impress. Something went…read morewrong when I booked this in December 2025 for May 2026. It has the date of April 30th. I called their hotline and left a voicemail the day of (1 hour before take off). We then get their 30 minutes before, I run down and hassle a crew member, and they say we can just rebook you. No doubt, the person checking our tickets said, okay, I can just rebook you. 45 seconds of swiping and he got us set up. This level of going over the top for customer satisfaction is beyond compare. Thank you to this wonderful team!

My son and I made a day trip to Alcatraz island and it was a very enjoyable experience. I do agree…read morethat it's a little pricey but if you spend a solid 2-3+ hours there, I think it's worth it. Pros: + The staff were incredibly kind and helpful. + Once you get on the island and go through the 5 minute orientation from the NPS ranger, you're free to roam about. + The audio-guided tour is actually REALLY good. It was my first time and I thought it would be cheesy but it was engrossing and informative. + Restrooms were very clean and not crowded (at least not the guy's restroom). + There are some truly AMAZING views of the bay. Bring a travel-safe camera. Neutral: ~ There's restrictions on food and drink (only bottled water is allowed in the majority of the park). So plan ahead. ~ San Francisco traffic is real and kinda sucks. Plan ahead for delays. ~ A good portion of the park is outdoors (which isn't a negative but means that it's impacted by the weather). It gets super windy so plan ahead and dress appropriately. Cons: - The price is indeed a little high. I don't think I'd go here all the time. Once every couple years is probably fine. - A friend told me that there's a LOT of bird poop around and they were right. It's not enough to impact walking but does detract from the experience slightly.

Poor Service Experience with Alcatraz City Cruises…read more I'm writing this review to share my experience with the company's customer service, specifically around their cancellation policy. We were excited to book a trip through Alcatraz City Cruises on 6/16/26. Unfortunately, a family emergency forced me to cancel our trip to San Francisco, including this tour. I cancelled through the confirmation link in my email on 6/19 -- well within the 72-hour window required for a full refund, since the event itself wasn't until 6/26. The website showed my reservation as cancelled, so I stepped away to deal with the family emergency. In my rush, I never went back to check for a separate cancellation confirmation email, since the site had already shown the cancellation as complete. That was my mistake -- but it led to a frustrating outcome: I was charged for the tickets on the day of the event anyway. I didn't catch the charge until I reviewed my bank statement at the start of the following month. I called four times and couldn't reach a live person. When I finally got through to a representative, my request for a refund was denied. I asked again for the decision to be reviewed, but the agent refused, saying they would not look into it further. I understand that not confirming the cancellation via email was an oversight on my part. But the website clearly showed the reservation as cancelled, and we never used the tickets. Given that the cancellation was initiated well within the refund window, I would have expected more flexibility from customer service -- not an automatic denial. Dissapointed in this company and would not book through them again. Unfortantely, they did come up as one of the recommended companies to book through due to other scams and fake sites, but beware

I heard rumblings about the Richmond Ferry but I didn't realize it was officially in service on…read moreweekends to the Ferry Building until recently. Roundtrip for two was under $20 and the ride was around 30 minutes or so. The staff were all incredibly helpful for our first ride to SF during an evening with a kiddo. They gave us a pamphlet that has weekday/weekend times for future rides, and I noticed they have a 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' program that leaves from Richmond to an upcoming Giant's Game & back. There's plenty of parking (non metered) and even a Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park to explore if arriving early to the area. There's also a Columbia outlet (you can get a complimentary pass) from visiting the Park for entry there too. Not sure if the pickle ball at the Craneway Pavilion is still in action, it wasn't during our recent trip..or the restaurant Assemble either. If anyone has updates on that, feel free to share with me too! All in all, such a convenient way to enjoy a SF happy hour and dinner, with beautiful views on the adventure there/back. Also, there's snacks on the ferry AND drinks like seltzers, beer, wine, and spirits for purchase. So if you're looking to have a cheers during sunset on the boat, you can do that too! There's several times for the weekend ferry, I would do a bit of research ahead of time. We didn't have clipper cards to add money onto, so we purchased our roundtrip tickets once we boarded onto the boat with the staff. You pay/they print your roundtrip ticket that you keep with you for the return boat back. What a way to travel! Until next time...

