san francisco yacht cruise

Celebrate on San Francisco Bay

Private Yacht Charters  on San Francisco Bay!  Corporate events, birthdays, proms, grad nights & more!!!

Celebrate on the Bay

Don’t Wait To Book Your San Francisco Bay Yacht Charter

“We had a such a wonderful event! With so many choices on San Francisco Bay I chose YACHTSF.COM for our yacht charter and dinner cruise because they were so responsive and informative and helped me plan every step of the way. Thanks so much for your help.”

– Lyn Rubach

I never realized how spectacular the sights are on San Francisco Bay . This is an event I will remember forever.

San Francisco Bay’s fantastic views including San Francisco city skyline Golden Gate Bridge – Alkatraz – Sausalito Tiburon – Angel Island – Raccoon Straights the Bay Bridge – and more

Boat & Yacht charters, Dinner & Brunch cruises, High School Prom & Project Grad Events, Birthday & Corporate Events.

San Francisco Bay Boat Cruises

Bay area cruises from san francisco.

Discover our intimate, family-owned cruise company nestled at Pier 39, right by Fisherman’s Wharf, offering a unique San Francisco Bay experience. Indulge in our thoughtfully curated wine selection, a full bar, and a variety of non-alcoholic options, perfect for unwinding while exploring the bay. Embark on a captivating sightseeing journey with our public daytime or sunset cruises, or elevate your experience with a private charter tailored just for you!

Choose Your Activity!

• Most Popular!
• User All Ages
• Hour Glass 1.5 Hours

Public SF Bay Cruises

Enjoy the rich history, colorful culture, and breathtaking scenery of the city as our professional tour guides take you on an amazing adventure. Join us now!

• Hour Glass 2 Hours
• Users Up to 30 Passengers

Private Charter

Upgrade your trip to San Francisco with a private charter that suits your tastes. Select a private charter and set out on an adventure that suits your needs!

• Departing from Pier 39
• See the Golden Gate Bridge
• Get up close to Alcatraz
• Cruise the city by the bay
• Use interactive map to click on icons for more information.
• Yellow is our 90 minute Public tour
• Red is our 2 Hour Private tour
• Route is subject to change due to weather or sea traffic. Our captain always chooses the safest most comfortable route.

Explore the Fun in San Francisco Bay Boat Cruises! ★★★★★

We had a fantastic time viewing San Francisco from the water! We got to see the golden gate bridge and Alcatraz - all while drinking to delicious wine. The crew is phenomenal and we had such a great time. I highly recommend riding with them!!

We did this Wine Tasting/Boat Cruise for a team onsite and the feedback across the board was that it was the best onsite activity anyone had ever been to! The sites were incredible and Captain Evan and Brian were amazing at answering questions, pointing out whales and porpoises, and helping to keep the good times rolling! I can't recommend this tour enough!

The owner and crew are wonderful people that want everyone onboard to have a great time. The cruise was nice and leisurely and the ambiance was spectacular.

One of the best experiences my partner and I have had on vacation! Amazing views, great crew, everything was perfect. Loved that it was a smaller boat so it really felt like you're right in the water. Could not recommend more strongly!!

We had a FANTASTIC time on this boat cruise!! The folks on the boat are incredible (as is the full bar) and the views! It was a wonderful way to be a tourist while avoiding the crowds and still seeing the major sites. I actually live in the Bay and will now be recommending this tour to everyone I know. Plus you can’t beat the price!

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Sail the Magnificent San Francisco Bay

Private charters.

 Just your group and the captain and crew.

Three Excellent Yachts

3 convenient locations, all trips are private charters.

Outdoor, Fresh Air, Covid-Safe Activity.

Pet friendly.

Bring your puppy sailing!

Sailing San Francisco Bay for over 25 Years

Join us for private sailing yacht charters in San Francisco Bay with an experienced captain and crew. The captains at Captain Kirk's San Francisco Sailing have many years of experience and an accumulation of over 200,000 ocean miles.

Let us show you the beauty and thrill of sailing in San Francisco Bay. Bay Wolf, Osprey, and Mahalo are professionally-maintained yachts that sail very well in all conditions.

Your journey can begin in Sausalito or San Francisco with easy access to the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Angel Island and the San Francisco waterfront, and more. We strive to meet your desires; each trip can be as exciting, relaxing or romantic as you wish. You can actively participate in sailing the boat or simply enjoy the ride.

Fall Sailing

Come sailing!

• We are moving into the BEST part of sailing season: Fall
• Fog clears out in September – Sunshine!
• Wind lightens up from summer to perfect sailing winds
• Less fog means warmer days on the water
• We aim for “Best Day Ever” on all our trips.
• Team building, Birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations – all good reasons to sail.
• Dog and Kid friendly! Bring your child or puppy for a sail.

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Great experience sailing with Captain Kirk and crew.. great views. Great time.. a day to remember! Highly recommended

Crystal Totah 

Terrific experience sailing out of Sausalito for sunset!  Beautiful boat, engaging crew and a chance at the helm during a magnificent sunset!  How can you not love that?

Marie Gimbrone

View more of our five star reviews on YELP , TRIPADVISOR and FACEBOOK

Santa Cruz 50 - (1-20 passengers)

Length 50 ft

Sailing From: Sausalito, or San Francisco

Freedom 35 - (1-6 passengers)

Length: 35ft

Sailing From: Sausalito only

Gulf Star 50 (1-20 passengers)

Length: 50 ft

Beam: 13 ft

  © Captain Kirk's San Francisco Sailing, LLC 2021 San Francisco Sailing Charters

Links ׀ Maritime Website Design

San Francisco Bridge to Bridge Cruise

For a limited time, all San Francisco Bridge to Bridge Cruises have a Buy One, Get One (BOGO) offer for the bar! Double the delight as you sip and savor the beauty of the San Francisco Bay while toasting to memorable moments.

Our 90 minute san francisco bridge to bridge cruise gives you unbeatable views of the san francisco skyline and world famous san francisco – oakland bay bridge, as well as all the most famous sights on san francisco bay and a trip under the iconic golden gate bridge. .

Sail under both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge in one spectacular 90 minute cruise along San Francisco's dramatic waterfront, accompanied by our award winning audio narration, available in 16 languages.

Experience San Francisco's stunning landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Coit Tower, the San Francisco Ferry Building, Transamerica Pyramid, Salesforce Tower, Palace of Fine Arts and more. Our multilingual audio tour includes details about the building of both bridges, the geology of San Francisco Bay and the earthquakes that occasionally shake San Francisco. Our  Bridge to Bridge Cruise also gives you the opportunity to learn about our city's unique natural history, architecture and Native American culture.  And the views aren't bad, either!

A Long History of San Francisco Bridge to Bridge Cruises:

Red and White Fleet originally launched its sightseeing bay cruises of San Francisco in 1939, when it was awarded the contract for offering tours of the newly-built Golden Gate and Bay Bridges for the Golden Gate International Exposition.  Ever since, our Red and White cruises have sailed the waters of San Francisco Bay. For the 80th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, we reintroduced our original "Bridge to Bridge Cruise" concept to visitors from around the world, and we hope you sincerely enjoy your time aboard.

Details about the Bridge to Bridge Cruise:

Duration: 90-minutes

Availability: Year-round

Several daily departures 365 days a year

Departures from Pier 43 1/2, in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf

Full Cocktail bar and snack bar available onboard. Cash and credit card accepted.

Please arrive 30 minutes prio r to departure. Boarding on first-come, first-serve basis.

Adult (18+): $48.00

Youth (5-17): $36.00

Children ages 4 and under receive complimentary admission to Red and White Fleet cruises but need to be ticketed for capacity control.

Bridge to Bridge Route Map - 90 Minutes 

San Francisco's Top Tours

Come & enjoy a one of a kind experience.

• Ferry service to Sausalito, as well as cruise and sightseeing tickets can be purchased directly from this site and at the Box Office at PIER 39. Tickets to Harbor Bay, Main Street Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, Seaplane Lagoon, South San Francisco, Vallejo, Oracle Park and Chase Center can also be accessed on this site. General information is also available by calling 415-705-8200.
• Multi-language audio tours on the San Francisco Bay Cruise and Escape From the Rock Cruise around Alcatraz Island, are available in nine languages: English, Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, German & Taiwanese. Please bring your Wi-Fi enabled device to access the audio tour.
• Boat tours are offered daily and there are special seasonal events and charter boats available for your private event or celebration. For charter information and custom tour services, please call 415-705-8203.

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Privacy Overview

• Top SF Attractions
• Fisherman's Wharf
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Lombard Street
• Ghirardelli Square
• Golden Gate Park
• Japanese Tea Garden
• Haight Ashbury
• San Francisco Beaches
• Conservatory of Flowers
• Botanical Garden
• The Embarcadero
• California Academy of Sciences
• The Exploratorium
• de Young Art Museum
• Legion of Honor Art Museum
• Musée Mécanique
• 65 Things to Do in San Francisco
• Ride the Cable Cars
• SF Bay Cruises
• Bike the Bridge
• Go Car Tours
• Best Places to Stay in SF
• Chinese New Year
• Cherry Blossom Festival
• Christmas in SF
• Napa Wineries
• Angel Island
• Santa Cruz Boardwalk
• Whitewater Rafting
• Vintage Plane Rides
• Getting Around SF
• When to Visit SF
• Parking Tips for SF
• SF Homelessness
• Bad SF Travel Advice

By  Karen

Updated August 16, 2023.

The Best 15 Bay Cruises in San Francisco

A local's guide to cruising on san francisco bay.

Going out on the water on one of the San Francisco Bay cruises is the best way to see the stunning beauty of San Francisco Bay!

There's a San Francisco Bay boat tour for just about any taste.

How do I know which are the best San Francisco boat tours?  Having lived in San Francisco for 30 years, I’ve been on a lot of these bay tours.

We also like to take our out-of-town visitors on a San Francisco Bay cruise..always a hit!

I’ve included my own experiences and my insider tips so you can pick the best San Francisco Bay cruise for you.

And I've checked the ratings and reviews so I know other people really enjoyed them, too.

There are so many San Francisco boat tours, but which one to choose?

Here's my list of the what I think are the best ones...

This article contains affiliate links and I get a small commission if you book through them, at no additional cost to you. See disclosure policy . This helps me provide all the free information on the site. Thank you!

Don't want to read the whole article? Book this Champagne Brunch Bay Cruise. Lots of fun, highly rated! 2 hour weekend cruise.

You'll see incredible views of the San Francisco skyline , the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz   Island that you can't get on land.

The San Francisco boat tours sail past Alcatraz, Angel Island, the Ferry Building, and Coit Tower. 

You can often get a close look at the sea lions, and sometimes porpoises and whales, and you'll see the San Francisco waterfront from a very different perspective.

My Top 3 Picks: San Francisco Bay Cruises

Champagne Brunch Cruise

• Unlimited (yes) Mimosas & Sparkling Wine 
• Bountiful brunch
• See both bridges

Bridge to Bridge Bay Cruise

• Sail under both bridges
• Narrated tour
• Skip the line 

Catamaran Cruise

• Sail under the Golden Gate
• Sail around Alcatraz 
• See wildlife

I’ve listed what I think are the top 15 San Francisco Bay cruises so you can choose the one that works for you (plus some bonus extras at the end).

• Premier Champagne Brunch Cruise
• Bridge to Bridge Cruise 
• Catamaran Sailing Cruise
• San Francisco Bay Sailing Cruise
• Sunset Catamaran Cruise
• Fishing Boats at Fisherman's Wharf
• Wine Therapy Tour
• Straight to the Gate Access:   Golden Gate Bay Cruise
• San Francisco Bay   Twilight or Sunset Cruise
• America's Cup Day Sailing Adventure on San Francisco Bay
• Premier   Dinner Dance Cruise
• Straight to the Gate Access: San Francisco   Escape from the Rock Cruise
• Adventure Boat (RIB) Sightseeing
• Alcatraz Island Tours
• Sausalito Ferry            And some extras ...

