Muni – 76X Marin Headlands Express

One Saturday afternoon in November, I went north. My coworker had cryptically told me to take the route the night before. Not telling me where it ended up, he said to get on at Sansome and Sutter on a Sunday and take the 76 until the end of the line. Last pickup from the final destination at 18:30; don’t be late or you’ll be up a creek. Obviously, I Googled it before getting on, but still, there is magic here.
The 76X is the MUNI of my dreams.
It’s on time. It’s clean. It waits for you. It is very likely, almost near empty. And it blasts you past the tolls, from downtown SF all the way up to Rodeo Beach for a mere $ 2.25. Do you know how amazing Marin is? I do, because I went there. You should, too! So much peace, away from the city.
The only hangup was car congestion just after the GGB, because all of the people that insisted on driving over were parked in the way of my near-​private bus. Evidently, they were not aware of how awesome the 76X is, which is why I have no qualms about exposing this seemingly secret bus line.
That night I waited for MUNI to take me home, on my back on a bench, gazing at the stars in the pitch black, waiting for that last pickup. I have never been happier to see the electric lights far away dotting the hillside. I probably could have stayed the night, though; it really was wonderful.

A great way to start the new year. A bus ride to the edge of the West Coast.
I’ve taken this ride several times before. A great way for a city girl overwhelmed by city living, noises, crowds, and materialism to escape, if only for awhile, for something natural, pretty pristine, and 3-​D fantastic.
The route has changed some when I took it a few years ago: starts around Sansome + Sutter, goes to Sutter and Van Ness, snakes along Van Ness to Lombard, then Lombard to the Golden Gate Bridge and beyond.
Once in the Headlands, it meanders to Point Area Lighthouse, which I will check out next time. My destination was the last stop: Fort Cronkite where surfers cruise the waves, hikers start their Coastal Trail hikes, and us lollagaggers go to let the sound of the ocean waves and (((expansive))) views wash over us gently.
It’s the best $ 2.25 you’ll spend for a couple of hours of peaceful bliss.

* The bus route is now on Saturday as well as Sunday, as noted by Ryan C. It’s an amazing route! Definitely one of the most interesting in the city, and extremely useful for getting across the golden gate bridge. Also, it conveniently drops you off at various great locations, and waits for about 15 – 20 minutes at the last stop if you just want to hop back on. I think everyone should try this route out!

Not too long after the last review, they really boosted the 76 service, and it’s now called 76X. It now runs on Saturdays, runs fairly on schedule, and the stops are all painted on the road over in Marin (before, you really had to guess or know where the bus actually stopped, or just wave at it and hope you were in the vicinity of the stop). The stops even have #‘s on them so you can 511 them to see when the bus is coming. Now if it could only run more frequently.

I hate that this bus ONLY runs on Sundays and certain holidays.
I hate that this bus ONLY runs once an hour.
I hate that this bus stops running in the evening.
However, this is still the bestest MUNI route EVER!!!
Why drive when you can hop on a MUNI and allow it to take you out of the City, across the Golden Gate Bridge, to Vista Point, up through the Marin Headlands, to and away from the tourist sites, through historic grounds, and finishing off near Rodeo Lagoon and Rodeo Cove.?! For the cost of a MUNI fare, you get an amazing tour! It stops at all the major and notable stops. Hop off and explore, then hop back on the next bus to explore other stops.
Try looking up bus tours for Golden Gate Bridge! MUNI is the best deal there is! Try looking up bus tours for Marin Headlands. Nope, no other buses go up to the Marin Headlands. Driving and biking up are the only other options.

If you want to get out of the city, cross Golden Gate Bridge, go to Marin Headlands brushing by several secluded trailheads, beaches, Sausalito, and other interesting stops to start your own customized adventure all for $ 2, this is your bus route.
Route 76 starts at CalTrains and runs through downtown, Union Square, Van Ness & Lombard out to GG Bridge so you can catch it in any of these areas. This thing gets you out of the city fast, (~under 30 minutes) and once you hit GG Bridge there are so many great places to get off.
Options include: Commence a hike, adventure, beautiful relaxing picnic, um quality alone time with that special someone in nature etc. Get off at one end of GG bridge and walk across the bridge — an underestimated great walk. Walk around to Land’s End and down to Baker’s Beach. Get off at the north end of GG Bridge and take a short walk into Sausalito and have lunch etc. Or start any of many Marin Headlands trails along the portion of the bus route north of GG Bridge. Or stay on the bus all the way to Rodeo Beach & Fort Cronkhite where there is a Visitor’s Center complete with trail maps & maps of the entire area along with some cool beach areas, bathrooms with showers etc.
SFgate recently posted a pretty informative article on the 76 and the interesting points the route passes
For the most part, MUNI generally sucks. However, I must admit 76 is one thing they do right. One of the best $ 2 values ever. *Note: The route only runs on weekends and holidays.