San Francisco Botanical Garden

The San Francisco Botanical Garden is fifty-five acres of beautifully landscaped garden and open space that showcases more than eight thousand varieties of plants from around the world! Located in the Golden Gate Park, the botanical garden offers a much needed escape when you need a quiet moment to reflect or a peaceful stroll in the garden. We can sit on the bench beneath a canopy of vibrant blooms with the water feature, allowing a soothing soundtrack. We can walk and talk, enjoying the fragrant flowers while the kids run around in the lush greenery. This is a great space to feel energized and rejuvenated. Pictures and videos cannot capture the fragrance of all the blooming flowers! Don't miss the flower piano event that will transform the SF botanical garden into the city's own alfresco concert hall!

With a disability and lots of life changes, I haven't been back to the Botanical Gardens in 7 years. I saw an ad for Lightscape (embarrassingly) while playing solitaire on my phone, and then again during a commercial on TV. It looked cooler than the Oakland Zoo's Glowfari and my kid and I prefer Fto avoid zoos. The event was well done overall With the exception that it was extremely popular and the line to enter was quite long (we went the night before 🦃 Thanksgiving), us adults enjoyed the 1 mile of adorned path winding through assorted trees and displays. Maybe a few hundred yards just inside the entrance was a cluster of food/snack trucks and a bar surrounding a squishy lawn with a few tables and chairs set up, but it was way too cold for anyone to want to be stationary. The path led us past resident giant Sequoia, ginko, New Zealand Christmas Tree, to a frighteningly close, zeppelin moon as well as a large swathe of lawn shimmering with thousands of LED lanterns. The grove of artificial cherry trees with their soft pink crystalline blossoms gave off an ethereal and photo-op worthy oasis in the dark, but difficult to capture it's splendor with a regular phone. The pond with giant lillies as well as the very next display of enormous, feathery pompom poppies both had color changing features which have those displays more Insta- and Tok- video opportunities for the younger crowd. There were two displays that we liked quite a bit, although they could have been done slightly better. The laser light and fog machine show through the oaks (?) was fun and made us moms feel like we were in a nightclub reliving our 20s again, and the other display with the giant Sequoias made their branches move in a seemingly preternatural way, but the repetitive songs (especially the sequoias section - the same Lindsey Stirling song over and over again) was just a bit annoying. I'm sure they wanted people to just walk through and take things in at a relatively decent clip and not linger. I rarely go out though, and being able to stop, enjoy nature at night (safely!) with my kid and friends, and with a cool lighted display, I really wanted to take my time. If you've never been, it's definitely worth seeing. I'd be happy to go again; I do wish they did it during the summer season as well, being able to enjoy all that when it's warmer and not 48°F out would draw me back for sure (but armed with a can of mosquito deterrent).

​We really enjoyed our leisurely visit. A great tip: admission is free daily from 7:30–9 am, or check for the free 2nd Tuesday of the month. ​The garden is huge, with so many diverse plants to see from different places. It was wonderful to take our time and explore. We loved seeing the fish and were even lucky enough to spot a couple of beautiful red-tailed hawks!

I spent Thanksgiving Day at the San Francisco Botanical Garden and loved every minute of it—free admission was a nice bonus! What struck me most was how natural the whole place feels. The designers clearly aimed for minimal impact, and the result is a landscape that feels wild but welcoming. With plants from all over the world arranged by region, the garden feels like a peaceful trip across continents. I’ll definitely be coming back!

I had an amazing experience here. I was really surprised by the lush nature that existed in San Francisco. The garden offers a display of hundreds of plant species originating from/native to tens of different countries from different continents, hosting a diverse ecosystem in the park. Overall, I think it is a great place to visit.

I visited the Botanical Garden for the Lightscape show at 5:15 PM. The experience was really nice — the lights, atmosphere, and the whole walk-through felt magical and peaceful. Tickets were $33 per person + tax, which felt a little pricey, but overall it was still fine for a one-time experience. We also found parking very close to the park, which made everything easy and smooth. A beautiful evening and worth visiting at least once during the season.

Thank you for free entry 7:30 - 9 AM :) Today in bloom photos: scavenger hunt! Magnolias are not peak yet, but lovely walk through the park, well maintained and marked.

The botanical garden has great variety of plants and trees. The walkways are well planned. I prefer daytime visit. However, we also attended lightscape event planned for winter holidays. The light establishments and music was good. It was raining so the experience was not as great as expected. Food and beverages were very expensive during the lightshow. Restrooms situation needs lot of improvement though.

what a stunning and peaceful place right in san francisco! i've only been to the botanical gardens to check out flower piano (highly recommended) but i came in a regular tuesday and i absolutely loved it. it's so serene, quiet, and has so many types of plants to check out! the magnolias are already in bloom & i learned that the leaves are edible! they taste like a strong ginger, a little bitter but very fragrant. i enjoyed seeing people sitting on benches reading, having a conversation or just doing nothing at all. it's a place to come back to again and again because so many plants bloom during different seasons. it can look like a totally different park! you should definitely plan a visit. PLUS it's free for SF residents!

Botanical parks are a big draw for me. The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is an environment unto itself in a huge city. San Francisco boasts the climate to have an outstanding garden. This one needs work. The key is in the name, botanical. This is a pleasant garden, but very few of the specimens are identified. The map is so general that it needs constant reference to figure out where you are. The paths go off at random, making it nice for taking a stroll, but not really serving the purpose of a botanical garden. The best example of a finished exhibit is the Primitive Plants, which have their own walkway and are well identified! The best news is that there is free parking on the streets in Golden Gate Park!

What an absolute gem! $11 for adult entry, and worth every penny. The gardens are absolutely gorgeous! Set up in zones that reflect different ecosystems around the world, and its absolutely wonderful. At the golden hour, its damn near magical.

One of my favorite places in San Francisco. It is free if you are a SF resident. I showed my ID that had my SF address. I went last weekend and it seemed like they were getting ready for the Magnolia season. I highly recommend visiting if you haven't.

The SF botanical garden is located inside the Golden Gate Park. It usually takes about one hour to explore the entire place, although it may take up to two hours if you check each dedicated garden more thoroughly. Overall it's not a very remarkable place for observing all plants, as quite a few of them are lack of maintenance, I think it's still a beautiful park just to chill and walk around.

First visit and have no complaints. Well laid out and appreciated the guide mentioning what areas were in peak season. Peaceful meandering paths with lots of off shoot paths. Check their website as they have free mornings from 7:30-9. The tea house and conservatory are separate areas and their own admissions.

Good thing about SF residency is that entry is free so one can come many times. I like this because I tend to get overwhelmed at large gardens or museums trying to see everything to get my moneys' worth. It's 55 acres which is pretty big. Lots of shade, greenery, diverse plants and different types of gardens to explore. It's the perfect place to come on the 5 days a year where SF gets super hot and no one knows where to go to escape. My favorites are the Moon Viewing and Temperate Asia gardens because they are so tranquil and calm with water. They both have the same vibe and some features of a Japanese Garden.

8/18/24 DAHLIA show today . I couldn't believe our LUCK!! A spectacular show today at the San Francisco botanical garden!! We only had a few minutes to spare before we head back home so we hurriedly drove here after having lunch at Boudin. Hubby got a free AND close by parking spot and quickly joined me to check out the plant sale ongoing. To our surprise there was a Dahlia show today as well! We took advantage and just visited tables upon tables of dahlias being showcased. Oh so amazing! I also checked out whatever plants I could at the entrance. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, please see all that I have captured/posted and let them speak for themselves. If I could've spent the whole day wandering these grounds..... The last time we visited this botanical garden was before we were married, that's more than 20 years ago! Next time we visit the bay area, we will spend more time to explore, again. This is a photographer's paradise and for people who simply appreciate nature & the outdoors. Weather was perfect. Today is truly a gift. It was a nice & peaceful excursion. Come visit this wonderful nature's paradise & see, feel, experience its beauty.

Need a nice walk in the gardens to take a moment out for yourself for half an hour or more? It's just so beautiful here, especially in September. Come lay on the grass or be in awe of the history and exotics of the plant world. I highly recommend sitting for a moment by the Redwood trees and look up at their tall splendors. I've been learning about amaryllis belladonna aka Jersey lilies aka naked ladies!

I lived in S.F. for two years a long time ago and visited the Golden Gate Park multiple times, but I never spent much time in the Botanical Garden. Seeing the differences in plants across the continents of the world is quite interesting to me, although I didn't find any plants to be truly unusual in size, shape or color.

Beautiful and vast. A plant lovers dream. I loved how walking through the different areas truly felt like you were entering different ecosystems. We walked through a bunch of redwoods only to find ourselves among cacti a few minutes later. Definitely bring your walking shoes and wear layers.

Golden Gate Park has lots of separate parks and stuff inside. It kind of is like many parks all together it seems. San Francisco Botanical Garden is one of these. Often you have to pay for the admission. Those who get here early enough can get in free for mornings. A lot of plants that are from everywhere. It's better in the summer when it's in full bloom and you can see all the flowers and plants. This is still nice any time of the year. A lot of these are from Asia. There's also plenty from South America including tropical. Has stuff from in California of course. There's an actual redwood forest here. Man these trees are big. The Moon Viewing Garden is cool because of the lily pads. Bad thing about it is paying admission. It's possible to avoid this by going early. This is free in mornings so get up and get your ass here to look at these cool plants and stuff.

One more time for the Summer stroll for 2024 ( at the cusp of the Autumn Stroll to start )and this time it's my favorite place with nature in San Francisco which is Golden Gate Park. So many things happened at Golden Gate Park over the years and continue to happen. There is the one place in the Inner Sunset side of Golden Gate Park which has been a ritual for me and a sanctuary over the decades and should get its flowers . The San Francisco Botanical Gardens has always been my go to place to enjoy a peaceful stroll. There are lots botany and flowers to see and it's all free of charge anytime they are open if you are a San Francisco resident on your ID ( you can't lie to kick it in here for free). In the Summer they have the fun event " Flower Piano". This year it had lots of good performances . Earth Wind and Flowers was on the performance bill. They also had my new favorite show to me and a new tradition which is called the "Flower Piano Fashion Show"... Wear Your Finest!" The Fashion show models had lots of style on the runway. They also had a good Froyo food truck called " FroGo" which I had the Strawberry Dole Whip which had a crack of graham crackers as a topping. It was not too sweet but it had a tasty tart smooth flavor of strawberries. You could smell the whiff of strawberries in the fields of Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park. So the Summer stroll of 2024 comes to an end. Which means the Autumn stroll 2024 begins this Monday. So don't get a case of the Mondays unless you have to go to court. Summer in the city comes and another San Francisco Summer goes A new leaf turns into an new adventure season with the Autumn strolls

Beautiful place, divided by regions... some feel open and dry with succulents and cactus, others lush and green. At the entrance get a map, inside the garden paths are usually paved or cement, but you can "off-road"too. Wear comfortable shoes, dress in layers, it's usually pleasant but can also be warm or foggy. We use the SEEK app to help define the plant names but many are tagged with their common names. Great place to explore. Free to SF residents and IF you go early Free to all from 7:30- 9am (use main entrance). Suggestion: come in each season- it changes so much from spring to summer.

The gardens of Golden Gate Park encompass 55 acres of landscaped gardens. The Conservatory of Flowers, The Japanese Tea Garden and the Botanical Garden. The gardens sit where the original peoples of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Ohlones settled. The Botanical Garden displays plants from all over the world. The Botanical Garden is open daily at 7:30am. The second Tuesday of the month admission is free. Parking is available in the Music Concourse Garage. Limited street parking is also available.

Spotted a heron while walking through the SF Botanical Gardens! Canadian geese grazing on the lawn, squirrels scampering around. Love nature? Love this place!

I explored the San Francisco Botanical Garden on a Saturday afternoon, and it was a delightful experience! Surprisingly, despite it being a weekend, the garden wasn't crowded, allowing for a peaceful stroll amidst nature's beauty. The garden boasts numerous sections, each offering a unique botanical experience. It took us roughly 1.5 hours to explore the entire garden thoroughly. Among the highlights were the succulent garden and the South Africa section. I was particularly impressed by the dedication to maintaining the plants' health and vibrancy. The care and attention were evident in every corner, making it a truly enriching visit.

I loved this garden! There is a huge patch of flat green grass in the middle of the garden where people are having picnics and just lounging around. If you walk towards the back, the view looking through the wooden terraces almost acts like a frame for such a serene place. I spent about an hour fast walking through the different sections. There are multiple paved roads, so many different species and views to explore. I have never seen such pretty flowers! There are bathrooms located near the back of the park.

The Botanical Garden is a 55-acre garden with more than 8,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. It provides a close escape from the city's hustle and bustle. The variety of themed gardens include the Ancient Gardens, the Redwood Grove and Mediterranean Garden. It's an easy stroll! Beautiful!

As botanical gardens go, the hall of flowers is an amazing building with the sites and sounds of the jungles of the world. I love coming in here. The smell of rich earth and the beautiful flowers and exotic plants make this place unique. I've been here since the 1960s and it never gets old. I recommend everyone young or old. Come here and enjoy this San Francisco landmark.

Lovely botanical garden. Worth a visit. Large, not too crowded, lots of interesting plants to look at. A good place to bring parents, grandparents and kids for an easy stroll. Our favorite part was the Dwarf Conifer Pond, where we saw a great blue heron and four hooded mergansers. We also saw a Stellar's Jay near the Moon Viewing Garden and a snowy egret, coot and one more hooded merganser in the Waterfowl Pond. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't see more waterfowl in that pond. Maybe next time. One of our favorite trees was the New Zealand Christmas Tree. It really is a site to behold. Picnicking is encouraged and it's a great and beautiful place to have a picnic. There is a free tour daily at 1:30pm leaving from the Main Gate. There are lots of ways to visit this garden for free. All San Francisco City & County residents, veterans, and anyone who receives SNAP or MediCal benefits receives free admissions, and admissions for three additional guests. The garden is also free every day as long as you enter before 9am. Additionally, it's free all day on the second Tuesday of every month, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day & New Year's Day.

I LOVE it here. My fiance and I went to Golden Gate Park this past weekend to scope out potential engagement photo locations and SF Botanical Garden has made the top of our list. There's tons of parking around the park if you're willing to circle for awhile to find some. We did end up parking at the Music Concourse underground garage ($25 for the afternoon) and then just walked around from there. PRO TIP - definitely get the Golden Gate Gardens Pass for $28 if you have the time to check out all the gardens. It's far more worth it than the $13-16 ticket per park. The Botanical Garden is the largest of the three gardens and it took us about 1-1.5 hours to walk through the whole thing. I could definitely see someone spending more time if you're really into the plants and more leisurely walking around. I also saw quite a bit of people just hanging out and having a picnic along with a couple of weddings so this is definitely a place to spend some time if you want to enjoy the outdoors. Everything is beautifully maintained. The Garden is so clean and I love that there were so many directional signs to let us know where to go for specific exhibits/gardens. They have plants from all over and my favorite areas were New Zealand, Australia, and the Redwoods. They had a coyote warning when we visited and for good reason - we saw a coyote within 5 minutes of entering the gardens! It didn't bother anyone though, just be sure to keep your distance!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the Atlas of Perfumed Botany: Jean-Claude Ellena in the San Francisco Botanical Garden on Saturday October 26th from 2:00-3:00pm . Everything about this event was amazing : 1) Jean Claude's lecture, 2) the Q&A, 3)the book signing, 5) the ability to hear the spooken love language of France by Jean Claude and the audien, 6) the ambiance of the outoor setting of the botanical gardens... I have to return III https://gggp.org/events-calendar/

I love the SF Botanical Garden! It's such a beautiful place and large enough so you can breathe and walk without lots of others being around! There are so many different areas to this garden that it's hard to see everything in a short amount of time. You can move from California plants to prehistoric plants and trees to beautiful flowers with amazing colors. This is a great place to meet up with friends, too; lots of areas to sit and have a picnic lunch together (super easy to pick up whatever you want from great eateries around the 9th Avenue area). The one caveat is that you need to watch out for some pretty agressive raccoons sometimes; one even approached my friend and touched her elbow from behind ... talk about jumping a mile high! It's great that SF residents can enjoy this wonderful garden every day for free; what a city treasure! There are special days when other Bay Area residents can enter for free, too, but you'll have to look up their schedule for those days!

San Francisco Botanical Garden can be a hidden gem that most people don't know about. It's free for residents of San Francisco so it can be the perfect family outing on the weekend without spending any money. Even if one has to pay, the visit is well worth it. (Please considering donating if you can to help the Garden!) The Garden is huge at 55 acres of with a variety of different plants, tree, and plants from around the world. My family loves to stroll the grounds so the kids can spend time with grandma and get some exercise in for everyone. There is a children's garden area, a water lily pond that bloom the prettiest lilies, regular redwood trees and even a rare albino redwood. Koi's swim in ponds and magnolias, rhododendrons, and camellias abound. I have probably been to the garden at least 10 times in the past year and have barely scratch the surface of seeing everything available. I love going in springs for all blooms but anytime of the year is a good time to go.

A true hidden gem in our Bay Area. I'm always excited to take visiting friends and family here because they inevitably have never been there or heard about it. Fantastic place to visit.

This place is expansive and beautiful any time of year. The pianos in the fall are brilliant, and the blooms in the spring are magnificent. Even when it is crowded, there are still many pockets of stillness to view the plants and wildlife that abound.

Beautiful garden!! Free for SF Residents which is a huge plus. The place is so well maintained with lots of different plants to see. A huge open grassy area meets you when you first walk in. They also have a lot of cool events like the Flower Piano series. Staff is super friendly too.

This is a 55 acres garden that is beautifully manicured. It is sectioned into countries like Australia, Asia, Chile, California, and Mediterranean. Most plants are labeled. There are benches sprinkled in each garden section. Just wander around and take in the beauty. I went to see the magnolias in bloom and probably will return when other flowers are in bloom.

Thank you for being free on New Year's day. What a beautiful day to explore. Fresh air. Camelias were in bloom.

