Golden Gate Bridge views from Battery Cranston.

Probably the most iconic landmark of San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge. While you can see the bridge from many locations around the city, for photography purposes there are limited places where the bridge is large enough to show up clearly in photos.

Having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ve spent many years roaming around the city with my camera. In this blog post you’ll find my recommendations for best area in and around San Francisco for photos with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

***Important thing to note - If you’re using Instagram as your inspiration for photography, please be aware that creators often photoshop the bridge to appear larger and closer in photos than it does in real life. At most lookout spots, the bridge can be pretty small in the background.

Another thing to keep in mind is the foggy weather in San Francisco. Sometimes the fog is so thick that you can’t see the bridge, even when you’re standing super close to it. If you’re lucky the fog will burn off by the late morning or afternoon. The best weather in San Francisco tends to be between August and October, the summer months are surprisingly cold and foggy.

My favorite Golden Gate Bridge Lookout Spots

Marshall's Beach & Baker's Beach in Presidio

These two beaches are located side-by-side to each other and they both have great views of the Golden Gate Bridge. All the beach photos you see in this blog post were taken at Marshall’s Beach.

A couple things to note when you visit these beaches:

There’s A LOT of stairs starting at the top of the cliff going all the way down to the beach, and some of the terrain is steep and slippery.
The beach shore is very rocky and there’s not much sandy beach, especially at high tide.

Golden Gate Overlook & Battery Cranston

This overlook spot is located on Langdon Ct in the Presidio. Just type in “Golden Gate Overlook” into your Google Maps GPS and it should come up.

Several photos from this blog post were taken here (hover over the image to get the location description). The classic photo taken here is the “Golden Gate Bridge between two trees” shot. There’s also a convenient parking lot right next to the lookout spot.

Crissy Field & Fort Point

Along the Crissy Field pedestrian walking trail which runs parallel to the coastline, you can see all kinds of views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Depending on which part of the trail you’re walking, the bridge can be very small and distant… or very up-close and personal.

Starting on the Crissy Field trail, you can walk all the way to the base of the bridge to Fort Point. Standing at Fort Point and looking upwards you can see massive Golden Gate Bridge views of the bridge standing over you. Don’t forget to give Hopper’s Hands a high-five!

For Galentine’s Day we planned a girls picnic in the grass field at Crissy Field. You can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the background of our photos.

I’ve also walked my dog Holly along the pedestrian trail at Crissy Field, you can see those Golden Gate Bridge views here on Instagram.

Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point South

Right next to the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center you’ll find the South Vista Point. This is located on the San Francisco of the bridge. There’s a small parking lot which can get very crowded and hectic during busy days. There’s also restrooms available here.

Golden Gate Bridge View Vista Point on Sausalito Side

On the Sausalito side you’ll find a much larger lookout spot with more parking and a different perspective of the bride. It’s important to note that if you cross the bridge you’ll have to pay the toll (they’ll scan your license plate and send you a bill in the mail). As of February 2020 the bridge toll fee is $7.

Sausalito Sailing Trip

During my years living in San Francisco, one of my favorite experiences was sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge. We booked a small group tour online at Viator and sailed out from Sausalito. Our yacht cruised around the bay, under the Golden Gate Bridge and then looped around Alcatraz Island.

See the blog post from our Sausalito sailing trip here!

Battery Spencer

Of all the lookout locations on this list, Battery Spencer is the one that allows you to get best panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s probably the most popular spot on this list.

When you’re on the Sausalito side of the bridge, type is “Battery Spencer” into your Google Maps GPS and you’ll find it on Conzelman Road.

The parking situation can get very hectic on the weekends, so I suggest going during the week if possible. The best lighting for photos in this area is around sunset so you can take advantage of that glowing “golden hour” lighting.

Kirby Cove Beach & Battery Wagner

These two points are known to be much less crowded but still have awesome views of the Golden Gate Bridge. They’re located on the Sausalito side in the Marin Headlands.

There once was a famous swing that was popular for photos, but it has since been cut down by the Park Service.

Plan on doing lots of walking during your visit to these spots, it’s about a 2 mile hike roundtrip. The only available parking is on Conzelman Road and there are very limited spots available.

Hawk Hill

Another great gem in the Marin Headlands! If you keep driving down Conzelman Road past Battery Spencer and Kirby Cove you’ll eventually hit the trailhead for Hawk Hill. This is another viewpoint that tends to be less crowded and on sunny days offers great views. I typed in Hawk Hill Sausalito into my Google Maps GPS for the best directions.

Walking Across the Golden Gate Bridge

Not surprisingly some of the best views are when you’re actually standing on the Golden Gate Bridge itself. When we first started blogging I dragged my poor husband out in the rain to take photos on the bridge with me.

You can start walking from either side of the bridge, the views are great from either lookout. The walk across the bridge is longer than you would think, 1.7 miles to be exact!