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You don’t have to be a billionaire tech dude or dudette to enjoy the boat life every day. The Bay Area has a robust network of ferries, where for a few bucks, you can cruise to exotic, far-ranging ports (looking at you, Harbor Bay), sip a cold beer and enjoy the sea air flowing over your dome.
The ferry system is not just for commuters. It’s an adventure all on its own for budget-minded travel aficionados. And summer’s the perfect time to get out on the water and hit up ferry terminals with their attendant galaxies of restaurants, bars and sights to explore. And if you crave even more, bring a bike onboard and extend your fun-seeking range.
Wiliam Fellker, of San Francisco, second from left, and others, wait for the San Francisco Bay Ferry to arrive at the dock at the Main Street Alameda Ferry Terminal in Alameda, Calif., on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Felker bought a lamp at the nearby Alameda Point Antiques Faire. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Here are four suggestions on how to turn a ferry trip to Oakland, Alameda, Richmond and San Francisco into a day-cation. A note: We’re highlighting the San Francisco Bay Ferry, because it has more routes than the (also-splendid) Golden Gate Ferry. This summer, the ferry is offering special service to concerts at Oracle Park plus S.F. Giants and Golden State Valkyries games.
Whether you use your Clipper card, the S.F. Bay Ferry app or a paper ticket, fare ranges from $4.70 to $9.60 one-way, and kids under five cruise for free. Find details and schedules at sanfranciscobayferry.com.
Arriving in… Alameda
People browse the Alameda Point Antiques Faire as a freighter ship is seen across the Oakland Estuary in Alameda, Calif., on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Explore: The two ferry terminals on the island, Alameda Seaplane Lagoon and Main Street Alameda, are in slightly remote areas. They can be fun to check out if you’re into industrial splendor and displays of WWII war machines. But it’s worth bringing a bike on the ferry, not just because stuff is a bit of a walk but because the wide and low-traffic roadways are a cyclist’s dream.
The Seaplane Lagoon terminal lets you out in the vast shadow of the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum. The Hornet is a retired aircraft carrier with a storied history in aiding the Apollo Moon missions. Docents give entertaining tours, and it also has fighter jets parked on the deck (707 West Hornet Ave., Pier 3, Alameda; $25 general admission, uss-hornet.org). And on the first Sunday of the month, near the Main Street terminal, is the Alameda Point Antiques Faire, reputedly Northern California’s biggest antiques show. Everything is at least 20 years old – it’s a great chance to class up your dwelling (3900 Main St., Alameda; $5-$15, alamedapointantiquesfaire.com)
Antique tins for sale at the Alameda Point Antiques Faire in Alameda, Calif., on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Eat and drink: From the Seaplane Lagoon, it’s a half-mile hop to Spirits Alley on the former Naval Air Station. The ever-popular Almanac Beer Co. has rebranded its taproom into “Alameda Adventureland,” with ball pits, special events like wrestling and plenty of amusement for children and fur children alike (651 West Tower Ave., Alameda; almanacbeer.com). Admiral Maltings has niche beers and an observation window into a unique malt-germination floor. St. George Spirits gives tasting flights of gin and single-malt whisky in a cool warehouse (2601 Monarch St., Alameda; stgeorgespirits.com). For grub, check out the food trucks that hover around the breweries or Saltbreaker nearby, with inventive cocktails and perfect garlic skinny fries (2350 Saratoga St., Alameda; saltbreakeralameda.com).
Arriving in… Oakland
Patrons have drinks outside of Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Explore: The terminal is in the historic, pulsing pleasure center of Oakland: Jack London Square. You’ll find bustling crowds on most weekends taking in the restaurant scene and yacht-watching on the Estuary, with its diving sea birds and refreshing breeze.
Plank is a large entertainment venue with bowling and bocce as well as barbecue and brews in an outdoor beer garden (98 Broadway, Oakland; plankoakland.com). The jazz club Yoshi’s attracts New Orleans greats, local bands and hip-hop stars; it also serves Japanese cuisine with a weekday happy hour of sake and fruit-forward cocktails (510 Embarcadero West, Oakland; yoshis.com). The first Saturday of the month sees the free Oakland Vintage Market with nearly 45 vendors selling clothing and furniture (222 Jefferson St., Oakland; instagram.com/oaklandvintagemarket). And through the summer, the square is hosting free, outdoor “Waterfront Flicks” with movies like “Minions” and “Happy Gilmore” (jacklondonoakland.org).
