Golden Gate Bridge

Why go

Golden Gate Bridge is defined by the orange towers, main cables, and changing water below. Another layer comes from fog and crosswinds that alter the view within minutes. Plan Golden Gate Bridge by remembering to allow for wind, cold, and busy shared paths. After Golden Gate Bridge, choose Fort Point or the Presidio; this keeps Golden Gate Bridge geographically coherent and avoids forcing Golden Gate Bridge into an unrelated crossing.

What to look for

• Look closely at the orange towers, main cables, and changing water below.
• Notice fog and crosswinds that alter the view within minutes.

The full story

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait, the one-mile-wide , three-mile-long (4.8 km) channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the American city of San Francisco, California – the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula – to Marin County, carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. The bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. It has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Frommer's travel guide describes the Golden Gate Bridge as "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world." It opened in 1937 and was, until 1964, the longest suspension bridge main span in the world, at 4,200 feet (1,300 m).

Useful to know

• For Golden Gate Bridge, allow for wind, cold, and busy shared paths.
• Pair Golden Gate Bridge with Fort Point or the Presidio when the route and opening conditions align.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.