San Francisco
Top activities in San Francisco

Straight to the Gate Access: San Francisco Bay Twilight or Sunset Cruise

Badge of ExcellenceSan Francisco, United States
Likely to Sell Out

From $50.00

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
San Francisco Tours
All San Francisco Tours
Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Unique Experiences
  • 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket

Overview

Bypass the line and head directly to the gate with your prebooked tickets. This sunset cruise takes you across San Francisco Bay with outstanding views of the city skyline, Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and Alcatraz Island. Relax while background music sets the tone. Watch the sunset or select a twilight cruise during winter months.
  • Views of the city skyline, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Cruise the bay when the sun sets and views light up.

What's Included

  • 1.5 hour sunset cruise (summer months) or twilight cruise (winter months) of San Francisco Bay
  • "Straight to the gate" access
  • Gratuities
  • Full bar is available onboard to purchase drinks and snacks.

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • Red and White Fleet
    Pier 43.5, 43 1/2, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA

    Please enter in Google Maps: "Red and White Fleet" or "Pier 43 1/2, San Francisco" for exact location and directions. Pier 43 ½ ticket booth (corner of Taylor Street and the Embarcadero)

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Make your way to the pier at Fisherman's Wharf in time for your chosen departure time (depending on the season). Listen to relaxing background music and watch the sights pass by on San Francisco Bay.

All cruise vessels operate on bio-diesel — a renewable energy source —  and offer heated indoor spaces or outdoor viewing decks. There is no assigned seating or formal dress required during this casual, relaxing evening cruise.

Sunset Bay Cruise: If you embark during late March through early November, you’ll watch the sun setting over the the Pacific Ocean as you cruise toward the Marin Headlands and past the Golden Gate Bridge. Glide past Alcatraz, Angel Island and the San Francisco Bay Bridge.. On your return to Fisherman's Wharf you'll see many more notable sights, including the Presidio, the Marina District and Fort Mason.

Twilight Cruise: In the winter, the cruise makes the most of San Francisco’s spectacular city lights on a twilight tour. After the sun sets over the horizon, you'll glide past San Francisco's modern skyscrapers, historic landmarks, the infamous Alcatraz Island and both the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge. Enjoy the illuminated skyline — an unmissable San Francisco view.

Red and White Fleet

Begin and end your journey at Pier 43 1/2.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Golden Gate Bridge (Pass By)

Sail under the Golden Gate Bridge as the sun sets.

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Please note: In November, December, January and February, tour departs at 5:30pm for the Twilight Cruise and will not see the sunset. There is no commentary on this cruise.
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 150 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

See more

Traveler Tips

If you are a light eater, you would pretty much consider it a dinner) They also mention ONE complimentary drink, but you can pay for additional drinks.
It does get cold and quite windy towards the end of the trip, but i stayed out on deck the entire time and finally got to see whales near the end!
Reviews
4.5
1,065 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
0
0
0
0
0
Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 1,065 reviews
Great Experience
Michele_G, Mar 2023
It was absolutely amazing! I would highly recommend this tour especially the twilight. It was a little cloudy and raining, but I still enjoyed it.
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your twilight cruise and would highly recommend it to others.
Beautiful trip. Nice...
Niklas_B, Mar 2023
Beautiful trip. Nice stuff. We really loved it and had a wonderful! It’s exciting to have another view to the bridge
Definitely do this...
Ashlee_G, Feb 2023
This was wonderful... arguably our favorite activity of our vacation to San Francisco. It's so lovely and relaxing... and a little bit of boat rocking fun when we passed under the Golden Gate Bridge into the choppier waters on the Pacific side. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone going to San Francisco and if we were to go back, this would be my first booking!
Response from Host, Mar 2023
This makes our day! We are so glad that you had such a great time. We truly do enjoying making these lifelong memories with our guests. We look forward to welcoming you back again!
Perfect.
iman_t, Feb 2023
Awesome boat ride. Plenty of space to sit, and plenty of bathroom stalls. Very affordable. Will book again.
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Thank you! We take great pride in our vessels and the experience so we are happy to know that you enjoyed it!
Beautiful view of the Golden Gate
Avram_P, Jan 2023
Beautiful sunset over the Golden Gate and nice views of downtown San Francisco. A little disappointed because there was no narration at all. Overall it was a nice experience.
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Thank you for your feedback I will share it with our team. I am glad to hear that you had an enjoyable cruise.
SF Twilight Cruise
Monica_M, Jan 2023
It was a great twilight cruise, the views were fantastic. The only thing I would suggest is to have some sort of recording/explanation about the landmarks you are passing by.
Response from Host, Jan 2023
We are glad you enjoyed the views. I will share your feedback regarding the lack of narration with our team. The Twilight/Sunset Cruise was never intended to be a "tour" but we should probably revaluate it to at least give some tidbits of what you are seeing. We appreciate your honest feedback.
Would not recommend
Daphne_O, Jan 2023
Unfortunately, the customer service for this excursion was not the best. They did not give a grace period for people to get onto the boat. We spoke to the operator who informed us that they would be able to wait for us for about four minutes or so when we got the most was leaving. Customer service could’ve been much better
Response from Host, Jan 2023
We are sorry that you were running late and we were unable to accommodate you. We typically hold the boat a few minutes for last minute guests but we cannot hold it much longer than that as we don't want to inconvenience other guests. We would be happy to accommodate you on another departure, just let us know and we will move your reservation.
The most memorable part...
Kevin_C, Jan 2023
The most memorable part of the experience was seeing the city lights from the bay at night. Romantic!
Response from Host, Jan 2023
This is awesome! Thank you very much.
Twilight/ sunset tour
Prasanna_M, Dec 2022
Sorry to say this but the experience we had wasn't the best. I understand that this was a twilight tour so much of the cruise would be in the dark but we were expecting some more commentary on the places we were passing.
Response from Host, Dec 2022
We are sorry to hear that you didn't have the best experience. Our Twilight Cruise does not have commentary it is just intended to be a more casual cocktail style cruise. Again we are very sorry that it wasn't clear.
The daytime view is great...
Anthony_D, Dec 2022
The daytime view is great because you can see everything. This twight-light tour is better because you only see what stands out. Which makes the trip 100x more spectacular. Plus the bartender is my ne friend. Lol
Response from Host, Dec 2022
We agree...the Twilight Tour is spectacular! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Magical night
Trevor_T, Dec 2022
Going under the Golden Gate Bridge and circling alcatraz island. It was very beautiful . The SF city skylines was breath taking.
Response from Host, Dec 2022
Thank you! We are happy to hear that you had an amazing evening!
Twilight Cruise with friends!!!
Lorna_S, Dec 2022
It was raining and very cold but still beautiful going under the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge. The lights from the city was beautiful to see!
Response from Host, Dec 2022
Thank you! I sure wish we could control the weather! Glad that you were able to enjoy the cruise despite it being cold and rainy.
Wonderful trip
khamis_A, Dec 2022
The weather was great and a beautiful trip that I enjoyed a lot. I recommend trying it and enjoying the beautiful views of the city at night
Response from Host, Dec 2022
Thank you! We are happy to hear that you had an enjoyable cruise.
Do it!
Shan_Q, Dec 2022
It was dark, it was cold and it was raining and I didn’t care cause it was so much fun. Took some nice shots. They had hot drinks to purchase onboard. It was nice.
Response from Host, Dec 2022
Thank you! We are glad that you made the best of the experience despite the weather. Thanks for sailing with us!
Great tour
Lory_F, Dec 2022
Great but I would only do this in the day time. We did it at night it was ok but I’m sure day time we could see more The skyline at night was pretty
Response from Host, Dec 2022
Yes,on our daytime cruises you can definitely see more of the city. Thank you for your feedback!
Dark night not sunset still nice
vanessa_h, Nov 2022
It was really dark so not sunset tour but the city was still pretty to see. Expected to hear what we were seeing like a tour
Response from Host, Nov 2022
During the winter months, it is more of a twilight cruise. We are glad to hear you enjoyed seeing the city lights.
One Fine night in SanFo
Corleto_M, Nov 2022
The tour was awesome … Great pictures . But how come there was no narrator to explain the history of the bridge etc
Response from Host, Nov 2022
We are glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise. As you pointed out, we don't have narration on our Sunset/Twilight Cruise. It's intended to be more of a casual cocktail vibe with music.
Thrilling and fantabulous cruise trip
Sridhar_D, Nov 2022
The moment when the cruise passed under the bridge. The lighted buildings Wonderful background for taking pictures
Was super easy to book,...
Hennd_M, Nov 2022
Was super easy to book, great price and very friendly staff! I like how they gave a grace period for those who were stuck in traffic to get there right at 5:30PM and didn’t close the doors early.
Amazing. A must see for...
susan_m, Nov 2022
Amazing. A must see for nighttime pics of both bridges and good views if the bay staff were great too
...

Explore Similar Things to Do

Attractions in San Francisco, United States

Help CenterCustomer CarePrivacy and Cookies StatementAbout ViatorNewsViator blog
© 1997-2023 Viator, Inc.
Terms & Conditions