Sausalito is a town of about 7,000 on the Marin County side of the Golden Gate, directly across the water from San Francisco, built on a steep hillside above a harbour. It is a twenty-five minute ferry ride from the city, and the single best way to spend a day out of San Francisco is to cycle across the bridge and take that ferry back.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, Roman Trail earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What Is Here
THE HOUSEBOAT COMMUNITY IS THE HERO IMAGE AND IT IS A REAL NEIGHBOURHOOD, NOT AN ATTRACTION. Several hundred floating homes moored along Richardson Bay at the north end of town, descended from the squatter community that grew on the site of the Marinship yards after the Second World War, when houseboats were built out of salvaged ferry hulls and anything else to hand. Some are modest and some are extraordinary. THE DOCKS ARE PRIVATE AND PEOPLE LIVE THERE: the piers at Liberty Dock, Issaquah and Gate 5 can be walked respectfully and quietly, and that is a courtesy rather than a right. Do not photograph into windows.
THE FERRY IS THE WHOLE POINT AND THE THIRD IMAGE IS IT. Two operators run from San Francisco: GOLDEN GATE FERRY from the Ferry Building, cheaper and used by commuters, and the BLUE AND GOLD FLEET from Pier 41. The crossing passes Alcatraz and gives the view of the city that is worth the fare on its own. BUY A CLIPPER CARD OR USE THE APP, and note that WEEKEND AFTERNOON RETURN SAILINGS FILL COMPLETELY in summer, with queues of cyclists, so go back earlier than you planned or be prepared to wait for the next boat.
CYCLING OVER THE GOLDEN GATE AND DOWN INTO TOWN IS THE CLASSIC DAY, AND THE DESCENT IS THE PART NOBODY MENTIONS. It is about thirteen kilometres from Fisherman's Wharf, mostly flat to the bridge, then across, and then a genuinely steep descent on the Marin side into Sausalito. THE BRIDGE SIDEWALKS ARE NARROW AND SHARED, the west side is cyclists-only at some times and pedestrians-only at others, and the wind across the span is strong and gusty. The ride back up is why most people take the ferry.
IT IS COLDER AND WINDIER THAN THE CITY, WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT PEOPLE ASSUME. Sausalito sits right at the mouth of the Golden Gate, where the marine layer pours through the gap, so the fog and the wind arrive here first. Summer afternoons on the waterfront are commonly in the low to mid teens Celsius with a hard wind, while Marin a few miles inland is sunny and twenty-five. THE SECOND IMAGE SHOWS WHY: that is the bridge in fog, which is its normal summer condition.
THE BAY MODEL IS FREE AND IT IS BETTER THAN IT SOUNDS. A working hydraulic scale model of the entire San Francisco Bay and Delta, built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1957 to test a scheme to dam the bay, housed in a former Marinship warehouse. Free entry, and it tells the Marinship story: this town built 93 ships during the war and its workforce included thousands of Black workers recruited from the South, whose housing at Marin City is part of the same history.
THE MARIN HEADLANDS ARE ABOVE THE TOWN, with the Point Bonita Lighthouse and the view of the bridge from above. THE ROADS UP ARE NARROW AND ONE-WAY IN PLACES and parking at the viewpoints fills early. HAWK HILL is the best raptor migration site on the Pacific coast in autumn.
MUIR WOODS IS TWENTY MINUTES AWAY AND REQUIRES A RESERVATION. The coast redwoods there are the nearest old-growth grove to San Francisco, and PARKING AND SHUTTLE RESERVATIONS ARE MANDATORY AND MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE. There is no turning up.
When to Go
September and October, which on this coast are the warm clear months, after the summer fog and before the winter rain.
April to June is pleasant with variable fog.
July and August are peak visitor season and the foggiest, windiest, coldest part of the year on this waterfront. Bring a coat and do not be surprised.
November to March is the rainy season, quiet and often beautifully clear between storms.
Weekday mornings are the time to see the houseboats and the town. Weekend afternoons are the ferry crush.
Getting There
By ferry from San Francisco, 25 to 30 minutes, which is the right way.
By bicycle over the Golden Gate Bridge, about an hour and a quarter from Fisherman's Wharf including the bridge.
By bus, Golden Gate Transit routes cross the bridge from the city.
By car, ten minutes from the bridge. PARKING IN SAUSALITO IS LIMITED, METERED AND ENFORCED, and the waterfront spaces are gone by mid-morning at weekends. This is the worst way to arrive.
The town is walkable end to end and the bike path along the water to the houseboats is flat; the residential hillside above is extremely steep.
Is Sausalito Safe for Women?
