Ferries are the one part of Bay Area transit where the scenic option is also frequently the sensible one. Two public operators, one building, and a fare difference between paper and Clipper big enough to matter.
There is no single "San Francisco ferry." Two separate public agencies run scheduled service, they publish separate fares, and which one you want depends purely on direction — north or east.
Run by the same district as the Golden Gate Bridge. Marin County and the classic day trips.
Operated by WETA. The East Bay commuter network, plus a South Bay run and game-day service.
Both use the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street as their San Francisco terminal — which is also one of the best places to eat in the city. What's inside the Ferry Building →
One-way fares. The gap between a paper ticket and a card tap is the largest of any Bay Area operator — up to $5.50 a trip.
| Rider | Larkspur | Sausalito | Tiburon | Angel Is. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult paper ticket (19–64) | $14.00 | $14.00 | $14.00 | $15.50 |
| Adult Clipper or contactless | $9.50 | $8.50 | $8.50 | $10.00 |
| Youth (5–18) | $7.00 | $7.00 | $7.00 | $8.00 |
| Seniors (65+) | $7.00 | $7.00 | $7.00 | $8.00 |
| Disabled or Medicare | $7.00 | $7.00 | $7.00 | $8.00 |
| Clipper START | $4.75 | $4.25 | $4.25 | $5.75 |
| Children 4 & under (2 per adult) | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Source: Golden Gate Ferry fares, checked August 2026. Angel Island service is seasonal — check the timetable before planning around it.
Buying a paper ticket to Sausalito costs you $5.50 extra, each way. For a couple making a return trip that's $22 lost to not tapping a card. Contactless bank cards work for adult fares; anyone needing a discount fare must use a Clipper card.
Priced by route rather than by ticket type — the discount fare covers seniors, youth, riders with disabilities, and Clipper START.
| Route | Adult | Discount | Under 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland & Alameda · Alameda Seaplane · Harbor Bay | $5.10 | $2.50 | Free |
| Richmond | $5.20 | $2.60 | Free |
| South San Francisco | $7.60 | $3.80 | Free |
| Vallejo | $10.00 | $5.00 | Free |
| Alameda Short Hop | $2.85 | $1.40 | Free |
| Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle | Free | Free | Free |
Source: San Francisco Bay Ferry tickets & payment, checked August 2026.
The Oakland–Alameda Water Shuttle is free. Not discounted — free, for everyone. It's a short hop between the two waterfronts rather than a way into San Francisco, but it's the cheapest boat on the Bay.
Special-event sailings work differently. Giants and Warriors game ferries need tickets bought through SF Bay Ferry's website or app — Clipper is not accepted on those sailings, and they sell out. Don't turn up expecting to tap.
Both operators take Clipper and contactless bank cards. The rules that trip people up are the same on each:
Contactless bank cards are adult-fare only. Youth, senior, RTC/Clipper Access, and Clipper START riders must pay with a plastic or mobile Clipper card — tapping a bank card charges the full adult fare with no discount.
Tap on and tap off with the same card. Mixing a phone and a plastic card across one journey breaks the trip record, and it's also what triggers the inter-agency transfer discount of up to $2.85 when you connect to or from another operator within two hours.
Paper tickets exist but cost more and cost time. SF Bay Ferry sells them at Bay Crossings inside the Ferry Building, or on board with cash or card — but buying on board means queueing twice, and the operator openly recommends against it. On Golden Gate Ferry, paper is simply the expensive fare.
Both operators sail from the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street on the Embarcadero. Getting there is easy from anywhere on the transit network:
| Connection | Detail |
|---|---|
| BART and Muni Metro | Embarcadero station, one block |
| Historic streetcar | F Market & Wharves, at the door |
| Salesforce Transit Center | About three blocks southwest |
| Ferry tickets on site | Bay Crossings, inside |
Arrive early on a Saturday and you'll walk through a farmers market. The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market surrounds the building on Saturdays from 8 a.m., with a smaller version on Tuesdays and Thursdays — worth building into the plan rather than fighting through. Ferry Building food guide →
Sit outside on the way out, inside on the way back. Afternoon westerlies through the Golden Gate make the return leg cold and loud on the top deck, even in July. San Francisco summer is not a warm summer.
Sausalito is a return trip, Larkspur is a commute. Sausalito lands you in a small waterfront town built for exactly this; Larkspur lands you at a terminal with a bus connection. If you're going for the trip rather than the destination, take Sausalito.
Seating is first-come, first-served on all regular sailings — no reservations, no assigned seats. Only special-event service is ticketed in advance.
Ferries beat driving to Marin at rush hour and lose badly to BART for anything on the BART network. Match the tool to the direction: north across the water, take a boat; south or east on rails, take a train. BART guide →
Fares verified against goldengate.org and sanfranciscobayferry.com in August 2026. Something outdated? Report an error →