Free things to do in San Francisco

126 places in San Francisco with free entry or no charge, based on guide listings and map data.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first. Showing the top 40 of 126.

Photo: Kevin Cole ( en:User:Kevinlcole ), CC BY 2.0 (licence)

SeeAttractionGolden Gate
Palace of Fine Arts
The only structure remaining from the 1915 World's Fair, it features a classical Roman rotunda (1,100 feet wide, 162 feet high) with curved colonnades (30 Corinthian columns frame a wide walkway in the colonnade) situated in an idyllic park setting with a classical European-Style lagoon. It's a great place to unwind, have a picnic, and watch the swans float elegantly by. It also has a theater offering a variety of shows, musical and cultural events.
6AM-9PM dailyFree · Built 1915
SeeAttractionThe Avenues
Japanese Tea Garden
The oldest public Japanese garden in the country, with beautiful plants, ponds, bridges, and Japanese-style structures including a tea house. Tours are available every Wednesday and Sunday at 1PM starting at the main gate.
March–October daily 9AM-5:45PM, November–February daily 9AM-4:45PM$12 adults ($10 Oct–Feb), $7 seniors/teens, $3 children 5-11, free for children 4 and under; free admission M, W, F before 10AM
SeeMuseumFisherman's Wharf
Musee Mecanique
Probably the largest and most extensive antique arcade in the world. Several hundred coin-operated musical instruments, antique arcade games, fortune telling machines, and mechanical dioramas. that date from the turn of the century to the early 1990s. The proprietor is typically moving around the space on rollerskates, doing maintenance on the machines.
Mon-Fri 10AM-7PM, Sat Sun and holidays 10AM-8PMFree to browse, but the machines take change · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible
SeeMuseumCivic Center-Tenderloin
Asian Art Museum
Built in 1917 as the city's public library building, this building is a fantastic blend of "Beaux Arts" and modern design elements. It was designed by renowned architect Gae Aulenti (architect of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris). Inside, you'll find many interesting architectural details including the grand staircase, loggia, vaulted ceilings, the great hall, stone floors, period light fixtures, an oddly interminable escalator, and inscriptions. The museum is one of the largest and newest museums of Oriental art. It has circa 15,000 artifacts covering 6,000 years of Asian history. The Asian Art Museum hosts many special exhibits as well. The cafe on premises also has some decent food, though pricier and somewhat more tame than better places a short walk away.
Tue-Sun 10AM-5PM (with extended evening hours every Thu until 9PM); closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas DayFree first Sunday of every month, $15 adults, $10 seniors/students/youth ages 13-17, free for children 12 and under/military/SFUSD students. Th evenings at a reduced rate ($10) after 5PM. Special exhibitions cost extra · Wheelchair accessible
SeeMission
Mission Dolores Park
One of the city's most popular parks, this is one of the main neighborhood hangouts, with people regularly partying or partaking in some recreational marijuana on its grassy slopes, as well as a sunny retreat for many San Franciscans when the rest of the city gets foggy. There are plenty of recreational facilities as well as a fantastic playground built into the hillside, and the top of the park (at the corner of 20th and Dolores) offers an excellent view of the San Francisco skyline. Playground is wheelchair accessible.
10AM–6PM; restrooms 8AM–8PMFree
SeeMuseumNob Hill-Russian Hill
Cable Car Museum
Here you can see the mechanisms that drive San Francisco's famed cable cars, as well as plenty of cable car memorabilia and information on the history of the cable cars.
Apr–Oct: 10AM-6PM daily; Nov–Mar: 10AM-5PM dailyAdmission is free
SeePublic artGolden Gate
Wave Organ
Designed by George Gonzales and Peter Richards in 1986, the Wave Organ is a system of PVC pipes that harness the power of the ocean to create music... or at least what can be interpreted as music! There is a unique space at the end of a spit of land where you can sit and enjoy the sounds, and even if it's not your kind of music, there are some excellent views and it's also a great place to relax and have a picnic.
It's best at high-tide — 5:30AMFree
SeeSoMa
Yerba Buena Gardens
The Yerba Buena Gardens, above the Moscone Convention Center, provide a nice urban oasis. A large grassy meadow, a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., play places for kids, fountains and gardens make this a great place to come, play and relax.
6AM-10PM dailyFree
SeeMuseumCastro-Noe Valley
Randall Museum
A small but fun children's museum with several interactive exhibits, including live animals, a science exhibit, a toddler play area, and a railroad exhibit which includes a model railroad layout which is open on Saturdays. The museum is perched on a hill, offering great views of the San Francisco skyline.
Tue-Sat 10AM-5PMFree · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible
SeeMuseumUnion Square-Financial District
San Francisco Railway Museum
A small but charming museum with exhibits on the history of rail transportation in San Francisco, with a particular emphasis on the streetcar systems. It's a good companion piece to a streetcar ride, with a stop on the F-line just outside the front door.
