If you see images of the Golden Gate Bridge on the internet you will get to know what a wonderful view it can be on a still, clear day. There are two Golden Gate Bridge Vista points which are very popular among the tourists. Pedestrians are allowed to visit the bridge only during the day and cyclists and people with other vehicles are allowed at any time of the day.
You may be allowed to visit the Vista points for just 30 minutes. If you choose to take a walk on the bridge you can get an hour for that. It is located on the Northwestern part of San Francisco.
The metered parking spaces are full all the time. If your meter expires then you would have to pay a fine of at least $ 30. The South Vista Point has a gift shop, cafe, an exhibition that shows the cross-section of a cable and ample number of restrooms.
In order to skip the fine that you may have to pay for spending more time than the meters allow you must turn left onto Lincoln after driving away from metered lot. You can then park your car on the gravel lot on your left. You can avail parking at a satellite lot on the south side side of the bridge on the holidays and weekends. Then simply you can walk towards the bridge. For the North Vista point parking is free for 4 hours.
The bridge survived the 1989 earthquake. To get an idea about the length and height of the bridge one has to walk onto the bridge. The ships passing below the bridge seem to be very small as you stand 220 feet above the surface of the water. The tour operators in San Francisco include a tour to the bridge in their itineraries. A guided tour may help to know about its history.