Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center

So packed and so much traffic. Hardly any parking for all the people that are visiting. We just took turns to go take pictures. It was cold so we didn’t stay too long.

Happy birthday to an icon. You don’t look a day over 50. Every time we head home this way, we smile because we recognize how lucky we are to live in SF Bay Area. No two trips are alike with the variations of clouds fog sun and time of year.
I’ve walked it, rode a bike over it, but mostly drove it. Out of SF. We even got a courteous lane change head nod and smile from none other than the SAY HEY kid, Mr SF, Willie Mays in his Champaign gold Mercedes, many yeas ago as a car stalled mid span middle lane. He politely allowed us to merge.
We don’t mind bumper to bumper traffic because the views are pretty spectacular.
I feel like a Toney Bennett should start playing automatically on everyone’s radio…

Worth a visit! Souvenirs here are better than the standard SF tourist spots. I got some very cool Golden Gate Bridge bookends and a replica rivet. Also a great spot for books about architecture, SF sweatshirts, and information about national parks.
And oh yeah, it’s a great spot for photos of the bridge.

Excellent spot to get a great view of the bridge and amazing pictures. I wasn’t able to find parking at the exact location, but I followed signs for additional parking and managed to park for free on the other side. I then walked on the trail under the bridge to reach this place. It was actually pretty neat walking underneath the bridge! I especially enjoyed the signs with information regarding the bridge’s construction, great read! It was cold, windy, and cloudy when I went, but the pictures still turned out great!

We were planning to go biking and taking the ferry, but we felt tired after Alcatraz.
We took the Big Bus and we passed through the bridge, it was windy and cold since we were in the top floor.
It is a must do in SF no matter you like it or not, just check it off your list.

This was my first visit so I was in awe with the view or not just the bridge but the span of our viewpoint. The grounds are clean and security is visibly around. Expect to have people walking in and out of your photo ops. People just don’t know. Some folks are kind enough to offer taking your picture but as usual, be cautious with who you’re handing the professional camera over to because you really don’t know if they’re good peeps. Transportation is easy within the Presidio. We hopped onto the free PresidioGo shuttle. It runs every 30 mins so the wait times weren’t too bad. We hopped back on to head back to the transit center and then took an über back to our hotel. If you haven’t been here and have time, definitely check out the view. It’s worth the stop!

I would definitely recommend my friends to visit the «Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion» when coming to SF. This place has an amazing viewpoint and unobstructed view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
There are plenty of tourist here tho, but the crowd comes and goes. You can drop by the souvenir shop as well.

How can you give this iconic structural marvel anything but a five star review?
Even the gift store people were hilarious and super nice. Its funny that people gave it four stars. Why? Did the bridge offend you? Did it give you bad service? Is paying a small fee to park your car so that you can walk this breath taking hunk of history, that much of a gripe? Sheesh, some people! I would pay that fee everyday of the week, because it is really a humbling experiance to cross this gigantic landmark.

Super touristy spot but such a beautiful sight to see especially on a clear day! I was actually lucky enough to see the Golden Gate Bridge without any sight of San Francisco’s infamous fog creeping around.
You can also walk across bridge to get a better view from the bridge itself.
There’s a souvenir shop here that almost acts like a mini museum.
Definitely a sight to see if you are in the San Francisco area!

What’s not to love?!
There are pavilions on each side of the bridge. Souvenirs, restrooms and the magnificent view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Many people walk or run across the infamous bridge. The cool breeze can make it quite chilly but it’s totally worth it.
The stop here is probably always a little chaotic. The parking could probably be a headache but I took one of the tour busses. Easy on and off without some of the added traffic stress.
This symbolic bridge of San Francisco is timeless and beautiful. I’m sure it’s always the top of the tourist list to see.

This place is always packed. I would recommend going down to Fort Point (less than a 5 minute drive from here) to get an even better view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Only park here if you want to walk the Golden Gate Bridge. But if you want a great view and just to soak in the SF Bay scenery, drive down to Fort Point.
The parking lot is not that big and you have to pay $ 1/​hour while Fort Point offers much more parking and it’s FREE parking.
This vista point is on the side of the GGB near Palace of Fine Arts. If you drive across the bridge and make your way back, you’ll have to pay a toll so try to avoid that if you want to save money.
There is a gift shop here so it is one of the perks of this place but best of luck in finding a parking spot.

This is basically the tourist hub for the Golden Gate Bridge. Parking is so limited. It’s all about timing to grab a space in this tiny lot packed with various sized tour buses and cars. There is a gift shop and also a restaurant. The public restrooms has a line to the women’s that reaches incredible lengths. This place is pretty crowded and a place you want to get in and out of quickly.

The Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion (GGBP) is a modular 3,500 sq foot building that was constructed off-​site, and opened just in time for the GGB’s 75^th Anniversary (May 27, 2012). The GGBP is a great spot to begin your journey of exploring and visiting the GGB. There’s an information booth inside where you can pick up pamphlets; talk to the helpful employees; and stock-​up on GGB souvenirs! There’s also a lot going on outside the GGBP, as well. Here’s a guide of what to expect:
Parking– Parking is extremely limited, and they actually recommend finding other means (i.e., Public Transportation, Bike, Tour Bus) to get here. However, we are Californians and they’ll never get us out of our cars. The lot is metered and has a Two Hour Max, with the current rate of 25¢/15min ($ 2 for 2 hours for those who don’t know your gozintas). The lot is small and houses 37 total spaces: 26 General, 8 Bus Stalls and 3 Handicap stalls. There is an additional southwest lot that’s open on the weekends and holidays that charges $ 5/​Day, as well.
Amenities:
–Huge and clean restrooms
–Bridge Café for all your noshing needs
–Swell GGB models, statues and other helpful kiosks located around the pavilion that talk about the building of the bridge. Get yer learn on, son!
–Access to the GGB Ped/​Bike trail, overlooks and some of the most breathtaking views in the world. Even if you’re there when the fog rolls in, it’s still a sight to behold! This should be your main focus for visiting the GGBP.
While two hours might not seem like a long time, it was plenty of time for us (me, my cousin, Mother and 4-​year-​old) to walk the bridge to Marin and back, and still had time for pictures, souvenirs and a potty break – or two! If you’d rather spend more time then I’d suggest either taking a bus, or access the GGBP from Crissy Field (
). Otherwise, the GGBP is a terrific destination for the tourist that lives in all of us.

