top things to do in san francisco bay area

What Best Things To Do in
Sausalito, CA

What is one of the best things to do in Sausalito, CA -- to just hang out. This little seaside town in SF's back yard has unbelieveable scenery, protected "banana belt" weather, and a laid back Mediterranean atmosphere.

Even if you have been to Sausalito before, you probably have missed some of the best spots such as the houseboats, Marinship, or the Bay Model. See below and see our Sausalito-Tiburon map for descriptions and exact locations. Other nearby attractions are on the Marin Headlands page and map

The Sausalito Ferry

This 30 minute ride is better, more relaxing, and less expensive than most tour boat rides. In fact it is the second most exciting ferry boat ride in the world (behind only Star Ferry in Hong Kong) according to a vote of The Society of American Travel Writers, the world's largest organization of professional travel journalists & photographers. Don't miss it ... whether you are a tourist or a local. Here are ferry schedules to & from Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building as well as a photo tour of the adventure.

Bridgeway near the Ferry Landing

Cafe adjacent Yee Tock Chee Park

Deck at Horizons Restaurant

The vicinity of Bridgeway and Princess Street is where most tourists just off the ferry boat hang out. Most of the shops here are for tourists, but more upscale (check out the Sausalito Ferry Company Gift Store, 688 Bridgeway, for cheap souvenirs).

Repeat visitors and locals will enjoy these casual stops nearby:

Yee Tock Chee Park, Bridgeway & Princess St -- A scenic little park where Princess, the first paddlewheel ferry boat docked in 1868, was named after a popular early Chinese grocer. One of the best views in the SF Bay area is from the outdoor deck of adjacent El Piccilo Cafe where the coffee is not great but the view is fabulous.
Venice Gourmet, 625 Bridgeway - Good, inexpensive deli sandwiches and a gourmet gift shop. Eat at the tables up front or walk across the street to Yee Tock Chee Park.
Poggio Trattoria, 777 Bridgeway - This place is more up scale than Venice Gourmet but we have found that breakfast, coffee or lunch out on the sidewalk there is quite a nice experience and not outrageously priced. It's a nice place to bring guests.
Horizons restaurant, 558 Bridgeway Blvd - Spectacular view and deck (dogs are allowed :). Somewhat expensive and sometimes crowded but our recommended place to go for drinks when you want to impress guests with a classy setting. We also like the (relatively inexpensive) early Sunday brunch on the deck.
Sausalito Yacht Harbor - Walk north from the Ferry Landing along the boardwalk to see one of the top pleasure boat harbors in the world.
Taste of Rome, 1000 Bridgeway/Caledonia St - Formerly a Cafe Trieste but still one of the most popular local coffee houses in town. Nifty ambiance with big open windows to take advantage of the great Sausalito weather.

Local neighborhoods ... Marinship and Caledonia St

In the north part of town is where most of the local action is. This whole area is little known to out-of-towners but, in fact, has been the most active part of town since World War II.

Caledonia Street, one block west of Bridgeway from Johnson St to Napa St, is intended to be the main shopping area for residents. It is not touristy, not exciting, and not busy at all on weekends but has some pleasant low key local eating spots. Our current favorite breakfast spot here is Cafe Divino, 37 Caledonia/Johnson. The Sausalito Gourmet Delicatessen, 209 Caledonia/Turney, has a nice rear patio but is not open Sundays. The local dive bar, Smitty's Bar, is at 214 Caledonia St/Locust St.

The Marinship neighborhood, east of Bridgeway and north of Napa St, is Sausalito's only industrial and working waterfront area. We like this funky older area (some 20,000 people worked here building 93 Liberty ships & tankers during World War II) and often start walking our way north along the informal shoreline from Dunphy Park, at Bridgeway/Napa St. Along the way you will come across sailboat rentals, a good swimming beach, canoe & rowing rentals, The Le Garage outdoor French Restaurant, and a variety of docks.

Further north in Marinship are several more evolved centers of local activities such as:

The Bay Model Visitor Center, which houses 1.5 acre working pneumatic model of the SF Bay.
Marinship Park where the Sausalito Art Fair with it's 50,000 annual visitors is held.
A nice large Modern Sailing school & Club, 2310 Marinship Way.
The Industrial Center Building (ICB), 480 Gate 5 Road, houses many (50 est) working studios for local artists and a large marine store.
Fish Restaurant, 350 Harbor Dr, featuring a great outdoor deck and sustainable organic food, and the Sausalito Seahorse, which has mixed reviews as a restaurant/dance venue.
500+ houseboats in various marinas, mainly at the far north end.

Sausalito Events

Sausalito has a strong & thriving art community which is featured in most of the special events below.

High-End Houseboat Show
Sausalito has some unique high-end houseboat communities which provide a novel life style most people never even dream of living. You can see it for yourself at the floating home tour of 20 fine homes on the water. This year the tour is held September 17, 2011, 11-4 pm. It is usually sold out at $40/person but is worth signing up in advance for those who enjoy home decoration.

There is usually a simultaneous art show and entertainment at Kappas Green Park located at the center of over floating homes in 5 marinas on Richardson Bay.
Floating Art Show
Another neat way to see inside these houseboats is to attend the Floating Art Show on Issaquah Dock with FREE admission to about a dozen floating home galleries. It is held this year on Saturday, April 30, 11 am to 5 pm.
World Famous Sausalito Art Fair
Held every Labor Day weekend (Sept 3-5 in 2011) this Art Fair is known as "The Granddaddy" of outdoor festivals. It attracts over 50,000 fans, 20,000 works of art, 260 artists and 25 live performers. The Sausalito Ferry even adds extra direct service to the Art Fair site at Marinship Park.
Sausalito Artists Open Studio
Spring and winter open studio events are hosted by several of the 120+ artists with studios in the Industrial Center Building (ICB), 480 Gate 5 Rd.

Sausalito Houseboats

Sausalito houseboats

Here is an interesting part of Sausalito which many visitors don't know about. There are over 500 houseboats in five floating home marinas at the north end of town.

See map for the exact layout of the docks. Locals say you won't get ticketed if you park in the gravel lot just south of Gate 6 Road.

While you can walk around the houseboat marina area most any day, to actually go inside of some of these floating beauties see Sausalito events above for public tours.

Bicycling to Sausalito

Many athletic tourists will rent a bicycle at Fisherman's Wharf and take the pleasant bike ride along the Bay, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and then return via Ferry Boat. Check the Sausalito Ferry Boat schedule first to make sure you don't miss the last boat. Most bicycle rental shops provide detailed maps. This bike trip is a nice little adventure for locals as well.

Local bikers also love the ride across Golden Gate Bridge. The weather in Sausalito is usually even better than SF's and there are not many hills if you ride along the shoreline. On weekends you will see hundreds of bicyclists in groups of 2-20, crossing on the western "bikers only" side of Golden Gate Bridge and then streaming through downtown Sausalito as they head further north to places like Tiburone and Tennessee Valley beach.

Once across the bridge another favorite ride for locals is to take a quick turn west and climb up Conzelman Road to Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands. You can continue riding further west to see the rest of the Headlands from there. See side trips below.

Nearby side trips

Here are some "easy to miss" things to see near Sausalito. Check our Marin Headlands page and map for more details and exact locations of these nearby treats.

Right after you cross Golden Gate Bridge is the exit to Alexander Blvd which heads northeast from Hwy 101 into Sausalito. Here are a couple of very worthwhile side trips while you are in this area.

Fort Baker -- Just south and east of Alexander Blvd is Fort Baker. Adults will enjoy this beautiful area which is rich in Indian and military history. Here you will also find the Bay Area Discovery Museum which kids enjoy.
Hawk Hill -- Alexander Blvd headed southwest of Hwy 101 turns into Conzelman Rd. Go up Conzelman Rd to Hawk Hill for one of the best vantage points for spectacular views of the SF Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, and the City in the distance. Once little known even to locals, more and more locals and tourists are learning about this viewing spot.

Tiburon is about 15 minutes further north of Sausalito. It is a beautiful but smaller town with fewer things to do. However, many enjoy the outdoor ambience & view at the sunny crowded outdoor deck of Sam's Anchor Cafe, 27 Main St, Tiburon, or riding the local ferry to visit nearby Angel Island. And, one of the prettiest views in the entire SF Bay area is from Old St Hilary's Open Space Preserve (see Sausalito-Tiburon map for exact location).

Sausalito, CA, is one our favorite towns in the San Francisco Bay area. It has far more going for it than tourists see at first glance. If you like boats or art this area will become one of your favorites too!