Jump to maps showing the typical routes the bay cruises use .

1. San Francisco Premier Brunch Cruise

Rating: 5/5 stars.   2 hours.   See current availability & rates . 

Sail around San Francisco Bay while sipping mimosas and sparkling wine (Champagne, unofficially) and enjoying a sumptuous brunch. Treat yourself to a lovely weekend cruise.

This is a super fun boat ride all around the Bay, sailing under both the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridges, past Alcatraz Island and along the San Francisco waterfront. 

Enjoy great views of the San Francisco city skyline, Chrissy Field, Aquatic Park, and the Palace of Fine Arts, while listening to live music, from the comfort of a classy ship.

Because it goes under both bridges, you also cruise past the Ferry Building and McCovey Cove (Oracle Park baseball).

2. San Francisco Bridge to Bridge Tour

4.5/5 stars.   1.5 hours.  Check prices .

This Straight to the Gate Access bay cruise takes you all around the San Francisco Bay and under both bay bridges , the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oakland Bay Bridge.

Most of the boat tours don't go under the Bay Bridge, so it's an extra treat. This route also gives you a spectacular view of the downtown San Francisco skyline, and sails past the Ferry Building and Oracle Park (baseball). 

They sail close to Alcatraz   Island so you get a good look at it.

There's an popular  audio tour included that tells you about all the landmarks you're passing. Available in multiple languages (16).

Tip: ask for the headphones to use with the audio tour because the boat and wind can be noisy.

You can ride inside (if cold and windy!) or outside for the ocean air. 

Snacks and drinks are available for purchase on board from the full bar (you can even bring your own food if you want).

It's an open ticket , so if something comes up (rain, fog, schedule change?), you can go on another day. Why buy the ticket in advance? Skip the ticket line!

Provided by the Red & White Fleet . Leaves from Pier 43½ at Fisherman's Wharf. 

    ➡️ Book Bridge to Bridge Cruise

3. San Francisco Catamaran Day Cruise

Rating: 5/5 stars.  1.5 hours.    Check availability and rates .

Sail around San Francisco Bay, under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island, in a catamaran, the Adventure Cat .

Gliding over the water with just the sound of the wind and the gulls, the spectacular views, with only a few other people, is the ultimate SF Zen experience!

You can ride on the outside, or go in a wind-protected area. Limited to 12 guests.

This is a good choice for a real sailing experience without the tilting deck of a traditional sailboat. The catamaran stays level, so it's better for younger children and less able sailors. Better for the queasy stomach, as well; smoother ride than a sailboat.

Snacks and drinks are available onboard, plus an audio tour in 8 languages.

From Pier 39 . 

 ➡️  Book the Catamaran Cruise  

4. San Francisco Bay Sailboat Cruise

Rating: 5/5 stars.  1.5 hours.  Check availability and rates.

One of the prettiest things to see in San Francisco are the white sailboats on the blue waters of the bay. Going out on one of them is even better!

The  San Francisco Sailing Company  runs several bay tours on their sailboats that I highly recommend.

We went out on their 90-minute sailing tour on the Privateer sailboat...what a treat! It's like being on a private yacht, fun and relaxing, with a mellow crew and free wine and beer. 

Better for adults and older children, since you'll need to hang on at times when they're tacking back and forth. 

They also do a two-hour version and a sunset cruise.

See our photos of the cruise, and details about the trip , at our sailboat cruise .

Leaves from Pier 39 .

 ➡️  Book the Sailboat Cruise  

5. SF Bay Sunset Catamaran  Cruise

Rating: 5/5 stars.  1.5 hours. Check availability and rates.

The Catamaran Sunset Cruise is one of the most romantic boat rides in San Francisco, out on the Adventure Cat catamaran.

You get a great view of the San Francisco Bay just as the sun is setting on the city and the bridge, out on the  Sunset Catamaran Cruise .

This cruise is similar to the daytime catamaran cruise, same route, except it includes one free drink.

Sail along the San Francisco waterfront and city skyline, out under the Golden Gate Bridge, past Angel Island, and around Alcatraz Island.

You can purchase snacks and more drinks on board, and listen to the audio tour in 8 languages. Limit of 12 guests.

 ➡️  Book the Sunset Catamaran Cruise  

6. San Francisco Fishing Boats Cruise

 No ratings.  1 hour.  $20.

You can also hop on one of the small fishing boats docked at the marina on the main street of Fisherman's Wharf (Jefferson Street at Jones).

They'll take you out on the Bay for an hour's tour, out under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz.

What's different from the other tours? Fewer people, lively wave action, and salt spray if you sit in the front!

There's live narration from the skipper on board (though it was hard to hear in the front).

No snacks are supplied, but you can bring your own refreshments, including alcohol. Bathroom on board, always good. 

No advance reservations , just sign up at the dock on Jefferson Street for the next trip. They leave about every hour.

We went out on  Chucky's Pride , one of several fishing boats available for the cruises.

I think it's more exciting to sail out under the Golden Gate in a smaller boat than in one of the much larger ferries.

You really feel the waves and the ocean seems mightier, especially just outside the protection of the gate.

The boat goes all the way around Alcatraz, so you see the other side that's not visible on the actual Alcatraz ferry ride.

Also, it's a real bargain - only recently went from $15 to $20, cash only.

7. SF Bay Wine Therapy Cruise

Ratings: 5/5 stars.  1.5 hours.    Check availability and rates.

Combine wine tasting and a sunset bay cruise; very mellow!

This is a family-run business that takes you out for a tour of the Bay and provides a large selection of California wines for you to try.

Good, close views of Alcatraz and passes by the Pier 39 sea lions coming and going.

Friendly atmosphere, quaint and homey boat. Small group, limited to 15.

Leaves from Pier 39

   ➡️  Book the Wine Therapy Cruise  

8.Straight to the Gate Access: Golden Gate Bay Cruise

Ratings: 4.0/5 stars.  1 hour.   Check availability and rates.

If you only have a short time in San Francisco, or can only do one thing at the Wharf, this is the San Francisco Bay cruise to do!

This is a good basic cruise . A one hour tour of the Bay, along the San Francisco waterfront , out to the bridge, under the Golden Gate , past Alcatraz , and back to Fisherman's Wharf .

The Red and White Fleet  in San Francisco is a family-owned business that started offering this cruise in 1939. The audio tour is available in 16 languages. 

It's particularly good if you have limited time, or young kids that get restless. You can see all the sights of the San Francisco Bay on a quick San Francisco cruise tour, for a very reasonable fee.

Leaves from Pier 43 ½ in Fisherman's Wharf.

There are two ferry services that run these one hour Golden Gate Bridge boat tours: the Red & White Fleet and the Blue & Gold Fleet . They are very similar tour operators and both leave from Fisherman's Wharf with frequent departures.

This Straight to the Gate Access  lets you skip the line and get right to the boat. It's an open ticket good for a year, so you can be flexible using it.

 ➡️  Book the Golden Gate Bay Cruise  

The Alcatraz Ferry doesn't go around the island, except on their night tours.

This is the view from the other side, which you can see on most of the bay cruises, but not from the city.  Like the dark side of the moon?

9. Golden Gate Twilight or Sunset Cruise

Ratings: 4.5/5 stars.  1.5 hours.   Check availability and rates.

The Golden Gate Sunset Cruise in San Francisco goes out on the Red & White Fleet. This is a fun way to get out on the bay and see the city as the sun goes down, with all the lights coming on. 

Amazing views of the San Francisco skyline after dark, very sparkly. The sun setting behind the Golden Gate is something to see!

The Sunset Cruise sails during the summer and the Twilight Cruise sails during the winter. A very romantic way to cruise the bay!

They sail past Alcatraz , Angel Island , the San Francisco waterfront , Sausalito and under the Golden Gate Bridge (very cool at sunset). You can purchase snacks and drinks at the full bar on board. 

Bring your jacket even if it's summer (especially if it's summer, haha); it's cool and windy out on the water.

This San Francisco harbor cruise can sell out, so it's good to book it in advance.

Skip the line tickets.  Go right to the boat. Leaves from Pier 43½ at Fisherman's Wharf.

 ➡️  Book Twilight or Sunset Cruise  

10. America's Cup Sailing Adventure

Ratings: 5/5 stars.  2.5 hours.   Check availability and rates.

This is for the more adventurous sailors! You can go out on a high-speed racing yacht of the type that was used in the America's Cup competition and follow the same route the race took in 2013 when it was held in San Francisco.

The crew lets you help with the sails and the steering if you want (you don't have to, though). I haven't done this trip but it looks exciting.

Limited to 20 people. They say you should have a "moderate physical fitness level" for this Bay Area cruise.

  ➡️  Book America's Cup Sailing Cruise  

If this cruise isn't available, the 90 minute sailboat cruise is a fun substitute.

11.  Premier Dinner Dance Cruise

Ratings: 4.0/5. 3 hours.   Check availability and rates.

City Experiences, a classy company that provides sailing trips on their yachts, has a San Francisco Bay dinner/dance cruise that is a lot of fun.

This may be the most romantic boat ride in San Francisco.

A nighttime extravaganza: a delicious four-course meal, and stunning views of the city and the bridges all lit up. Amazing!

Sail around the bay on a yacht, dancing to a live band or DJ, and savoring a tasty meal.

Enjoy dinner selections like watermelon and feta salad, crab gazpacho soup, chicken cordon-bleu, or maybe glazed salmon, with key lime pot de creme and macaroons, or perhaps berry parfait with Gran Marnier.

I've been on several of their San Francisco evening cruises - a very professional outfit.

My son and I went on this dinner cruise. For all the details on our dinner cruise experience, plus photos and maps, see my page on  our dinner cruise in San Francisco .

It's magical to be out on the water at night with the city lights twinkling in the distance.

The views of the city and the bridges at night were incredible, and the food was great! A fun San Francisco experience.

  ➡️  Book Dinner Dance Cruise  

12. Escape from the Rock

Ratings: 4.0/5.  1.5 hours.    Check availability and rates.

This cruise is a bay tour that focuses on Alcatraz , but it also goes out under the Golden Gate and around the bay . This tour is given by the Blue and Gold Fleet .

The boat goes around Alcatraz Island a couple of times up close while you can listen to the audio narrative about the history of Alcatraz and the prisoners and their escapes.

What is the difference between the Golden Gate Bay Cruise and the Escape from the Rock Cruise? This is similar to the one hour Golden Gate bay cruises in that it does a complete tour of the bay along the same route, but this tour also spends extra time at Alcatraz Island and provides a lot of information about Alcatraz history during the cruise. 

In order to hear the audio, you will need a smart phone with wifi enabled; also, it's best to bring some ear buds or a headset to hear it over the sound of the boat.

Most of the negative reviews were about problems accessing the audio, or misunderstandings about whether the tour goes onto the island. It does not go onto the island.

To see Alcatraz Prison and explore the Island, see my articles on visiting Alcatraz .

 ➡️  Book Escape from the Rock Cruise  

13.  RIB Boat Tour

Ratings: 5/5 stars.  1.5 hours.   Check availability and rates.

This is a newer addition to the boat rides in SF Bay. The RIB boat (Rigid Inflatable Boat) is the more extreme version of the Rocket Boat (which I loved, but it disappeared in 2019):

...90 minutes zooming around SF Bay on an inflatable boat, and a lot wetter (they provide you with rain gear).

This cruise also includes a guided tour of the bay, narrated by the captain. 

Sail by the Ferry Building, Fort Point, the sea lions, and the Presidio.

Go under both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, around Alcatraz, and past the SF skyline. Sometimes the whales are out there.

Limited to 12 people. I haven't tried this one yet, but I've seen it out on the Bay and it looks pretty wild and fun! 

 ➡️  Book RIB Boat Tour  

14. Alcatraz Tours

The only way to actually get onto Alcatraz Island.

