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Today, I’m sharing the best bike rentals in Golden Gate Park for you to explore its iconic grounds. Renting a bike in San Francisco is easy with lots of options available.
Golden Gate Park is world-famous for its stunning gardens, recreational activities, and car-free roads. Touring Golden Gate Park by bike is the best way to see all of its natural beauty.
If you’re visiting San Francisco, or you’re a local who doesn’t own a bike of their own, you can tour the parks with a bike rental service.
With several bike rental places located conveniently near the park, you can easily rent city bikes, tandem bikes, and mountain bikes for a day or just a few hours.
In this post, I’m sharing the top bike rentals in Golden Gate Park that I’ve used to tour beautiful San Francisco. I’ve also added price points and rental options for your convenience. These are subject to change so use these prices as a guide and check in with each vendor before renting.
As a bonus, I’ve included some must-see sights in Golden Gate Park for you to visit along your SF bike ride.
So without further ado, let’s get biking!
Why Tour Golden Gate Park by Bike?
Golden Gate Park is known for its natural beauty, with over 1000 acres of lakes, meadows, botanical gardens, and more. By touring the park by bike, you can travel the grounds in comfort, seeing all the sights on your wishlist.
Faster than walking and more intimate than a car, biking is a happy medium that gets you active while touring these incredible grounds. Plus, you won’t have to deal with any parking hassle! It can be tough finding parking in San Francisco so a bike is a great option.
Fun fact: Golden Gate Park is 20% larger than Central Park so this is another great reason to rent a bike in San Francisco.
There are car-free roads like the JFK promenade and bike routes available within the park, keeping cyclists and pedestrians safe while immersing themselves in nature.
A bike ride through the park is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the beautiful San Franciscan weather and get a little bit of sun along the way.
Seeing the sights by bike means you’ll fit right in with the locals, as bike culture is HUGE in San Francisco.
For more San Francisco sightseeing opportunities, make sure to check out my posts on the Best Rooftop Restaurants in San Francisco and the Best Views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Bike Rentals in Golden Gate Park: 5 Easy Options
There are lots of bike rental companies in and around Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. These are my top picks:
Top San Francisco Bike Rental: Unlimited Biking
My personal favorite bike rental service in Golden Gate Park is Unlimited Biking.
Unlimited Biking offer rentals for you to visit the park, ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, or tour the streets of San Francisco.
You can also choose between electronic bikes or city hybrid bikes, depending on whether or not you want to break a sweat!
Unlimited Biking also offers scenic tours with local guides to show you the highlights of Golden Gate Park.
Rental Prices for a Hybrid Bike
- 2 Hours Adult – $20.00
- 2 Hours Tandem – $40.00
- 4 Hours Adult – $40.00
- Day Pass – $45.00
If you want to rent a bike in San Francisco for longer than a day, Unlimited Biking have lots of great options.
Top San Francisco Bike Rental: Parkwide Bike Rentals
Parkwide Bike Rentals specializes in both tours and rentals in Golden Gate Park and the San Francisco area.
If you’re interested in a tour, Parkwide Bike Rentals offers daily guided tours through the park from $65. If self-guided tours are your preference, they have bike routes available on their website with easy directions.
Rental Prices
- Daily Rental – $36.00
- Tandem Bike – $75.00
- Online discounts are available for advance bookers
Top San Francisco Bike Rental: San Francisco Bike Rentals
San Francisco Bike Rentals offers bike rentals at Golden Gate Park, the Ferry Building, and Fisherman’s Wharf.
With options for child seats, electric bikes, racing bikes, and more, they rent everything you need for your entire family to enjoy a bike ride through Golden Gate park in San Francisco.
Do note that when you’re done with your rental, you can drop your bike off at any of their three locations. If it’s different from your pick-up location, however, they will charge a $10 convenience fee.
Sometimes, that convenience is worth every dollar!
Rental Prices
- Hourly Rate for a city comfort bike – $8.00
- Daily Rate for a city comfort bike – $32.00
- Online Discount Rate for a city comfort bike – $25.60
Top San Francisco Bike Rental: Golden Gate Bridge Bike Rentals
Whether you’re looking for an electric bike rental or a city hybrid bike, Golden Gate Bridge Bike Rentals has what you need!
They also offer tandem bikes, kid’s equipment, and free bike locks, which are essential for a proper park tour.
