Nothing here works on impulse
Every trip here has a catch that gets dealt with before you reach the desk. Per GoMuirWoods’ FAQ, Muir Woods turns away a car that has no parking reservation. The Golden Gate charges southbound only, and most rental companies bill a program fee on top of it.
At our assumptions a Muir Woods day from downtown comes to about $115 for two. That has the $10 parking reservation, two entrance fees and an Enterprise-style toll program in it.
A Napa day is about $89 for the car and a toll, before the tastings. Neither trip fits a sail morning — several desks keep short weekend hours.
Line these up before the desk
- A Muir Woods parking reservation, downloaded before you leave
- One driver for Napa or Sonoma who stays sober
- Three or more of you, so the toll and the fee split
- A pickup the day before, or the morning you get off
These are the ones to sort before you book
- A sail morning, when several desks keep short weekend hours
- No reservation for the park
- A group where everyone wants to taste
- A rental left on a city street overnight
The Muir Woods reservation, and why it comes first
Of the three trips, this is the one that can end at the gate.
| What we found | |
|---|---|
| Parking | Drivers must reserve parking at GoMuirWoods: $10 for a standard vehicle, $30 medium, $45 large. That’s separate from the $15 entrance fee for anyone 16 or older |
| Without a reservation | Without a reservation you’re turned away, per GoMuirWoods’ FAQ, you can’t buy parking on the spot, and there’s no cell service, so download your reservation first |
| Booking | Standard-vehicle reservations open up to 90 days ahead |
| The shuttle | The GoMuirWoods shuttle leaves from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal: $4 an adult round trip, children 15 and under free, reservation required both ways, Fridays to Sundays and holidays from early spring through September and weekends in October |
| Hours | Muir Woods is open every day from 8 AM until about sunset |
| From Pier 27 | 16 miles, about 36 min, our estimate, no traffic |
| A tour | Extranomical’s Muir Woods and Sausalito morning tour lists 5 hours with hotel pickup and the entrance and parking included; we didn’t read a price |
The National Park Service and GoMuirWoods, read Sept 28, 2026; the shuttle and reservation details came through a summarizing tool, so confirm them Confirm on the park’s site
Plenty of people assume they can turn up at Muir Woods and pay for a space.
GoMuirWoods’ FAQ says otherwise — no reservation, no entry for the car, and parking can’t be bought on the spot.
The Park Service pages we read don’t address it either way. There’s no cell service in the park either, so download the reservation before you leave the city, not after.
The shuttle is the workaround, and it’s seasonal. It leaves from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal.
We didn’t confirm the ferry sailings or the fare from San Francisco — price that leg yourself before you count on it.
$10.25 southbound, and the fee on top
There’s no cash lane at the Golden Gate, and it charges southbound only. Going north to Muir Woods or Napa is free; the return trip is where the meter runs.
For a 2-axle car the rates are $10.25 on FasTrak, $10.50 through a plate account and $11.25 by invoice, in force since July 1, 2026.
The Bay Bridge and the three other state bridges we checked (Dumbarton, Richmond–San Rafael and San Mateo–Hayward) charge $8.50 in 2026, westbound only.
Renters who’d rather skip the fee can pay online within 48 hours of crossing, or open a short-term plate account.
The district says most rental agencies charge convenience fees for their toll programs — so the table below matters.
| Company | Fee | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Avis | $6.95 per rental day | $34.95 per rental period |
| Budget | $6.95 per rental day | $34.95, though the district’s page says “per rental month” |
| City Rent A Car | $3.95 per rental day | $19.75 a month |
| Dollar, all-inclusive | $28 per rental day, with unlimited tolls in 24 hours | $59.99 a week |
| Enterprise, National, Alamo | $4.95 per toll day | $34.65 per rental |
| Fox | $13.99 per rental day | The fee stops at 15 days |
| Hertz | $5.95 per calendar day with a toll | No cap, and each toll is billed at the highest cash rate, undiscounted |
| Payless | $7.95 per rental day once used | $39.75 |
| Sixt | $15.99 a day (tax and tolls extra) | $90 per rental agreement |
| Thrifty, all-inclusive | $11.99 per rental day, with unlimited tolls | $59.99 a week |
Rows follow the Golden Gate district’s rental-program page, read Sept 28, 2026 — it calls the list a courtesy with no date, so treat the counter’s answer as the real one. Courtesy list, undated
Ask which program the car carries before you sign. Skip the toll entirely and you owe it plus a $25 FasTrak penalty — $50 on a second violation.
What will the whole Muir Woods day cost?
It starts with two people and a downtown pickup; change the group, the rate or your rental company’s toll program.
The rental, line by line
Read this as a model, not a quote — the $50 base rate is ours, and the rate on your booking replaces it. Discover Cars’ own Sept 25 to 27, 2026 search showed $39 a day at the airport and $37 downtown, and it labels its prices approximate. SFO would add a stand-in $26 contract charge (Budget’s $10 and a $16 guide fee) and 11% assumed for the concession; we couldn’t open SFO’s own page. For tax, the 3.5% California tourism assessment is all we include. The sources we read don’t settle sales tax, and some quotes print it. If yours does, add it in the fee box. Fuel uses 30 mpg and the $6.56 gallon AAA listed for San Francisco on Sept 28, 2026, over about 33 miles, Pier 27 to Muir Woods and back by our estimate, in a one-day rental from a downtown desk. The toll is a single southbound Golden Gate crossing: $10.25 on your own FasTrak, or the $11.25 invoiced rate plus your company’s program fee. You can switch that below. The entrance is $15 for anyone 16 or older.
With an Enterprise-style program at our assumed $50 a day, one Muir Woods day comes to about $115. That covers the car, the toll, the parking and two entrances — about $58 a person, split two ways.
A Napa day has fewer line items: about $89 for two at $50, or $99 at $60 for four, before any tastings.
Switch the toll program in the calculator and watch the total move — Dollar’s all-inclusive costs the most.
The schedule, with a price on every stop
Written as a schedule the day is short — but every line has a price or a deadline attached.
| When | Stop | What it costs | What to have ready |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days ahead | GoMuirWoods | $10 for a standard vehicle | Reservations open up to 90 days out. Download it, because there’s no cell service at the park. |
| The day before | The downtown desk | The base rate, $50 a day at our assumption | Avis at the Wharf is open daily 7 to 7; Enterprise there closes at 5 on weekdays and 3 on weekends. |
| Morning | Across the Golden Gate | Nothing going north | About 16 miles and 36 min with no traffic, our estimate. |
| At the park | Muir Woods | $15 for anyone 16 or older | Our sources say nothing about break-ins here. San Francisco’s police advise carrying phones, luggage and passports with you rather than leaving them in the car. |
| Afternoon | Back over the bridge | $10.25 on FasTrak, plus a program fee if your company charges one | The toll is southbound only. Return the car before the desk closes. |
Fees and hours come from the park, the bridge district and the desks themselves (read Sept 28, 2026) Checked Sept 28, 2026
Napa and Sonoma need a driver who isn’t tasting
| What we found | |
|---|---|
| How far | Visit Napa Valley says Napa is about 50 miles from San Francisco and 1 to 2 hours by car; our route estimate is 47 miles and 66 minutes with no traffic |
| Tastings | A basic tasting averages about $40 in Napa Valley and runs $20 to $200 and up; popular rooms book weeks ahead, and two or three winery visits is a day |
| The driver | California’s limit is 0.08% for drivers 21 and older, and 0.01% under 21; a driver can be charged below the limit if impaired |
| Car-free | The car-free way is SF Bay Ferry to Vallejo, about an hour and $10, then the VINE bus to Napa; we couldn’t confirm the bus fare or times |
| Wine Train | The Napa Valley Wine Train runs journeys of about 2.5 to 6 hours from 1275 McKinstry Street; we found no ticket price on its pages |
| Sonoma | Sonoma’s visitors bureau puts it 45 miles from San Francisco; our estimate is 45 miles and 70 minutes. Its tasting-fee range and Sonoma County’s Tasting Pass price weren’t on pages we could read |
Visit Napa Valley, the California DMV, SF Bay Ferry and the Wine Train, read Sept 28, 2026 Some items unread
Napa is a full day, not a side trip. It’s a 66-minute drive each way by our estimate.
Popular rooms book weeks ahead, and two or three tastings plus a long lunch fill the hours. So it belongs to the day before the sailing or the day after — a sail morning won’t leave room for it.
Then there’s the driver. If everyone wants to taste, hire one or take a tour.
We didn’t read a tour price on any operator’s page — ask for a quote and compare it with the rental total above.
Reserve the park, then rent the car
Reserve Muir Woods parking on GoMuirWoods first. Only then look at cars: downtown San Francisco on Discover Cars, or SFO if that’s where you land.
The order matters. Read your toll program’s terms at the counter before you sign anything.
- Pick-up: downtown San Francisco
- Drop-off: the same desk, or one that’s open when you return
- Taxes and fees laid out before you pay
- Free cancellation until 48 hrs before pickup
Muir Woods, Napa and the toll, answered
Can I drive to Muir Woods without a reservation?
Not with a car, no. Parking has to be reserved at GoMuirWoods — $10 for a standard vehicle, $30 for a medium one and $45 for a large one — and per its FAQ you’re turned away without one, with no parking sold on the spot. The entrance fee is separate, $15 for anyone 16 or older.
How far is Napa from the San Francisco cruise terminal?
Visit Napa Valley says about 50 miles and 1 to 2 hours by car, and our own route estimate from Pier 27 is 47 miles, 66 minutes with no traffic. If you’re planning around a sailing, take the longer figure.
What does the Golden Gate toll cost in a rental car?
The toll itself, for a 2-axle car and southbound only, is $10.25 with FasTrak, $10.50 through a plate account or $11.25 by invoice as of July 1, 2026. Most rental companies then add a program fee of their own: $4.95 on each day a toll is incurred at Enterprise, National and Alamo, $6.95 a day at Avis and Budget, $5.95 at Hertz, and $15.99 a day at Sixt.
Can I visit Napa without a car?
Yes: hire a driver, take a tour, or ride the SF Bay Ferry to Vallejo, about an hour and $10, and then the VINE bus. We couldn’t confirm the bus fare or times, and we found no ticket price for the Napa Valley Wine Train.
Do I need to worry about drinking and driving in a rental?
The law doesn’t change because the car is a rental. California’s limit is 0.08% for drivers 21 and older and 0.01% under 21, and a driver can be charged below the limit if impaired, so line up a designated driver or a hired one.
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