The FCDO publishes no advised-against areas anywhere in the United States and no country-level warning. Its guidance concentrates on the practical differences a British visitor meets: entry requirements and ESTA, the cost of healthcare without insurance, extreme weather including hurricanes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts between June and November, and wildfire and heat risk in the west and south-west.
Sausalito is one of the wealthiest and safest towns in California and is entirely comfortable for a woman alone. Car break-ins at the Headlands viewpoints and trailheads are the realistic crime, as across the Bay Area. Leave nothing visible.
THE WIND AND THE COLD ARE THE ACTUAL RISK AND THEY ARE UNDERESTIMATED CONSTANTLY. Cyclists who leave a warm San Francisco afternoon in shorts and a t-shirt arrive at the middle of the bridge in a 30 knot wind at thirteen degrees, and hypothermia on that bridge in July is a real and regular occurrence rather than a theoretical one. CARRY A WINDPROOF LAYER even if the city is warm.
THE BRIDGE SIDEWALK IS NARROW, SHARED AND WINDY. Cyclists and pedestrians conflict, the gusts are unpredictable between the towers, and the side open to each changes. Ride slowly, hold your line, and expect to be buffeted.
THE DESCENT INTO SAUSALITO IS STEEP AND HAS CAUGHT OUT MANY HIRE-BIKE RIDERS. Check your brakes before you start down.
THE BAY IS COLD, ABOUT 10 TO 15 DEGREES CELSIUS, WITH STRONG TIDAL CURRENTS THROUGH THE GATE. It is not a swimming bay. The currents at the Golden Gate are among the strongest on the coast.
FOG REDUCES VISIBILITY ON THE HEADLANDS ROADS to very little, on narrow one-way lanes with drops.
EARTHQUAKES ARE A BACKGROUND FACT: drop, cover and hold on.
The Sausalito Packing List
Wind off the Golden Gate, summer fog, and sun when the layer lifts.
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women is the right first layer here in every month, and the reason is specific to this crossing: you can leave a warm city, cycle hard enough to sweat, and then stand still in a cold 30 knot wind on an exposed bridge within the same hour. Wool is the only layer that is right at all three points, because it keeps insulating when it is damp with your own sweat.
A Marmot PreCip Eco rain jacket as a WINDPROOF first and a raincoat second. This is the single most important item in a Sausalito bag and the one people leave behind. A Columbia Fast Trek II fleece under it from October to May and on most summer evenings.
A merino beanie, which in July on the bridge is not an affectation.
Walking shoes with grip for the steep hillside streets and the Headlands trails.
Not linked and worth packing: GLOVES IF YOU ARE CYCLING, because the bridge wind takes the feeling out of your hands quickly; SUNGLASSES, since the glare off fog and water is strong even when it is grey; A CLIPPER CARD OR THE FERRY APP; YOUR MUIR WOODS RESERVATION if that is in the plan; and A PLAN TO TAKE THE FERRY BACK EARLIER THAN YOU THINK, because the weekend afternoon sailings fill. The US is almost entirely card-based and tipping is expected at 18 to 20 per cent.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Essential Resources for Women in Sausalito
Emergency numbers: 911 for police, ambulance and fire, free from any phone including a locked mobile. Calls are answered locally and dispatchers will stay on the line. For non-urgent police matters many cities also run a 311 information line.
SAUSALITO IS COLDER AND WINDIER THAN SAN FRANCISCO, which is the opposite of what visitors assume, because it sits at the mouth of the Golden Gate where the marine layer pours through: summer afternoons on the waterfront are commonly in the low to mid teens Celsius with a hard wind while inland Marin is sunny and twenty-five. THE CONSEQUENCE IS A REAL HAZARD: cyclists who leave a warm city in shorts reach mid-span in a 30 knot wind at thirteen degrees, and hypothermia on that bridge in July happens regularly rather than theoretically, so CARRY A WINDPROOF LAYER whatever the city is doing. THE BRIDGE SIDEWALKS ARE NARROW AND SHARED, the side allocated to cyclists and pedestrians changes with the time, and the gusts between the towers are unpredictable. THE DESCENT INTO SAUSALITO IS STEEP and catches out hire-bike riders, so check the brakes first. WEEKEND AFTERNOON RETURN FERRIES FILL COMPLETELY with queues of cyclists, so plan to come back earlier than you intend. THE HOUSEBOAT DOCKS ARE PRIVATE AND PEOPLE LIVE THERE: walk them quietly if at all and do not photograph into windows. THE BAY IS 10 TO 15 DEGREES CELSIUS with some of the strongest tidal currents on the coast at the Gate, and it is not a swimming bay. MUIR WOODS REQUIRES AN ADVANCE PARKING OR SHUTTLE RESERVATION with no turning up. THE BAY MODEL IS FREE. Headlands roads are narrow, one-way in places and fog-bound, with limited parking that fills early. Car break-ins at Headlands viewpoints are the commonest crime. Parking in town is limited, metered and enforced.
