What the Golden Gate Bridge Costs
The walk is free, and so is the ride
I worked a rental counter at Fisherman’s Wharf for six summers, and the question I heard most at nine in the morning was some version of “where do I buy the bridge ticket.” There is no ticket. You walk up to the east sidewalk at the Welcome Center, or at Vista Point on the Marin side, and you start walking. The sidewalk is open from 5:00 am, closes at 6:30 pm in winter and 9:00 pm in summer, and nobody checks anything at the gate. The full crossing is 1.7 miles. Details are on the walking page.
Cyclists get the same deal with longer hours: toll-free, 24 hours a day, on a sidewalk that changes with the time of day. The cycling page has the rotation. What you may pay for is the bike itself, because there are no rentals at the bridge; the shops are at the Wharf and in the Presidio.
The toll, and who actually pays it
Drivers pay a toll only when heading south into San Francisco. Northbound is free. There are no toll booths and no cash; the system has been all-electronic since March 2013. A FasTrak transponder, a licence-plate account, a one-time online payment or a mailed invoice all settle it. Rental cars usually get billed through the rental company with a service fee, or the driver pays online within 48 hours of crossing. I do not print the amount, because the District changes it and I would rather you read it on goldengate.org than on a page that went stale. The toll page covers the rest.
What a cruise ticket buys
A boat is the only way to see the underside of the deck and the full height of the towers from the water. The one-hour bay cruise leaves Pier 43½, sails under the bridge and rounds Alcatraz. The 90-minute Bridge to Bridge cruise adds the Bay Bridge. The sailing catamaran from Pier 39 does it under canvas with a live crew instead of a handset. All three are compared on the cruise page.
What a bike tour buys
Two guided rides leave Fisherman’s Wharf, cross the bridge and end in Sausalito, each about three hours. You are paying for a guide, a bike, a helmet, a lock and someone who knows the Presidio climb. Neither includes the ferry back. The Sausalito cycling tour and the guided bike or e-bike tour each have a close-up page.
What the seaplane buys
Thirty minutes in a six-seat seaplane out of Mill Valley, over downtown, the bridge, Alcatraz and Sausalito. It is the one product here that is non-refundable once booked. The seaplane page explains the weight limit and the shuttle.
Why this site prints no prices
Tour prices change by date, by season and sometimes by the hour before departure. A figure I typed in September would be wrong by spring. The widget below pulls the live price and the live calendar from GetYourGuide, so what you see is what you would pay today. The all-tours page lists the six products side by side.
If your budget is the walk and nothing else, spend the saved money on the Muni 28 bus to the Welcome Center and the ferry back from Sausalito. Both are cheap ways to turn a free walk into a loop.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an entrance fee for the Golden Gate Bridge?
No. Pedestrians and cyclists cross free, with no ticket and no booking. The is-it-free page lists what is free and what is not.
Do I pay the toll in both directions?
No. The toll is charged southbound only, into San Francisco, and it is collected electronically. Northbound is free. See how the toll works.
Why are there no tour prices on this site?
Prices change by date and season, so a typed figure goes stale fast. The availability widget on each page shows the live price. The all-tours page compares the six products.
Is a cruise or a bike tour better value?
It depends on what you want to see. The boat shows the underside; the bike shows the deck and Sausalito. I set the two side by side on the cruise vs bike page.