Tiburon Ferry Info & Tips

Get tips for booking and riding the Tiburon Ferry, another one of the popular San Francisco Ferries. This is a great day trip or afternoon trip from San Francisco.

If you have plenty of time, I’d recommend taking the ferry over to Tiburon for a few hours. You can do a little shopping and grab some lunch along the water. On a beautiful San Francisco day, this is a very popular destination as they have a few large restaurants along the water for lunch.

There are several San Francisco ferries a day to and from Tiburon. All of the Tiburon ferries are managed by the Blue and Gold Ferry Fleet Company.

Pier 41 Tiburon Ferry

The first ferry picks up and drops off at the San Francisco ferry terminal at Pier 41 in Fishermans Wharf near the popular Pier 39 San Francisco shopping area. There are four to five ferries a day from this location.

This ferry ride takes about 20 minutes one way. The San Francisco ferry schedule for this ferry is that it leaves Pier 41 at around 10:30 or 11 each morning. The last ferry returns from Tiburon around 6:30 or 7:30, again depending on the day.

The times for this ferry vary on the weekdays vs. the weekends. Also, there are more San Francisco ferries running during the summer and fall months. Since it’s a little colder in the winter and spring months, there are fewer ferries running each day.

Ferry Building Tiburon Ferry

The Blue and Gold ferry picks up and drops off at the San Francisco Ferry Building along the Embarcadero. This is the large building with the clock tower and is at Pier 1.

It is designed as more of a commuter ferry with most trips occurring in the morning and early evening commute hours. However, it’s open to everyone traveling that way during these times. This ferry also takes about 20 minutes.

The first ferry from the San Francisco Ferry Building leaves around 7am. The last ferry returns to San Francisco around 6:30pm.

Since this is more of a commuter San Francisco ferry, it only runs on weekdays. There is no Tiburon Ferry service from this location on the weekends.

The cost is $10 per adult for a one way ticket. The cost for Seniors and children ages 5 – 11 is $5.75 per person for a one way ticket.

Tips for Taking the Tiburon Ferry

I’d highly recommend that you arrive for the ferry at least 15 minutes before departure. The departure time listed is the time the ferry pushes back from the dock. If you happen to arrive right on time, you will probably miss the ferry as they close the doors a few minutes before departure.

I’d also recommend that you bring along a jacket or some warm layers. It is a chilly ride along the bay, especially in the winter and spring months, so you’ll need a few additional pieces of clothing to stay warm.

If you have an open afternoon or day for lunch, I’d recommend heading over to Tiburon for a few hours. You’ll get a beautiful view of the bay from the Tiburon Ferry. You’ll drive by both Alcatraz Island and Angel Island San Francisco on your way.

There are also a number of beautiful houses along the hillside that you’ll get to see as you pull into the ferry terminal in Tiburon. On the way back, you’ll get breathtaking views of the San Francisco skyline.

Find out more about the other ferries in San Francisco:

• Sausalito Ferry Info & Tips
• Angel Island Ferry Info & Tips
• San Francisco Ferry Options: Schedules, Pricing and More