The lobster roll and fries is served at Seabreeze on the Dock in Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Eat and drink: Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine is known for its bombastic menu of Instagram-worthy dishes, loaded with luxurious and colorful flourishes (336 Water St., Oakland; farmhousethai.com). Seabreeze on the Dock serves buttery lobster rolls and fish tacos with a view of the water (31 Webster St., Oakland; seabreezeonthedock.com). Salty Pearl is a relative newcomer with a welcoming Irish raw-bar feel; get some fresh-shucked oysters or a piping-hot bowl of steamed mussels (550 2nd St., Oakland; saltypearl.us).
Arriving in… Richmond
A jogger runs past the “Wall of Honor” next to the Rosie the Riveter museum in Richmond, Calif., in April 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Explore: The historic neighborhood around the terminal has seen big changes lately, with a pickleball establishment taking over the Craneway Pavilion that once offered craft and book fairs. Nevertheless, it’s still a relaxing place to stroll and take in views of the Oakland and San Francisco skylines, kite-sailing thrill seekers and fishers going for stripers and halibut.
Marina Bay Park is a chill spot to watch the yacht action and perhaps relax on the grass with a good book. It’s on the San Francisco Bay Trail and, if you’ve brought a bike, the trip south through Berkeley and Emeryville is lovely with a marsh boardwalk and fecund bird habitats. By the terminal is the free Rosie the Riveter museum, which honors the history of Richmond’s workers during World War II. There are exhibits on female welders, wartime rationing, and Victory and Liberty ships – at its height, the shipyards here pumped out an amazing one ship per day (1414 Harbour Way South, Suite 3000, Richmond; nps.gov/rori).
A ferry boat leaves the San Francisco Bay Ferry terminal in Richmond, Calif. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Eat and drink: Lara’s Fine Dining is a white-tablecloth restaurant where you might take a first date or celebrate an important anniversary. It’s a cute Italian joint on the water with comforting dishes like eggplant Parmesan, linguine with clams and always-enticing “catch of the day” (1900 Esplanade Drive, Richmond; larasfinedining.com). Anh Restaurant & Bar prepares Vietnamese dishes such as lemongrass chicken and surf-and-turf pho, with fried-banana samosas for dessert (anhrestaurantandbar.com). Farther away is Golden Gate Bistro with Mexican-influenced California cuisine, an outdoor patio and live music on the weekends (803 Wright Ave., #101, Richmond; goldengatebistro.net).
Arriving in… San Francisco
People watch the unveiling of the 45-foot-tall, steel naked woman statue titled “R-Evolution” by artist Marco Cochrane in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, April 10, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Explore: Many of the ferries originate or transfer at San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Much like an in-airport transfer, there’s not much need to venture beyond the building’s confines given its abundance of dining and shopping options.
This summer, San Francisco is rolling out “Fridays on Front Street” block parties. These free evening celebrations highlight local bars and live bands curated by Noise Pop Industries – expect lawn games, sports-watching parties and legal drinking in the streets August 22 and October 10; downtownsf.org). The fantastic educational museum Exploratorium is nearby, with its outdoor fog machine and pitch-black Tactile Dome (Pier 15, San Francisco; exploratorium.edu). The San Francisco Railway Museum chronicles the history of the city’s rail-based transit, with a 1911-replica motorman’s platform where you can play with the controls (77 Steuart St., San Francisco; streetcar.org/museum).
“Fridays on Front Street” is a new series of block parties in downtown San Francisco in 2025 that highlight local bars and live bands. (Collin Love for the Downtown SF Partnership)
Eat and drink: The team behind San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Sorrel is opening two places in the Ferry Building this summer: the bakery Parachute and the wood fire-focused Californian eatery Arquet (instagram.com/arquetrestaurant). Also opening in the building is Nash Bakes with artisan cheesecakes in flavors like blueberry lemonade and savory-salmon lox (instagram.com/nashbakesit). The place to watch diving seagulls and departing ferries is the Hog Island Oyster Co., dishing up grilled oysters, lingcod fish and chips and other delights from California waters, all washed down with local beer and wine (hogislandoysters.com).
