Symbol

Golden Gate Bridge, symbol of San Francisco, is the subject of many photographs. How can you visit San Francisco and not see it?

For many years, the only way to get across San Francisco Bay was by ferry, and by the early twentieth century the Bay was clogged with ferries. In the 1920s, engineer and bridge-builder Joseph Strauss became convinced that a bridge should be constructed across the Golden Gate. The construction began in 1933 and it was completed in 1937.

The best way to explore the Golden Gate Bridge is to walk across the bridge if you can. The traffic is noisy, but you can’t really appreciate the bridge unless you’ve walked on it, at least a little way. At mid-span you are 220 feet above the water's surface. Pedestrians are allowed on the bridge during daylight hours. The pedestrian bridge is on the city-facing side of the bridge, while bicyclists are restricted to the ocean-facing side.

If you drive a car, you’ll find a free parking lot on the north side. Note that there is no toll on the bridge going north (out of the city), but there is a toll southbound.