Pier 39 is San Francisco's busiest tourist pier: two levels of shops, restaurants and attractions on the waterfront. Locals rarely go, but most visitors pass through, and one part of it is genuinely special.

The sea lions

Not long after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, California sea lions began hauling out on the floating docks at the west side of the pier. The marina gave the docks to them, and they have stayed. Numbers rise and fall through the year, from a handful to hundreds, and some seasons they vanish for weeks before returning. They are loud, smelly and endlessly entertaining, and watching them is free. Go to the west end of the pier and look down on K-Dock.

What else is worth it

  • The view: the end of the pier looks straight across at Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
  • Aquarium of the Bay: a modest aquarium with walk-through tunnels of local sea life. Good with children on a cold day.
  • The carousel: a two-level carousel decorated with San Francisco scenes, popular with small children.

What to skip

Many shops sell the same souvenirs found everywhere, and the restaurants trade on the view. Eat elsewhere unless you want the window seat.

Fitting it in

Pier 39 is a short walk from Pier 33, where the ferries to Alcatraz leave, and from Fisherman's Wharf. Go in the morning before the crowds. With children, it is one stop in a longer day; see San Francisco with kids.

The story of the sea lions

Pier 39 opened in 1978 as a shopping and entertainment pier built from the timbers of an old cargo pier. Its marina, K-Dock, was meant for boats. In January 1990, a few months after the Loma Prieta earthquake, sea lions began hauling out on the docks, perhaps drawn by plentiful herring in the bay. Within months there were hundreds. The marina gave up and moved the boats, and the docks became the sea lions' permanent haul-out.

Almost all of them are males, California sea lions that travel south to breeding islands off Southern California and Mexico in early summer, which is why numbers drop in June and July. Their record count on the docks was well over a thousand. A small center on the pier, run by a marine conservation group, explains their behavior and biology.

Other things on the pier

  • Street performers on the stage at the center of the pier, often very good.
  • The arcade and the mirror maze, for children on a rainy day.
  • Bay cruises, leaving from the pier and from neighboring piers, which loop under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz without landing.
  • Sweet shops selling saltwater taffy, fudge and sourdough.

Nearby

Walk east along the Embarcadero to Pier 33 for the Alcatraz ferries, and on to the Exploratorium and the Ferry Building. Walk west to Fisherman's Wharf, the Musée Mécanique and Hyde Street Pier. Coit Tower rises behind you on Telegraph Hill.

Frequently asked questions

When are the sea lions there?

Most of the year, with the largest numbers in fall and winter and the fewest in early summer.

Is Pier 39 worth visiting?

For the sea lions and the view, yes, and it is free. Give it an hour, not a whole morning.

Where should I eat nearby?

The crab and chowder stands of Fisherman's Wharf, or walk to North Beach for better value.