San Francisco

Biking around Golden Gate Bridge & Embarcadero

Places I covered on a Bike

  1. Golden Gate Bridge
  2. Ghirardelli square
  3. Dragons Gate
  4. Union Square
  5. China Town
  6. Ferry Building
  7. Embarcadero
  8. Fisherman’s wharf
  9. Pier 39
  10. Cupid’s span
  11. Crissy Fields
  12. Palace of fine arts
  13. Yerba Buena Gardens

 

San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the top 5 Bike Friendly Cities in North America renowned for its cosmopolitan flair,ย beauty, steep rolling hills, and eclectic mix ofย Victorianย andย modern architecture. As a Non-Biker, I have always wanted to explore the city on a bike but never got a chance to do that.

Now that I was travelling to a Bike friendly city , I rented the Bikes from Bay Bike City Rentals. SFO is a hilly city and as a non biker, I was sure that I might get tired easily on a Bike and so I planned my half of the trip on Bike and rest by SFMTA (San Francisco Muni).

 

Day – 1

Total Miles : 6

Duration : 5 hours

 

I started my Day -1 early in the morning heading towards Bay Bike Rentals to collect the bikes which I rented online on their website. So I hopped on a Cable car which was just 2 blocks away from my hotel.

Cable Car

The Cable Car drops you right infront of the Bay City Bike Rentals which is the last destination.There they quickly explained everything about the bikes and directions via map which took about 15 minutes and from there we headed towards China Town.

China Town

I always love visiting China towns and love their lively atmosphere. Walking under the lanterns , tasting their authentic Chinese food , exploring their culture and shopping at it’s cheapest price you can ever find in USA will make you feel like you are in China.

Dragon’s Gate

Don’t forget to stop by Dragon’s gate in China Town and appreciate it’s wonderful architecture

Union Square

From there we went to Union Square which is Just 0.3 miles away. What’s not to love about this place? It’s an High end shopping district where you can find almost ย everything you want or you can just sit here for hours and watch the live entertainment as there is tons of seating available.You can also find San Francisco’s hearts here which are cool for a photo op.

Cupid’s Span

From there we went to Cupid’s span which was 1.2 miles away. This is also one of the best place for photo ops in SFO . It’s a giant contemporary sculpture depicting Cupid’s bow, situated on a lawn with bay & city views.ย It also has a place where you can sit and have a picnic or just stroll around the area.

Cupid’s span

Embarcadero

From here, The Embarcadero Begins. This is a 3 mile roadway with waterfront and from which piers extend into the bay. It has Ferry Building Market place, Pier 35 (from where cruises depart), Pier 39 (the most visited place in SFO) and the Fisherman’s wharf.

Pier 39 is the second most visited place in San Francisco after the Golden Gate Bridge . Besides it’s live performances, Food and Shopping , it has alot of activities for kids from Merry go round to Aquarium . The coolest part was ‘The Musical Stairs’ –ย presented by Artist Remo Saraceni . You can Actually create your own music while you walk up and down the stairs which is something I have never experienced.

Pier 39

Fisherman’s Wharf is ย another tourist trap in San Francisco which was 0.4 miles from Ghirardelli Square. There’s plenty to see & Plenty to do here with many stores to Shop for less, sizzling Sea Foods to try, Free Exhibits, Paid Museums, Street performances, Artists , Breathtaking views of the bay bridge , Alcatraz ,Ocean and Sea lions will make a perfect place to relax or for a photo opp . Don’t forget to take a selfie at the Historic Crab Sign before you leave ๐Ÿ˜‰

Fisherman’s Wharf

Ghirardelli Square

Ghirardelli Squareย is a landmark public square with shops and restaurants ,which was just 0.5 Miles away from the Bay City Bikes. We went there only to taste the Ghirardelli Choclates & Ice creams as it was their first store in USA. It was crowded with tourists with long waiting lines but the lines move fast. I ordered the world famous fudge sundae and it was perfectly delicious(Absolutely worth the wait). You can’t think of missing this place if you are in San Francisco.

From Ghirardelli, we went back to the hotel which was 1 mile away and parked our Bikes in the hotel and continued the rest of trip on SFMTA. If you want you can park your bikes at Bay City Bikes which is just 0.5 miles away from Ghirardelli.


 


Day – 2

Total Miles – 5

Duration – 5 hours

This was the day which I was dreaming from such a long time “Biking on the Golden Gate Bridge” . Yes, Finally the day has arrived when we went to see this beauty with our naked eye. Trust me this was the best experience I ever had and I will try my best to do justice to it by explaining how I actually felt Biking on the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

 

Yerba Buena Gardens :

As always we started our day early in the morning heading towards Yerba Buena Gardens. These are some beautiful gardens in the middle of the city where you can just come and relax or have a picnic. It’s opposite to St. Patrick’s church .There’s a play area for kids and a nice waterfall where you can walk under.

 

Yerba Buena Gardens

Golden Gate Bridge :

Golden Gate Bridge was 5 miles away from Yerba Buena Gardens, So we hopped on a Golden gate Bridge bus (4$/person) with our Bikes which takes you directly to the Bay bridge .

Golden Gate Bridge from fort Point

As soon as I saw her, I couldn’t stop gazing. She’s gorgeous and so the view surrounding her. So many mixed emotions and I just paused for a while admiring the beautiful piece of work.

The Bridge itself was 2.5 miles long with a special place allotted for the bikers which made us feel safe through out the journey. We were there on the Bridge at around 11am in the peak summer and the Bridge was covered with fog to give it a bit of mysteriousness.