US State Department travel advisory: there is none, and this is not an omission. The State Department issues travel advisories for other countries, not for the United States itself, so no US advisory for this destination exists to link. In its place, the Government of Canada advice for the United States gives an equivalent third-country assessment.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits. The FCDO names no advised-against areas anywhere in the United States. The same advice also covers Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Main hospital: MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae, about fifteen minutes north, has a 24 hour emergency department and is the county's hospital; San Francisco's major trauma centre, Zuckerberg San Francisco General, is about twenty-five minutes back across the bridge. Dial 911 for police, ambulance or fire, and note that AN INCIDENT ON THE WATER goes through 911 to the Coast Guard, whose station sits at the Golden Gate itself. This is the single biggest practical difference for a visitor: there is no public health system, an emergency room visit without insurance can run into thousands of dollars, and an ambulance is billed separately and is not free. Comprehensive travel insurance with a high medical limit is not optional in the United States, and you should carry your policy number and the insurer's 24 hour number somewhere you can reach them. Urgent care clinics handle anything short of an emergency far more cheaply and quickly than an emergency room, and are the right choice for a sprain, an infection or stitches.
Official health authority: the CDC travellers' health pages, the US federal health authority for visitors. covers the US public health guidance, with the National Weather Service the authority for wind and fog advisories at the Golden Gate
Embassy contact: the United States is the host country, so there is no US embassy to contact. Your own country's embassy is in Washington DC, with consulates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Miami and Boston. Find yours before you travel and save the number.
Official tourism authority: Brand USA, the national tourism marketing body. covers Sausalito and California visitor information, with the National Park Service the authority for Muir Woods reservations and the Marin Headlands, and the ferry operators for sailing times
Takeaways
It is colder here than in the city. Carry a windproof layer in July.
Cycle over, take the ferry back, and go back earlier than you planned.
The houseboat docks are people's homes. Walk quietly or not at all.
Muir Woods needs a booking. The Bay Model is free.
Solo women safety assessment: Sausalito is about as safe as anywhere in this library. It is one of the wealthiest small towns in California, the waterfront is busy with day visitors from the city, the ferry terminal is in the middle of it, and a woman walking, cycling or eating alone here attracts no attention whatever. There is no district to avoid. Car break-ins at the Marin Headlands viewpoints and trailheads are the realistic crime, as across the Bay Area, so leave nothing visible in a vehicle. 911 REACHES POLICE, AMBULANCE AND FIRE free from any phone; MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae is fifteen minutes north and San Francisco's trauma centre about twenty-five minutes back over the bridge; and an incident on the water goes through 911 to the Coast Guard, whose station is at the Gate. THE UNITED STATES HAS NO PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE FOR VISITORS and insurance is essential. THE RISK HERE IS COLD, AND IT IS GENUINELY UNDERESTIMATED BECAUSE IT RUNS AGAINST INTUITION. Sausalito sits at the mouth of the Golden Gate where the fog and the wind funnel through, so it is routinely colder and far windier than the city across the water, and a summer afternoon on this waterfront can sit in the low teens Celsius with a hard wind while inland Marin bakes. The people this catches are cyclists: you leave a warm San Francisco in shorts, work hard enough to sweat on the approach, and then stand in a thirty knot wind halfway across an exposed bridge, and hypothermia on that span in July is a regular occurrence. A windproof layer is the answer and it is the thing most people leave in the hotel. The bridge sidewalk itself is narrow and shared between bikes and walkers with unpredictable gusts, and the descent into town is steep enough to catch out hire bikes, so check the brakes before starting down.
Reading On
Sausalito is a day out from the city and the San Francisco packing list is the essential companion, covering the city, the fog and the transport in full; read that for the base and this for the crossing. Across the bay, the Oakland packing list covers the east side and its port. South along the coast, the Monterey packing list is two hours away and shares this fog and this cold water exactly, with the Big Sur packing list beyond it. Inland and east, the Yosemite packing list and the Lake Tahoe packing list cover the Sierra, and the Mammoth Lakes packing list its eastern side. For the country, the United States travel guide for women carries the transport, the health insurance question and the regions in full. For why wool is the layer that works when you sweat and then stand in a cold wind, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women. Every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women, and the base layers are at the Roman Trail collection.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