What’s not to love about the Golden Gate Bridge?! There’s also a little gift shop and for especially cold days (like the day we went), there’s a shop that has drinks, snacks, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate!

Well, the Golden Gate Bridge is the main attraction here, obviously! I’m telling you, it’s much better than any Ikea canvas.
There are two things that make this place a cluster of chaos. First, the parking is crazy and it’s half built into the side of the hill, half in a tunnel, half in front of the gift shop and then what do you know, you’re on top of a hill and stuck in a major traffic jam. This alone will deter me from future visits unless you’re a special guest visiting from out of town.
Second thing, the people! Sure, we’re all tourists wanting to get a peek at this wonderful red behemoth of a bridge but for goodness sake, don’t go walking blindly through traffic to see it! It’s easy to be taken aback by the site of the bridge but remember there are people in cars also trying to see it and if you’re backing up trying to get the bridge into your Instagram shot, well, don’t be mad if someone honks at you.
There’s probably a secret to navigating the Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion (see: avoid weekends) but I haven’t cracked it yet and it’s probably going to stay on my list of tourist things to avoid in the future.

Was visiting San Francisco over a weekend so yeah, super tourist style. Golden Gate Park seemed like the type of place that every tourist visits or should visit and by the way it is quite a long walk from downtown in case you’re obliged to attempt it (I did and I’m stubborn so I made it all the way but that does not mean I would recommend doing so).
There’s lots of beautiful views of the famous bridge, and the city as well. There was a car commercial being filmed when I was there so that was a cool plus too. There’s some «hiking» around the place too which was a nice end to my walk. Nice picnic style areas around the place and also some waterfront nearby so it’s a nice area to spend an hour or two exploring.
The last thing I’d say is – if you intend to go here, have exact change for the bus or a pass before you go. There was no ATM for me to take out cash and I couldn’t buy a bus pass anywhere so I had to take a taxi back into town (yeah I wasn’t about to walk again).

As a tourist you literally have no choice but to do this!
It’s such an iconic spot, that when I came to San Francisco, I knew I had to go.
The lot we parked in was kind of small so be patient. You may have to circle a time or two.
Pray it’s not too foggy (I know, right?)
Take in the beauty of the bridge.
The only thing I wish I did was walk across. That’ll give me something to look forward to the next time I visit.

Best location to get pictures with the bridge in the background. Parking cost $ 5. Lots can get full so you might have to wait. You can take the walkway to the bridge sidewalk. There is a souvenir shop. There is also displays with bridge information.
Make sure you take right lane to get here. You may end up on the bridge paying the toll.
Great views!

Such a beautiful sight to behold! If you ever get a chance to make it out here on a clear day… consider yourself very lucky to see a clear shot of the Golden Gate Bridge! This past Thursday 11÷6÷14, I consider myself a lucky guy!
Checking the internet, I found a few cool facts —
At 6:00 AM, on May 27, 1937 the Golden Gate Bridge was opened, and they allowed people to cross the bridge. The following day, the bridge was opened for automobile traffic.
And a few fun facts about the Golden Gate Bridge —
1. The military wanted the Golden Gate Bridge to be painted in stripes — I saw something about this, as I was checking out the build display. I think they wanted it painted yellow & black so that planes & ships to visually see the bridge in case of a foggy day.
2, The Golden Gate Bridge’s signature color was not intended to be permanent.
3. The Golden Gate Bridge’s original design was universally rejected.
4. The Golden Gate Bridge is the top suicide location in the world.
5. The Golden Gate Bridge had an impressive construction safety record.
6. Local citizens put their own properties up as collateral to finance construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Pavilion is a little small store. I also noticed a guided bike path for bike riders to ride on. Parking can be a real pain, as there were very limited parking spaces. To top it off, there was a parking lot cop cruising in the lot (on the side) to enforce the parking rules.
If you’re lucky enough to find a parking space (we were able to get one… yay!), you will have to park your car, make note of the parking space number, then walk up to the electronic parking machine to pay for your parking. If I remember correctly… it was $ 0.25 per 15 minutes… not bad at all for a tourist trap.
It was totally worth it to see all of this… and I even got a pretty good shot of the bridge (see pic). Not a bad pic, if I say so myself… as I took the pic from my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone. :D

Located smack dab in Strauss Plaza. named after Chief Engineer of the bridge.
Very interesting to peruse the gift center, and to spot some resources, as well as the models, and the large screen replaying the black/​white footage of the entire engineering feat and construction process.
Large…for me, felt very geared toward the tourist, that’s for sure. The restrooms are not nearly enough stalls, and the wait is by where all the queues are for large buses. Chaotic and not a pleasant experience, at all.
MUNI 28. winner bus can save you some headache. PresidiGO as well.