Crossing the strait of the Golden Gate from San Francisco to the Marin headlands for 1.7 miles is the world-renowned Golden Gate Bridge, easily identified by its International Orange color. Opened in 1937, the bridge was built at a cost of $35 million in principal and $39 million in interest and 11 workers’ lives. The single-suspension span is anchored by twin towers that reach skyward 746 feet, and was once taller than any building in San Francisco. To support the suspended roadway, two cables, each more than 7,000 feet in length and both containing 80,000 miles of wire stretch over the top of the towers and are rooted in concrete anchorages on shore. More than ten years in planning due to formidable opposition, but only four years in actual construction, the Golden Gate Bridge brought the communities of San Francisco and Marin counties closer together.

General Visitor Info

Pedestrians including wheelchair users and bicyclists can go on the sidewalks of the bridge during daylight hours but roller blades, skateboards and roller skates are not permitted. There are vista points on both north and south sides of the bridge with parking lots. For information on sidewalk closures due to construction, visit goldengatebridge.org/bikesbridge/bikes.php.

If you can’t visit the bridge in person, do the virtual bridge walk and don’t forget to check out the view from the top of the south tower.

How to Get There

From downtown, take #38 Geary Boulevard to Park Presidio and transfer to #28 northbound to get to the Golden Gate Bridge. If you’re taking Golden Gate Transit from San Francisco, the #10, #70 or #80 lines will take you to the bridge.

For additional information, routes and schedules, please visit the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Golden Gate Transit sites.

Surrounding Neighborhoods

Marina / Presidio
Golden Gate / Sunset

Get more information on the neighborhoods here.

Did You Know?

The name came from the fact that the Golden Gate Strait (named by John Fremont) is the entrance into San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean.

International Orange was selected as the color of the bridge because it provided visibility in the fog for passing ships and also because it was a color that fit in naturally to the bridge’s setting and the surrounding land area. The bridge has only been closed three times due to weather since it was built; all three times due to high winds gusting close to or over 70 miles per hour. The bridge has also been closed for visits from dignitaries President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President Charles de Gaulle of France and also on its 50th Anniversary in 1987.

Movies that included the Golden Gate Bridge:

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009)
Milk (2008)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Hulk (2003)
The Core (2003)
The Rock (1996)
Interview with a Vampire (1994)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
The Abyss (1989)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
A View to a Kill (1985)
Basic Instinct (1982)
Superman (1978)
Dirty Harry (1971)
The Birds (1963)
Vertigo (1958)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)