Tue-Sun 10AM-6PMFree · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible
SeeHistoric siteFisherman's Wharf
Ghirardelli Square
It was declared a city landmark in 1965, and today it's still possible to view the remnants of the old chocolate-making machinery there (though chocolate production stopped years ago). Be sure to pop into the chocolate shop; they often hand out free samples at the front door, though the sample may not make up for the long wait in line. The square has a few boutiques, restaurants, specialty stores, and galleries catering mostly to tourists. Be sure to visit the San Francisco Brewing Company for some great west coast IPAs and other freshly brewed beers, but be prepared to pay tourist prices for them. It also has great views over the Bay.
Closed · opens 11 amFree
SeeGardenThe Avenues
Shakespeare Garden
With roses and other flowers mentioned in his plays. A bust of Shakespeare sits at the opposite end from the entrance.
Free · Free entry · Built 1928
SeeHistoric siteGolden Gate
The Octagon House
Dating from 1861, this eight-sided house with its cupola top, dormer windows, and roof lanterns was built in the belief that such octagonally shaped houses promote healthier living. Today, the building is an American Colonial museum. It has many artifacts on display including antique furniture and historical documents. It is run by the National Society of the Colonial Dames.
Open to the public on the second Sun of every month, and the second and fourth Thu of every month, from noon-3PMFree
SeeAttractionChinatown-North Beach
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory
Opened in 1962, this tiny factory produces more than 20,000 fortune cookies a day. The factory is in a small alley and it is tiny with only 3 people making fortune cookies. Tourists are welcome to walk in off the street — you get a flat (un-bended) fortune cookie sample but photos cost 50 cents and the moment you walk in they are asking you in their broken English what cookies you want to buy. It is a must see though!
7AM-8:30PM dailyFree entry, $10 for a huge bag of cookies
SeeMemorialThe Avenues
AIDS Memorial Grove
A national memorial to AIDS victims.
Free
SeeMuseumChinatown-North Beach
Chinese Historical Society of America Museum
This is well worth a visit, with exhibits on the history and experience of Chinese immigrants to San Francisco over the past 150 years.
Mon–Tue closed, Wed – Sun 11AM-4PMFree · Wheelchair accessible
SeeMuseumFisherman's Wharf
Maritime Museum
Shaped like a ship, this historic building was built by the WPA as a bathhouse and served as the Maritime Museum for many years before a renovation. Inside you'll find maritime exhibits and beautiful underwater-themed murals.
10AM-4PM dailyFree · Built 1936
SeeMuseumFisherman's Wharf
Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye
A museum all about the eye: anatomy, vision, eye disorders and treatment, the history of ophthalmology, and rotating exhibitions. Run by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, it's well worth a visit if you're in the area and at all curious to learn about how eyes work.
Wed–Sun 11AM–4:30PMFree · Free entry
SeeArt gallerySoMa
Luggage Store Gallery
They organize exhibitions, performing arts events, arts education, and public art programs in order to encourage and facilitate the flow of artistic ideas between the different cultural and socio-economic stratums in society. They also host exhibits at the Luggage Store Annex (a.k.a. 509 Cultural Center) at 509 Ellis Street (near Leavenworth St).
Wed-Sat noon-5PMFree · Live music
SeeArt galleryChinatown-North Beach
Stylers Art Gallery
時代畫廊
Enjoy authentic Chinese artwork at this gallery. It has the biggest showroom (at basement level) for Chinese painting and calligraphy in China Town. They also offer classes in calligraphy for those who want to take their appreciation a step further.
Mon-Fri 11AM-5PM; Sat-Sun 10:30AM-5:30PMFree
SeeArt galleryCivic Center-Tenderloin
John Pence Gallery
This gallery exhibits art of the realism movement (particularly academic realism) as well as "Beat Generation" art works.
Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM, Sat 10AM-5PMFree
SeeAttractionFisherman's Wharf
Pier 39
A 45-acre pier-complex featuring 100 specialty stores, 12 full-service restaurants, theater, cruises, live entertainment, and more.
Closed · opens 10 amFree
SeePublic artGolden Gate
Yoda Fountain
You can practice your "Jedi" skills outside the Letterman Complex with this statue of Yoda on a fountain.
Free · Wheelchair accessible
SeeViewpointGolden Gate
Battery East
This fortification was built in the 1870s, to withstand newer and heavier ordinance. You can view the earthen works and brick-lined magazines built to protect large Rodman guns and their ammunition.
Free
SeeGolden Gate
Presidio Tunnel Tops
Gently sloping park and picnic area with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and downtown San Francisco, weather permitting. Includes playground, cafes, restaurants and food trucks.
Free
SeeThe Avenues
Golden Gate Park
Once an area of sand dunes, Golden Gate Park is an urban oasis, roughly half a mile wide and four miles long, with windmills, bison, museums, lakes and a carousel hidden among its charms. At 1,017 acres, it is 174 acres larger than New York's Central Park, so unless you have a bike, you'll want to plan which area you want to visit, especially along the east (Stanyan Street) to west (the Ocean) axis. A free shuttle bus circulates through the eastern half of the park. JFK Promenade between Transverse and Kezar is closed to vehicular traffic; this car-free zone is popular with walkers, cyclists, and runners. The number 5 trolleybus runs along the park's north boundary (Fulton Street), and offers the most frequent service across the park and to downtown. The N streetcar runs two blocks south of the park's southern boundary, with service similar to the 5 bus.
5AM-midnightFree
SeeMuseumGolden Gate
Officers Club
Part of it was built by the Spanish with adobe walls in the late 1700s, and was remodeled in the 1930s in the Spanish Colonial Revival-style adorned with rustic Spanish-tile gable roofs, heavy, rough timber lintels and beams, and decorative ironwork.
Tue-Sun 10AM-6PMFree
SeeFisherman's Wharf
Sea Lion Center
A small free center with limited information and sea lion merchandise. Naturalists from the Aquarium of the Bay are on hand at the center as well as on the dock overlooking the sea lions to answer questions and give presentations about the sea lions.
10AM-5PM dailyFree
SeeArt galleryChinatown-North Beach
North Beach Museum
Photographs, pictures and artifacts that shed light on the rich history of North Beach.
Mon-Thu 9AM-4PM, Fri 9AM-6PMFree
SeeArt galleryGolden Gate
Images of the North
Features an eclectic collection of prints, sculpture, and jewelry from Alaskan and Canadian Inuit artists. The artwork sold here is an interpretation of Arctic life and culture.
Tue-Sat 11AM-5:30PM and by apptFree
SeeMuseumGolden Gate
Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
The Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center provides information on the sanctuary and features hands-on educational exhibits on local marine life. The visitor center is housed in the historic Coast Guard Station at the west end of Crissy Field. The Life Saving Service and Coast Guard were housed here from 1890 to 1990, providing a variety of services ranging from search and rescue operations to navigational assistance.
Wed-Sun 10AM-4PMFree · Built 1915 · Heritage listed
SeeHistoric siteFisherman's Wharf
Aquatic Park and Municipal Pier
A great place to take a break from the bustle of Fisherman's Wharf. There is a small beach at the foot of the park where you'll see kayakers, kite fliers, and swimmers from the nearby swim clubs. At the end of the park is Municipal Pier — the closest you could get to Alcatraz on foot or bike, until continuing deterioration and damage forced it to close to the public in late 2022.
Free
SeeHistoric siteGolden Gate
Atherton House
An 1881 Victorian mansion that was built for Mrs. Doming de Goni Atherton by an unknown architect. It was one of the first Queen Anne residences in San Francisco. It is reported to be haunted, and is a stop on the haunted tour of San Francisco.
Free
SeeMemorialWestern Addition
Japantown
Peace Plaza and shopping mall; Ruth Asawa's incredible wrought and cast bronze origami fountains on the Nihonmachi Pedestrian Mall. At the center entrance to the Japan Center is a five-tiered Peace Pagoda, it was designed by world-famous Japanese architect Yoshiro Taniguchi. The Center opened in 1968.
Closed · opens noonFree entry
SeeMuseumFisherman's Wharf
Visitor Center
The Visitor Center has an information desk and a bunch of small craft and hands-on exhibits that depict San Francisco's rich maritime heritage, with a special focus on the region's economic history. It provides some information about the boats that line Hyde St Pier.
9:30AM-5PM dailyFree · Free entry
DoBeachChinatown-North Beach
North Beach Festival
A North Beach tradition that celebrates its Italian heritage. It features live music and entertainment, poetry readings, classical concerts, dancing, ArtE di Gesso (chalk art on the street), and varied arts and crafts exhibitions.
Takes place in mid JuneFree
SeeHistoric siteNob Hill-Russian Hill
Filbert Street
At a 31.5% grade, this is one of the very steepest streets in the entire Western Hemisphere. Like many of the steeper streets in the city, it has steps along the sidewalk and its own special set of parking rules, so that people and cars don't all come tumbling down!
Free
SeeMemorialGolden Gate
Pershing Square
The flagpole in Pershing Square (at the Main Post) marks the site of a disastrous 1915 fire that destroyed the residence and killed the wife and three daughters of General John "Black Jack" Pershing of World War I fame. Just east lies the site of the original Spanish presidio, built in 1776 on this windswept slope. A boulder by the sidewalk approximates the northwest corner of the original Presidio, which formed a square about 300 feet (100 m) on each side. Two bronze cannons at this site, forged in the 1600s, used to be mounted at Castillo de San Joaquin, a fort built at the point overlooking the Golden Gate. They are among the oldest cannon in North America.
Free
SeeAttractionFisherman's Wharf
Sea lions
A short time after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake struck, these sea lions moved bag-and-baggage into the west marina at Pier 39. There can be as many as 900 sea lions there during the winter months. In the summertime many of them migrate but there is always a steady population at Pier 39's K-Dock all year round.
Free
SeeCivic Center-Tenderloin
Alcazar Theater
Built in 1917 in honor of the Shriners (Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine); this Byzantine-style Islamic temple (now a 500 seat theater showing Broadway and off-Broadway shows), is now a historical city landmark. It also houses a contemporary art gallery. The architect was T Patterson Ross.
By appt only, and for eventsFree

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to San Francisco (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps.