Well. I have very mixed feelings about this place. I have a deep respect for the NPS's work with maintaining and restoring these ships and the entrance price of 15-ish dollar is reasonable. But: This is one of the attractions that I'm most dissappointed about in SF, not because it's objectively a bad place but because it could be so much better. Keep in mind that I was there only once and this may be very different when you visit, but during my visit only two ships were open and for one of them only the deck was accessible. So essentially only one ship could be explored in any meaningful way. Everything else was closed due to restauration, damage, tides or "for my safety". Come on, guys. It's old ships, of course they are not wheelchair accessible or fully safe for idiots. If necessary let me sign a wavier or whatever and let me explore! I'd love to visit again, but only if I can be sure that most ships actually are open.
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$11–15

We are homeschoolers (6yo and 3yo children) and have been learning about sea chanties, maritime history, how to tie knots and what the inside of ships looked like for the last few weeks leading up to our trip to the maritime history museum. We had so much fun! The museum had a lot of interactive activities for my kids to do including a walk through of the hull of the balcutha. It turns out our science book this year is focusing on wind and waves and I plan to take my kids back to the museum to explore more! We only got to go on the Hyde st peir and didn't get a chance to visit the maritime history museum so that is where our next visit will focus.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$11–15

A San Francisco must see for sure! There is an entry fee of $10 per person, it is valid for 7 days though (just make sure to keep the receipt). You walk the pier having the ability to enter on the boats and view the in/outs. They have history boards about each boat which is quite awesome. The sea lions sit on a dock near by which is also cool to see so up close. You do all the viewing and walking around yourself, no guides or anything lame like that which I love! It is quite the enjoyable experience to be able to stand on boats that hold lots of history with them! I highly recommend this for you and even the kits! Their website has lots of details for any questions you might have about the visit

This past weekend I was able to join the park for their annual Festival of the Seas. All the boats were available to board. I really enjoyed boarding the Balclutha. It was fun to find the missing pig and seeing how the crew worked back in the day. In general, there are tons of activities and historical markers around the site. The park volunteers can be very in character and there's a lot of interactive exhibits. Overall, there's plenty to learn and do for both adults and children alike. A great morning or afternoon visit for anyone!

My 5- and 7-year old sons and I visited Hyde Pier and the nearby Maritime Park Visitors Center. The Pier's ships were a chance to experience what boats from The Age Of Sail were like. You could go down below decks on the large sailing ships, with one ship having reconstructed crew's quarters, cargo, and great videos explaining aspects of the vessel's history. I'd expected to spend 30 minutes wandering around the shops; we spent over an hour and could have stayed longer.

The Hyde Street Pier is part of the National Parks system and our National Park pass got us in for no additional fee. The pier is next to Fisherman's Market and here are a collection of historical ships that were important in the early days of the San Francisco Harbor days. Some of the ships you can climb onboard and tour, others you need to go on a guided tour. The location is close to several bars and restaurants. The pier was a fun place to spend a couple hours.

It is place for at least a day. First you can spend few hours climbing around historic ships. Admission fee is 10 dollars, kids are free. Then there is a small but nice Maritime museum. In the building of Acuanavt hotel, there is amazing visitor center, giving you nice overview how shipping was develop there. Entrance is free. Then you either can walk to the Fisherman Harbor or take a Cable car- small train driving you through the down town

I absolutely love this place. The beach, the views, the park green and the pier itself are breathtaking. There's nothing like watching the sunset here. Easy access by cable car, bus or street car with a short walk. Parking is a nightmare and extremely expensive, so don't bother. Popular with locals, tourists, families and couples alike. Great place to people watch, read a book, work on your tan or just enjoy the views. Highly recommended.

Six historic ships are docked here. You can board some of them and walk around. There are also parts of ships and information stands. A ticket is $15 and valid for a whole week. It's kind of interesting, but many of the ships were closed, because there weren't enough people volunteering.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$11–15

Nice park We were walking to Ghirardelli Square and stopped in to check it out. Very cool, and run by National Parks, so we also got our National passport book stamped here. Right on the water and with big old time ships to board and check out. Interactive exhibits and history everywhere. Worth checking out.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

This place is amazing!! The ships were an unexpected detour during a day out to the San Francisco waterfront. We got chatting to one of the staff restoring the Thayer, he was really knowledgeable about the ship and the history of the industry in general, it was fascinating to find out all this information. Well worth $15, or it's free to visit if you've got an America The Beautiful card.