Alcatraz cruises are in class by themselves. Only one company, City Experiences , at cityexperiences.com, runs ferries out to Alcatraz where visitors can get off the boat and explore the island.

If you have several hours and have any interest in the history of the island prison, take one of the City Experiences tours to Alcatraz.

Not only is the building fascinating to explore, the views of the city and bay are wonderful.

All the other bay cruise companies sail around the island, which is fun, too, but they don't stop at the island to let you off.

The Alcatraz Island tours aren't really bay tours, but on the 15 minute ride out to Alcatraz Island, you get a great view of the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge, plus a view of Angel Island nearby.

You don't sail out to the Golden Gate, though. For that you have to take one of the other cruises.

The Alcatraz tours are well-worth doing for their own sake. Probably one of the most interesting things to do in San Francisco.

The Alcatraz Ferry leaves from Pier 33 and only goes to Alcatraz , but getting Alcatraz tickets is the only way to get out to the island and get off the boat there. The ticket includes all the tours on the island. Very cool!

Should you take the day tour or the night tour? To learn more about the Alcatraz Island tours available and the best ways of getting tickets for Alcatraz, plus what to expect out on the Rock, see my article on  Alcatraz tours .

Alcatraz tickets aren't discounted, but you may be able to save a little on tours if you get a combination tour, Alcatraz plus another attraction or activity you're interested in.

Sometimes the combos are a little more than buying them individually, but may be the best chance of getting a ticket when Alcatraz is sold out.

Is Alcatraz sold out for the date you want? Here's how to get those tickets.

The link below will take you to a list I made of the more popular Alcatraz combination tours available.

    ➡️  Check Alcatraz Combo Tours  

15. The Sausalito Ferry

The best ferry ride in San Francisco!  One of the cheaper, but no less beautiful, ways to see San Francisco Bay is to take the ferry across the bay from San Francisco to the seaside town of Sausalito. 

The ride across San Francisco Bay on the Sausalito Ferry was named the second best ferry ride in the world by the society of American Travel Writers in 2009 (second only to the Starr Ferry ride in Hong Kong).

It's a gorgeous ride, with great views of the city skyline, Alcatraz, Angel Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. Highly recommended, and a bargain to boot!

Around $28 round trip as of July 2023.

Once in Sausalito, you can explore this charming little town with houses climbing up the steep hills.

Check out the art galleries and shops and have some great seafood at one of their highly-regarded restaurants (e.g. Trident, or Scoma's).

And try the ice cream at Lappert's. Everything is on Bridgeway, the main street in Sausalito.

When you're done, you can catch the next ferry back to town. The ferry landing is right in the town.

Taking the Sausalito Ferry. You can take the Blue and Gold Ferry from Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf or the Golden Gate Ferry from the Ferry Building downtown. The ride over is about 30 minutes .

These are big ferries; no reservations are needed . You can buy the tickets on your phone, online, or at the ticket booths at the Ferry Building or the Blue and Gold ticket booth to the left of Pier 39 on the Wharf.

Tip: buy a round trip ticket in San Francisco. There's no ticket booth at the Sausalito ferry terminal, which is basically a parking lot (though you could still buy a return ticket on your phone if you needed to).

Want to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, and take the ferry back?  This is a great way to see the bridge and bay scenery.

See my guide to biking the bridge: how to rent the bikes, what the ride is like, tips for taking the ferry, plus maps of the route and photos of the trip, at biking the bridge .

Should you worry about being seasick on the San Francisco bay cruises?

If you have problems with seasickness, it might encourage you to know that I've never felt sick on one of these San Francisco boat tours. And that is coming from someone who can't even watch the Teacups at Disneyland.

SF Bay Cruises Route Maps

Where do the boats go on the san francisco bay cruises.

There are two basic routes that the San Francisco bay tours use. These aren't exact, but they will give you a good idea of where most of the boat cruises go.

There are two basic varieties of San Francisco boat tours :

• Bay cruises that go to both bridges (the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oakland Bay Bridge) 
• Bay cruises that only travel to the Golden Gate Bridge . 

Both types of cruises do a circuit of the Bay, along the San Francisco waterfront, out under the Golden Gate, around Alcatraz Island, then back to the wharf.

The difference: the two-bridge cruises head south after going around Alcatraz, and sail past the downtown skyline, the Ferry Building, the Bay Bridge and Oracle Park.

The one hour cruises generally just see one bridge, the Golden Gate. Some of the 1.5 hour and longer tours see both bridges. Check each tour description for route details.

Most SF bay cruises leave from Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39 as shown, but some cruises (brunch, special events, & dinner cruises) leave from Pier 3 near the Ferry Building (close to the Bay Bridge).

Route to the Golden Gate only

Route to both Golden Gate and Oakland Bay Bridges

Map of San Francisco Bay Ferry Destinations

SF Ferries leave from the Ferry Building, Pier 33 (Alcatraz Landing), Piers 39, 41, & 43.

Heading to Sausalito, Tiburon, Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the bridges. 

Tips for saving money on SF bay cruises

• The San Francisco City Pass includes a one hour bay cruise with admission to the California Academy of Sciences, plus two more attractions from a list.
• Do a bay cruise combined with a one-day Hop On Hop Off city bus tour. See the city and the bay. Check HOHO City Tour & Bay Cruise for times and availability. $10 off if booked online.

More ideas for special bay cruises

Whale watching tours.

Again, this isn't designed as a tour of San Francisco Bay, but on a whale watching tour you travel across the bay, past Alcatraz and through the Golden Gate, and go further out to sea than the other boat tours.

They sail through the channel outside the Golden Gate, past  Lands End Point ,  Baker Beach , and  China Beach , and out into the open ocean a bit (where the whales are likely to be).

On our whale tour we sailed down the coast a little way, past the  Sutro Baths  and the  Cliff House , to the beginning of  Ocean Beach , which faces the Pacific Ocean, before heading back to San Francisco.

It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip, even though we never saw any whales. But they said 95% of the time they do see them!

I was worried about being seasick but I was fine. I'd had a really rough whale-watching trip off Monterey years ago and was reluctant to try this one, but I'm glad I did.

That earlier trip went pretty far out to sea to see the enormous Blue Whales; they were truly amazing, but once was enough. An hour straight out to sea in a heaving small boat each way! :(

This tour sticks close to the coast. Also, it was a pretty calm day on SF Bay when we went.

Bring a warm jacket, sun glasses, and a sun hat; it can get chilly out there farther away from land.

So I highly recommend this cruise, whales or no whales!

The SS Jeremiah O'Brien Liberty Ship

The SS Jeremiah O'Brien is one of the few surviving liberty ships that delivered supplies to the troops in Europe during World War II.

It's been lovingly maintained over the years and is available for cruises around the bay on special occasions. 

I haven't sailed on it but my friends have and they had a great time. 

See the  Jeremiah O'Brien website  for their scheduled trips.

Exploring the ship...

The ship is also open for  do-it-yourself tours  at the dock. 

I went on board and explored it; very interesting! You can climb up and down through the different decks and look at the exhibits and sample staterooms open to the public. 

The boiler room scene on the film Titanic was filmed on this ship and you can climb down deep into the ship's hold to see the spot.

The Jeremiah O'Brien spent decades at Fishermans's Wharf next to Musée Mécanique at Pier 45 but it's recently moved to new quarters at Pier 35.

One of their more popular cruises is the SF Fleet Week cruise .

See my article on Fleet Week in San Francisco  for information on the event and all the bay cruises available for the air show. A boat on the bay is a great spot to watch the Blue Angels!

Rent a sailboat or a yacht (and crew)

Want a Private Cruise?

Through the  SAILO company , you can rent a sailboat or yacht and sail the bay with a group of friends or family.

There's a big selection of sizes and prices of boats to rent. Nice looking boats, too. Not as expensive as you might think, based on the number of guests splitting the cost.

Quite a range, for example from $960 per day for 6 people, up to huge boats holding 350 guests for a lot more. They provide the captain and necessary crew.

Take a look at all the boats  they have available for San Francisco Bay; pretty cool.

They are offering a 7% discount, now until August 2024.

Special Event SF Bay Cruises

As you might guess, there are popular San Francisco bay cruises for special events, like Christmas, New Year's, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc.

They come and go as the year goes by. The City Experiences company does a lot of them. 

One big event with a number of cruises is Fleet Week in San Francisco .

This is a great way to watch the Blue Angels perform, right out on the bay, where the boat stops for the show.

I have an article about Fleet Week in San Francisco which includes cruise recommendations. These book up so plan ahead if you want to do one of these. 

Parking for the Bay Cruises

Where to park for the San Francisco bay cruises and boat tours?

Parking, yes. Always an issue in San Francisco!

For the cruises that leave from Fisherman's Wharf (Piers 41, 43 ½ & Pier 39) as well as Alcatraz cruises (pier 33), I recommend using Spot Hero .

There are a number of parking garages and lots around the Fisherman's Wharf area, but they can be very expensive and sometimes full.

Rather than driving around trying to find a spot in Fisherman's Wharf (not fun), the stress-free and usually much cheaper way is to book a spot in advance through Spot Hero.

That's what I use when I'm trying to park in the more congested areas of San Francisco.

Check with Spot Hero to see what's available and book parking.

The City Experiences cruises (brunch, dinner, and special events) leave from Pier 3 near the Ferry Building at the end of Market Street. There's a parking lot at Pier 3 that they make available for cruises leaving from there.

It's pretty reasonable ($10 when we went) and staffed, so people are around, therefore less likely for break-ins. It's not reserved, but you have a good chance of getting a spot if you get there a bit early. We parked there for our dinner cruise.

Advice for everyone parking in San Francisco: leave nothing of value and nothing visible in the car! Sorry.

San Francisco Bay Cruises: FAQ

What is the best time of day for a San Francisco bay cruise?

During the summer months, June, July and August, the San Francisco fog tends to roll in mid afternoon, though it's not always predictable.

So the best time to take a San Francisco boat tour during the summer would be in the morning or early afternoon, or later in the early evening, when the fog often rolls out again.

In the winter months , it's hit or miss with rainy days interspersed with sunny ones. It generally warms up a bit in the afternoon. There does tend to be a lot less fog in winter.

What's the best time of year to do a San Francisco bay tour?

The best time of year to go on a bay cruise in San Francisco is during September or October. Those are our months of great weather, warm and sunny, and the fog and rain are pretty much absent. But it's weather, so there's no guarantee.

Which San Francisco bay cruises go past Alcatraz Island?

Just about all the San Francisco boat tours sail past Alcatraz Island. Read the description to be sure, but it would be hard to find one that doesn't.

What is the difference between the Golden Gate Bay Cruise and the Escape from the Rock Tour?

Both tours sail past the San Francisco waterfront, go out under the Golden Gate Bridge and then sail around Alcatraz Island.

The difference between the tours is that the Escape from the Rock Tour also circles Alcatraz a couple of times while providing lots of information on the history of Alcatraz Island and the prison, and stories about the prisoner escapes. 

Are there bathrooms on the San Francisco boat cruises? Food and drink?

Yes, all the boats on the San Francisco bay cruises have bathrooms, even the small fishing boats!

And most of them, except the fishing boats, have food and refreshments on board available to purchase. The Privateer sailboat has beer and wine, but no food.

How long is the ferry ride from San Francisco to Sausalito?

The ferry from San Francisco to Sausalito takes about 30 minutes.

How long is the bay cruise in San Francisco? 

The Golden Gate bay cruise in San Francisco is one hour.

Both the Red and White Fleet and the Blue and Gold Fleet in San Francisco do one hour cruises of the bay.

The shortest San Francisco bay cruises are one hour, but many SF bay tours are 1.5 hours, and others are 2-3 hours.

What should you wear on a San Francisco bay cruise?

The most important thing to wear on a SF bay cruise or boat tour is layers!

