Vallejo Baylink Ferry

First time in a long while on the Vallejo ferry to SF (have also ridden from Alameda — Harbor Bay). Easy to get to from the Mare Island exit from I-​80. Parking in the lots costs $ 5 for 24 hours, credit only and license plate number put into the machine. $ 13.40 each way for Adults, so round-​trip cost $ 26.80. Purchasing at the terminal was a breeze, as well as boarding the boat and finding a window seat indoors. Caught the weekday (Friday) 10:30AM departure, arrived at the Ferry Building in an hour. Smooth ride, great views, no stress. Got off at the Ferry Building, but the boats also stop at Pier 41. Was super easy from Embarcadero to Pier 39, Ghirardelli, and Coit Tower for the day, as well as some Gott’s at the Ferry Building before catching the sunset and one of the last ferries returning to Vallejo for the day. The line to board was definitely longer leaving the city, and much colder weather so be prepared! Check the San Francisco Bay Ferry website for curent (seasonal) schedules, status, and fares.

Ferry ride was great and relaxing .When I arrived in Vallejo my Lyft driver was on time to top things off. Great service in Vallejo!

Always a good time, just pricey. Also needs to run later into the evening.

Always loved riding the ferry. There’s no responsibility past keeping your ticket and checking when you should come back. It’s so great for groups and I like the smoothness of the ride. Very convenient for people who dont want to deal with the hassle of bringing a car to SF too. Wish the price was cheaper but that’s what we got: Either this price or crazy parking price in SF! Which i think costs more. Yikes.
Food for thought: Is it more strategic to make the price less? Maybe just off hours?

What an easy and relaxing way to get to San Francisco from parts east. We timed our arrival to catch the 9:30 a.m. ferry. There was still plenty of parking in the lot across the street from the terminal. Thanks to Unilocal reviews I knew to make note of my license plate number and go to a kiosk located at the perimeter of the lot to purchase parking for the day ($ 5, credit card only) Purchasing tickets at the cashier in the terminal was quick and easy. Then we joined the short queue outside to await the ferry and boarding. Boarding was quick and efficient. We went up to the upper deck and found plenty of comfortable window seats. The ride took about an hour and was smooth. Interesting scenery along the way, from the dry and wet docks at Mare Island, to going under the Richmond-​San Rafael Bridge, and then there was a cute little island with light house and home on it. Got to find out more about that place.
We knew it would be crowded but went back on the 5:15 p.m. ferry. The line to board went down the side and across most of the front of the Ferry Building. We were afraid that there wouldn’t be room, but regular commuters assured us that there would be no problem getting on that ferry. We easily found seats together and enjoyed another relaxing hour to get back to Vallejo.
Then next time we plan a day trip to SF, we’ll be taking the ferry again.

Great way to get to San Francisco. No traffic, just beautiful views of the hills and the bay. I was concerned because I get seasick but it wasn’t a problem. It’s a very smooth ride!

I have been a regular commuter on the boat and overall I really like the boat ride. There’s free WiFi, however it’s very slow. There is a cash bar which makes for a nice happy hour with the regulars. Awesome views and no need to sit in traffic. Love this commute! So why only three stars? As a regular, I’ve seen ridership drastically increase to the point that all boats during commute hours are packed. Some people end up sitting on the steps. Do not be fooled by the pictures where the boat looks empty. On weekends, not a big deal, but for commute days, it’s turned into a big inconvenience. Throw in some tourists and it’s far worse! If you’re a tourist, do yourself a favor and avoid the boat during commute hours. Management has done very little to solve the issue of packed boats. Occasionally, they’ll add a bus or when BART was on strike, they added a 4:00 ferry. Who gets off work before 4pm in the city? And taking the bus can take forever if the driver has no clue how to get out of the city. And do you want to take a bus? No! You paid to take a boat ride!!! There are actually 4 boats, but one is always broken down and you end up on the small boat — which is really cramped! If there’s a Giants day game during the week, you will be majorly screwed when trying to get home. They recently increased the fares just as things got worse with over-​packed boats (and if there’s a heat wave, it’ll feel like a sauna on there). Since then, the regulars have really been griping about the ferry service — as they should!

I love the idea of this place and the ferrys are top notch… but, good grief, it costs 50 dollars for the wife and myself to make a run from Vallejo to the city… and it would be nice if one could buy their tickets online.

I catch the ferry every day for work and it’s the best commute into the city that I’ve ever had. The fleet consists of three boats that travel between Vallejo and SF. Two of them are large, spacious, and modern while one is smaller and not as new. All of the boats have a bar that serves food and alcohol… a great service after a long day of working for the boss, and screens that show you location on the bay. Only down side is the afternoon ferries going home get packed and sometimes you don’t get a seat. Still no complaints… best way the cross the bay!