Great historical location! Check out the ships for really interesting taste of history. Also, the first Saturday of every month there is an event called a "Chantey Sing". This is a free event where about 100 folks get together from 8pm-11pm and sing old timey sea chanteys. It's about as unique as it gets, and easy to join in. Search Google for more info and reservations.

Nice National Park museum across from the pier telling the maritine history of San Francisco. The pier has multiple historic ships you can tour including a clipper ship, steam wheeler and a tugboat. The steamer ship has many antique cars and trucks. Museum is free, ships are $10 or free if you have a national park senior pass.

Interesting place, but most of the crafts were closed to entry. There were 2 ships you could board, but access to a number of areas were blocked off. They don't take cash so you have to buy tickets by card.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$21–30

Before the Golden Gate Bridge opened it was the main automobile ferry terminal connecting San Francisco with Marin County. Today, the pier is part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure
Price for adult entry
Free

This is a great place to learn and explorer ships. You pay for admission onto the ship so have cash at hand. I think this is great for elementary age kids or ship enthusiasts. They provide a lot of historical facts, you get to see parts of the engine where they remove the metal panel and replace with plexi glass.

We really enjoyed exploring the beautiful historic ships and the Visitor Center. So much to see and learn. We loved it. Our only disappointment was that their Gift Shop is not in operation due to a lack of a vendor willing to have one. We were very sad about this, but the place is wonderful and fun for all ages.

Very interessting place located in Fischermanns Wharf -Maritime National Historic Park. Here are historic ships,you can see the ships complete inside with accesory,and available are also short movies. You can here coming with American Beautiful Anual Pas include the price,or pay 15$ per person.

This is a fun, interesting, and educational place to get some local culture, context, and history. Everything is free except the boats (and they're not expensive), including the museum across the street. Lots of things to check out and explore! Good for adults and/or kids.

Visited on a sunny January afternoon and we were the only ones there. Admission usually $15 was free as king tide prevented access to board any of the ships. Still a very enjoyable stroll, can't believe they brought coal here all the way from England around Cape horn

Beautiful panoramic views of San Francisco Bay and both Bridges. You can also see Alcatraz nearby. There were several different kinds of ships in the bay that we toured and received quite an interesting education on ship canneries and other types of very old ships.

A wonderful and free, (unless you pay to get on some of the classic ships. And come on, don't be a cheapskate, these ships ain't going to preserve themselves), interactive/living museum. See the preservation and volunteer to strip paint/barnacles, why don't ya?

A US National Park in a fabulous city. Towering masts on the Square Rigger Ship as well as many smaller boats, all historic fishing or sailing or working boats of years gone by. The huge wooden ferry boat holding many antique vehicles is not to be missed.

There's a lot to learn while visiting the Hyde pier. There is a lot of history highlighted here as you walk through and great photo opportunities as well. It's cool to see some of the old relics and even the wood shop where we saw someone at work.

This pier led to the ship which is open for visit upon purchase of a ticket. There are two intereating areas which are open gratis. (1) a boat building and repairing site (2) a home built on a ship. The wind was strong, making tge trip memorable.

It's a lovely place as you get to view the interior of these ships where they have videos of the history of the ships also. An interesting place indeed!!
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

Great to this place open again. As of today, there is access to most of the boats, but not yet below deck. Gives a good, authentic view of commercial shipping activities in the Bay 70-130+ years ago with real boats from the harbor's history.

I came here to play Pokemon go with my kids we had a great time got lots of exercise and the best part was the kittens didn't argue and they weren't nagging me to leave and go home and play video games, they just were happy playing Pokemon

Fascinating and unique view of bay and history. Boats are incredible, rangers informative and interesting! Great for all ages. Hands on activities.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

Rain or shine this is a colorful journey. Wildlife, art, buskers, trollies, and plenty of fine dining. It's a short walk to Aquatic Park and Ghirardelli Square. If you want to take a swim at Aquatic Park there are always swimmer to swim

This is more about the San Francisco Maritime Park. Great experience, one of the few places in which you can see and visit some very old ships. It's not expensive and I believe you can visit any day. Just be aware they close early.

