Friday, November 20, 2015

The Best Places to View the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco [7/15]

The Golden Gate Bridge is the ultimate landmark of San Francisco. Even people who don't know much about San Francisco, know about it. We visited the Bridge on our second day in the city and I wanted to make sure we saw plenty of it and from various places. Obviously we also saw the bridge while on the ferry boat to Alcatraz, but it's far away in that case. In this post I want to talk about the best places to view the Golden Gate Bridge from, that will delight you and also give you great photo opportunities.



Best Places to view the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco


Vista Point





This is the obvious tourist spot to view the bridge, but one you shouldn't miss since you want to drive across the bridge as well. A sidenote: crossing the bridge costs 7.25$ and is collected via electronic toll. If you rent a car for your stay, like we did, you don't have to pay until you get the bill from your rental company (but check beforehand!). Otherwise you can log online to prepay for it, or you can pay two days after crossing. Everything else will result in a fine. At the vista point you can find free parking, lovely views of the bridge and a overpriced souvenir shop. Beware that dense fog can cover up the bridge, and limit you from seeing it. We spent about 30 minutes here, and continued to our next spot. Of course from here you can walk the bridge by foot, which is thrilling.


Fort Point






Fort Point is a masonry seacoast fortification located at the southern side of the Golden Gate at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. This fort was completed just before the American Civil War by the United States Army, to defend San Francisco Bay against hostile warships. The fort is now protected as Fort Point National Historic Site. You can park for free in front of the port. Entrance to the port is also free. No tourist exploitation here (and that's rare in the bigger cities). The inside is impressive as are the views of the Golden Gate Bridge from here. I love the vantage point you get from here, as well as being able to see underneath the Bridge.


Baker Beach








I saved the best for last. After Fort Point we continued to Baker Beach. The beach lies on the shore of the Pacific Ocean to the northwest of the city. It is roughly a half mile (800 m) long, beginning just south of Golden Gate Point (where the Golden Gate Bridge connects with the peninsula). Again, parking here is free. Take off your shoes, roll up your pants and stroll along the wide sandy beach. I loved catching the huge waves with my camera, and having a great view of the Bridge. We probably stayed longer then we should but it's hard to leave Baker Beach. It's definitely marked as one of our favorite places in San Francisco.


End of part Seven
To be continued...

29 comments:

  1. a wonderful bridge for many angles. brilliant shots Mersad and I love that beach. what wonderful day you all had. Have a lovely weekend

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    1. The beach was so great. Close by to the city, but still with a feeling of detachment from it.

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  2. Great captures... brought back very fond memories.

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  3. Your trip is going beautifully. Some of the shots you share around the Golden Gate Bridge I haven't seen before.

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    1. I think it's important to steer away from the usual tourist spots. You can really get a much better understanding of the place you're in.

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  4. The States is huge so I never made it there. Thank goodness for your excellent pictures.

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  5. You're such a gifted photographer - you always seem to find the best vantage points!
    I hope you'll come share at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/11/sunset-on-bay.html

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  6. The Bridge is beautiful, you have many great angles and views. Lovely series of images. Happy Friday, have a great weekend!

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    1. Thanks. We really did see a lot of the bridge during our stay, and I'm happy about that.

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  7. Well done, Mersad. That beach sounds like a treasure. I love the fifth shot in the Bakers Beach series.

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  8. Gorgeous photos, Mersad! I love the water, the smiles, the dog, the architecture and the views!

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  9. i love that red bridge and the lighthouse on it... the beach looks fantastic... you know i love the dog pic...

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  10. Great photos and good recommendations!

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  11. Great post. It's good to have someone point out ways to access landmarks because sometimes that can be daunting for visitors - especially ones who also practice photography!

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  12. Lovely photos, Mersad! I think this bridge is one of the most beautiful in the hole world :)

    Have a nice weekend!

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  13. Superb captures -- as always, Mersad!! Glorious blue, blue skies!! It does look like a fun day -- another fun day of your trip to the US!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and share it with us!! This is one of my favorite places to go here in the US and my youngest daughter lives nearby and that makes for a really great trip/visit!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

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  14. You certainly captured some beautiful photos for your memory book of San Francisco....It looks like you had perfect weather while you were there.....

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  15. Beautiful shots of the iconic bridge!

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  16. Hoping over from Skywatch Friday link up. These are excellent shots! I love the ones, especially taken from Baker Beach. Have a fototastic weekend!

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  17. This makes me miss San Francisco - it's been forever since I was last there. We used to take our 8th graders on a weekend field trip there, and I think the teachers had more fun than the students!

    Thank you for joining us this week for Photo Friday!

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  18. It is such an iconic image. Having grown up in California I've been to San Francisco a few times, but with my fear of heights I don't like to go over the bridge as the driver. As a passenger I can control where I look if I get scared. - Margy

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  19. Die Brücke hat einfach von jeder Seite was besonderes! Der Strand ist aber auch wunderschön!
    Hab ein schönes Wochenende!

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  20. Years and years and years ago ... about 46 to 41 years ago [1969 to 1974]... I lived about 20 miles south from San Francisco and I was there to go around quite a number of times. And MUCH has changed since then. I've been through to visit friends a few times, but haven't been there at all since 1993! It was wonderful to see so much that was used and shared. Blessings...

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  21. You put me back in SF and surrounding, love this city
    Ciao
    Stefano

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  22. Thanks for sharing these. The vistas are great from all these spots.

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  23. Hallo Mersad!
    Fantastische Bilder! Nach San Francisco muß ich auch noch unbedingt mal!
    Ich bin jetzt erst zurück von dem Urlaub, ich muß noch deine frühere Berichte durchschauen.
    Liebe Grüße

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