I ride the ferry 5 days a week and some weeks even 7 days. The low rating is because of the AREA, otherwise I’d give it 5 out of 5
The boats are always nice and clean and the crew is always welcoming. The boats are always on time and never any real issues. There’s snacks and drinks on board but they only take cash.
The parking area is truly pathetic, if you do park your car in the lots… please please PLEASE do not leave anything of value in your car. this morning the lot was full of broken glass.
How are we supposed to encourage visitors to Vallejo if all they get is broken windows, stolen items, and a headache.
That aside, this can happen at Bart also. or anywhere for that matter. But there is no better way to get to the city from this side of the bay than the ferry.

First time on the Vallejo-​San Francisco Baylink Ferry and overall it was smooth sailing despite some minor waves when I first arrived at the ferry terminal (got there 10 minutes before departure).
Parking is $ 5 per 24 hour period or $ 20 per month and is in a spacious outdoor parking lot. Since I need to take this ferry two days in a row, I was able to pay for two consecutive days at the same time. The way it works is that you enter your license plate number and pay via Visa/​MasterCard at one of the available kiosks. You don’t need to keep your receipt in the window of your car since you have to enter your license plate number at the kiosk.
You have to buy your ticket inside of the Ferry Terminal Building and it cost me $ 24 for a 1-​day pass. For the 1-​day pass, they give you a small yellow ticket in which they punch out the day it was used when you board the ferry. Needless to say, it’s important to hold on to this ticket for your return trip. I was also able to buy multiple 1-​day passes at the same time to use on future trips.
Overall, a pleasant experience and something that I would do again.

How can you not give the Vallejo Baylink Ferry five stars? Have we become so completely spoiled as a society to the point that we do not even realize when we have something as wonderful as the VBF? Sometimes we need to slow down and enjoy the wonderful blessings we have in our lives.
There is something about water that I personally find very calming. When you get on these boats, it seems like life slows down. I love everything from the refreshing breeze to the shimmer on the water. I find watching the land slowly flowing by in the distance to be mesmerizing and tranquil. Next time I will bring my headphones and add some relaxing tunes. I am a bridge lover so I completely enjoy the views of the Carquinez Bridge, the Richmond/​San Rafael Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay Bridge. There are also great views of Angel Island.
Hmmmm? Relaxing on a boat? Sitting on a freeway? Relaxing on a boat? Fighting traffic? Relaxing on a boat? Trying to find a place to park? You get the picture?
All of the seating is comfortable and in good condition. There is a small snack bar that even offers mixed drinks so you can kick back and enjoy a mixed drink or a cup of coffee during the ride. There is a deck in the rear of the boat if you want to go outside and large windows allow for a great view if you choose to stay inside.
The staff did not hesitate to reprimand children for disobeying the rules. I wish the parents could have been as responsible about keeping their children under control. At the same time, you cannot blame the children for being overly excited about this wonderful adventure.
«We are approaching your final destination, everyone must disembark,» a mysterious voice announced over the PA system as we slowly cruised toward the ferry building. We defiantly chose to ignore the misinformed voice and stay on board since we had purchased tickets with pier 41 next to Fisherman’s Wharf listed as our final destination. The mysterious voice again barked «We are approaching your final destination, everyone must disembark,» a few minutes later as we drifted alongside pier 41. Congratulation! He finally got it right.

What an amazing and delightful way to get to San Fran. Plenty of all-​day parking ($ 5 for the day. There are monthly rates too). It drops you right in the heart of San Fran’s Ferry Building where there is easy access to all the other mass transit around the city.
Plenty of roomy seating. A few tables. Outlets along the walls to charge your phone and computer along the way. There is also a snack bar, though it looks a bit small (I just loaded up on snacks and a drink from the Ferry Building’s businesses).
Day passes good for the ferries, buses and trains is presently $ 24. It’s absolutely the only way to get around San Fran.

When my boyfriend suggested that we take the ferry to San Francisco after taking the drive from Sacramento to Vallejo, I thought it was a great idea! During our last visit to San Francisco, we drove to Orinda and took Bart from there. The ferry turned out to be a better alternative and less stressful!
This ferry boat is very comfortable and quite spacious inside. You have the freedom of sitting inside on one of two levels or sit outside if the weather is nice. If you are lucky enough to board early, you can find a window seat. But no matter where you sit, the atmosphere is open and airy. Traveling along the bay was smooth sailing and we felt very little wave action. But I can’t say what it is like during rough seas. Since we utilized the ferry on a Sunday morning, our ride was quite relaxing as it took about an hour for us to arrive at our destination at port 41 in San Francisco.
Announcements were made about what we should do during an emergency, but it wasn’t very clear to me where and what passengers were expected to do. I didn’t know if and where life jackets were available or even located, or what exits to head to. It wasn’t as explanatory as you would get if you were on an airplane. There are a few flat screen TV monitors placed around the room that shows you it’s travel plan along with the time, speed, the weather outside and other details. The monitor occasionally changes the view to a map of the boat at both levels. Other than that, your only source of entertainment is socializing with your friends or looking out the windows. My favorite pass time is taking a nap!
A snack bar is located at the back of the boat near the stairway to the second level along with rest rooms. Besides a variety of drinks available, they even serve alcoholic beverages! A nice accommodation for vacationing tourists or the nervous traveler.
After experiencing this ferry ride for the first time, I can confidently say that I would definitely do it again! We might even make this a tradition whenever we have to go to SF!

Get rid of the Vallejo Ferry. It’s small and it sucks. Avoid the 7:45 and 5:15, they are the most crowded and the people tend to be really noisy.
Otherwise, it’s a great ride.

Good: relaxing relatively quick commute to/​from SF. Is clearly more enjoyable than other SF alternatives like Bart which is filthy and you’re likely to catch a disease or SF Muni which makes Bart look clean. These boats are all clean and relaxing. Service is like clock work.
Bad: the boat «Vallejo» is sometimes in the line up. This boat is way too small and slow. However they do post on their website when this boat is in service so avoid if you can. Wifi might as well not exist because it really doesn’t work. Also they don’t use Clipper Cards which makes this pretty much the only Bay Area transportation that doesn’t accept this payment option. It is relatively expensive too.
If they junked the small Vallejo boat and fixed wifi this would be 5 star review. I used the Larkspur ferry for years and this is a huge upgrade in terms of comfort and crowds. But seriously — adopt the clipper card.

Amaze balls. I was skeptical at first about riding this ferry but it was mad cool. On the way there we missed the board time and weren’t able to purchase our tickets to Oakland (en route to Napa Valley) but there was a kind, generous man who allowed us to ride over and purchase our tickets then. We were very grateful and felt indebted to him as we had a connection for our wine tour.
I’d ride again and also recommend this ferry any day!

Wi Fi literally never works, it’s overcrowded with tourists (I was actually turned away from boarding and got home an hour later than normal one time), the service only runs every other hour (i.e. if you miss your boat/​bus you will be very late for work) and the boat is packed with people (not always a seat). Oh and the bar is cash only.
In terms of cost it is just barely cheaper than driving in to San Francisco. Id love to see them step it up but I’m calling it quits at the end of the month. I loved the concept but their execution is lacking.

I love that I get to read while traveling, and that I don’t have to pay to cross a bridge. Hate that the ferry is so expensive, but from what I understand that cost doesn’t even cover the cost of operations so I guess I’ll suck it up and take the ferry when I need to go into the City solo. However, if you are going with one or more people, you better think about BART or just driving in (depending on where you are going).
Operating staff is always nice. The ferry is always super clean. The ticket people are usually nice also, except there is one lady who is kind of abrupt but I guess they can’t all be winners!
Plus, it is always fun to take the ferry in on a clear day so you can see the skyline!

There are several ways we commute to get to work or for pleasure. Some of us drive in to work, others take BART and some even carpool. Have you ever thought of taking Ferry? We’ll here it is, go green for one day and hop a ride on the Vallejo Ferry and help a city stay out of Bankruptcy.
The ferry is a great way to relax, get some sun (if there is any) or if it’s windy cuddle up with the one you love. *wink wink* just don’t get any bright ideas, there are kids on board so no hanky panky.
The ferry starts at 5:30am on weekdays/8:30am on weekends. The downfall is the last ferry from SF is at 7:15pm weekdays/​9pm weekends. It’s great on the weekends but hard to get together with friends in SF on the weekdays for dinner.
The cost is below (ONE-​WAY):
Adult (13 – 64) $ 13.00
Youth (6 – 12) * $ 6.50
Senior (65+) * $ 6.50
Disabled/​Medicare * $ 6.50
Child (0 – 5) Free**
Other features the Vallejo Ferry offers are:
Ferry rides to Angel Island & SF Giants/​Cal Bears Ferry
Discount tickets on Bus rides in Vallejo
$ 39.99 General Admission Tickets to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Tickets
Brand new parking garage currently is free but that will not last.