If you have a few hours to explore, this is a great park to visit. The rangers there are very knowledgeable and ready to tell stories about these great ships and times gone by. Lots of good stories on the cell phone audio tour too.

I love this place. Glad I had a chance to see it one more time before it closes for renovation (in 2025, but ships will be relocated earlier). Eureca is closed already. Hercules is somewhere else for engine certification.

Went aboard 2 big ships. Small museum with local historically significant items on display. They don't take cash for entry.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

Never knew this place existed after 40 years in the Bay Area. Great for kids and perfect starting point for a day long adventure as you wind your way through Fisherman's Wharf to Pier 39. Great sunset location too!

The park and the pier are located near Fisherman's wharf. The pier offers great views of the golden gate bridge, the bay and the surrounding area. Beautiful at sunset, perfect pictures of the bridge on clear days.

Such a fun experience. Definitely recommend! Some of the boats were under construction but we were still able to peak inside.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

A few steps from good restaurants, the Hyde Street Pier is a great way to experience life around the Bay before the bridges were built. Kids friendly and helpful, knowledgeable National Park Service staff.

Didn't want to pay to go through to the end but the first free half is great! Gorgeous, clean, accessible. Bathrooms are also clean! If you have a National Parks permit it's free for you :)

A great place to discover the sailing vessels that were an important part of the early economic development of San Francisco. So much to learn for adults and so much to enjoy for children.

We were able to wander on many of the boats, but that was about it. The admission price was too high for what is currently open. The views of the city from the top of Eureka were …

Great pier to go and take a look at some of the ships the marines use. It's also got some fun games to play with kids (teaching basic marine concepts). Also great spot to take pictures.

Only one thing better than a paddle steamer ferry, and that's a paddle steamer stuffed with classic cars :D Great attention to detail in the displays and really enthusiastic guides.

Hyde Street Pier is a great place to visit if you're a local and to take visitors from out of town. Lots of old ships to explore and good exhibits. Neat views of San Francisco too.

Great place to visit and learn about the history of the San Francisco waterfront! Hands-on exhibits for kids available. See restored boats and board them for the full experience.

What a perfect location to watch a beautiful Bay sunset.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

This is the third time I came at the wrong time lol.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$11–15

Relatively cheap admission compare to other popular museums and parks. Being able to go inside the ships and learn the history of it is very exciting and worth every penny.

We are lucky to be able to wander about these historic ships and let ourselves imagine what it had to be like working on one of these vessels. Very impressive.

Very nice place to visit. The boats were cool to see and the are doing a great job restoring them. It’s chilly because it’s right on the water, so bundle up!

Fantastic ship historic ship collection. We went in tge houseboat that had people dress like old days sing and play music. Definitely recommend this place.

Closed because of high tides? I don't understand why it's closed when high tides happen twice a day.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait

Well very maintained vintage ships. Recommended for people who love vintage stuff and are curious about how marine transport took place 200 yrs back

My personal favorite pier. Not so tourist trappish as pier 39, and lots of history with a collection of old ships and plenty of signs to read.

Always interesting things going on here, would visit again any time I was in the area! Saw some amazing acrobats perform nere here too!

Good family fun, Get good pictures And you can spend a couple hours here no problem not to mention Affordable with a lovely view

Fun, historical pier with lots of informational exhibits. We did not pay to go on the boats, there were enough free exhibits

Good park and if you want the shipping history? This is the place plus way into sf bay! Nice sun sets! And great staff!

See and explore ships from historic times. Park Rangers give guided tours. A wonderful experience for history lovers.

Excellent up close look inside national monument Tall Ships. Tour crews quarters, ship holds and Captain's quarters.

The weather was perfect and people watching was great. There is a functioning steam engine!

Cute place to walk along the coast. Worth it to casually visit on your way to Pier 39.

I really enjoy maritime history exhibits. Loved the Balclutha, Hercules and Eureka.

Great place to visit with wonderful views of the water and to explore the ships!

Nice place to stop and visit. They have some benches to rest.

I loved this park! Such a great deal and such kind staff

Parking is limited but beautiful place for a walk

Nice beach area with touristy stores nearby.

Awesome gem for kids and adults alike!

Very cool afternoon stroll.