Everything else on this site costs nothing. These cost a little, and we list them because what you get is far bigger than the price.
$2.85Restored streetcars from the 1920s to 1940s, painted in the colors of the cities they came from, running from the Castro down Market Street and along the waterfront to Fisherman's Wharf. It is a normal Muni line at the normal fare.
This is the cheap answer to the $9 cable car. Pay $2.85 with Clipper or MuniMobile, $3 in cash, and board at the Ferry Building for the waterfront stretch.
Source: SFMTA
$5.70Unlimited rides for a day on Muni buses, Metro trains and the historic streetcars, bought on Clipper or in the MuniMobile app. Cable cars are not included.
It pays for itself on the second ride. Use it on a day that strings together Lands End, Golden Gate Park and Twin Peaks, which are too far apart to walk. Anyone 18 or under rides Muni free anyway.
Source: SFMTA
$5.10The commuter ferry from the Ferry Building passes under the Bay Bridge and crosses to Alameda and Oakland's Jack London Square. The fare is $5.10 one way with a Clipper card.
A bay cruise at a tenth of the tour boat price. Stand on the open deck at the stern as the boat leaves for the skyline view, and pay with Clipper because paper tickets cost more.
Source: San Francisco Bay Ferry
$3A small 1946 building shaped like a giant camera, on the terrace behind the Cliff House. Inside, a rotating lens projects a live 360-degree image of Seal Rocks and Ocean Beach onto a dish in a dark room.
Ten minutes, three dollars, and stranger than it sounds. It only opens in clear weather, roughly 11 am to 5 pm, so treat it as a bonus at the start of the Lands End walk and not a reason to cross town.
Source: Camera Obscura
You can look at Alcatraz from a dozen free spots, but the cellhouse audio tour, narrated by former guards and inmates, only exists on the island. The ferry ticket includes it and the park ranger talks. Book weeks ahead in summer, since the single official operator sells out.
Everything above is free. This is the only paid pick on the page, chosen because no free option replaces it.
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