If you have good weather and the better part of a day to spare, rent a bike and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. Have lunch in Sausalito and take a ferry back to Fisherman’s Wharf.

There are a batch of bike-rental shops near Fisherman’s Wharf—Blazing Saddles and Bike and Roll have seven outlets between them. Looking at price and equipment, they’re pretty much interchangeable. Maps and written directions are provided for a variety of routes. Helmets and bike locks are included. A basic rental is $26 to $28 per day, but invest a couple of minutes in skimming through one of the free tourist guides; you should find a coupon good for $2 to $4 off.

Generally, the ride is flat and protected from traffic. After some chaos around Fisherman’s Wharf, it’s mostly a protected route through Aquatic Park, Crissy Field, and Fort Point. There’s an uphill to get onto the Golden Gate Bridge and begin the spectacular one-mile ride across on the bike/pedestrian sidewalk.

It’s interesting. Riding on the bike, the bridge seemed solid and steady, but when we got off the bikes halfway across to gawk at the view, everything rattled and shook as cars and trucks hurtled across. We actually felt more secure on the bikes than while walking or standing.

After crossing, it's a short downhill ride to Sausalito and lunch. Total distance to this point is 8 miles. Now, there are options: if you’ve had enough riding, it’s easy enough to catch a ferry back to San Francisco. Otherwise, you could retrace your steps to go back over the bridge or pedal on to Tiburon and grab the ferry to Fisherman’s Wharf there. Either way adds about 8 more miles.

We chose to continue on to Tiburon. It was less comfortable, with more riding on the side of the road while traffic whizzed by, but still, at least half the route was on well-protected bike paths along the bay.

The ferry back to San Francisco was amazingly fast—this wasn’t any tourist sightseeing trip but a functional part of the Bay Area transportation system. It’s got an unusual quirk, however. You buy a ticket upon boarding the ferry, then give it to the ticket-taker while getting off. Unfortunately for one cyclist, there’s a serious breeze on the ferry; his ticket blew out of his pocket and into the bay. As we left, he was still arguing/pleading with the ticket-taker that he shouldn’t have to pay a second time. You’ve been warned: hold onto your ticket!

The best thing about biking is freedom to explore odd bits of the city you encounter in passing: check out the Palace of Arts and Culture, ride out to the end of a marina wharf, spin down side-streets in Sausalito, or go wherever something looks interesting.

Scenic bike trail, all away from traffic except for the Golden Gate, but there are always sidewalks. Trail takes you to Saulsalito and Tiberon, two very artsy cities near San Francisco. Beautiful houses, and great food and places to see.

The Hill up to Golden Gate Bridge is tough. But once on top of the bridge the work is all worth it. The views are incredible! It is often windy and cool up there so pack a sweatshirt or windbreaker. Take a right after crossing the bridge on 101 to Sausalito, which is a cute little bay town. But don't whimp out there! Keep going to Tiburon. The scenery is really wonderful and the ferry back is oh so nice. We spent an hour or so walking arond Tiburon's quaint shops and had a couple of slices of pizza before heading back. We saw more golden retrievers there for some reason. Must be a rich folks thing!

One of my favorite things to do in San Francisco. A great way to get some exercise while getting some great vistas of the most beautiful city in the United States. Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito and take the ferry back to San Francisco.

I have rented bikes from both Blazing Saddles and Start to Finish and recommend both (Note: Start to Finish ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy in May, 2001). However, one may be a better choice over the other depending on your situation. Blazing Saddles is a rental-only shop and takes reservations; Start-to-Finish is a full-service bike shop and does not accept reservations and will often run out of rentals by 12pm on weekends if there's nice weather. Location wise, Blazing Saddles is within walking distant of Fisherman's Wharf; Start-to-Finish (Marina) is w/in walking distance of many of the Hotels on the west end of Lombard. Blazing Saddles includes U-locks with their rentals.

If you are in good shape and make no stops to take in the sites along the way, you can make it into Sausalito in about an hour. But where's the fun in that? If you're renting from Blazzing Saddles, head towards the Bay and bike through Ft. Mason. Then proceed along Marina Blvd. towards the bridge. If you're renting from Start-to-Finish, head north on Divisadero or Broderick until you hit Marina Blvd. You may want to make a stop at the Palace of Fine Arts. Once you make up the bridge, it is literally all down hill to Sausalito.

Sausalito is an elegant Mediterranean-like community with a picturesque waterfront, galleries, shops, streetside cafes, and, most importantly, a waterfront restaurant (Horizons) with an outside deck where you can enjoy some well deserved microbrews and an awesome view of the Bay. Do some site seeing in Sausalito then catch the ferry back to San Francisco.