If you’re planning a trip to San Francisco, cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge is probably among the top things on your list. I’m assuming that because it was on mine! And maybe questions like “what are the best bike routes in San Francisco?” and “how long does it take to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge?” are popping up in your mind as well. I’ve been there too.
San Francisco is actually the fourth largest city in California so you can imagine there’s a lot to see. That’s why I’ve put together a little list of the best self guided bike tours of San Francisco with different areas for you to explore while biking across the Golden Gate Bridge. It also comes with points of interest, maps and other super important information that can hopefully inspire you to hop on a bike and get those wheels in motion!
Pick your favourite route to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge or around Golden Gate Park below!
Some things to remember when biking across the Golden Gate Bridge
- It takes about 10-25 minutes to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge depending on how fast you are, how windy it is and how many photos you stop to take!
- It can get very windy when cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Remember to take water, some snacks, sun cream and a helmet on your adventure.
- You can only bike across the Golden Gate Bridge on the left side of the bridge (when leaving San Francisco); the right side is for walking and the middle is for motor vehicles. When returning to San Francisco, the right side is for cycling and the left is for walking.
1. Golden Gate Park to Golden Gate Bridge (Battery Spencer)
Starting from the Panhandle bike path, this bike route takes you through three of San Francisco’s most famous sights in one ride: Golden Gate Park, The Presidio and Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Park to Battery Spencer lookout bike ride is 7.3 miles long and takes approximately 1h, depending on the winds and how many stops you make.
Golden Gate Park to Golden Gate Bridge bike ride highlights
Don’t forget to check out the following points of interest:
- Conservatory of Flowers
- Presidio of San Francisco
- Golden Gate Overlook
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Battery Spencer (Golden Gate Lookout)
Note: Once you have cycled across the Golden Gate Bridge, you will need to go up a steep hill to the Battery Spencer viewpoint. Riding your bike here becomes a bit of a hassle (unless you’re quite fit). There’s no harm in simply holding on to your bike and walking it up the last bit. It’s only less than a quarter-mile! Once you’re up there, it will be worth it. The Battery Spencer has THE BEST view of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco!
Golden Gate Park to Golden Gate Bridge map
2. The Embarcadero to Golden Gate Bridge (Battery Spencer)
Riding along the Embarcadero gives you some of the best views of the San Francisco Bay and promenade. It’s a relatively easy path to cycle too as it’s mostly car-free and fairly flat for San Fran! Cycling from The Ferry Building to Battery Spencer is roughly 8.1 miles long and takes about 50min to complete.
The Embarcadero to Golden Gate Bridge bike ride highlights
Some of the main sights here include:
- Ferry Building
- Pier 39
- Fishermans Wharf
- Ghirardelli Square
- Aquatic Park and Municipal Pier
- Fort Mason
- Marina Green
- Palace of Fine Arts
- Crissy Field
- Fort Point
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Battery Spencer (Golden Gate Lookout)
Embarcadero to Golden Gate Bridge map
3. San Francisco to Sausalito bike ride
If you want to experience the great Californian coastal scenery first hand, cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco to Sausalito should be on your bucket list. Sausalito is a Mediterranean style seaside village in Marin County, just north to San Francisco. To get there, simply follow any of the routes outlined above, and continue up to Sausalito. The ride takes over 1h 30min in both of the above cases, and the ride will be roughly 12 miles in total. Of course, you will need to come back too!
San Francisco to Sausalito bike ride highlights
Some extra sights to check out (although a bit out of the way) are:
- Vista Point
- Fort Baker
- Battery Yates
- Cavallo Point
San Francisco to Sausalito map
Biking from Sausalito to San Francisco
You can either choose to cycle back or return by ferry from Sausalito to San Francisco. If you opt for the second option, you’ll go past Angel Island and Alcatraz Island! Have a look here at everything you need to know about Alcatraz.
There are two ferries you can choose from:
- Blue and Gold ferry (from Sausalito to Fisherman’s Wharf).
- Golden Gate ferry (from Sausalito to the Ferry Building).
Tickets can be purchased on board. To learn more about the Sausalito – San Francisco ferry schedule and tickets, please visit: www.goldengate.org
4. Golden Gate Park bike trail
Heading over to the Golden Gate Park is a must for anyone looking to exchange the hustle and bustle of the streets of San Francisco for a green scenery. But don’t be fooled! The iconic park is buzzing with activities throughout the whole year! The green lung of San Francisco offers 1,071 acres of gardens, museums and lakes and is even home to a few bisons (yeah, you’ve read that right!). It’s even bigger than Central Park in NY!
Being so large, riding a bike in Golden Gate Park (or even renting a segway) makes it the perfect way to move around the park easily. The following Golden Gate Park bike trail starts at the Panhandle bike path, perpendicular to Haight Street and takes you through the Golden Gate Park from East to West.
Golden Gate Park bike trail highlights
Keep your eyes peeled for the following main points of interest:
- Conservatory of Flowers
- De Young Museum
- Rose Garden
- Stowe Lake
- Portals of the Past
- Spreckles Lake
- Bison Paddock
- Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden
- Dutch Windmill
- Ocean Beach
- Murphy Windmill
- Chinese Pavilion
- Huntington Falls
- San Francisco Botanical Garden
- Japanese Tea Garden
- Shakespeare Garden
- California Academy of Sciences
Golden Gate Park bike trail map
Thanks so much for checking our guide to biking in San Francisco! I hope you liked our Golden Gate Park and Golden Gate Bridge bike ride itinerary options. Are there any other highlights that we should add? I’d love to know!
G.x
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I’d love to visit San Fransisco someday! I’ll be making note of this post for whenever I do get the chance to visit. Also, I had no idea that it would take 10-25 minutes to cycle across the bridge, in my head it’d take like a maximum of 5 mins but of course it’d be longer – it’s huge!
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
Thanks for stopping by, Faye! So glad you liked this post. And yes, the bridge is much bigger than it looks. I was blown away by it too! x
Interesting itineraries, great photos as always and I love the maps.
Thanks David! x
Great post. We went to San Francisco a long time ago and vowed to return one day. Taking a bike ride sounds a brilliant idea, particularly the one to Sausalito. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Graham – thanks for the comment! Travelling to san Francisco is always a good idea in my opinion! I hope you get to visit again soon.
I love how you gave so many options. Golden Gate Park was one of my favourite memories of my visits to San Francisco, so I highly recommend a visit to the museum there whether biking or not. Great post! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Erin! We explored the Golden Gate Park a couple of times and we still didn’t get to see everything! Definitely worth going back even if it’s just to cycle around the park! x
I love the maps of the routes you included! That’s perfect for someone like me who has to have everything laid out and planned. San Francisco has always been near the top of my list and I would definitely love to bike around the golden gate bridge
Thanks Kalin! I’m the same, everything has to be planned beforehand. I don’t do well with improvisation! x
Hola,
The city looks amazing. I would like to visit one day. Reading your post makes me want to travel again.
Thanks for sharing the biking trails. It’s very helphul. I ‘m going to keep them in mind.
Adriana
Hola Adriana, thanks for the comment! I’m so glad you’ve liked this post and I hope you get to visit San Francisco soon!
I love San Francisco I pinned it on Pinterest. I didn’t get a chance to bike ride but I will definitely consider it next time. The view is amazing from the stop. I chickened our walking across the bridge I’m getting nervous thinking about it now ….. lol thanks for sharing
Thank you! I would recommend crossing the bridge either by walking or cycling. The views from Battery Spencer are the best reward!
San Francisco is fantastic, great to see it in this non-touristic
focus. So many gardens and places around, I would love to do
this tour. Thanks for the tips and the detailed stops..
Thank you! I’m glad you’ve found this post inspiring x
Great post! I really enjoyed seeing these routes.
Thank you!
You’ve shared some lovely spots to explore in San Francisco! I’ve walked across the bridge, but never rode a bike across. There is so much to see and do in Golden Gate Park, those are some of my favorite places to visit in San Francisco.
Thanks for the lovely comment! I absolutely agree, San Francisco is full of fun things to see and loads of places to explore. I would go back in a heartbeat x
This looks like such an amazing trip!!! I’d love to visit America some day…
Cycling around San Francisco was one of the highlights of my trip, I couldn’t recommend it enough! x
Oh wow, I would have never thought to bike across and around the bridge – what a fun adventure.
Yes! It’s a great way to explore San Francisco and to get your heart rate up at the same time!
I’d love to go to San Francisco! All the way from Glasgow lol. My brother was at uni there and I kept telling myself I’d go see him but never did. I will one day though! And I’ll keep note of this itinerary too ☺️
Thanks Amanda! I’m glad this post has made you want to visit SF! I wanted to go for years, and once I finally did, it was better than I ever imagined. I’m sure you’ll have a great time too and I hope you get to visit soon x
Thanks for sharing, these bike rides look amazing, I would like to go to San Francisco one day 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
Thanks Nic! I hope this post has inspired a little trip to San Francisco some time soon! x
Wow, this looks incredible! I’d love to do this one day. Super informative post!
Char | charlotterick.com x
Thanks Charlotte! I hope you add this to your bucket list next time you are in San Francisco. You won’t regret it! x
what a great post! I would really love to visit San Francisco one day and cycle. It looks like a great way to experience the city!
x Natalie
Lucy and the Runaways – Blog and Instagram
Awe thank you so much Natalie! I couldn’t recommend cycling around San Francisco enough. You cover a lot of ground and renting a bike doesn’t cost much at all! x
This makes me want to get a bike! I love the idea of cycling around different places as I think you get a more interesting feel for a place. Thanks for sharing!
I agree, you get your heart rate up AND you get to see some amazing places from a different perspective! x
Oh wow, these photos are truly gorgeous. I honestly had no idea the bridge would take that long to cycle! I guess it just shows you never really know how big something is until you see it in person! I really hope I get to visit San Francisco one day; I will definitely refer back to this post to know what I should do.. Great post lovely!xoxo
Thank you! I hope you get to visit San Francisco soon x
This is an awesome guide!! I live in the area and need to explore more. This is going to help me tons.
Thanks Amy! Glad you found this guide helpful! x
Great post! I enjoyed this. This post spikes my interest to visit San Francisco, golden gate looks amazing. 😉
Thanks for sharing this post.
Thanks so much!
This is awesome! Living in the Bay Area, I actually don’t get to visit San Francisco as much I would like. This is a great idea and thank you for the trails and the pictures! It looked like fun!
Thanks Katherine! The Bay Area is a great place to explore, especially on a bike. Hope you get to explore soon! x
A bike ride on the Golden Gate Bridge sounds like an amazing idea! I was supposed to travel to California this month, and visit SF… Hopefully I’ll visit one day, but will definitely keep your itineraries ideas in mind. Thanks for sharing!
So sorry to hear that, Cecile! I hope you can reschedule your trip to California soon, and hopefully explore San Francisco on a bike too! x
I went to SF last December and no idea to cycling through this beautiful bridge. Someday i will return and love to following your cycling guide in this post.
Thanks for sharing.
You should definitely go back to San Francisco, even if it’s just to explore the city on a bike!
Oh fantastic post! Reminds me of being in San Francisco for our honeymoon almost 11 yrs ago. We had the best fish tacos ever in Sausolito. Looks like bikes are a brilliant way of seeing more, I’m glad to see how easy it is to get about by bike there.
Thank you! Your honeymoon sounds like a dream! Hopefully you can visit again and explore more of this beautiful city x
Biking there sure sounds fun. So many sights to see! Plus it is great way to get some workout.
Thanks for the comment, Liz! I’m glad you’ve found this post useful x
Great post and fantastic job riding! This is such an interesting travel angle and I’m sure that visitors to the city would love this as a resource. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Savannah! Glad you’ve liked this guide! x