San Francisco Waterfront Guide Details

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Road biking - Walking - Sightseeing

Easy: 1 hour

Overview: Water surrounds San Francisco on three sides, but the shoreline between the Golden Gate and Bay bridges gets all the attention. It's well deserved.

Something charming or funky or eye-popping pops up every few yards along these six miles of San Francisco Bay beachfront. Even the mobs of rubber-neckers at Fisherman's Wharf (a Grade A tourist Trap if there ever was one) can't spoil the experience.

For my money the best way to see the waterfront is on an urban hike: a 12-mile out-and-back from Ferry Plaza to Fort Point, next to the Golden Gate Bridge. It's all flat, with fog and ocean breezes cooling you the whole way. Saner folks rent bicycles, and some ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and return via ferry.

Tips: What to bring:
Sunscreen: there's no shade.
Layers, especially a windbreaker. Average temperature at the waterfront is 62 degrees, and that's with damp breezes blowing in off the Bay.
Binoculars
Camera

Though San Francisco has miles of sidewalks and bike lanes, you're still out there in big-city traffic. Travel defensively.
Golden Gate Bridge is best crossed on a bike, especially if you have fear-of-heights issues. The bridge is my favorite Bay Area landmark, but I still find that crossing it on foot is noisy, gusty, chilly and generally obnoxious.
If you rent a bike, pay close attention to everything you sign and beware of companies trying to hit you in the wallet with upgrades, ferry rides and other services.
Summer can be the coldest time to see San Francisco, while September and October can be the hottest. April is the best month to go.

Ferry Building Marketplace

The variety of consumables at the Ferry Building Marketplace is simply amazing (there's even a Sur la Table to stock up on kitchen supplies). While the Farmers Market is the main attraction for San Franciscans looking for locally grown fruit and vegetables, the rest of the Ferry Marketplace features restaurants, cafes, coffee and tea, wines, pastry and ice cream. You'll need a long walk or bike ride to burn off all those calories. Location: Embarcadero and Market Street, under the Clock Tower. Open seven days a week.

Alcatraz

The Rock, whose famed federal prison hosted such ruffians as Al Capone and Bird Man Robert Stroud over its 29-year run, remains atop many visitors' to-do lists. That means you have to plan ahead and reserve a spot on one of the ferries that run out to the island from Pier 33. Get all the facts at http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

Fisherman's Wharf

It's elbow-to-elbow with tourists at the Wharf, where the kitsch is as common as the barking of sea lions that hang out nearby. Even so, it's a fine place to dine on fresh seafood, check out the chocolates at Ghirardelli Square or see underwater life at the Aquarium of the Bay. Open 24/7, though restaurants and attractions have more limited hours. Starts at Pier 39.

The Golden Gate Bridge

It's just a tall red structure to convey people over the narrow opening of San Francisco Bay. And the Sistine Chapel is just a church with pretty paintings on the ceiling. If you do nothing else while in San Francisco, you have to find your way to the Golden Gate Bridge. The towers holding the bridge deck alone are one of the most impressive things ever built. The view from the bridge is unforgettable, though to the bridge is best appreciated from a distance where you can see the whole thing. Fort Point, just to the east, is one of the best. Walking on the sidewalk is not allowed after dark; see http://goldengatebridge.org/bikesbridge/bikes.php for bicycle rules, which are also posted at the bridge.

Historic ships

History buffs can catch a break from the crowds at the Maritime National Park, where you can tour vessels running the gamut from 19th century tall ships to a submarine and "liberty ship" from the World War II era. The park is behind Fisherman's Wharf -- just look for the masts or Pier 45. Open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Photos: AT&T Park, Alcatraz from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, Alcatraz from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, Container ship in San Francisco Bay, San Francisco skyline from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, Golden Gate Bridge from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, San Francisco skyline from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, Golden Gate Bridge from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, San Francisco skyline from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, San Francisco skyline from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, Coit Tower from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, San Francisco skyline from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, Kayakers in McCovey Cove, Joe fishes out a Fred Lewis Splash hit, Home plate, Manually operated scoreboards, Left fiel, Doggie Diner, Arriving at Ferry Building, P1020383, Ferry Building from Sausalito-Ferry Building ferry, Rock sculptures, Venice, Irish Yoga, San Francisco skyline, San Francisco skyline, Crissy Field, Golden Gate Bridge, Palace of Fine Arts and fire truck, Tree canopy, Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Mason, Alcatraz Island, My beat up rental from Blazing Saddles, Golden Gate Bridge, Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Bridge, Parking Services, Architectural detail, Elephant statues at Plaza Vina del Mar, Hanging out in downtown Sausalito, Bay Bridge and Alcatraz, Mural in Sausalito, San Francisco skyline with sailboat, Biking the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, Flags at Pier 39