Ferry Building and farmers market in San Francisco: a visitor guide

The Ferry Building on San Francisco's Embarcadero is a working ferry terminal with a food hall inside it, and on market days a farmers market spreads around it. The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market has run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with Saturday the biggest by far, but days and hours can change, so check the market's own schedule before you go. Here is how to plan a visit.

When is the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market open?

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market runs three days a week:

Day	Hours	What to expect
Tuesday	10 a.m. to 2 p.m.	Smaller market at the front of the building
Thursday	10 a.m. to 2 p.m.	Smaller market at the front of the building
Saturday	8 a.m. to 2 p.m.	The full market, front and back plazas

These days and hours are set by the market and can change for holidays, weather or other reasons. Check before you go, especially around holidays.

The market is run by the nonprofit Foodwise. On Saturdays, stalls fill the sidewalk along the Embarcadero in front of the building and the rear plaza overlooking the Bay. The weekday markets are smaller and sit along the front.

What is inside the Ferry Building Marketplace?

The building itself opens most days, independent of the farmers market. Inside, the long central hall, called the Nave, is lined with shops and counters selling bread, cheese, coffee, oysters, chocolate, olive oil, produce, cookware and prepared food, with restaurants and bars along the edges. It works as a food hall: you can graze from counter to counter or sit down for a full meal.

Shop and restaurant hours differ from the market's and change over time, so check the marketplace's listings if you are planning around a specific counter.

What is the history of the Ferry Building?

The Ferry Building was completed in 1898, designed by architect Arthur Page Brown in the Beaux Arts style. Its clock tower, about 235 feet tall, was modeled on the Giralda bell tower of Seville Cathedral in Spain. In its busiest years, as many as 50,000 ferry passengers a day passed through its halls, making it one of the busiest transit terminals in the world at the time.

When the Golden Gate and Bay bridges opened in the 1930s, ferry traffic collapsed and the building fell into decline, later cut off from the city by an elevated freeway along the waterfront. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged that freeway, it was torn down, and the building came back into view. A long renovation restored the Nave, and the Ferry Building reopened as a marketplace on March 15, 2003. Ferries still leave from behind it.

When is the best time to visit the farmers market?

Saturday morning is the classic visit and the most crowded. Arrive close to opening for the best choice of produce and shorter lines at the popular prepared-food stalls. By late morning the market is packed, especially in good weather.

Tuesday and Thursday are calmer and better if you want to talk to farmers or browse without crowds, though there are fewer stalls.

If you want to talk to growers about what is in season, or about how something was grown, the weekday markets give you more time to do it. On Saturdays, decide on your priorities first: pick up the produce you came for, then join the line for hot food.

Bring a bag, wear layers (the waterfront can be windy and cool even when the rest of the city is warm), and give yourself time to walk out behind the building for the view of the Bay Bridge.

What should you eat at the Ferry Building?

The best approach is to graze.

• Seasonal fruit from California farms, which changes through the year: citrus in winter, stone fruit in summer, apples and pears in fall.
• Bread and pastries from bakeries inside the building and at the market.
• Oysters from Northern California, at counters inside.
• Cheese from California and further afield.
• Hot breakfast and lunch from prepared-food stalls on market days.
• Coffee from the roasters inside the building.

Many visitors buy a picnic and eat on the benches facing the water.

How do you get to the Ferry Building?

The Ferry Building stands at the foot of Market Street on the Embarcadero. The Embarcadero station, served by BART and Muni Metro, is a short walk away, and the F-line historic streetcars run along the waterfront and up Market Street. Ferries from across the Bay arrive behind the building. Driving is possible, but parking nearby is limited and expensive, so transit is usually easier.

What is near the Ferry Building?

The Embarcadero promenade runs north toward Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf and south toward Oracle Park. Chinatown and North Beach are within walking distance uphill.

How can you remember the best stalls?

A Saturday at the market can mean a dozen small purchases. On Mosey you can rate the places you ate at and the dishes you tried, with photos, keep a list of stalls and counters for your next visit, and follow friends to see what they recommend.

More guides to read next:

• San Francisco Chinatown and dim sum: a food guide
• Where to eat in Hayes Valley and the Castro, San Francisco
• The Mission burrito: how to eat it in San Francisco

More in the US food guides and the ranked lists of places.