Even on a warm, sunny day in San Francisco, it can be windy and chilly out on the water. Bring a jacket onboard even if you don't need it on shore.

Also, the fog can roll in while you're out there and it can be downright cold!

Will you get seasick on a San Francisco bay cruise?

Some get seasick no matter what, but generally, it's not rolling enough on the bay for most people to get sick. Out on the open ocean is another matter.

I've been on many of the bay cruises and I've never felt seasick. 

What is across the bay from San Francisco?

The main cities and towns across the bay from San Francisco are Sausalito and Tiburon in the North Bay (in Marin County), and Vallejo, Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda in the East Bay.

Are there great white sharks in San Francisco Bay?

Yes, and no. Yes, they do come into San Francisco Bay on rare occasions, but most of the time they stay out of the bay. Great whites are not considered a danger in San Francisco Bay. But there are 11 other species of sharks living in the bay.

At certain times of year (mainly in October), there are lots of great white sharks swimming up and down the coast past San Francisco.

Their hunting ground stretches from Half Moon Bay, south of SF, up to Stinson Beach in Marin County, and out to the Farallon Islands, 30 miles straight west of SF.

This area is sometimes called the Red Triangle (!) because of the frequency of great white shark attacks there.

Since the waters are too cold and rough for most swimmers, it's the surfers and divers that are usually the targets. Scientists suspect it's the wetsuits worn year round that cause the sharks to occasionally mistake humans for their usual prey, the sea lions and harbor seals.

Related Articles

Read about our experience on the dinner dance cruise .

Enjoy a delicious 3-course meal while sailing past spectacular views.

Here's our experience on the Privateer sailboat cruise on the bay.

The perfect way to see San Francisco Bay with a glass of wine!

Take the Alcatraz ferry over to the island where you can explore the prison and the rest of the grounds. Audio tour and guided tours included in the ticket. See all my info on  tours, booking and best way to get tickets.

Alcatraz sold out? Never fear. See my tips on getting those elusive Alcatraz tickets at last-minute Alcatraz tickets .

More Attractions in San Francisco:

What if it's foggy in San Francisco?

Heading for the Golden Gate Bridge...

Why is San Francisco so cold? Check out my article on San Francisco weather .

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  SHANUTSKI YACHTING

Private & exclusive yacht charters san francisco bay.

LIVE THE POSTCARD,

ON A SHANUTSKI YACHTING YACHT

A  private cruise of the beautiful San Francisco Bay.

Lounge on the bow while you enjoy the historic beauty of the Sausalito foreshore or the delicious  drama of traveling under the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

Enjoy the splendor of the city from the covered aft deck and the natural beauty of Angel Island from one of our rooftop loungers. Still  not what you need? Create a custom Bay  itinerary for you and your guests based on your personal bucket list!

San Francisco Boat Cruise Dinner: Gourmet Dining with Panoramic Bay Views

Picture yourself aboard a splendid yacht, sailing across the  San Francisco Bay  as the sun sets behind the iconic  Golden Gate Bridge . You’re on the verge of an unforgettable dining experience, where gourmet cuisine and breathtaking views merge to craft an evening you won’t soon forget. From romantic sunset cruises to lively wine-tasting events, San Francisco’s boat cruise dinners provide a range of options to suit every taste and occasion. But what makes these experiences genuinely unique?

Types of Boat Cruises

Here are a few popular San Francisco dinner cruises from which you can choose.

• How about a romantic sunset dinner cruise to enjoy the stunning views as the sun goes down over the Bay?
• You can also contemplate a festive holiday dinner cruise, lively wine-tasting dinner, relaxing brunch, or classic buffet dinner cruise.

Sunset Dinner Cruises

Embark on a breathtaking sunset dinner cruise aboard one of our  luxury yachts  and relish an unforgettable evening on the  San Francisco Bay .

As the sun sets below the horizon, you’ll savor a  gourmet meal  while taking in iconic sights on our San Francisco boat tours.

Our dinner cruises provide an intimate, upscale experience perfect for celebrating special occasions or enjoying a romantic yacht cruise.

Brunch Cruises

Several of our  luxury yachts  offer enjoyable  brunch cruises , allowing you to indulge in the stunning  San Francisco Bay  views while savoring a delicious mid-morning meal.

Treat yourself to a unique dining experience aboard a yacht, where you’ll relish a scrumptious brunch spread as you cruise along the bay.

Our San Francisco boat cruise dinner choices encompass these delightful brunch cruises.

Holiday Dinner Cruises

Why not make your holiday celebration memorable by booking a  festive dinner cruise  on the scenic  San Francisco Bay ?

You’ll enjoy delicious cuisine prepared fresh onboard while taking in the dazzling city skyline and iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge.

Book your holiday dinner cruise amidst the exciting SailGP races held on the bay for an extra thrill.

Wine Tasting Dinner Cruises

Savor an exquisite variety of California wines paired with gourmet cuisine as you glide across the San Francisco Bay on our wine-tasting dinner cruises.

You’ll enjoy:

• A selection of the finest local wines
• Delicious dishes prepared by our onboard chef
• Stunning views of San Francisco’s iconic landmarks
• Live entertainment to set the mood
• A memorable evening of sophistication and relaxation on the bay

Buffet Dinner Cruises

For a more casual dining experience on the bay, our  buffet dinner cruises  offer a delightful spread of dishes to satisfy every palate.

Aboard our  luxury yachts , you’ll enjoy a variety of culinary delights as you take in the breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay.

Our yacht charters provide the perfect setting if you’re celebrating a special event or desire an unforgettable evening.

Sightseeing Cruises

You’ll enjoy seeing San Francisco’s iconic sights on a dinner cruise around the bay.

Choose an  Alcatraz dinner cruise  to sail near the infamous island prison or a  Golden Gate Bridge dinner cruise  for amazing views of the city’s legendary landmark.

For a unique perspective, opt for a  Bay Bridge dinner cruise  to enjoy the shimmering lights of the bridge at night.

Alcatraz Dinner Cruise

Begin on an unforgettable Alcatraz dinner cruise. Experience the iconic island prison from a unique perspective as you enjoy a delicious meal aboard a luxurious yacht.

As you sail by, you’ll:

• Savor a gourmet dinner curated by our skilled chefs
• Sip on invigorating cocktails from the open bar
• Enjoy live music and entertainment
• Take in stunning views of the San Francisco skyline
• Create unforgettable memories with your loved ones

Golden Gate Bridge Dinner Cruise

Sail under the splendid  Golden Gate Bridge  and marvel at its magnificence while savoring a  delightful dinner  aboard our opulent yacht.

You’ll experience a truly  unforgettable evening  on the San Francisco Bay, perfect for celebrating special occasions.

Our Golden Gate Bridge dinner cruise offers a magical combination of stunning views, refined dining, and the freedom to relax and enjoy the moment.

Bay Bridge Dinner Cruise

Start an enchanting Bay Bridge dinner voyage and admire the dazzling nighttime sights of San Francisco’s iconic skyline and twinkling city lights. As you sail across the peaceful waters of the San Francisco Bay, you’ll enjoy:

• Unparalleled views of the illuminated Bay Bridge
• A mouthwatering sunset meal prepared by our talented chefs
• Memorable moments with loved ones under the stars
• The liberty to relax and unwind on your exclusive city cruise
• A truly unforgettable evening on the magnificent San Francisco Bay

Dinner Cruise Menu

You’ll love the flavorful choices on our dinner cruise menu .

We offer a variety of  hors d’oeuvres , main courses, and desserts to satisfy every palate.

Our  grazing stations  and specialty menus provide even more enticing choices for your unforgettable dining experience on the San Francisco Bay.

Hors D’oeuvres

Savor a tempting selection of appetizers created by our skilled chefs, perfect for enjoying while taking in stunning views of the San Francisco Bay aboard our luxury yacht.

You’ll love these tantalizing hors d’oeuvres on your Luxe boat cruise dinner:

• Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus spears
• Mini crab cakes with remoulade
• Caprese skewers drizzled with balsamic
• Smoked salmon tartare on cucumber rounds
• Crispy vegetable spring rolls

Main Course

Our skilled chefs have created a delightful selection of enticing entrées for your unforgettable  San Francisco Bay dinner cruise .

Savor succulent favorites like  pan-seared salmon  or tender filet mignon as you celebrate special occasions aboard our  luxurious yacht .

With stunning views of San Francisco’s iconic skyline, you’ll enjoy a sophisticated boat cruise dinner perfect for marking life’s most cherished moments.

Relish a delightful assortment of desserts expertly crafted by our talented pastry chefs to enhance your San Francisco Bay dinner cruise experience perfectly. You’ll delight in:

• Luxurious chocolate lava cake with fresh berries
• Rich New York-style cheesecake
• Seasonal fruit tarts filled with flavor
• Indulgent crème brûlée with caramelized sugar crust
• Artisanal gelato and sorbets in tempting flavors

Grazing Stations

We’ve carefully planned grazing stations filled with tasty delicacies to complement your sweet treats to enhance your dinner cruise experience.

Picture sailing the San Francisco Bay on a Luxe Cruises boat while grazing on  artisanal cheeses , cured meats, seasonal fruits, and gourmet snacks.

Our thoughtfully curated stations enhance your dining pleasure, making your dinner cruise an unforgettable culinary adventure on the water.

Specialty Menu

Enhance your San Francisco dinner cruise with our specialty menu, carefully created by Luxe Cruises’ talented in-house chef. Treat yourself to:

• Succulent seafood fresh from the Bay
• Mouthwatering prime cuts grilled to perfection
• Seasonal, locally sourced produce
• Indulgent desserts that’ll leave you wanting more
• Expertly paired wines from California’s finest vineyards

Elevate your luxury yacht experience with our exceptional culinary selection.

Luxe Cruises & Events – San Francisco Boat Cruise Dinner

Luxe Cruises & Events invites you aboard their fleet of  luxury yachts  for an unforgettable San Francisco Bay dinner cruise experience. Treat yourself to a  gourmet meal  while taking in the city’s iconic sights from the water.

If you’re celebrating a special occasion or crave an evening of luxury, a Luxe yacht dinner cruise is the perfect escape.

Treat yourself to delicious cuisine while enjoying the breathtaking views of the iconic San Francisco Bay.

Reserve your unforgettable boat cruise dinner today and make memories that will endure forever.

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• Bay Cruises

San Francisco Bay Tours: My 10 Favorite Boat Cruises on the SF Bay

by Jill Loeffler   •

Updated: February 12, 2024

There are so many great San Francisco bay tours and boat cruises that it can be hard to find the perfect one.

I've been on almost all of them and have a few thoughts on all of them.

I hope it will help you decide which one is right for you.

Some of the most popular picks by visitors include the standard 60-minute bay cruise as well as some of our sunset cruises.

If you are looking for something a little fancier, you will find a wonderful Dinner Dance Cruise offered by Hornblower. 

You can also head out past the Golden Gate Bridge to get in some whale watching while you are here or take a special cruise to watch the fireworks on Fourth of July or New Year's Eve.

Disclaimer : I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.

3 Top Rated Bay Cruises

• Golden Gate Bay Cruise : Most popular, runs often, 60 minutes
• Premier Brunch Cruise : 2 hours, buffet brunch, unlimited mimosas and sparkling wine, great views!
• Twilight/Sunset Cruise : Head out on the water in the evening as the sun sets, 90 minutes

1. Golden Gate Bay Cruise

Tour Length: 60 minutes

Tickets : Book your tickets

As I mentioned in my intro, this is by far the most popular cruise and a go to for many first-time visitors.

It offers a great overview of the SF Bay both from a sightseeing and history perspective. 

These San Francisco boat cruises leave from Fisherman's Wharf several times a day.

It's another reason why they are so popular--because they run the most often.

These San Francisco bay tours are offered by both the Gold and Blue Fleet and the Red and White Fleet.

I've been on the water with both companies several times and they both offer great service.

The only difference is that the Gold and Blue Fleet provides their narration over loudspeakers on the boat while Red and White Fleet hands out individual headsets. 

One benefit to the headsets with Red and White is that they offer narration in several languages, so this is something to consider if English is your second language.

Both SF cruise companies follow almost the same route.

The boat cruise leaves from Fisherman's Wharf and starts out along the northern waterfront.

You head west past several SF sights including Fort Mason , the Marina District and the Palace of Fine Arts .

You will then ride by Fort Point National Historic Site as you head to the main attraction - the Golden Gate Bridge .

After you float under the Golden Gate Bridge, you turn around for a second time under the bridge.

You will head to the northern side of the bay. You'll pass Sausalito , Angel Island and take some time cruising past Alcatraz Island . 

You can catch one of these San Francisco bay tours several times a day.

In the summer, each company offers about a dozen boat cruises. In the winter, it's about 7 to 9 (more on the weekends). 

Your ticket is good for any cruise for that day. When you arrive, you will line up for the cruise and those in front will board first.

However, don't stress too much (unless it's a really busy holiday weekend) as they don't often fill up all the way.

People also move around the boat quite a bit, so you don't really need to be first in line.

You can buy tickets for these cruises either online or in person.

>> Find tickets for this cruise on GetYourGuide

If you want a full write up of what to expect on this tour, you can also visit this page . It's my overview with more pictures and what to expect. In this case, I reviewed my time with the Red and White Fleet.

2. San Francisco Bridge to Bridge Cruise

Tour Length : 90 minutes

Tickets: Book your tickets for this cruise today ! 

My second recommend for San Francisco bay tours is the Bridge to Bridge Cruise.

This one is run by the Red and White Fleet. It's a popular option, but only runs a few times a day. 

They are also usually flexible with timing too on which San Francisco boat tour you can board unless it's a really busy day.

You can stop by their dock at any time to confirm which tour you can go on for the day of your ticket.

It's slightly different from the SF Bay Cruise as this one offers 30 additional minutes on the water. It will follow the same route as above.

However, instead of heading back after circling Alcatraz, you will head on for a trip under the Bay Bridge.

You will also cruise past Treasure Island and the Ferry Building . So, it offers a little more fun on the water for just a few more bucks per ticket.

As with the Bay Cruise, the narration for the Bridge to Bridge Cruise is on personal headsets. You can choose from one of 16 languages on their headsets too.

>> Find tickets

3. San Francisco Champagne Brunch Cruise

Tour Length: 2 hours

The San Francisco Champagne Brunch Cruise is a great option from Hornblower.

What makes this one of my favorite San Francisco bay tours is the combination of the food/champagne and the cruise around the bay in the morning.

The buffet varies a bit throughout the year to allow for seasonal changes.

Some of the items you will find include fresh baked breads, a variety of salads, French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, herb crusted beef, ham with country mustards, and SO much more.

And, of course, their house champagne (as well as coffee, tea, water and soda). 

You will cruise along a similar route to what was mentioned in the descriptions above including heading under the Golden Gate Bridge, near Alcatraz, near the Bay Bridge and past other top sights along the water. 

This is a really fun cruise and worth the extra money for a delightful experience.

This San Francisco boat cruise also picks up at Pier 3, which is NOT in Fisherman's Wharf, but instead close to the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero.

>>  Find tickets for all cruises on Viator

4. Twilight OR Sunset Cruise (Depending on the Season)

Tour Length : 2 hours

The Twilight or Sunset Cruise is offered by the Red and White Fleet. The difference between the two cruises is the time of year. 

The Twilight Cruise is offered during the winter months (roughly early November through mid-March). It's called a Twilight Cruise since the sun will already be down by the time the cruise is underway.

However, you do get amazing views of the lights on the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, San Francisco, and all around the SF Bay.

The Sunset Cruise is offered the rest of the year (roughly from mid-March through early November). They change the time this San Francisco boat cruise leaves in order to have you on the water during the sunset.

You will get some great views of the sunset as long as the fog has not decided to make its way into the bay before the sun goes down.

Both cruises follow the same route. They first head along the northern shoreline, then under the Golden Gate Bridge, around Alcatraz, past Treasure Island, under the Bay Bridge and then back to Fisherman's Wharf.

These cruises only leave once a day (and only Thursday through Sunday during the winter months), so your ticket will be for a specific time.

I love this evening cruise as they also serve a nice buffet of appetizers. You can also enjoy a drink or two on board (available for purchase at the bar). There is also a musician on board playing some light music in the background. 

It makes for a really nice evening on the water with family, friends or your romantic partner.

>> Find tickets for this fun cruise

5. Escape from the Rock

Tour Length: 90-minute tour

The Escape from the Rock cruise follows the same path as the SF Bay Cruises for the first 60 minutes. The difference with this one is that it offers an additional loop around Alcatraz as well as more stories about this famous island and its inmates.

In addition to hearing about SF's history, you will also hear more about Al Capone, Robert Stroud "The Birdman of Alcatraz," and those who tried to escape.

This one is very popular, but it only runs a couple of times a day.

Some people get confused by the name and think that it will stop on Alcatraz for a visit.

It does not.

It simply cruises around the island a couple of times, so you get some great views and photos.

This one is a good one if you missed your chance to get tickets to Alcatraz or if you want to see it closer up from the water.

If the timing of this cruise works for you, I would select this one over the standard 60-minute bay cruise as it gives you some great insight into Alcatraz.

6. Wine Tasting on the Bay

Tour Length : 90 Minutes

This awesome cruise is aboard Wine Therapy. This floating wine bar is a blast and allows you to sip on your local wine as you soak in the views from around the SF Bay.

The boat is a 45-foot classic yacht with seating both indoors and out. 

Your cruise starts and ends at Pier 39. You'll then head toward the Golden Gate Bridge, circle close to Alcatraz, enjoy the downtown San Francisco skyline, and then head back to where it all began.

The cruise is 90 minutes. The wine is by the glass and is not included in the price of the cruise.

>> Find out more and check for availability

7. Dinner Dance Cruise

Length: 2.5 to 3 hours

The Dinner Dance Cruise is the first on my list from Hornblower. This company features San Francisco boat tours that I would consider are more for special occasions.

They have larger boats in order to accommodate tables for their dinner dance cruises and they also have a higher price tag because so much more is included with this ticket.

The Dinner Dance Cruise is one of their most popular cruises and it runs a few nights a week (usually around the weekends in the winter and most nights in the summer).

It features a four-course seated meal with a choice of options within some of the courses.

After dinner, you can head outside for views of the SF Bay, enjoy a little dancing on one of their upper decks, or just sit back to listen to the music.

As for drinks, tea, coffee, water, and soda are included with your ticket. Their bar is open the entire tour and you can buy beer, wine and cocktails here.

What I love about these San Francisco boat cruises is that you get some decent views of the bay from almost all of the seats in the dining room. 

The other thing to note about these bay cruises is they do require that you dress up a little bit. No jeans are allowed, and they require business casual dress. 

It's the perfect pick for a romantic date night or upscale dinner.

One of the things to keep in mind with the Hornblower cruises is that they pick up at Pier 3, which is closer to the Ferry Building and NOT near Fisherman's Wharf.

There usually aren't discounts for these San Francisco bay tours, but I do highly recommend booking your tickets early.

They do sell out during the busier travel seasons and holidays. 

>> Visit GetYourGuide for more details and to check for ticket availability

8. Whale Watching

Tour Length : Varies from about 2.5 hours to around 6 hours

The next on my list of the 10 top San Francisco bay tours is our fun whale watching tours .

I'm cheating a little by adding it to this list because most of the time you will be on the Pacific Ocean for this boat tour.

However, you will cruise through the bay to get to and from the ocean.

I also wanted to add this one because these are some of my favorite San Francisco boat tours.

The waters right outside the bay are very active all year long with migrating whales, dolphins, dozens of birds and other sea animals.

These boat cruises are so much fun that it would be a shame to miss your chance to head out for some whale watching.

The Golden Gate Whale Watching tour runs from late April to October. This is the standard summer whale watching tour and leaves from Pier 39 up to 4 times a day.

In 2.5 hours, you will keep an eye out for whale activity and sightings. 

In the winter months, gray whales are migrating through this area and there is a special Gray Whale Sightseeing Cruise. This one runs December - March.

It only heads out once a day and only a few days a week. Even though there are fewer people around at this time, I find this one of my favorite times to head out whale watching. 

The great thing is all of the boat companies work together (you will hear them on the radio) to ensure passengers on all of the boats get the chance to see whales during the cruise.

9. Sunset Catamaran

Tour Length: 90 minutes

This is the second sunset boat cruise on my list of the 10 best San Francisco Bay Tours.

I offer this one as an alternative to the Twilight/Sunset Cruise for a couple of reasons.

First, this bay cruise is smaller and offers a more intimate experience. This one is better if you are looking for a more romantic evening on the water.

There are also fewer people on this boat, so you can get to know people a little better.

Second, this one is more casual.

They do offer a drink which is included in your ticket price.

The catamaran is smaller, but still has plenty of space.

They also have both indoor and outdoor seating. Soft-soled shoes are also recommended so you can easily walk around the catamaran. 

If you love the water and want to spend a relaxing evening cruising around the bay, then this is the tour for you! 

It follows the typical path with two trips under the Golden Gate Bridge, a cruise around Alcatraz, and a chance to see all of the wonderful sights along the water. 

It only runs once a night and the time changes by season to give you the best chance to catch the sunset.

The tour does runs from early March to the end of November.

>> Find tickets to this fun catamaran tour

>> Find some additional night tours on both land and on the water

10. Special Event Cruises

Tour Length : Varies

My final entry for my list of the best San Francisco bay tours is all of the special event cruises. There are several throughout the year for holidays, but three dates offer an extra special experience.

The first two are cruises for our amazing fireworks shows.

On New Year's Eve and Fourth of July, dozens of San Francisco boat tours head out on the water to watch the fireworks shows.

Some of them offer dinner and dancing, while others head out just for the show.

If you are around on either of these dates, I highly recommend one of these cruises.

Find out more about the NYE Cruises  and more on Fourth of July in San Francisco  on this page.

Fleet Week is another time of the year when you will find some special San Francisco cruises. They head out on the water for the very popular airshow that features the Blue Angels.

They offer cruises usually on Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the shows and some also offer cruises during the Blue Angels practice runs. 

Learn more about Fleet Week on this page . 

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You can ask questions, get advice for your upcoming stay, and then share your photos and advice with others when you return home. It's a great community and the fastest way to get answers to those nagging questions about your visit!

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San Francisco Airport (SFO): Transfer to Cruise Terminal

Embarking on a cruise adventure from San Francisco’s bustling port? SFO’s seamless private transfer service ensures a smooth start to your maritime voyage. With convenient door-to-door assistance and flexible booking options, you can leave the hassle of transportation behind. Sit back and relax as a professional, English-speaking driver whisks you to the cruise terminal in an air-conditioned vehicle. But what awaits you at the terminal? Explore the hidden gems and must-see sights that make this vibrant waterfront destination a captivating prelude to your cruise experience.

• Private transfer from SFO to Cruise Terminal starts at $569.54 for up to 2 participants, with a journey time ranging from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Booking is flexible with no upfront payment required and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
• Vehicles are air-conditioned and drivers are professional, prioritizing passenger comfort and personalized experience.
• Door-to-door service includes luggage assistance, wait time of up to an hour, and a smooth transition to the cruise terminal.
• Transparent pricing and flexible booking policies ensure a hassle-free experience for travelers.

More tours and experiences nearby.

• San Francisco Love Tour
• San Francisco Super Saver: Muir Woods & Wine Country W/ Optional Gourmet Lunch
• Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip From San Francisco
• Painted Ladies San Francisco City Tour

Transfer Details

The private transfer from San Francisco Airport (SFO) to the Cruise Terminal offers a convenient and efficient transportation option, with prices starting at $569.54 per group (up to 2 participants) and a journey time ranging from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Guests can enjoy the benefits of free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, as well as the flexibility of reserving their spot without upfront payment.