The Richmond Ferry is one of the hidden gem of Bay Area transport. In about a half hour, you can…read morecruise across the bay to the Ferry Building without the stress of fighting highway traffic and bay bridge congestion. There's plenty of free parking at the Richmond ferry terminal, and once you are aboard, you can relax, get coffee from the concession onboard, or pull out your laptop and use the free wifi. The views across the bay are gorgeous on a sunny day. You sail by Angel Island, Treasure Island, Alcatraz Island, with the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge as the backdrop. Best of all, for 2024, the Friday service is free from November 1st until year end! What a great way to play tourist for a day.

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.

The best way to go to The City for the day! So relaxing and beautiful! So much better than sitting…read morein traffic on the Bay Bridge, then trying to find parking when you get there. It was a lovely sunshiny day. We could see the traffic completely stalled on the bridge. Easy boarding with the Clipper app. Nice cross section of humanity sharing the ride. The ferry has a great dependable schedule so no stress catching the ferry back that night. A nice day playing tourist complete with a Ghirardelli sundae. Can't get better than that!

Date: 6/7/2025 Time: 11:05 AM 59° Cloudy…read more I don't know what happened to my review from almost 12 years ago. I have ridden this ferry in the summer of 2013 when BART went on strike. The ferry was my mode of transportation from Alameda to SF and return. Ahh...quite an enjoyable commute on the weekdays. Even though the fare was more than traveling by BART, my preference was to travel above water than under the San Francisco Bay. On a BART train there is no restroom facility and a snack bar. My evening commute to Alameda was relaxing and mellow with a Kahlua and cream in hand. The Main Street Terminal is about 10 minutes from home. That was such an easy commute home. Arrival time for the ferry was at 11 AM, Alameda. The purpose of my visit was a Juneteenth event in plaza area. The one way trip to SF took almost an hour, but it was well worth it. In quite a distance away, a bunch of us passengers saw a hump back whale. That was quite a sight. I couldn't pull my cell phone fast enough for a photo. It has been several years I boarded at the Main Street Terminal. I believe the one way fare is about $4.70. There will be more ferry rides in the future.

Friendly crew, great little boat inside and outside were clean and well painted. Drinks were…read morereasonable and the trip was fun.

Great experience! Very relaxing! The owners were very personable and we spent some time talking…read moreabout all things San Francisco!

1 of 2 reviews, as this ferry has two Yelp Listings…read more My favorite of the 3 ferries. Quality/Quantity - Local business ferry, one of 3 in Alameda! Only available on weekdays. Well sometimes they offer special ferries for the Giants or Warriors games in SF. Atmosphere - Beautiful. I hike/bike here at times as well. Plenty of parking, 250 spaces, no overnight parking allowed. 20 bike racks available, the ferry is bike friendly as well. 24 bike lockers available. AC Transit = 21 line. Public restrooms, don't expect much. Service - 5 stars. My favorite form of travel, especially with the continued discounted price. It has gone back up slightly, but still very affordable. Thank you. Approximately 20 minutes to get to SF. Also, since I have lived in Alameda, the ferry service has always been on time. This ferry, similar to Sea Plane, operates only Monday to Friday. So if you go on a weekend, you need to take the main ferry. Price - $4.70 one way with a clipper card. Still almost 50% off versus pre-pandemic prices, thank you. Also just discovered the main ferry only cost $1 to go to Jack London Square; so why am I still driving to the Rosenblum winery??? Wait, I also just discovered a free water taxi and I can't wait to try that! Main Island ferry special event tickets - $10.75 to Chase Center. Owner Comment - Thanks for having a ferry on the south side of the island! So much better than having to drive to SF.

This is one of the best trips you can take in the Bay Area. Wonderful scenery. Round-trip turn key…read moreservice. If you need a couple of relaxing hours of ocean front views - on the way/back to/from SF and the pier; you won't be let down. Wear warm clothes and sit on deck.