Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [141]
BART arrives.
Boat Tours
One of the best ways to look at San Francisco is from a boat bobbing on the bay. There are several cruises to choose from, and many of them start from Fisherman’s Wharf.
Blue & Gold Fleet, Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf ( 415/705-8200; www.blueandgoldfleet.com), tours the bay year-round in a sleek, 350-passenger sightseeing boat, complete with food and beverage facilities. The fully narrated, 1-hour cruise passes beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and comes within yards of Alcatraz Island. Don a jacket, bring the camera, and make sure it’s a clear day for the best bay cruise. Frequent daily departures from Pier 39’s West Marina begin at 10:45am daily during winter and 10am daily during summer. Tickets cost $24 for adults, $20 for seniors 63 and over and juniors 12 to 18, and $16 for children 5 to 11; children 4 and under are admitted free. There’s a $2.25 charge for ordering tickets by phone; discounts are available on their website.
The Red & White Fleet, Pier 431⁄2 ( 415/673-2900; www.redandwhite.com), offers daily Bay Cruises tours that leave from Pier 431⁄2. The tour boats cruise along the city waterfront, beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, past Angel Island, and around Alcatraz and are narrated in eight languages. Prices are $24 for adults, $16 for seniors and children 5 to 17. Discounts are available through online purchase.
Bus Tours
Gray Line ( 888/428-6937 or 415/434-8687; www.sanfranciscosightseeing.com) is San Francisco’s largest bus-tour operator. It offers numerous itineraries daily (far too many to list here). Free pickup and return are available between centrally located hotels and departure locations. Advance reservations are required for all tours except motorized cable car and trolley tours. Day and evening tours depart from Pier 431⁄2 at Fisherman’s Wharf; motorized cable car tours depart from Pier 39 and Pier 41.
Air Tours
For those of you seeking a little thrill and adventure during your vacation, consider booking a flight with San Francisco Seaplane Tours, the Bay Area’s only seaplane tour company. For more than 60 years, this locally owned outfit has provided its customers a bird’s-eye view of the city, flying directly over San Francisco at an altitude of about 1,500 feet. Sights you’ll see during the narrated excursions include the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, Alcatraz, Tiburon, and Sausalito. Half the fun, however, is taking off and landing on the water (which is surprisingly smooth). Trips depart from Sausalito, and they offer complimentary shuttle pickup at Pier 39. Prices range from $149 per person for the 20-minute Golden Gate Tour to $195 for the 30-minute Champagne Sunset Flight, which includes a bottle of bubbly and a cozy backseat for two. Children’s rates are also available, and cameras are welcome. (On calm days, the pilot will even roll the window down.) For more information or reservations, log onto www.seaplane.com or call 415/332-4843.
Equally thrilling (and perhaps more so if you’ve never been in a helicopter) is a tour of San Francisco and the bay via San Francisco Helicopters. The $160 Vista package includes free shuttle pickup from your hotel or Pier 39, and a 20-minute tour that takes you under—yes, under—the Golden Gate Bridge, over the city, and past the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz Island. After takeoff, the pilot gives a narrated tour and answers questions while the background music adds a bit of Disney-ride quality to the experience. (Tip: The view from the front seat is the best.) Picnic lunch and sunset dinner packages are available as well. For more information or reservations, log onto www.sfhelicopters.com or call 800/400-2404 or 650/635-4500.
A bird’s-eye view.
But the bird