With air-conditioned vehicles, child seats available upon request, and professional drivers who are attentive to guests’ needs, this transfer service provides a seamless and comfortable start or end to a cruise vacation.

Booking Information

Guests can easily reserve their spot without upfront payment, allowing them to book their transfer in advance.

Customers can check availability for their desired starting times and number of participants directly on the booking platform.

The service offers a convenient ‘reserve now, pay later’ option, giving travelers the flexibility to secure their transfer while finalizing their travel plans.

This hassle-free booking process ensures a seamless experience, enabling guests to focus on other aspects of their cruise vacation.

With the ability to easily check availability, guests can plan their journey to the cruise terminal with confidence, knowing their transportation is taken care of.

Vehicle and Driver

Air-conditioned vehicles, fully licensed and insured , await guests to ensure their journey to the cruise terminal is comfortable and safe. The fleet of clean cars is equipped to handle various weather conditions and accommodate sports equipment. Safety is paramount , with child seats available upon request for all ages. The professional drivers are English-speaking, well-dressed, and attentive to guests’ needs, providing a personalized experience .

Vehicles are maintained to the highest standards, ensuring a smooth and reliable ride.

Drivers are carefully vetted and trained to prioritize passenger comfort and security.

Accommodations are made for special requests , such as accessibility needs or luggage storage.

Attention to detail is a hallmark, with every aspect of the transfer tailored to guests’ preferences.

The service aims to deliver a stress-free and enjoyable start or end to the cruise experience.

Service Features

With door-to-door service and no hidden charges , the transfer ensures a seamless experience for guests. A dedicated team greets passengers at the scheduled time, holding a nameplate and providing assistance with luggage upon arrival at the airport or cruise port.

Waiters stand ready for up to an hour, catering to any needs that may arise during the journey. Travelers can rest assured that the service features are designed with their comfort and convenience in mind.

From the efficient door-to-door transfers to the personalized attention , every aspect of the service is tailored to make the transition to the cruise terminal as smooth as possible.

Experience Highlights

Travelers consistently appreciate the comfort of private transportation and personalized service throughout their journey. The attention to guests’ needs and assurance of safety and cleanliness provide peace of mind from airport to cruise terminal.

This premium airport transfer experience highlights:

A stress-free, door-to-door service that ensures a seamless transition

A professional, English-speaking driver dedicated to delivering excellent customer service

Well-equipped, air-conditioned vehicles accommodating various needs and weather conditions

Complimentary assistance with luggage, making the travel process effortless

The convenience of booking with flexibility and no upfront payment required

These features combine to create a truly exceptional transfer experience, setting the tone for a memorable cruise vacation.

Pricing and Cancellation

For the San Francisco Airport to Cruise Terminal transfer, the pricing starts at $569.54 per group, covering up to 2 participants. Travelers can book this service without any upfront payment, with the option to cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. This flexible booking approach allows guests to secure their transportation while maintaining control over their plans.

The transparent pricing structure and liberal cancellation policy ensure a hassle-free booking experience, enabling travelers to focus on the excitement of their cruise vacation.

Airport Pickup and Drop-off

The private transfer service ensures a seamless airport pickup and drop-off experience, with professional drivers meeting guests at the scheduled time and location.

Dedicated staff will assist with luggage upon arrival, providing a hassle-free start to the cruise journey.

The service features include:

Prompt and on-time pickup, with a 60-minute waiting time at the airport or port.

Courteous, English-speaking drivers who are attentive to guests’ needs.

Comfortable, air-conditioned vehicles equipped for various weather conditions and storage of sports equipment.

Availability of child seats upon request, ensuring the safety of families.

Door-to-door service with no hidden charges, delivering guests directly to the cruise terminal.

About the Cruise Terminal

San Francisco’s cruise terminal offers a convenient and centralized embarkation point for passengers embarking on their cruise journeys. Located just a short transfer from the airport, the terminal provides easy access and a seamless transition to the ship.

The modern facility features a spacious and comfortable waiting area, efficient check-in procedures , and dedicated staff to assist passengers with their luggage and boarding process.

With its strategic location, the cruise terminal allows travelers to maximize their time and enjoy a stress-free start to their maritime adventure.

Whether you’re setting sail for a week-long getaway or an extended voyage, the San Francisco cruise terminal ensures a smooth and enjoyable beginning to your cruise experience.

Here's a few more nearby tours and experiences we think you'll like.

• Straight to the Gate Access: Golden Gate Bay Cruise
• San Francisco Bay Sunset Catamaran Cruise
• Small-Group Wine Country Tour From San Francisco With Tastings
• San Francisco Movie Sights City Tour
• Little Italy and North Beach Walking Tour in San Francisco
• Small-Group Tour: Sf, Muir Woods, Sausalito W/ Optional Alcatraz

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Payment Options Available for the Transfer?

Customers can reserve the transfer without upfront payment, paying later. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. The transfer costs $569.54 per group of up to 2 participants.

Can I Request a Specific Driver or Vehicle Type?

Yes, customers can request a specific driver or vehicle type for their transfer. The company offers a range of air-conditioned vehicles and professional, English-speaking drivers to accommodate guests’ preferences and needs.

How Do I Know if My Transfer Is on Time?

Your transfer will be on time as the service includes meeting you with a nameplate at the scheduled time. The professional driver will be attentive to your needs and ensure a punctual arrival at your destination.

What if I Need to Make Changes to My Booking?

Guests can easily make changes to their booking, such as adjusting the number of passengers or the pickup/drop-off time, by contacting the service provider. Flexible policies typically allow for free changes or cancellations up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled transfer.

Is There Any Way to Track My Luggage During the Transfer?

The transfer service allows customers to track their luggage during the journey. The professional drivers will assist with luggage upon arrival at the destination and ensure the safe transport of all personal items.

Not for you? Here's more of our most recent tour reviews happening neaby

• San Francisco Highlights Using Public Transportation
• 2hr – INTERACTIVE Sailing Experience on San Francisco Bay
• San Francisco: City and Muir Woods W/ Optional Alcatraz Tour
• From San Francisco: Muir Woods Wine Tour With Napa & Sonoma
• San Francisco: Half Day Wine Tour & Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour
• San Francisco: Golden Gate Bike Tour and Alcatraz Ticket
• San Francisco: Sonoma Wine Country Tour With Tastings
• San Francisco: Marin Headlands Gravel Biking Tour +GG Bridge
• Tastes of Chinatown, North Beach, and Fisherman’s Wharf
• Muir Woods, Sausalito and Ferry Back to Fishermans Wharf
• 2hr – SUNSET Sailing Experience on San Francisco Bay
• San Francisco: City Tour With Alcatraz Visit
• San Francisco: Muir Woods, Napa & Sonoma Valley Wine Tour
• From San Francisco: Yosemite National Park Guided Day Trip
• San Francisco: Private Custom Tour With a Local Guide

San Francisco Airport’s private transfer service offers a seamless and stress-free way for travelers to get to the Cruise Terminal.

With professional drivers, comfortable vehicles, and convenient features like door-to-door assistance and flexible booking options, the service ensures a hassle-free experience .

The competitive pricing and free cancellation policy further enhance the service’s appeal, making it an attractive choice for those seeking a reliable and efficient transportation solution.

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Joker Halloween Party Cruise

t's that time of year to make the weekend all about YOUR Halloween ... And what better place to party dressed up as your favorite SuperHero or Villain (or any other creative costume you can think of), than on the Joker Halloween Party Cruise aboard the Inspiration MEGA Yacht.

From the creators of Pier Pressure - Halloween! Prepare for the ultimate San Diego Halloween party cruise that will be transformed into Joker's Yacht -- filled with 1000+ party people celebrating Halloween in style! With four of So-Cal’s hottest DJs performing live on two decks, we will rock this boat with the best club mixes on the planet!!

So don't be afraid to come aboard the most magnificent, luxurious yacht in the San Diego Harbor, The Inspiration. Take your Halloween up a notch.

Neighborhood: Downtown

The Inspiration Yacht

1800 N Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92101

Date & Time

Nov 2, 2024 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM Check-in: 8:45 PM. Boarding: 9:10 PM. Cruise Time: 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM.

$27.56-$216.95

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Annual taste of gaslamp.

The Taste of Gaslamp is a scrumptious self-guided foodie tour that has become a staple for locals and tourists alike who flock to the Quarter to indulge in a culinary adventure stopping at 20+ restaurants across 16 square city blocks.

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A short film fest in a cross-fit gym, live theatre in a shoe factory, contemporary dance on loading docks, immersive art in a screen printing shop, live music set to silent film, a virtual reality trip around the world, steamroller print making, an avant-garde fashion show along the urban streetscape & much more!

Del Mar Racing Season

San Diego horse racing takes place where the "turf meets the surf" at the Del Mar Racetrack. Fans flock to the track each summer to wager on their favorite horses during the popular, annual Del Mar Racetrack racing season, mid-July - early-September. Be part of the magic and nostalgia of this long-time horse race tradition dating back to 1937 when Bing Crosby greeted the first guests, and Seabiscuit won by a nose in the infamous race in 1938. This season features the nation's top racehorses, trainers and jockeys, and plenty of fun in the sun.

San Diego Restaurant Week

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San Francisco police and Secret Service outline APEC security impacts

When world leaders come to meet in san francisco this november, there will be plenty of security at their events, by nbc bay area staff • published october 18, 2023 • updated on october 19, 2023 at 3:24 pm.

In November, San Francisco will be the host to the biggest forum of international governments the city has seen in nearly 80 years: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation event .

The APEC Economic Leaders' Week will run from Nov. 11 to 17. The APEC CEO Summit will be held from Nov. 14 to 16 at the Moscone Center.

Watch NBC Bay Area News 📺 Streaming free 24/7

And when it comes to town, so will President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the leaders of 20 other nations as well. 

Mayor Breed introduces ballot measure to ease restrictions on SFPD officers

Federal regulators open probe into Cruise after pedestrian injury reports

With so many heads of state in town, the city’s residents can expect a high level of security. To give people an idea of what to expect, the San Francisco Police and the U.S. Secret Service held a press conference on the issue Wednesday. 

“The number one priority of the Secret Service — as well as everyone standing here today — is the safety of the world leaders, the attendees coming to the APEC summit as well as the general public,” said Secret Service Special Agent Jeremy Brown. 

APEC’s main events will be held at Moscone Center, so several streets surrounding that part of the Market District will either be closed outright or have restricted traffic. In addition, the Nob Hill area will also be affected. 

The security measures will take a variety of forms. Buses and the central subway line will be rerouted, delivery vehicles will be screened in security zones, and the Secret Service will be imposing flight and maritime restrictions on the bay. 

To help with such a large event, the San Francisco police and city Sheriff’s Department will be coordinating with the California Highway Patrol and an array of federal agencies. 

“Let me be clear,” said Police Chief Bill Scott, “any act of violence against any members of the public or against law enforcement will not be tolerated.”

Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.

APEC’s members meet on a yearly basis, with this year’s meeting including 21 economies including the U.S., Mexico, Canada, China and Australia. All countries along the Pacfic Ocean and South China Sea. 

“It’s pretty historic, what’s happening,” said Jonathan Grubb, the Chief Operating Officer with the Bay Area Council. “But on a practical level for the people who are here, it’s going to be a bit of a headache. A lot of reads are going to be shut down.”

Along with the secured areas where the conference is happening and where attendees are staying, there will also be off-site events. On Nov. 15, for example, much of the Embarcadero will be closed to the public for events at the exploratorium. 

Other events will be hosted aboard the historic Klamath Ferry Boat, which is also the headquarters for the Bay Area council. 

While the weeklong event is likely to create challenges for city residents, organizers also hope it will provide a boon for the city. 