Note that their rental office is located about a 25-minute bike ride from the park or a nine-minute drive. If you want to bike the bridge, this is another great option for SF bike rentals.
It’s close to top destinations like Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge, so if they’re in your daily tour plans, this shouldn’t be a problem!
For a quick 2-hour ride through Golden Gate Park, however, I’d recommend a closer rental.
Rental Prices
- Daily Rate – $36.00
- Tandem Bike – $80.00
- Online Discount Rate – $30.60/$75.00
- Electric Bike – $89.00
Top San Francisco Bike Rental: Bay City Bike Rentals
Bay City Bike Rentals has options for road bikes, city bikes, electric bikes, and kid rentals.
They also have options for several small group bike tours, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and of course, Golden Gate Park.
Their bike tour are top-rated, with beautiful sights and bonus visits to various locations depending on the tour you choose.
Rental Prices
- Daily Rate – $36.00
- Tandem Bike – $75.00
- Electric Bike – $52.00
Sights in Golden Gate Park to Tour by Bike
Now that you know the best Bike Rentals in Golden Gate Park, what is there to see in Golden Gate Park?
There are lots of sights in Golden Gate Park that you just can’t miss! When touring the park, make sure that you visit:
- San Francisco Botanical Garden – Home to 55 acres of gardens and over 8,000 varieties of plants. Don’t miss the redwood groves, cloud forests from Meso-America and Southeast Asia, and incredible flora from around the world!
- Oak Woodlands – Visit the northeast corner of the park to see some of the oldest living oaks in San Francisco.
- The Children’s Quarter – View the historic carousel and the nation’s first public playground.
- Music Concourse – Enjoy a picnic in the grass, taking in the natural atmosphere.
- Japanese Tea Garden – Experience lush landscaping along with Japanese art. Their cherry blossoms during March and April should not be missed!
- Wooden Windmills – View a beautiful Murphy windmill and Dutch windmill against a scenic garden landscape.
- Conservatory of Flowers – This conservatory is home to over 1,700 species of plants with several rare additions. The 100-year-old giant Imperial philodendron is worth the visit alone. And don’t forget to take a stroll through the Butterfly Zone for a magical experience.
- Bison Paddock – View a meadow filled with beloved American bison.
- California Academy of Sciences – Explore San Francisco’s natural history museum, complete with an aquarium, rainforest, and planetarium.
- de Young Museum – Discover beautiful art inside a striking piece of architecture.
Local Tip – It’s always a good idea to bring a bike lock with you on your travels through the park. This way, when you want to stop for a bite to eat or a museum visit, your bike is safe, and you won’t risk a fine! Some rental companies will offer free locks with your bike rental. Do not leave anything in your bike basket or bag. It will not be there when you return…
FAQs About Bike Rentals in Golden Gate Park
Here are a few common questions I get about bike rentals in Golden Gate Park and biking around San Francisco.
What are the best places to bike in San Francisco?
When biking in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Park loop is just a starting point!
Because of the rampant biking culture in the area, there are plenty of bike-friendly streets and trails for you to enjoy.
Some local favorite bike routes include stopping off at some famous landmarks:
*Cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito
*Sausilito to Tiburon
*Chrissy Field and the Palace of Fine Arts
*Along the embarcadero
*Presidio Promenade Trail
When is the best time to bike through Golden Gate Park?
I usually recommend visiting the park on a weekday to avoid large crowds and groups of tourists. I often visit on the weekend too and it is beautiful.
Regardless of the day, however, I always recommend starting your bike ride early, before peak sun hours. This way, you’ll beat both the crowds and the heat, letting you thoroughly enjoy the experience.
What is the best attraction in Golden Gate Park?
In general, I believe that just experiencing the natural beauty of the park is its biggest draw. Whether you’re taking a stroll through the gardens or exploring by bike, this immersion in nature is truly special.
If I had to pick just one attraction, the Japanese Tea Garden is like no other! Its mix of art and landscaping is nothing short of a masterpiece.
That covers my top picks and suggestions for bike rentals in Golden Gate Park. I highly recommend you experience these incredible grounds at least once, taking in the gorgeous California weather while experiencing a San Franciscan staple.
If you have any further questions about bike rental, touring the park, or all things San Francisco, please reach out via Instagram or my contact page. I would love to help!
