San Francisco's Embarcadero: Best Things to Do, Getting Around, and More!
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In San Francisco, there’s an endless amount of things to do, sights to see, and food to eat. You would have to spend at least a week just to see the main highlights.
There’s one street in particular that runs along the eastern shoreline of the city and in just 1.5-miles, contains multiple attractions, restaurants, and historic sites - that street is Embarcadero.
We spent a few days going in and out of the Embarcadero and since there’s so much to see, we thought it would be a good idea to put this guide together to help you navigate it.
We’ll show you many of the main attractions along and throw in some some ideas on where to eat, where to park, and the best way to get around. Let’s get into it!
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The Embarcadero
Where to Start
There’s no real official beginning or end and where you start is completely up to you. For simplicity sake, this guide will cover where we began and ended.
The vast majority of the attractions are directly on the street between the historic San Francisco Ferry Building and Pier 39. This stretch is roughly 1.5-miles in length and without stopping, takes around 25-30 minutes to walk.
We were staying in Vallejo so instead of driving in, we opted to take the Blue and Gold Fleet Ferry into the city. This is an excellent option to start your day on the Embarcadero.
The ferry leaves from multiple cities around the Bay Area including Vallejo, Richmond, Oakland, and more. If you plan to utilize the ferry or other modes of transportation in the area, consider getting a Clipper card.
Embarcadero Attractions
Pier 14
Pier 14 is a pedestrian pier that stretches over the ocean and offers fantastic views of the city, the bay bridge, and Yerba Buena Island.
If you arrive at or close to sunrise, it’s an excellent spot to catch sunrise photos. We arrived just before 6:00am and managed to get quite a few beautiful shots of the bridge with the sun rising.
It’s also a great spot to watch the multiple cargo ships and ferries coming in and out. Since it’s a public pier, you can fish from here without needing a license as well.
Along the pier you’ll see metal plates from the poem, “The Sea and the Hills”, by Rudyard Kipling. Near the pier, at the base of the bay bridge, there’s a cupid’s bow and arrow sculpture. We didn’t take the time to check that out, though.
Historic Ferry Building
If you do nothing else on Embarcadero, be sure to stop by the ferry building and head inside. All of the ferry terminals are located outside, to the right of the building. The inside, however, is where it’s at.
It’s been transformed into a gourmet hot spot for the city. It features numerous local restaurants and shops offering up delicious food, local wines, handcrafted soaps, deserts, coffee, and more!
What it’s most known for is its weekly Farmer’s Market. They set it all up right on the street outside the building. This occurs on the following days:
Tuesdays & Thursdays - 10am - 2pm
Saturdays - 8am - 2pm
Simply admiring the beautiful architecture was enough for us. The shops and restaurants inside were just icing on the cake.
*Pro Tip: Go to Blue Bottle Coffee inside and order the New Orleans style cold brew. You’ll thank us later.
Pier 7 Walkway
Much like Pier 14, Pier 7 is another beautiful pier that also offers amazing views. Unlike Pier 14, though, this one is dotted with antique looking light poles all the way to the end.
Our first time here, it was packed with Instagramers all jockeying for position to get that perfectly lined shot. Our second visit was shortly after sunrise so I managed to get a shot without anyone in it.
To the right, you’ll have more amazing views of the bay bridge with a couple historic boats in the foreground. One of them hosted Kisha’s senior prom back in the day so that was cool to see.
The Exploratorium
The Exploratorium has been a mainstay in San Francisco for a long, long time. Not to age ourselves, but we can remember going on school field trips here as kids.
It moved to the Embarcadero in 2013 from its original location in the Palace of Fine Arts (another wonderful attraction, by the way). You can find it split between Piers 15 and 17.
The Exploratorium is an interactive museum filled to the brim with participatory exhibits allowing kids and adults alike to learn more about topics such as physics, science, weather, and more.
This is perhaps the best attraction on the Embarcadero for families. We remember having a blast here and have no doubt you will to.
Alcatraz Tours - Pier 33
Touring Alcatraz isn't just the most popular attraction on the Embarcadero, but it’s one of the biggest in the entire city (in our opinions, it’s behind only the Golden Gate Bridge).
