Sausalito



Sausalito is a unique and picturesque community, perched on a hillside between the San Francisco Bay and the Marin Headlands. Since it's across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, it makes a great trip by bike, ferry, bus, or car, for a good meal, a visit to an art studio, and views of the city from across the bay.

By plane
Sausalito has no airport of its own. Use one of the three bay area airports: San Francisco, Oakland , or San Jose. From there you can get to Sausalito.

By car
Sausalito is just over the Golden Gate Bridge (US 101) from San Francisco. Just take the first exit (Alexander Avenue) after crossing the bridge and follow it into town. If coming from the north, exit at the sign marked from Sausalito, turn left, and make your way down Bridgeway into town.

By ferry
Two ferry companies serve Sausalito:



Both companies dock at Sausalito ferry terminal, located near the city center.



By bike
A very popular activity for tourists in San Francisco is to hire a bike, cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge, and then down into Sausalito. Planning this the previous day will make sure you arrive in Sausalito in time for brunch. If worn out from the ride, you can catch the ferry back to San Francisco; the ferries have lots of capacity to carry bikes. A map of the route is available from most bike hire places in San Francisco.

By bus
Sausalito is served by several Golden Gate Transit and Marin Transit routes, including the 17 from San Rafael and Mill Valley, the 61 from Bolinas and Stinson Beach, and the 130 from San Rafael and San Francisco.

On foot
It's possible to reach Sausalito from Mill Valley and other parts of Marin by the Mill Valley/Sausalito Pathway, a trail for bikes and pedestrians.

It's also possible to walk to Sausalito from the Golden Gate Bridge (about 3 miles / 5 km), though the navigation is a bit tricky: after crossing the bridge from San Francisco, look for the staircase leading to a pedestrian underpass that goes under the bridge to the west side. From there, look for "Bay Trail" signs pointing to the Sausalito Ferry Terminal. Ignore the walking directions provided by Google Maps, which may send you to a busy road with no sidewalks.

Get around
Most of the frequently visited waterfront area can be seen on foot and are within easy walking distance from the ferry landing. Make sure to head north on your walk along Bridgeway to Caledonia Street - it's full of great stores, restaurants, cafes and art studios.

Sausalito is also an easy town to bike in. A favorite local ride is to Sam's Restaurant in Tiburon for lunch or drinks on the huge (and very entertaining!) outdoor deck. It always seems to be sunny there, so bring your hat and sunscreen. Another not to be missed ride is from Sausalito to Mill Valley (hit the Depot for a great lunch) and on up any bike trail on Mt. Tamalpais.



See




Eat
Sausalito is blessed with more fine restaurants than a town of 7,000 people should have. Whatever you're looking to eat, Sausalito probably has a restaurant serving it up. Beware the 'touristy' district, however. While there are a few genuinely good restaurants, there are also a fair number of establishments catering basic grub to tourists.



Go next
Sausalito is beautiful, but it's also quite touristy – it would be a shame to make this your only experience of Marin County. To get closer to nature, go west to the Marin Headlands, Muir Woods, or hikes starting from Mill Valley. For charming but less-touristed towns, go north to Tiburon, San Rafael, or Fairfax. Further afield but well worth the trek is Point Reyes National Seashore.


 * Hike to the ridge. Ask for directions to the Spencer Avenue parking lot (on 101) and start your hike at the trailhead across from the lot.  It zig-zags up to a major trail where you take a right and then wind your way toward the ocean and beautiful ridge top views.  From here, you can hike the Marin Headlands pretty much to anywhere along the coast, depending on your time and ability.