“It’s about 30,000 people that are coming here to visit,” said Grubb. “So there’s a big economic boost from that to hotels but also restaurants and everything else. It also can be kind of a restart button for our tourism industry.”

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Robot taxis are even weirder than I expected

Riding around in a Waymo cab feels totally futuristic — and strangely normal

The first thing to know about riding in a robot taxi is that it feels very, very weird.

The second thing to know is that, weirdly, riding in a robot taxi quickly starts to feel completely normal.

The idea of a car that drives itself is as old as science fiction. But the push for autonomous auto tech didn't get underway in earnest until about 20 years ago, when DARPA started running contests to see who could actually build a driverless vehicle. Two years ago, the Google spinoff Waymo and the GM subsidiary Cruise finally deployed cars without drivers in San Francisco.

It didn't go great. Just one day after Cruise started running its Uber-like ride-hailing service, a dozen of its cars coalesced into a swarm traffic jam . Last year, after getting hit by a human-driven car, a pedestrian fell to the street in front of a Cruise robot, which ran them over. Detecting a collision, the robot drove 20 feet forward and stopped at the curbside — dragging the person underneath .

Cruise got banned from the city . But today, Waymo's tricked-out Jaguar SUVs — fender-mounted lidar sensors spinning like medieval banners heralding the arrival of the king — are ubiquitous in San Francisco. Kids wave at them; tourists take pictures. At first, access was limited, by invitation only. But in July, the service opened to anyone willing to download an app and type in a credit-card number.

I've been writing about cities and transportation for a long time, so I know that it's exceedingly rare for a new mode of transport to appear. Planes, trains, and automobiles — that's pretty much the history of the past two centuries of people getting from here to there in new ways. So I decided to spend a few weeks riding around in Waymo's cars, to see what our robot-driven future looks like. I used them for running errands, the same as I might rely on Uber or Lyft. I also spent a day gallivanting around town in a more touristy way, to see what longer and more challenging routes felt like. I've come away convinced that self-driving cars are going to alter some fundamental things about America's cities, and how we get around them — for better and for worse.

Before I hailed my first Waymo, I expected that riding in a robot cab was going to feel like a cozy version of the future. A car that drives itself? As a kid, I always knew that if I waited long enough, "Knight Rider" would come true. Turbo-boosted Super Pursuit Mode, here I come!

When you call a Waymo, the waiting part of the experience is certainly familiar. You request a ride, and the app tells you how far away the car is and when to expect it. When the robot pulls up, a sort of beacon on top illuminates with your initials. You unlock the car by touching the app, and the handles unfold from flush against the door, like guns on a Transformer. Waymo's head of UX design, Lauren Schwendimann, tells me the doors are activated by the phone talking directly to the car — a first bit of hand-holding in the new relationship between human and machine.

Get in, and the car greets you by name. Very chill ambient music plays, to get you in a Westworld frame of mind. Tap the touchscreen facing the back seat to tell the car you're ready, and off you go, with the screen providing a video-game-like view of the car's progress.

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The whole idea is to make riders feel like everything is going to be OK. "We very much curate that to achieve this relaxed feel," Schwendimann says. "When you ride other forms of transportation, you're in other people's space. There's value to public transportation, but there is something about having space to yourself and that moment of quiet, privacy, and peace."

And, sure, it's calming — to a point. For me that point was when the car pulled away from the curb and I looked at the empty driver's seat. The steering wheel was turning of its own volition, as if I were being driven by a ghost. What I thought was, holy shit!

Before riding in my first Waymo, I hadn't considered that when people called the first automobile a "horseless carriage," it must have been out of abject horror. The thing moved like a carriage … but there's no horse! There's no horse! Spooky.

It turns out everyone who takes a Waymo experiences the same ghost-panic. "Yes, we know that is a very prominent feature of the ride experience," Schwendimann says. "It contributes to the sense of wonder and awe." That's mainly because robot cars, like every other vehicle on a city street, are required to have a functional steering wheel. In a Waymo, the driver's-side door doesn't even unlock. But once Waymo and other companies are permitted to roll out more Westworldly, podlike vehicles, without any driver controls, they'll be able to turn the space normally inhabited by a driver over to passengers. There won't be any "front seat." Younger siblings will weep, for there will no longer be a "shotgun!" to call.

Hardly anyone on Earth has ever been alone in a moving automobile without being the driver. This is an entirely new sensation, and let me tell you, it's destabilizing.

Now, it's worth pausing to appreciate that hardly anyone on Earth has ever been alone in a moving automobile without being the driver. This is an entirely new sensation, and let me tell you, it's destabilizing. As the steering wheel rotates, the car's screens display your progress through the city's streets, re-rendered as some sort of phantom zone. Buildings appear as barely there outlines. Other cars are bluish apparitions, while pedestrians and cyclists glow a vibrant, flickering orange-red. The closest sensation I could think of is a " dark ride " at an amusement park, where everyone piles into an automated boat or a spaceship and gets pushed through an illuminated story populated by animatronic characters. You know Pirates of the Caribbean or It's a Small World? Waymo is Mr. Toad's Mild Ride.

The video display is intended to help keep the rider grounded, as it were. "What we show in the scene are things to help the rider orient to where they are and understand the basics of where the car is going to go next," Schwendimann says. But for me, the eerie screen view only added to the surreality. London cabbies used to get licensed based on their command of the Knowledge, a truly encyclopedic sense of how to get around London's thousand-year-old streets; neuroscientists found that drivers who acquired this mastery of spatial memory literally had bigger brains . Yet here I was, sitting inside a robot programmed with San Francisco Knowledge, and it made me feel like my brain was getting smaller as a result of the outsourcing. The screen displayed no street names; the buildings were unidentifiable apparitions. I couldn't even ask the driver to take a more scenic route, or to pull over while I grabbed some coffee. I felt oddly alienated from the city I was moving through.

From a consumer perspective, my Waymo experience was about on par with taking an Uber. Waymo was generally cheaper, and equally reliable. It sometimes took what seemed like slower, back-street routes. And it once canceled my pickup at a restaurant in North Beach just after a police car had rolled up nearby, sirens blaring and lights flashing, and brought traffic around me to a stop. But, flip side, the other day my Lyft driver, who seemed to have trouble following the directions on his phone, got lost. So … robot gets five stars?

But the weirdest part of taking a Waymo is how quickly it stops feeling weird. Once you've heard the onboarding spiel a couple of times, the whole thing starts to feel a little bit like, well, riding in a cab. And after the novelty of the empty driver's seat wears off, the temptation to just pull out your phone and doomscroll your way to the next destination is powerful.

Which is to say, it's shocking to be reminded of how quickly we begin to take the marvels of our world for granted. At one point, during my second ride, I reset the music from its futuristic ambient default setting to Classic EDM. But the next time I got into a Waymo, the futuristic ambient default was playing again. And I got mad ! This self-driving, autonomous robot from the future can't even be bothered to remember my preference for Aphex Twin?

When I tell Schwendimann about this, she laughs at me, which I deserve. Then she assures me that they're working on all kinds of customization settings — music, interior lighting, whatever. Whichever car picks you up should feel like your car, she says. That's part of feeling safe.

Back in 2015, I rode in one of Google's experimental versions of a self-driving car, with a human backup sitting behind the wheel. The car drove like a 16-year-old who just got their learner's permit. Every stop sign, every pedestrian on a sidewalk, even the occasional tree would cause the robot to slam on the brakes hard enough to bounce my head off the headrest.

Waymo's Jags, by contrast, drive like a competent and cautious professional. Riding in them gets a little boring in part because they are uncannily good. We slipped deftly past a double-parked food-delivery driver — signaled, juked left, signaled, juked back right — amid Chinatown traffic. We changed lanes with confidence, maintained steady speeds on San Francisco's challenging hills. At one point, a driver with no patience for the Waymo's steady, speed-limit-abiding pace raced up behind us and pulled into a red-painted buses-only lane on our left to pass. The illegal move seemed to freak the Waymo out for a second — it paused, slowed way down. But then we got going again. (And yes, I realize it's weird to refer to myself and a robot car as "we.")

In my own life I drive a faster-than-you'd-expect little hatchback, and I'll admit that I sometimes drive faster than you'd expect. But in some circumstances the Waymos were actually more aggressive than I would've been. Last week I induced my kids to come robot-riding with me, bribed with the promise of a blowout back-to-school lunch at Swan Oyster Depot. We went ranging around town, including a long drive that put us on Portola Drive, a curving and hilly extension of the city's spinal main drag. The Waymo took those curves faster and more affirmatively than I would have. At least one driver even honked at us as we — well, I don't want to say "cut him off," because a robot would never. But the other guy leaned on his horn, which, when you think about it, is kind of hilarious. The war against the road machines begins with road rage.

Robots are clearly fantastic at doing car-like things. The question is, do we want more technology that does car-like things? Cars are flexible, fast, fun, and can go pretty much anywhere, as long as there's pavement and parking. So American cities basically gave them priority after World War II, ripping up trolley tracks and ramming new freeways through low-income and minority neighborhoods in the service of speed, suburban convenience, and petrochemical profits. But technological choices have consequences. The rise of cars fueled traffic jams, air pollution, climate change, income inequality, and a whole lot of death and misery from car crashes . Today about 20% of America's downtowns are devoted to parking — as many as 2 billion spaces .

Robot cars are what philosophers call a "technological sublime" — a miraculous, liberating device that contributes to all kinds of bad outcomes.

Robot cars don't do much, if anything, to alleviate these problems — and they may make them worse. The biggest problem that robot cars "solve" is the cost of human labor. Instead of paying a living wage to cabbies, tech companies have spent billions of dollars developing robots to take their place. (Both Lyft and Uber have indicated that they envision their future as full of robot drivers .) The money goes up the line, to programmers, managers, and investors. Science has essentially discovered a way to increase profits by combining the social isolation and environmental degradation of the automobile with the frustration and ennui of public transit.

But really, the experience of sitting alone in a robot car is more than that. Will people use the opportunity to turn off the surveillance cameras and have sex? Probably: They used to do that on the gondola ride at Disneyland, too. But the fact is, women, racial minorities, and LGBTQ+ people encounter all sorts of harassment and outright violence as they move through cities. Ride hailing is particularly bad for that: Drivers harass lone passengers, and passengers harass drivers. Most of the conversation about the safety of robot cars has been about what happens when they hit someone , as they inevitably will. But the space inside a robot taxi is safe for people in a different way, because there's no one there to mess with you. It's one of the few ways to get around the urban landscape where you can be truly alone. If one metric for evaluating a city is how safely people and things can move through it, robot cabs will make cities measurably better.

So on the one hand, autonomous vehicles are a literal transport of delight, a miraculous and liberating technology. And on the other, they magnify all the scary economics, bad ethics, weird sociology, and redistribution of wealth that cars helped usher in almost exactly a century ago. Pluses and minuses! Philosophers call that a " technological sublime ."

Since it's nearly impossible to imagine American cities building any grand new infrastructure — no protected bike lanes, no new trolleys or subway lines or high-speed rail — robot taxis are what we get. Robots, after all, don't jeopardize the twin North Stars of what passes for urban planning in America: free parking and the freedom to drive fast. Maybe that's why one of the biggest tech companies in the world is being allowed to field test 2-ton experimental robots on the streets of a major American city. Robot cars will never take up a parking space. They will never require us, horror of horrors, to take a bus or a train. Instead they will blend invisibly into the world we've already built. Just a ghost in a dysfunctional machine, taking us for a ride.

Adam Rogers is a senior correspondent at Business Insider.

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San Francisco Basketball Recruit Has Huskies Among Final 5

Dan raley | 1 hour ago.

Jasir Rencher sounds a lot like Jack Reacher, real and fictional guys who have a physical presence and bring a lot of intrigue to what they do.

Reacher was a film role for Tom Cruise and Alan Ritchson -- Rencher is authentic as an attention-getter.

