Vista Point
Vista Point
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Vista Point
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
84 within 3 miles
Attractions
992 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
785 reviews
Excellent
515
Very good
227
Average
37
Poor
5
Terrible
1
VIPIN_GOEL_TP_Impex
New Delhi, India8,278 contributions
Dec 2021
Awesome views of Golden Gate Bridge from Vista Point at North side of the bridge in Sausalito. Ample car parking space there with easy in and out from the Vista Point makes the visit comfortable. Street food hawkers were there with many visitors.
Written 21 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mini
Fremont, CA212,203 contributions
Feb 2020
We returned for a visit to see the views from Vista Point. It is located on the north side of Golden Gate Bridge.
There are very nice views of the Golden Gate Bridge and also of the San Francisco Skyline. We had a stellar day to see the views. It was first part of February - lovely views.
There is also the Lone Sailor Memorial Statue to see and fitting tributes to other military branches such as the Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.
There is also a free bathroom one can use when visting Vista Point.
There are very nice views of the Golden Gate Bridge and also of the San Francisco Skyline. We had a stellar day to see the views. It was first part of February - lovely views.
There is also the Lone Sailor Memorial Statue to see and fitting tributes to other military branches such as the Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.
There is also a free bathroom one can use when visting Vista Point.
Written 8 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sachin K
New York City, NY6,555 contributions
Feb 2019 • Family
Vista Point on the north east side of the Golden Gate Bridge right after driving over it offers one of it’s best views. Free parking on site is available. Best time to visit is in the early morning when the crowds are thinner.
Written 8 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Modestotrekkerl
Modesto435 contributions
Jul 2016 • Friends
This viewpoint is one of the best in the entire United States. Unfortunately, the parking lot is often full. If you find that to be the case, take the first exit after the viewpoint exit, make a left turn under the freeway and drive the road up the hill. You will find equally spectacular views from that road, which is often used to film automobile commercials! As often as I have been to this area, I am still in awe of the scenic view every time I visit. If you are able to walk across the bridge, you will never forget the experience. There is a lot more parking available on the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge, so start your visit on either end. Bring an overcoat as high winds and cold temperature are common, especially in summer. On the day we visited, the temperature was 59 degrees at the bridge and over 100 degrees only 30 miles to the east.
Written 28 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mr & Mrs M
London, UK123 contributions
Oct 2019 • Couples
If you love a fabulous view and love taking photos, this is the place for you. There a different points that you can take amazing photos & just enjoy the beauty of the views. It's a good pit stop & rest rooms available. This is also one of the stops for the Big Bus Tour. Definately worth a visit .
Written 4 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brenda S
Cypress, TX804 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
We missed the Golden Gate Visitor Center on the way over to Muir Woods. If you plan to stop there, be sure to have it in your phone as your destination, otherwise it can be tricky. Instead on our way back, we stopped at the Vista Point just before you pay the toll to cross back over into San Francisco. In this area you climb up along the coast in your car and there are several look out places where you can park. It was crowded on Thursday afternoon when we attempted to do this, so we had to go to a higher area to find a parking place. We just parked there for a minute to take a quick photo. On the way down just before we got to the highway, we saw a parking lot. We pulled in there and walked down under the bridge to the other side of the road. From there, there was a lookout point with a statue with a Sailor tribute. There was also a place where you could walk down some steps to walk across the bridge. We walked part way across and then came back. There was no charge to park in the lot. Also, there is no toll to cross the bridge from San Francisco to Sausalito / Muir Woods, however there is a toll heading into San Francisco when you cross the bridge. There is no place to pay cash. You can pay the toll online before or after you cross. If you do it after, it needs to be done within 48 hours. We had a rental car, so paid afterwards — which was very easy on their website. We set a reminder on our phone and did it as soon as we returned the car. To do it yourself, just estimate the time period that you went over the bridge and have the license plate number. My husband accidentally did a much wider window than was necessary. That means if another person rented the car after we returned it, then we were paying their tolls too. This was probably only a 2 hour window, so fingers crossed that does not happen. By paying directly, you avoid the rental car company being sent a notice ... and then you paying a convenience fee to the rental car company for the toll. The first time we rented a car for a day, the rental company told us about how to pay the tolls ... the second time they did not. We really enjoyed our visit.
Written 5 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas V
Oakland, CA18,864 contributions
Dec 2019
If you can snag a parking spot, this is the best place to get a perspective on the Golden Gate Bridge. I have taken many visitors here, but parking is the challenge.