Alcatraz first served as a military prison and then - most famously - a federal penitentiary that housed some of the most notorious criminals in the United States, such as Al Capone, George “Machine-Gun” Kelly, Alvin Karpis, and Bob Stroud.
Due to significant erosion and expense, Alcatraz ceased operations in 1963. Ten years later, it would once again open its doors, this time to tourists. The National Park Service has operated daily tours to the island ever since.
We have toured Alcatraz multiple times. The island is surprisingly extensive and each time we’ve gone, we’ve discovered something new (to us). We cannot recommend it enough.
Aquarium of the Bay
Aquarium of the Bay sits at the entrance to famed Pier 39 and is home to more than 20,000 marine animals including Sting-Rays, Sharks, River Otters, Octopus, and multiple species of fish.
While technically part of Pier 39, we decided to give it its own listing as it’s easily the biggest attraction on this pier (aside from the seals). If interested, you can read more and purchase tickets here.
Pier 39
Pier 39 is the dining, shopping, and entertainment meca of San Francisco and has been the city’s most visited tourist attraction for nine years in a row as of 2021.
Sea Lions ( or “Sea-Lebrities”) have become permanent residents at the west marina (K-Dock). There is a dedicated viewing deck where you take pictures and watch them play.
While a handful stay year around here, the majority migrate to the Channel Islands for mating season. During winter months, you can find as many as 900 Sea Lions here.
Where to Go From Here
Some will disagree, but we consider Pier 39 to be the unofficial end (or beginning) of Embarcadero. Going west, there’s a few historic sites offering close up views of WW2 era vessels. These are Piers 43 and 45.
Past that, you start entering Fisherman’s Wharf and we consider that to be its own thing entirely. We’re eyeing that for a future post. Next, we’re going to give some suggestions on where to eat and how to get around.
Where to Eat
Fog Harbor Fish House
If you ’re into clam chowder, then you need to head to Fog Harbor. They’re located inside Pier 39 and normally, I wouldn’t recommend restaurants in touristy attractions like that. Reason being is they typically rest on their laurels.
Don’t fret though, because that isn’t the case here. Their service is outstanding, the clam chowder is delicious, and views of the bay and Alcatraz are amazing.
Their entrees are on the higher side of the pricing scale but you can get a heaping sized bowl of their award winning clam chowder for less than $10 bucks. Add in a freshly baked piece of sourdough for a few bucks more.
Pier 23 Cafe
Pier 23 cafe is a family owned and operated restaurant directly on historic - you guessed it - Pier 23. They serve up fresh seafood and you can choose between indoor or outdoor dining.
The views of the bay from their beer garden and waterside patio are unmatched. There’s a reason why they’ve been in business, successfully, for 35 years. The food is great as is the service.
Other Restaurants
We can’t personally vouch for these restaurants but based on their reviews, they seem to be great options:
Hog Island Oyster Co.
Delancey Street Restaurant
Coqueta
Kirimachi Ramen
Angler
The Slanted Door (Temp. Closed)
Getting Around
Walking
For most people, walking is going to be the easiest and most efficient way to get around to the piers of the Embarcadero. The distance to Pie 39 from the ferry building is only 1.5-miles on a flat surface.
Driving to and from each individual attraction just wouldn’t be feasible given how scarce parking can be and of what you can find, you’ll have to pay for it.
If you’re driving in, you can find parking behind the ferry building, across the street from The Exploratorium, a parking garage across from Pier 39, and in multiple pier buildings such as Pier 29.5.
Electric Scooters & Bikes
While walking is the main mode of transportation on the Embarcadero, we did see a lot of people utilizing electric scooter and bicycles as well.
The only electric bicycles we saw were from Lyft. They have a check out station just outside of the ferry building’s west side that you can access if you have the app.
While we saw multiple scooters, the brand we saw more of was, “Scoot”. Much like the others, you’ll need to use their app in order to use them.
Quick Note……….
We’re often asked about the equipment we use to capture the photos used on our website. Below, you’ll find Amazon links to that equipment. If you decide to purchase, we’ll get a small percentage of that sale that’ll go towards keeping the site running and will cost you nothing additional.
Conclusion
The Embarcadero is a great way to spend the day in San Francisco and we hope you decide to make it part of your vacation plans. If you've been there or are planning, let us know in the comments what your favorite part of it was.
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