Bay Bridge in San Francisco: All About this Famed Bridge and Tips to Find Spots to See It

The Bay Bridge in San Francisco connects the city to Oakland, Berkeley, and the greater East Bay region, carrying Interstate 80 traffic on 10 lanes over the water. It’s one of the busiest and most impressive crossings in the United States.

The bridge is split into two sections with very different designs. The Oakland (or East Bay) side is a new structure that was completed in 2013. The SF side opened in 1936.

The bridge has two spans with very different designs that are joined at Yerba Buena Island. The SF side opened in 1936 as a striking double-decker suspension bridge, with five lanes in each direction stacked above and below.

The new earthquake-resistant Oakland span debuted in 2013 with a sleek single-deck design carrying traffic both ways.

Today the Bay Bridge sees more than twice the daily traffic of the Golden Gate Bridge, making it an essential artery for the region as well as a sight in its own right.

Read on for where to catch the best views, some of its history, and its dazzling nightly light show.

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Bay Bridge in San Francisco Fun Facts

Here are a few fun facts about the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

• The two spans have a daily traffic volume of 260,000 vehicles (compared to the Golden Gate Bridge that has a daily volume of 112,000 vehicles).
• The two spans meet on Yerba Buena island, which you can also access from the bridge.
• Driving over the bridge is the only way to access Treasure Island.
• The older western side is officially called the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Bridge, although most people just call it the San Francisco side of the Bay Bridge.
• Both sides were originally opened in 1936, but the eastern span was badly damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. They were not able to retrofit that span, so they rebuilt it starting in 2002. The new span opened in 2013. It was a huge effort to rebuild, as they had to keep the old section open as much as possible to allow the large volume of traffic access to SF and back to the East Bay throughout the process.
• With 10 traffic lanes, shoulders, and a bicycle/pedestrian path, the Oakland side is currently one of the world's widest bridges.

Bay Lights on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco 

For ten years, the Bay Bridge in San Francisco offered a nightly light show on the western span facing the city. The artist Leo Villareal installed the Bay Lights in 2013, initially intended to last two years.

The support for the light show was so positive that private donations were collected to keep it going. The goal was to collect enough money to power it through 2026. 

After a short hiatus in 2015, permanent lights were installed, and the popular Bay Lights went live again from 2016 to March 5, 2023—exactly ten years after they were first illuminated. However, due to weather damage and outages, the lights are currently dark. 

With quite a bit of fundraising over the last few years, they are installing new lights that are set to shine bright again starting this fall 2025!

Where to Get the Best Views

Here are some of my favorite places to soak in the views of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

Embarcadero: The Embarcadero is the main road running along SF's waterfront. You will find plenty of spots to admire the bridge from here. The best spots are south of the Ferry Building, which is Pier 1.

Pier 7: Just north of the Ferry Building is a long skinny pier that offers unobstructed views at the end.

Pier 14: This pier is on the south side of the Ferry Building is another option for unobstructed views of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

>> Check out my list of top SF restaurants with views if you want to enjoy a meal while you appreciate this architectural marvel

Tours that Include the Bay Bridge in San Francisco

Here are a few of the best tours that offer views and more details about this SF gem.

Bridge to Bridge Cruise: This daily cruise gives you the chance to go under both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. It lasts 90 minutes and offers you some great information about both of these very important structures as you enjoy the sights from the water. Find tickets for this cruise.

Night Tour by Bus: This 90-minute night tour offers you the chance to see SF at dusk and after dark. You will hear more about the Bay Bridge in San Francisco as you make your way across it on the double-decker open-top bus to Treasure Island, where you'll have a panoramic photo opportunity of the glittering lights. Visit GetYourGuide for more details.

Walking and Biking the Eastern Span

Opened in 2016, the new eastern span includes a walking and biking path called the Bay Bridge Trail.

It allows you to get from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island and back. (Unfortunately, you can't walk the western span of the Bay Bridge to or from San Francisco.)

There is a dedicated space for both pedestrians and bikers to maintain safety on the trail. The distance is 2.2 miles each way.

The path is open from 6 am to 9 pm daily and is free to use.

Driving Tips & Tolls

Driving over the Bay Bridge in San Francisco is intimidating for first timers. The traffic moves fast, and people change lanes frequently.

If you plan to drive over it to get into SF or over to Oakland, make sure to do some preparation before you drive. Know exactly which lane you will be in based on your entry point. Also, find out which lane you need to be in to get off I-80.

This will give you the time needed to get into the correct lane instead of trying to cross several lanes at the last minute in heavy traffic.

You will also find it easier to cross outside of rush hour traffic when it isn't as busy. Rush hour is usually on weekdays from around 5 am to around 10 am going towards San Francisco and from around 3 pm to 7 pm heading back to the East Bay.

If you are unfamiliar with the bridge, I recommend trying to drive over it outside of these hours.

My other recommendation is to be on the lookout for motorcycles as you change lanes. In California, they are allowed to share lanes with cars, so you will see several motorcycles going faster, changing lanes quickly and driving in between cars.

Check and double-check that there are no motorcycles coming before you switch lanes.

The cost is $8 (or $4 for carpools of 3 or more people during certain hours) to drive over the Bay Bridge heading westbound from Oakland to San Francisco. There is no toll heading east away from the city.

History of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco

For years, the city of San Francisco was a thriving place due to its ports. In 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed, as the city felt disconnected from the rest of the US.

About this time is when talks started about building a bridge to connect San Francisco and Oakland. However, it took until 1929 for the California Legislature to pass a bill to start construction.

One challenge at the time was the use of Yerba Buena Island. At the time, the Navy controlled the island, which made it federal land. California worked with the US Congress to get permission to link the bridge on the island in 1931.

Construction started on July 9, 1933. Both sides of the bridge faced challenges along the way as well as the tunnel that was created to get through Yerba Buena Island.

However, the builders were undeterred and finished the project in 1936. It officially opened to traffic on November 12, 1936.

The original Bay Bridge in San Francisco included railway tracks for public transportation. These were removed to allow for more space for car traffic.

On November 7, 2007, the Cosco Busan, an oil tanker, hit the western span. More than 50,000 gallons of oil spilled into the SF Bay. This became a huge media story because the pilot of the ship had to be blood tested and was found to be impaired due to prescription drugs.

The spill impacted more than 200 miles of coastline and it took years for the local area to recover.

Hotels Nearby

You will find several hotels near the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. The best options are those right along the Embarcadero. Several offer views from some of their premier rooms. Here are some of my top picks.

1 Hotel (8 Mission Street): 4-star hotel offering several rooms with a view. Restaurant and bar on site. Each room offers modern amenities. Great location with easy access to downtown, Fisherman's Wharf, and Union Square. It's also a perfect place to stay if you plan to see an SF Giants game. Check for room availability.

Hotel Griffon (155 Steuart Street): 3.5-star hotel offering a handful of rooms with a view of the bridge. Recently voted as "Best Boutique Hotel" by San Francisco Magazine. Room service and a restaurant/bar on site. Find out more about booking and rooms.

Hyatt Regency (5 Embarcadero Center): 4-star hotel right on the Embarcadero across the street from the Ferry Building. Located in the Financial District with easy access to nearby districts and public transportation. Click here to learn more about the Hyatt.

>> Find additional hotel recommendations around town

Bay Bridge in San Francisco in the Movies

You can get some great views of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco in these movies and TV shows.

• Bullitt (1968)
• The Amazing Race (Season 2 - Episode 11)
• Metro (1997)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• Basic Instinct (1992)
• Milk (2008)

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