Welcome to the Marina and the Presidio

Top Experiences

• Golden Gate Bridge: Get a good look at the iconic span from the Presidio, then bundle up and walk over the water.
• Shopping in Cow Hollow and the Marina: Browse hip boutiques and people-watch at stylish cafés on Union Street, Cow Hollow's main drag. Then head north to Chestnut Street.
• Palace of Fine Arts: Bring a picnic to this beautiful faux-Roman remnant of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition and travel back in time to the city's post-earthquake-and-fire coming-out party.
• Crissy Field: Join jogging, cycling, and kitesurfing locals along this restored strip of sand and marshland where the bay laps the shore, a stone’s throw from the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Presidio wanderings: Lace up your walking shoes and follow one of the wooded trails; the city will feel a hundred miles away.

Getting Here

For those without wheels, the free year-round shuttle PresidiGo, which runs two routes through the Presidio every half hour, is a dream. Pick up the shuttle at the transit center, usually at Lincoln Boulevard and Graham Street. (The Presidio has a temporary transit center in the Main Post parking area at Lincoln Boulevard and Anza Avenue through 2021.)

Planning Your Time

Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge takes about an hour round-trip, but leave some time to take in the view on the other side. If you aren't in a hurry, plan to spend at least two to three hours in the Presidio, and be sure to allow 15 minutes to stroll around the stunning Palace of Fine Arts. In a pinch, make a 30- to 45-minute swing-through for the views. Shoppers can burn up an entire afternoon browsing the Marina's Chestnut Street and Cow Hollow's Union Street. Weekends are liveliest, while Mondays are quiet, since some shops close.

Quick Bites

Dynamo Donut & Coffee. The tiny kiosk on the Marina's yacht harbor is the perfect spot to grab a pick-me-up before a stroll to the Palace of Fine Arts or along the beach. The doughnuts by a former Foreign Cinema pastry chef are universally terrific, from the vanilla bean standby to chocolate star anise, and there's locally roasted coffee for an extra prehike jolt. 110 Yacht Rd., Marina dynamodonut.com.

Gio Gelati. This Union Street gelato maker is the place to go for authentic, airy gelato. The ingredients are top-notch—pistachios from Sicily, local fruits in season, a sour cherry variety from one part of Italy—and the results are delightful. 1998 Union St., Cow Hollow giogelati.com.

Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters. The Instagram set knows this Wi-Fi-free, almost seating-free Union Street roaster and café as the place with the pineapple wallpaper. Everyone enjoys some of the finest lattes and espresso shots around, usually to-go, but sometimes sipped on the low bench in front of that famous backdrop. 2271 Union St., Cow Hollow www.wreckingballcoffee.com.