Unfortunately we were pressed for time, so we din’t get to cross the complete bridge (which makes me plan a second trip to SFO lol) . We Biked for a Mile or so and returned back to the fort point to pose for some pictures.

Tip : It was foggy, chilly and windy up there even in the peak summer, so cover yourself with some layers before you go there.

Crissy Field Overlook :

From the Fort point , we went down to the Crissy field overlook via Long avenue ย which was the most beautiful scenic drive I have ever been. Ocean on one side and Hills on the other which takes you to a little forest like area with lots of huge trees , Horse stables and cottages, and from there we landed up on Crissy Field.

Crissy Fields

Crissy Field is 1.2 miles from the fort point but as it is a down hill, we reached there with in minutes. Crissy Field is a part of Golden Gate recreation Area with a beautiful view of ocean and Golden Gate bridge . It has a grass to setup a picnic or to do a photoshoot.

Palace of Fine Arts :

From there we went to the Palace of Fine Arts which was 1mile away. As the name itself says it’s truly a ‘Palace’ of Fine Arts.ย This place is absolutely jaw dropping with it’s Gorgeous architecture surrounded by a lake full of turtles, swans, and ducks. There are also tons of benches for you to sit, relax, maybe even have a picnic. The best thing about this place is, it’s full of greenery and fresh air away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Palace of Fine Arts

From there we went to the Bay City Bike Rentals to drop our Bikes by SFMTA no:30 as we were so tired , And continued the rest of the trip in the evening by SFMTA.

Over all this is an experience that’s not to be missed. I will highly recommend renting a Bike specially for a city like San Francisco which is the most Bike Friendly City in North America.

 

Summary :

San Francisco is a hilly city so i would recommend renting electronic bikes or Just follow my map if you are renting a hybrid bike.

For a Non-Biker like me, it would ย not have been possible to know the rules, directions and the routes without Bay Bike City Rentals so, Thanks alot for those amazing Bikes and making my trip so Successful .

Here you can read my full post on what Bay Bike City has to offer!!

31 Comments

  • Nicole Anderson

    This looks like it would have been so much fun and I din’t know San Francisco was the most bike-friendly place. Like you, I would never have thought of San Francisco being a place where you would consider biking simply because of all the hills that it is known for. A shame you didn’t get time to cross the full length of the bridge though – as you said, you will have to return to complete it, and perhaps whatever else you might find on the other side!

  • Abigail Sinsona

    This part of San Francisco is just packed with many attractions. You are so lucky that you got to experience some of them. I’ve read in a guide that biking or hiking the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the must-do’s in the Bay Area. I hope to try it someday too!

  • jen Morrow

    Wow, when I first started reading, I was shocked that you covered all of these area on bike! I would need more than 2 days for this trek. There are so many awesome places to eat and enjoy on your route around SF.

  • Jennifer

    You really covered a lot on a bike! Wow! The pictures are beautiful! I’m sure it’s more breathtaking in person. I hope to make my way out there sometime. Always love travel blogs as you can see so much at a different view. Thanks for sharing!

  • thatssodarling

    Wow this is amazing! If I ever make it down there I will for sure be taking this route! Great pictures

    XO-Lisa

  • Yukti

    Biking in San Francisco would be great as this place looks so cheerful and happy. But to cover so many places of bike must be hectic for you. You took beautiful pictures of China Town. Sculpture of Cupid Span is best and also a photogenic place.

  • arv! Jpr

    I didn’t know that San Francisco is one of top five bike friendly cities in North America. Ghirardelli chocolates are one of my favorites and finding the name in your post reminded me of the great taste they have!

    I will certainly use this as a guide whenever I’ll be visiting S’ Frisco! Thanks for the great guide!

  • jsearcy08

    You really covered a lot of ground! And on bike! How fun. The pictures are beautiful! I’m sure it’s better in person. I hope to make it out that way some time. It’s always fun to read posts on travel because you can see so much. Thanks for sharing!

  • vishvarsha

    OMG! You managed to cover so much on bike. Hats off! I am planning to go to SF during Thanksgiving and am definitely gonna visit golden gate, Palace of fine arts and China town….let’s see if I can do a city bike tour on atleast one day like you did ๐Ÿ˜€

  • thefabulousscript

    I love to explore new cities by bike! I’ve done it all over Europe and this activity always ends up being my favorite tour throughout the trip. There’s no better way to see the city! Biking allows you to get a sense of the city in a shorter amount of time and its a great exercise ๐Ÿ™‚ haha What’s not to love?

  • Alicia Taylor

    Wow! All of that is within a few miles of each other? I am from a postage stamp town. I would have to ride my bike about 100 miles on open roads with no bike paths to discover anything. I’m so jealous.

  • kellyhutchinson37920

    San Francisco is one of my favorite cities! I would love to take a bike ride and explore more of the city next time I am there.

  • Claudia Krusch

    I am hoping to be in San Francisco this winter. It would be so fun to rent a bike and go for a tour of the city.

  • Riely

    For not being a bike rider, you sure covered a lot of ground. Those hills might have kept me from biking. The Golden Gate Bridge is a sight to see especially while biking across! Too bad you didn’t have enough time to cross all the way. Next time!

  • Ruth I.

    It is amazing to know that there are beautiful places that you can explore in San Francisco. I love the idea that you can bike around safely and let your eyes enjoy the view.

  • On Women's Mind

    I use to do biking all day when I was a youth and still have love for it but got out of practice but I can imagine how fun it is when you are exploring things on your own. I never been to San Francisco but you provided me a great overview of city thourugh your bike tour.

  • toastycritic

    These are such great things that you have here all near the Embarcadero. I used to love going out there when I went to Berkeley. San Francisco is such a beautiful city and this would be great.

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