If you decide to cycle around San Francisco, I recommend following my route: breathtaking views of the famous Golden Gate Bridge, fashionable waterfront areas of Sausalito and Tiburon, almost "rural" areas, and finally, a ferry ride across the bay past Alcatraz.
This is a very popular route. It's not only beautiful for its views, but also because there are far more long and short descents than climbs (two or three small hills don't count).
The route is not difficult and is suitable for anyone who knows how to ride a bike at least a little.
Read on to learn how to rent a bike in San Francisco. Here.
You can also join a guided tour of San Francisco instead of riding alone, which is what I did. The price for such a tour (including bike rental for the day) is $65 (price as of December 2016). However, if you come with a flyer, which you can get at your hotel or hostel, the entire experience will cost you $35. The guide leads the tour, and you can ask them anything. However, it's also easy to just rent a bike and ride this route.
The rental shop provides a ferry ticket (about $11). You can skip it or return it unused along with the bike.
We start at Ghirardelli Square, drive along the shore past Fort Mason, then turn left to see the Palace of Fine Arts.
We return to the shore and stop before the bridge for coffee and a souvenir shop. Of course, the photo shows the foot of the red giant, with the skyscrapers of San Francisco in the distance. You can get free maps of Golden Gate National Park in the shop if you decide to walk along it after crossing the bridge, or you can buy some good, expensive, and detailed maps.
The bike paths are marked. However, getting lost is also impossible thanks to the crowds of tourists—everyone wants to get on the bridge!
The climb to the bridge is steep, but easily manageable on a good bike. It's about 6 kilometers from the starting point to the bridge.
And finally, we're on the bridge! According to the signs, pedestrians should walk on the right, and cyclists on the left.
In fact, everyone gets mixed up, stops wherever they want, but you can get through, especially if you honk.
Beyond the bridge, there's a long, steep descent down to the Sausalito neighborhood—a pleasant place with small, beautiful villas, shops, and countless seafood restaurants overlooking the bay and downtown San Francisco. From the starting point to Sausalito, it's 13.5 kilometers.
If you're looking for an expensive and delicious meal amidst the tourist crowds, this is the place to go. If you're looking for something quieter and cheaper, head along the marina. Further along, the houses become less pretentious, and the restaurants more affordable.
For those who've already skied enough, there's the option to take the ferry to Sausalito and return to San Francisco. The guide parted ways with us there. Overall, the tour lasted three hours. If you skip the story and the souvenir shops, and just take short photo breaks, an hour is plenty.
So our group split up: some decided to head straight back to town, others headed for restaurants and shops, and I decided to continue riding. The map they gave me at the bike rental showed another ferry on the other side of the peninsula, in Tiburon. And there was a very inspiring trail leading to it.
Beyond Sausalito, the houses became quite simple, and then the forest began. The road ran along the bay. The road markings were good, everything was clear. The main thing was to drive roughly along the shore (avoiding small bays) and then turn right onto Route 8 (there's a large sign).
Soon the simple houses ended, and very expensive villas began to peek out from the woods. The road leads along Hamilton and Strawberry Streets, and finally emerges onto the long Tiburon Boulevard.
Track No. 8 ends, then you need to go along track No. 10, soon signs appear for Tiburon downtown and the ferry.
Tiburon is a nice town.
The bike path leads to the ferry. The entire journey, at a very leisurely pace and with stops for photos, took me about an hour and 40 minutes, although, of course, it could easily be done in an hour if you wanted. From Sausalito to the ferry in Tiburon is 17.5 kilometers, so the total distance is about 31 kilometers.
San Francisco is visible from the shore.
The ferry is a small boat. There are a few seats with tables inside, and some open decks. A small bar is available on board, where they sell wine, stronger drinks, and non-alcoholic beverages.
This route can be extended: after Sausalito, don't turn right, but go left and loop around Golden Gate National Recreation Area—the trails are marked on the map. From Tiburon, the ferry first goes to Angel Island, a small island a few minutes' boat ride away. There's also a trail around the island, along its shore. If you decide to take a ride there, make a note of the ferry schedule; they run approximately every two hours to ensure you have enough time to return.
You can also return to San Francisco by bike, but then you'll face some gigantic and (from this side) downright unpleasant climbs.
On the way back, the ferry sails across the bay past the famous prison island of Alcatraz and docks at Pier 41.
Source: travel.ru