The 45th annual Fleet Week has once again taken over San Francisco’s northern waterfront, and getting around this weekend will take some planning.
The Parade of Ships starts Friday at 11 a.m., and the air show runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Ships will be docked at several piers and open for visits from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Muni will add service along the northern and eastern waterfront for the anticipated traffic.
The SFMTA says details may change before the event, so check its Fleet Week travel page for updates.
Here’s a closer look.
Muni and cable car changes
F Market & Wharves: On Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m., the historic streetcars will switchback at Pier 39, reversing direction instead of continuing to Fisherman’s Wharf. Extra buses will cover the Embarcadero between the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf, and they will also turn around at Pier 39 if the streets near the Wharf get too crowded. Stops at Jefferson & Powell, Jefferson & Taylor, and Jones & Beach will be skipped inbound. Outbound, Jones & Beach, Beach & Mason and Beach & Stockton will be skipped.
Cable cars: Both the Powell/Hyde line and the Powell/Mason line will have partial bus substitution. On Saturday, regular cable car service runs from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., buses take over from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and cable cars resume at 5 p.m. On Sunday for the Italian Heritage Parade, regular cable car service runs from 6 to 11 a.m., and buses take over from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Extra buses: From Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the 28 19th Avenue will run a shortened route, with inbound buses ending at Van Ness & North Point and outbound buses heading to Daly City BART. The 49 Van Ness/Mission will add buses between 11th & Mission and Van Ness & North Point. The 28, 30 Stockton and 49 may see minor delays near the Van Ness terminal because of crowds.
Getting to the Presidio, the Marina and Fisherman’s Wharf
Several routes serve each area:
Presidio: 28 19th Ave, 29 Sunset, 30 Stockton, 43 Masonic and 45 Union/Stockton. The Presidio has its own Know Before You Go guide.
Marina: 22 Fillmore, 28 19th Ave, 30 Stockton, 43 Masonic and 49 Van Ness/Mission.
Fisherman’s Wharf: F Market & Wharves, 8 Bayshore, 19 Polk, 28 19th Ave, 30 Stockton, 39 Coit, 49 Van Ness/Mission and both Powell cable car lines.
Before the show, expect crowds at Drumm & California, where riders wait for the Presidio GO shuttle. If you’re south of Stockton & Washington and heading north on the 30 or 45, take the T Third Street through the Central Subway and transfer at Chinatown – Rose Pak Station. You can also walk a block and a half north to Stockton & Pacific.
After the show, the F Market & Wharves will run extra buses from 4 to 7 p.m. from a staging area on Powell between Beach and North Point. To reach the Market Street Subway, take the southbound 8, 19, 22, 30 or 49, or the southbound T Third to Union Square/Market Street Station and transfer at Powell Station. If you can’t board a Presidio GO shuttle, walk just under a mile to Lyon & Greenwich for the 45. For the Richmond or Sunset, take the Presidio GO South Hills shuttle toward Baker Beach and transfer to the 29 at Bowley & Lincoln.
Rideshare, fares and regional transit
Autonomous rideshare services such as Waymo will be geofenced Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pick-ups and drop-offs will be limited near Marina Boulevard, Fort Mason, Aquatic Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, parts of Van Ness, Bay and the Embarcadero. They will not be available anywhere in the Presidio. Uber, Lyft and taxis will operate without these restrictions.
You can pay on all the listed transit options with a Clipper card or a contactless bank card. Military personnel in uniform, or with a valid military ID, ride Muni and cable cars free during Fleet Week.
If you’re coming from outside the city, check the schedules of BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, SF Bay Ferry, SamTrans and AC Transit. For real-time alerts, sign up for Muni email and text updates, or call 311 or 415.701.2311.