Make a day of the bay.

The marketplace puts bakeries, chocolatiers, restaurants and small shops inside the working ferry building. Look for Acme’s bread, Cholita Linda’s tacos or Dandelion’s chocolate, then browse Book Passage on the bay side before heading back to your gate.

Good for

Lunch and a little browsing

Cost

Food, drinks and shopping are extra.

From the landingIn the Ferry Building, beside the ferry gates.

Pier 7’s wooden deck and weathered metal railings lead you out over the water for a broad bay view. It is also a fishing spot, so there is working waterfront life to notice alongside the photographs.

Good for

Bay views and photographs

From the landingAlong the Embarcadero, north of the Ferry Building.

The fountain and elephant statues came from San Francisco’s 1915 Panama-Pacific exhibition. The plaza occupies a former pond between ferry landings and railway tracks, making this small downtown pause a useful place to picture Sausalito’s busy transport past.

Good for

A short pause with local history

From the landingBridgeway and El Portal, just inland from the landing.

The little museum occupies an 1890s refrigerated railway cargo hold that later became an ice business. Its exhibits connect Sausalito’s Miwok roots, immigrant communities, wartime shipbuilders and creative residents, giving the waterfront town more depth than its postcard view.

Good for

Curious first-time visitors

From the landingDowntown at 780 Bridgeway.

This narrow public park follows the bayfront on a paved path ending at Ferry Plaza. It is a place for walking, watching the water and picnicking, with the historic railroad depot adding a natural point to pause before turning back.

Good for

An unhurried waterfront break

From the landingAlong the waterfront beside the downtown landing.

The ground-floor model recreates Tiburon’s railroad town around 1900–1910, including the trains and ferryboats that moved people and freight across the bay. Look for the palm tree: it was added as a modern reference point rather than a period detail.

Good for

Train lovers and waterfront history

From the landing1920 Paradise Drive, in Shoreline Park.

Ayala Cove lets you enjoy an island day without committing to a long hike. The small beach, grassy area and picnic benches sit near the landing, while the nearby visitor center offers an introduction to the island’s history.

Good for

A picnic close to the ferry

From the landingAt the ferry arrival cove; the nearby visitor center is reached on level ground.

Original poems and engravings in the detention barracks make the immigration station’s history personal. The separate museum in the former hospital connects past and present immigration stories; the grounds also hold a historic fog bell and remnants of employee cottages.

Good for

A substantial history outing

Cost

Detention Barracks admission is charged; the separate Angel Island Immigration Museum has free entry.

From the landingA hilly one-mile route from Ayala Cove includes 140 trail stairs.

Marin Country Mart’s Saturday market brings together produce, cheese, seafood, baked goods and prepared food from local vendors. It is a chance to build a picnic or shop for supper across from the ferry, with independent courtyard shops nearby.

Good for

A Saturday food browse

Cost

Food and other purchases are extra.

From the landingAcross from Larkspur Ferry Terminal.

Marin Country Mart gathers independent shops and locally focused eateries around an open-air courtyard across from the terminal. Rustic Bakery, Hog Island Oyster Co. and Farmshop offer different ways to make lunch the main event, with browsing before or afterward.

Good for

A leisurely lunch and shops

Cost

Meals, drinks and shopping are extra.

From the landingAcross from Larkspur Ferry Terminal; this is not downtown Larkspur.

Jack London Square brings the working estuary into view through a network of waterfront promenades. Watch boats and marina activity, then browse the square’s shops or pause outside without committing to a meal or a longer trail outing.

Good for

An easy waterfront wander

From the landingIn the same waterfront district as the ferry landing.

Harbor views are part of the appeal at this longtime Jack London Square restaurant. The menu includes seafood dishes such as cioppino and crab-stuffed salmon, alongside steaks; it suits a seated meal that makes the waterfront the setting for your outing.

Good for

A leisurely seafood meal

Cost

Food and drinks purchased separately.

From the landingOn the Jack London Square waterfront.

The Bay Trail passes through Main Street Linear Park on its way to the terminal. Treat this as a simple stretch of the legs between ferries, with a turnaround you choose to suit your time.

Good for

A simple walk between ferries

From the landingOn the trail corridor leading to the Main Street ferry terminal.

Look across the lagoon toward naval ships, including USS Hornet, from this tiered waterfront promenade. Seating, public art, picnic areas and lawn space make it a place to linger near the water rather than simply pass through on your way to the ferry.