A 6-foot-6 shooting guard from San Francisco's Archbishop Riordan High Schoo and the Class of 2025, Rencher this week narrowed his college choices to LSU, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Washington.

His connection to the Huskies goes back 13 months, beginning with an offer from Coach Danny Sprinkle when he was at Utah State and continuing on with his new UW staff.

"Washington, I was on with him on Facetime for 40 minutes," Rencher said of Sprinkle to Simply Basketball when asked with whom he has made strong recruiting connection .

Down to ✋🏽. Thank you to all the coaches, staffs and programs that have been apart of my journey. No cut ties… much love ❤️ pic.twitter.com/9jMZ6Hf65c — jasir rencher 💕 (@JasirRencher) September 4, 2024

Sprinkle offered this big guard on Sept. 18 last year on behalf of Utah State and Mike Hopkins' UW staff followed with its own offer last Oct. 17. The guard is scheduled for a Husky visit on Oct. 5.

Rencher, who has played for Damon Lillard's AAU basketball team, pencils out as the nation's No. 92 player nationally, 16th as a small forward (though he's being talked about more as a guard), and as the No. 12 California player, according to 247Sports.

The attraction to him is his inside-out game, one in which he plays above the rims more than most guards yet has a 3-point shot that is elite.

He helped his Riordan team finish 25-5 last season and advance to the CIF Northern California state tournament, where it lost to Salesian College Preparatory School 49-44 in the semifinals and had its 16-game winning streak end.

4⭐️ Jasir Rencher (2025) is down to his top 5 ‼️ @JasirRencher Where do you want to Jasir go⁉️ @teamlillardaau pic.twitter.com/Xm5z4vEuEo — SIMPLY BASKETBALL (@simplyy_bball) September 4, 2024

With so much to like about him, Rencher has his pick of schools but insists he holds just one criteria that's important to him and needs to be fulfilled.

"I want to play as a freshman," he said. "I want to make an impact as a freshman."

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

3 Easy Boat Trips to Cap Off a Well-Spent Summer in San Diego

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Go for international for a day with a boat trip to Isla Coronado, a Mexican Island just off the coast of San Diego. Snap the perfect San Diego skyline selfie with a day cruise on the bay. Or, cruise over to Cabrillo Point for the most expansive views of the Pacific and maybe meet a grey whale on their journey to their wintering grounds. Whether you’re here for the summer or you’re just visiting SoCal, cross these three San Diego experiences off your list before the summer’s end.

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Want a few more stamps in your passport? Book a Captained boat and set course to Isla Coronado , an archipelago in Mexico’s Baja California that sits just off the coast of San Diego.

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Get on the bay and zip along the coastlines for stunning views of the cities most popular attractions like the USS Midway Museum, Seaport Village, sunbathing seals, and, of course, San Diego’s iconic skyline.

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Find a boat with snorkeling gear to explore La Jolla’s under water scene , from the kelp forests to the reefs teeming with tropical fish. Or, book a boat with a licensed captain and get up close to grey whales on their way to their summer homes in Alaska.

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Gabriela dos Santos is an experienced Editor known for her insightful and engaging writing. Gabriela has been working in editorial writing for 3 years, with a background in writing for magazines and media outlets. In 2022, she joined the Boatsetter Team, bringing her dedication, passion for storytelling and factual accuracy to the Boatsetter Blog. She is always on the lookout for stories of connection and community; to inform, to entertain, to inspire! In her free time, Gabriela loves traveling and spending time by (or on) the water.

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An SF Bay sunset cruise is the perfect way to liven up your weekend. It’s an ideal mix of luxury and adventure! Choose an intimate private charter for a San Francisco sunset cruise on the charming, all wood Grand Banks, Cimba . Or get a fun group together and come aboard a classic tall ship like the Schooner Freda B . Another wonderful way to get out on the Bay is always a Public sails !

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Inside the shocking Sicily yacht tragedy that left 7 people dead

There was a violent storm, but even then, luxury yachts are built to weather such events. so why did this boat sink off the coast of sicily, leaving seven people dead, by natalie finn | e news • published august 24, 2024 • updated on august 24, 2024 at 7:34 am.

Originally appeared on E! Online

Nobody was trying to reach the lowest depths of the ocean or otherwise test the boundaries of human endurance .

24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are

But what was supposed to be a routine pleasure cruise aboard a superyacht turned deadly all the same on the morning of Aug. 19 when the 184-foot Bayesian got caught in a storm and sank off the coast of Sicily .

"I can't remember the last time I read about a vessel going down quickly like that," Stephen Richter of SAR Marine Consulting told NBC News . "You know, completely capsizing and going down that quickly, a vessel of that nature, a yacht of that size."

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Of the 22 people onboard, including crew, seven people died. The last of the bodies was recovered Aug. 23, an expectedly sad coda to what had already been a tragic week as the search for answers as to how this happened got underway.

And to be sure, every minute of the Bayesian's ill-fated outing is being fiercely scrutinized, starting with the general seaworthiness of the vessel itself.

Because, frankly, this was a freak occurrence.

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"Boats of this size, they’re taking passengers on an excursion or a holiday," Richter explained. "They are not going to put them in situations where it may be dangerous or it may be uncomfortable, so this storm that popped up was obviously an anomaly. These vessels that carry passengers, they’re typically very well-maintained, very well-appointed."

But in this case, a $40 million yacht sank, seven people are dead—including a billionaire tech mogul and his 18-year-old daughter—and morbid fascination doesn't need a second wind.

Here is how the story of the Sicily yacht tragedy has unfolded so far:

What happened to the yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily?

The Bayesian had set off from the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Aug. 14 at capacity with 12 guests and 10 crewmembers aboard.

The aluminum-hulled vessel was built in 2008 by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi and registered in the U.K. Cruise sites listed it as available for charter at $215,000 per week, per the Associated Press.

On the morning of Aug. 19, the superyacht was anchored off the coast of Porticello, a small fishing village in the Sicilian province of Palermo (also the name of Sicily's capital city), when a violent storm hit.

The vessel "suddenly sank" at around 5 a.m. local time, seemingly due to "the terrible weather conditions," the City Council of Bagheria announced shortly afterward, per NBC News .

At the time, only one person was confirmed dead—the ship's chef—but six others were said to be missing. The 15 survivors—who managed to make it onto an inflatable life boat, according to emergency officials—were rescued that morning by the crew of another yacht that had been nearby when the storm hit.

"Fifteen people inside," Karsten Borner, the Dutch captain of the ship that was able to help (the Sir Robert Baden Powell), told reporters afterward, per Reuters. "Four people were injured, three heavily injured, and we brought them to our ship. Then we communicated with the coast guard, and after some time, the coast guard came and later picked up injured people."

When the storm hit, his boat ran into "a strong hurricane gust," Borner said, "and we had to start the engine to keep the ship in an angled position."

They "managed to keep the ship in position," he continued, but once the storm died down, they realized the other boat that had been behind them—the Bayesian—was gone.

The wreck ended up settling 165 feet below the surface, according to Italy's national fire department.

Fire officials said that divers, a motorboat and a helicopter were deployed to search for the missing.

Meanwhile, footage was captured of the ship capsizing on closed-circuit TV about a half-mile away from where it was anchored.

In the video obtained by NBC News, the illuminated 250-foot aluminum mast of the ship appears to list severely to one side before disappearing completely. Survivors recalled having just a few minutes to literally abandon ship.

Who were the seven people who died when the yacht Bayesian sank?

The tragedy initially became headline news because billionaire tech mogul Mike Lynch—"Britain's Bill Gates," some U.K. media called him—was among the missing. His body was ultimately recovered Aug. 22 .

"They told me that suddenly they found themselves catapulted into the water without even understanding how they had got there," Dr. Fabio Genco, head of the Palermo Emergency Medical Services, told NBC News Aug. 22. "And that the whole thing seems to have lasted from 3 to 5 minutes."

Genco said he got to Porticello about an hour after the Bayesian capsized.

Survivors "told me that it was all dark, that the yacht hoisted itself up and then went down," he said. "All the objects were falling on them. That’s why I immediately made sure, by asking them questions, if they had any internal injuries."

Why did the yacht sink?

Italian prosecutors are investigating to determine what transpired before the boat went down, according to NBC News.

Meanwhile, the CEO of shipbuilder Perini's parent company The Italian Sea Group defended the vessel itself as "unsinkable."

Perini boats "are the safest in the most absolute sense," Giovanni Costantino told Sky News Aug. 22 . What happened to the Bayesian "put me in a state of sadness on one side and of disbelief on the other," he continued. "This incident sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact."

Costantino said it had to have been human error that led to the boat sinking, declaring, "Mistakes were made."

"Everything that was done reveals a very long summation of errors," he told newspaper Corriere della Sera Aug. 21, in an interview translated from Italian. "The people should not have been in the cabins, the boat should not have been at anchor."

The weather was "all predictable," he continued, adding that the storm "was fully legible in all the weather charts. It couldn't have been ignored."

The yacht's captain, identified as James Cutfield of New Zealand, was taken to Termini Imerese hospital for treatment. From there, he told La Repubblica, per Sky News , that he didn't see the storm coming.

Borner, the captain of the ship that rescued the 15 Bayesian survivors, told NBC News that he noticed the storm come in at 4 a.m. local time, and saw what looked to him like a waterspout, a type of tornado that forms above water.

The International Centre for Waterspout Research posted on X Aug. 19 that it had "confirmed 18 waterspouts today off the coasts of Italy. Some were powerful waterspouts, one of which may have been responsible for the sinking of a large yacht off of Sicily."

Borner said he didn't know why the Bayesian sank so quickly, guessing "it may have something to do with the mast, which was incredibly long." (A tall mast, even with its sails down, means there's more surface area exposed to wind, which can result in tipping.)

Confirming that one person was dead and six unaccounted for immediately following the wreck on Aug. 19, Salvo Cocina of Sicily's civil protection agency told reporters that a waterspout had struck the area overnight.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

The 59-year-old founder of software firm Autonomy had been on the trip with his wife Angela Bacares and their 18-year-old, Oxford-bound daughter Hannah to celebrate his recent acquittal in the U.S. on fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from the $11.7 billion purchase of his company by Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

In a bizarre turn of events, Lynch's co-defendant at trial, Stephen Chamberlain, the former vice president of finance at Autonomy, died after being taken off life support following a road accident on Aug. 17. Chamberlain's attorney told Reuters Aug. 20 that his friend and client had been out for a run when he was "fatally struck" by a car.

Meanwhile, multiple people who contributed to Lynch's defense were on the cruise with him and his family.

The bodies of Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer—who testified on Lynch's behalf—and his wife Judy Bloomer, as well as lawyer Chris Morvillo, a partner at the U.S. firm Clifford Chance, and his wife Neda Morvillo, a jewelry designer, were recovered on Aug. 21 .

In a LinkedIn post thanking the team that successfully defended Lynch, Morvillo wrote, per Sky News , "And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo. None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after…"

The first casualty confirmed Aug. 19 was the ship's Canadian-Antiguan chef, later identified as Recaldo Thomas.

"He was a one-of-a-kind special human being," a friend of Thomas told The Independent . "Incredibly talented, contagious smile and laugh, an incredible voice with a deep love of the ocean and the moon. I spoke to him nearly every day. He loved his life his friends and his job."

Hannah's body was the last of the missing six to be found , with divers bringing her remains ashore on Aug. 23.

Lynch and Bacares, who was rescued, also shared a 21-year-old daughter, according to The Times.

While awaiting trial, Lynch—who maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings—had spent 13 months under house arrest in San Francisco. Back home in London afterward, he admitted to The Times in July that he'd been afraid of dying in prison if he'd been found guilty. (He faced a possible 25-year sentence.)

"It's bizarre, but now you have a second life," he reflected. "The question is, what do you want to do with it?"

(E!, NBC News and Sky News are all members of the Comcast family.)