Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is the Art Deco suspension bridge that spans the strait between San Francisco and Marin County in California, opened in 1937 and painted in its signature International Orange. The roughly 1.7-mile span carries Highway 101 on its roadway, while a pedestrian walkway on the east side and a bike lane let visitors cross under their own power at no charge. The Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center at 99 Battery East Road, on the San Francisco end near the Presidio, holds exhibits on the bridge's design and construction, a cafe and a gift shop, and is the usual starting point for a visit.

Walking out onto the span reveals the details that photographs miss: the riveted towers rising about 746 feet above the water, the thick main cables, the traffic rumbling a few feet away and, on clear days, views of Alcatraz, the Marin Headlands and the city skyline. Most visitors walk to the south tower and back, which takes about an hour, while those who continue to the Marin side of the bridge need closer to two hours round trip. Cyclists often ride across and continue to Sausalito, returning by ferry.

The best-known vantage points are away from the bridge itself. Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands gives the classic postcard view from the north, Fort Point beneath the southern approach shows the steelwork from below, and Crissy Field and the Golden Gate Promenade frame the span from the shoreline. Baker Beach to the west offers a lower-angle view toward the city.

Fog is the defining feature of the bridge and visitors should expect it. Summer mornings and afternoons are frequently shrouded, and the walkway can be cold and windy in every season. Crowds peak midday and on weekends, especially in summer, when the sidewalk becomes congested with walkers and bicycles. Early morning and the hours before the walkway closes in the evening are the quietest times. The Muni 28 bus reaches the toll plaza, and parking near the Welcome Center is limited and time-restricted.