Good for

A picnic with lagoon views

From the landingNorth of the terminal along the pedestrian path.

The Alameda taproom offers rotating light beers, hoppy ales and other styles, with nonalcoholic beer and soft drinks as alternatives. Its beer garden makes a relaxed stop after a waterfront walk.

Good for

A casual drink after a walk

Cost

Food and drinks purchased separately.

From the landing2350 Saratoga Street, near the waterfront promenade; check the walking route.

Shoreline Park follows Bay Farm Island’s outer edge, with paved paths and views toward San Francisco’s skyline. A short stretch beside the terminal gives you the waterfront view without committing to the full shoreline circuit.

Good for

A quiet skyline walk

From the landingUse the shoreline section beside Harbor Bay ferry terminal.

Interactive exhibits and park films explore civilian experiences on the World War II home front. The center occupies the former Oil House in the Ford Assembly Plant complex, so the setting adds an industrial-history connection to the stories inside.

Good for

An indoor home-front history stop

Cost

Visitor-center and park-ground entry is free.

From the landingA short waterfront walk from the ferry, in front of the historic Ford Assembly Plant.

The waterfront path puts the scale of the historic Ford Assembly Plant beside the bay in view. It is also the walking connection recommended by the National Park Service between the ferry landing and the visitor center’s separate Oil House building.

Good for

A brief waterfront history wander

Cost

Visitor-center and park-ground entry is free; other venues are separate.

From the landingOn the waterfront route between the ferry landing and visitor center.

This taproom shares the Vallejo ferry-landing site and looks across Mare Island Strait. Inside, working artifacts and metalwork and woodwork by Mare Island artisans connect the meal stop to the shipyard’s history; a full kitchen offers more than drinks alone.

Good for

A meal close to the landing

Cost

Food and drinks purchased separately.

From the landingMare Island Brewing’s Vallejo location shares the ferry landing site.

The Saginaw Gallery explores Mare Island’s naval role, while the Heritage Chamber highlights women who shaped Vallejo. The South Gallery, formerly the mayor’s office and police station, adds local history to a visit that reaches beyond the shipyard story.

Good for

Local history beyond the waterfront

Cost

Admission charged; check eligibility for reduced or free entry.

From the landing734 Marin Street, inland from the ferry waterfront.

Have a meal in a restored Navy coal shed or settle into its waterfront beer garden. The building was part of a row used to supply steamships, and beer brewed onsite gives this stop both a working-brewery and former-shipyard connection.

Good for

A waterfront meal with shipyard character

Cost

Food and drinks purchased separately.

From the landing850 Nimitz Avenue, in the landing’s waterfront district.

Alden Park’s trees link the naval base to voyages far beyond the bay: ship captains brought back specimens from around the world. The park provides a different way to notice the historic core, through its living landscape as well as nearby naval buildings.

Good for

Trees and naval history outdoors

From the landingInland from the Nimitz Avenue waterfront; check the pedestrian route.

Oyster Point combines shoreline paths with a marina, picnic areas and places to pause by the bay. Park improvements added seating and fitness equipment, so a walk can include a short rest or movement stop without leaving the waterfront precinct.

Good for

A shoreline walk with a pause

From the landingAround Oyster Point’s marina and ferry-terminal precinct.

The public fishing pier offers a reason to stop by the water without committing to a long walk. Nearby marina picnic areas include tables and barbecues, making this a straightforward bring-your-own-food outing within Oyster Point Marina/Park.

Good for

A pier-side pause and picnic

From the landingIn the same Oyster Point Marina/Park complex as the landing.

K-Dock became a sea-lion gathering place after animals began hauling out there in 1989. Look for their external ear flaps and listen for barking; the number on the floats changes with seasons, available food and migration rather than a timetable.

Good for

Wildlife watching without a long outing

Cost

PIER 39 has no admission charge; food, shopping and ticketed attractions are extra.

From the landingPIER 39 is beside Pier 41 in Fisherman’s Wharf.

Inside a former cannery warehouse, the visitor center recreates six historic waterfront neighborhoods in its immersive exhibition. Look for the large Fresnel lens from the Farallon Islands Lighthouse, and use the park film to connect individual objects with the bay’s maritime stories.

Good for

Maritime history and an indoor stop

Cost

Visitor-center admission is free.

From the landingHyde and Jefferson streets, through Fisherman’s Wharf from Pier 41.