If watching the Warriors defeat the Lakers 119-109 in their first game of the season has you wanting to get to a home game at Chase Center, you may want to consider taking the ferry from Alameda rather than fighting traffic and then paying a fortune to park (if you’re lucky enough to get a space).
Be sure to purchase your ticket(s) in advance because they sell out quickly and Clipper cards are not valid for these rides. The easiest way is to use the San Francisco Bay Ferry App, which you can download for IOS or Android. You can also purchase tickets online at the SF Bay Ferry website, but it’s probably handier to do it with the app.
This season, tickets are $11.25 for adults, or $8.50 for youth (5-17), seniors (65+), and disabled. Children under the age of 5 can ride for free with paying adults, but you must add a free under-5 pass to your ticket purchase.
Check the departure times shown on your tickets and then on game day, go to the Main Street Ferry Terminal at 2990 Main Street to catch the ferry from Alameda. Park for free in the lot at the terminal and then simply enjoy the 40-minute ride across the bay, with a stop at Jack London Square in Oakland. After you dock at Pier 48 in San Francisco, it’s about a 12- to 15-minute walk to Chase Center.
Concessions are usually available on pre-game trips to Chase Center, based on concessionaire staffing availability. No alcoholic beverages, ice chests, or coolers may be brought onboard the boat. There are no onboard alcohol sales on the return trip.
For the return trip, again, be sure to check the departure time shown on your ticket. This is very important, as the ferry departs from Pier 48 approximately 30 minutes after the final buzzer, but no later than 11:30 p.m. That means ferry riders need to leave Chase Center promptly after the game ends.
As one reddit user noted, “If you want to watch until the final buzzer, you basically have exactly enough time to walk from Chase to the pier… but no time for restroom or merch stops on the way out.”
By the way, that same person also said that taking the ferry to Chase Center is “hands down the best way to get to the game.”
