Pier 39

San Francisco Pier Review

Pier 39 is San Francisco's Most Visited Attraction - But Why?

Pier 39 is one very, very, very popular place in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. Hard to resist it's lure, thousands of tourists flock here on a daily basis. What are they looking for at Pier 39? I'm not sure....

Pier Thirty Nine offers restaurants, souvenir shopping, some basic attractions, and the one real thing - lots of sea lions. The best thing about Pier 39 is the hundreds of Sea Lions that sun themself outside of the edge of the mall.

The SFTravel.com editorial team ventured into the belly of the beast - the San Francisco "landmark" that locals most actively avoid. Tourists love Pier 39 -- locals despise it. Our two hours at PIer 39 were best characterized by one word -- CROWDS. Pier 39 is busy, hectic, and crowded.

Fisherman's Wharf Hotels - What do our Readers Think?

Every tourist in San Francisco is headed for Pier 39 by the end of their trip. The typical tourist day goes as follows:

  1. Plan on great boat ride to Alcatraz, leaving from Fisherman's Wharf.
  2. Get informed that there are no boat rides for four hours since they didn't buy tickets in advance.
  3. Wait - I'll walk around PIer 39 (next to Alcatraz ticket booths) until my boat ride.
  4. Repeat 10,000 times daily.

Map of Fisherman's Wharf (click to enlarge)

Our research trip to Pier 39 is dedicated to our loyal readers from around the world. In the pages that follow, you will see a detailed photo-essay and reviews of Pier 39's: