How to Get to the Bridge

Muni 28

The 28 runs along 19th Avenue and stops at the Golden Gate Bridge tunnel on Merchant Road, which puts you a minute from the Welcome Center and the Strauss statue. It is the most direct public-transport route and needs no change. Check the Muni app for the live times; this site prints no timetables because they change.

Golden Gate Transit

Several Golden Gate Transit routes from downtown and Marin stop on Highway 101 directly above the Welcome Center. Golden Gate Transit also runs from Sausalito back over the bridge, which is the quick way home if you have walked across one way and do not fancy the return. The ferry page covers the other way back.

PresidiGo and the Promenade

The free PresidiGo shuttle runs into the Presidio and stops at the Presidio Transit Center. From there the Presidio Promenade is a 1.6-mile walk to the bridge through the old army post. On a clear day it is a walk in its own right.

Driving and parking

There are paid lots next to the Welcome Center and off Merchant Road. Both fill early, and on a summer weekend they are full by mid-morning. If you must drive, arrive before 9:00 am or park at Crissy Field and walk up. Remember that driving back into the city from Vista Point means the southbound toll, collected electronically with no booth; the toll page explains how a rental car pays it.

By bike from the Wharf

Fisherman’s Wharf to the bridge is about four miles along the waterfront through Fort Mason, the Marina and Crissy Field, flat until the Presidio climb. The two guided tours on the bike-tours page take this route with a guide; the cycling page covers doing it yourself.

By boat

No boat lands at the bridge. What the cruises do is sail under it: the bay cruise from Pier 43½ passes beneath the deck and turns for Alcatraz. The bus reaches the bridge itself; the boat shows it from below without landing, which needs no parking.

Frequently asked questions