Things To Do in Sausalito, CA

Sausalito rewards a slow visit more than a checklist one — it's a town built for wandering Bridgeway, not racing between stops. That said, here's how to actually plan the day.

Start with the water

Houseboats along Issaquah Dock in Sausalito — Issaquah Dock, the easiest place to actually see the houseboats. Photo by Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

However you arrive, spend your first twenty minutes just walking the waterfront. Watch the ferries come in, look across at the city skyline and Angel Island, and get your bearings before you commit to a restaurant or a shop. If you only do one thing, walk out to Issaquah Dock and see the houseboats — it's the single most distinctly-Sausalito thing here.

See the real attractions

Inside the Bay Model Visitor Center, showing the working hydraulic scale model of San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge section — The Bay Model's Golden Gate section, one small piece of the 1.5-acre working scale model. Photo by Alfred Twu, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Bay Model Visitor Center — a genuinely enormous hydraulic scale model of the entire San Francisco Bay and Delta, free to walk through — is the best rainy-day stop in town and most visitors have never heard of it. It's open Tuesday through Saturday only, so don't save it for a Sunday or Monday. Beyond that, our full attractions guide covers the historic landmarks, viewpoints, and museums worth the detour.

Eat well

Sausalito punches well above its size on restaurants, from casual crab shacks on the water to serious tasting-menu dining up the hill. Check the restaurants guide before you go — reservations matter here on weekends, especially for anything with a bay view.

Browse Bridgeway and Caledonia

Bridgeway, Sausalito's main waterfront shopping street — Bridgeway, lined with the town's waterfront-facing shops and galleries.

The shops and galleries are concentrated on two streets: Bridgeway for the waterfront-facing boutiques and galleries, Caledonia a block inland for a more local, less touristy mix. Set aside an hour for either one. If it's the fourth Saturday of the month, check whether Sausalito Art & Harbor Days is running at Ferry Landing Plaza — a rotating market of local makers that's become the closest thing the town has to its old Labor Day art festival; see our events guide for why that festival's on hold.

Get out on the water

Kayak or paddle past the houseboats, rent a bike for the ride back across the Golden Gate Bridge, or book a sailing charter out onto the bay — see our outfitters & tours guide for who actually runs these trips.

Go a little further

View from Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point in the Marin Headlands, near Sausalito — Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point, on the way into the Marin Headlands. Photo by Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

If you have a car or a bike with some climbing legs, the Marin Headlands are minutes away — real hiking trails, a dramatic beach, and arguably the best bridge views in the Bay Area.

Time it right

Check the annual events page before you book — the Winterfest Lighted Boat Parade and the Chili Cook-Off are both worth planning a trip around if the dates line up, and both worth avoiding if you'd rather skip the crowds.