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
midwaytoheaven
Midway, UT3,037 contributions
Oct 2019
Vista Point is the ideal location for photos and selfies of the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco skyline and Alcatraz Island at a distance depending on the "fog factor". It is a great location for closeup photos of the bridge as it goes in and out of the fog and is always changing. The Sailor Monument at this site it worth seeing. People from all over the world come to this spot to take in this incredible view everyday!
BOTTOM LINE: This spot can become very, very busy with tourists just about anytime, day or night. On the weekends, Vista Point is closed to only tourist buses and not available to private cars. We loved this spot as you can see from my photos submitted with my review. THIS IS A MUST SEE SITE! Put Vista Point on your short list of places to visit when in San Francisco. MY RATING: 10/10.
The famous San Francisco bridge FOG can make viewing limited at times. It changed multiple times in the 20 minutes that we were here, so be patient as the skyline is constantly opening and closing with the fog and clouds.
NOTE OF CAUTION: This area is well known for theft, primarily for items left in cars unattended and unlocked. Be sure to take anything of value with you when viewing from this point. Keep a watchful eye on your car because others are also watching you and your vehicle for nefarious reasons to steal your stuff.
BOTTOM LINE: This spot can become very, very busy with tourists just about anytime, day or night. On the weekends, Vista Point is closed to only tourist buses and not available to private cars. We loved this spot as you can see from my photos submitted with my review. THIS IS A MUST SEE SITE! Put Vista Point on your short list of places to visit when in San Francisco. MY RATING: 10/10.
The famous San Francisco bridge FOG can make viewing limited at times. It changed multiple times in the 20 minutes that we were here, so be patient as the skyline is constantly opening and closing with the fog and clouds.
NOTE OF CAUTION: This area is well known for theft, primarily for items left in cars unattended and unlocked. Be sure to take anything of value with you when viewing from this point. Keep a watchful eye on your car because others are also watching you and your vehicle for nefarious reasons to steal your stuff.
Written 9 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnPaul78
Swindon, UK2,362 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
Great photo spot for pictures of the Golden Gate bridge. The area has rest rooms and you can spend time here just admiring the stunning views.
Written 2 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
piper77
Pernera, Cyprus233 contributions
Oct 2019 • Couples
We got a bus from near the wharf , to the golden gate bridge and look out point, there is an information kiosk and a cafe there.
We then took the bus 30 to sausalito.
Beautiful village and then ferry back to the wharf
We then took the bus 30 to sausalito.
Beautiful village and then ferry back to the wharf
Written 23 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I plan to take the ferry from San Francisco to Sausalito. How do I reach the vista point on foot? Is there an exact address? Thank you.
Written 16 May 2022
Jessica B
Santa Cruz, California
Does Vista Point have picnic tables and, if so, how many?
Written 6 February 2020
Yes, there are a handful (perhaps 4, however I did Not count them) there. However, on my visit they were all taken best I can recall and the parking lot was busy. In the event you wanted to picnic there, I'd highly recommend taking a blanket, as that will be your best option by far if you want to hang out. As the other posters commented by sure to bring a jacket. Enjoy!
Written 9 February 2020
If I am driving from Sausalito, how do I get to Vista Point? is there a Vista Point exit before crossing the GG bridge into San Francisco?
Written 23 February 2018
Oh I am so jealous because the Marin headlands is my favorite place in that area. It all depends on where you are in Sausalito as to The directions you would take. If you’re headed to San Francisco from 101 take the last exit before the Golden Gate bridge. Once you get off take a left, and then the first right that will head up to the headlands. There are several points to look out to San Francisco, be sure to go all the way to the top where there is a hike that you can take through the tunnel and up the hill. The first overlook you come to on the left you can park and take a short walk to the lookout, which is Vista Point. At this point I’ve seen photographers taking wedding pictures. I think there are three lookouts up that road, each one with has a different view. If you continue to follow the road it will take you to the point Bonita lighthouse. There they have a short walk to the lighthouse, with steep angles, that is worth the walk. If you go on Saturdays between 12:30 PM and 3:30 PM you can walk through the tunnel onto the lighthouse and that was really fun. There they have a bridge that crosses from the walkway to the lighthouse that sways, but safe and you don’t want to miss it. Have fun!!
Written 23 February 2018
Yes !! You can Park In each panoramic point.
Written 20 September 2017
Showing results 1-8 of 8
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing