The International Orange suspension bridge spanning the mile-wide strait between San Francisco and the Marin Headlands
The Golden Gate Bridge crosses a strait about three miles long and one mile wide, where strong tidal currents run between the San Francisco peninsula and the headlands of Marin. Its two towers rise 746 feet (227 metres) above the water, and the main span between them measures 4,200 feet (1,280 metres); including the approaches, the bridge runs about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometres) from end to end.
Its colour is a custom shade called International Orange, chosen by the consulting architect Irving Morrow because it blended with the hills and stood out against sea and sky. Visitors can walk the east sidewalk, cycle across, or take in the bridge from viewpoints at both ends, and on many summer days the fog rolling in from the Pacific hides the towers entirely, which is when the bridge's foghorns sound.
The name of the strait predates the bridge: in 1846 John C. Frémont called the entrance to the bay Chrysopylae, or Golden Gate. A bridge was long considered impractical because of the depth of the channel, the currents, wind and fog, but a special district was created by the state legislature in 1923 to design, build and finance one. Joseph Strauss was chief engineer, with Charles Ellis and Leon Moisseiff responsible for much of the structural design and Irving Morrow for the Art Deco styling and colour. Construction began on 5 January 1933.
The bridge opened to pedestrians on 27 May 1937 and to vehicles the next day, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in the White House to announce it. Eleven men died during construction, while nineteen were saved by safety nets slung beneath the works. The bridge held the record for the longest suspension span until 1964, when it was overtaken by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York. Its original concrete deck was replaced with a lighter steel deck between 1982 and 1986 without fully closing the roadway.
For San Franciscans the bridge is part of daily life as well as a symbol: it is the main road link to Marin and Sonoma counties, served by Golden Gate Transit buses, and cyclists ride across at all hours. Locals measure the weather by whether the towers are visible through the fog, and the foghorns at the south tower are a familiar sound on grey mornings. Crissy Field near the southern approach, where crowds of at least 100,000 gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony in 1933, is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Most visitors start at the south end, where the Welcome Center tells the story of the bridge and the plaza and an old bunker hold exhibits, then walk or cycle as far as they like across the span. Pedestrians must use the east sidewalk, which faces San Francisco, while cyclists can use either side depending on the time and lane arrangements. San Francisco City Guides runs free history walks on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Equator Coffee in the Round House serves coffee with a view. Both ends of the bridge touch the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, so trails and viewpoints in the Presidio and the Marin Headlands are easy to combine with a crossing.
The bridge can be visited all year. Fog is most common in summer, when it can cover the bridge completely; clearer views are often found in spring and autumn. Early morning on the sidewalk is quieter, and late afternoon gives warm light on the towers. Wind on the span can be strong and cold at any time, so bring a layer.
Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
The Presidio and Crissy Field lie just south of the bridge, with Fisherman's Wharf and the ferries to Alcatraz a short bus ride away. Across the strait, the Vista Point and the Marin Headlands give classic views back over the bridge and the city, and the Marin town of Sausalito, once linked to the city by ferry, lies just beyond. Napa Valley wine country is reachable by road across the bridge.
The rugged coast between Carmel in the north and San Simeon in the south, where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop straight into the Pacific. Highway 1, completed in 1937, is the only road along it, linking state parks, redwood groves, viewpoints such as Bixby Bridge and McWay Falls, and a scattering of lodges and restaurants.
ExploreA national park of nearly 1,200 square miles in California's Sierra Nevada, known above all for Yosemite Valley with its sheer granite walls, Half Dome, El Capitan and tall waterfalls. It also protects giant sequoia groves, high meadows and a vast wilderness, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Explore
United States · 9 nights4★ HotelUnited States · 8 nights3★ LodgeThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