Quick take: lovely garden The first time inside this garden was during the Flower Piano weekend. Magnificent pianos placed throughout the park. Heard and saw a lot of great pianists playing away. Most recently we caught the tail end of the Magnificent Magnolia Highlights Walk. The late bloomers were still looking good at the end of March.

It was extremely peaceful , the workers were kind and knowledgeable & the wildlife came to show out. I spent a Monday sunny & windy afternoon in the park. Some areas the wind came whipping through but most you could sit back and enjoy the rays. There are a multitude of benches around the big and small paths. Right now the flowers are blooming and the smells are absolutely incredible! Butterflies danced around every part of the park and the bees were busy at work! Make sure you're careful of them. I got the pleasure of seeing the fish & turtles feed in the pond plus the cutest geese single file into the pond as well. The people in the park were very social and friendly making the whole experience one of my favorite since moving to the city! Entrance for non residents is $14 but free for SF residents! Next time I come , I will definitely be brining picnic supplies and a nice book as this could easily fill a whole day.

This is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens I have ever been to. So incredibly well maintained, all flowers and trees blooming with such beauty. We spent 2 hours here but you can easily spend more. Just really lovely and wonderful for a date or a family stroll. The highlight of my weekend in San fran, a nice way to get away from the city for an afternoon.

Free admission in early morning weekend. Nice to walk around and appreciate different plants and flowers from all over the earth.

I just stumbled upon the Yelp review for this place and I'm shocked it's only 4.5!!! WTH!!! Please visit this magical garden, it's a full 10/10!!!

I went in June but there wasn't much flowers. I expected to see more flowers than I saw. It was nice though I got in for free with a military ID. Winter at the cashier booth was nice too! Scooter accessible too. The Japanese garden wasn't.

Getting here early in the morning on Sunday , I had the gardens almost all to myself. It was quiet and peaceful, could only hear the sound of the birds chirping. I was able to find a space to park on the street right across from the botanical garden before it got super congested. You can also take muni 28 or 7. The plants are well taken care of except the bamboos were dried up. Not much were in bloom in middle of June , probably the best time to go is spring time . Interesting fact is that an emperor and empress of Japan visited this botanical garden back in 1975.

Came here on New Year's day when they had free entrance for the general public. Was able to snag a free 4 hour street parking spot just outside the North Gate entrance. The street parking filled up quickly so come early if you want to avoid the expensive garage parking. The garden was well maintained and there's something for everyone. There was plenty of space to roam about and didn't feel crowded despite it being a holiday. Would love to check out the large greenhouse once that's ready/open. I enjoyed the fresh air, seeing the magnolia blooms, walking through the redwood grove, and the Monkey Puzzle tree. Overall, great place to wander around for a few hours.

San Francisco Botanical Garden is a wonderful destination for nature lovers and people wanting a break from the city life. During my visit, I had the pleasure of experiencing the magnolias in bloom, which was simply stunning. It is home to an impressive variety of plants, and it's organized by plant regions, making it easy to navigate. The park's organization and beautiful layout make it easy to enjoy. One thing I appreciated was the plant store outside of the garden, which sold souvenirs and plants. Plenty of people brought picnic blankets and were enjoying the weather on the garden's extensive grounds. I would love to return again next year,

It's a beautiful day to visit. I love Spring eventhough allergies sometimes gets in the way. This place is huge and expect to do a lot of walking. Parking can be problematic. Probably best to go on weekdays. Every trail has a different feel to it. Lots of flowers blooming right now and I was able to capture some. There was several trees down and cut trees due to recent storm. Other than that, very pretty to be enjoying nature and breathing fresh air. There's an area where you can sit on grass to have a picnic. Yes! You can bring food inside, but please help maintain the place clean for others to enjoy.

So, so gorgeous. Pricing is around $15 for one garden or $28 for all three. The SF Botanical Garden is huge, has such a wide variety of life to look at, and isn't busy! I wish we had set aside more time to explore the gardens as we missed some spots. Keep an eye out for turtles & koi in the ponds!

The Botanical Gardens is a great place for families and is extremely scenic. If you're in Golden Gate Park this is definitely worth visiting.

The San Francisco Botanical Garden is a 55 acre living museum within Golden Gate's 1,017 acres. It was first opened in 1940. The mild Mediterranean climate of San Francisco, characterized by cool dry summers and winter rainfall, provides ideal growing conditions for plants around the world. As you venture your way through this 55 acre ecosystem, you will find plants from North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. You will find plants resembling ancient plant life. It is truly one of the most fascinating botanical garden in the world.

Yet another gem inside of the marvelous Golden Gate Park, I did not realize that the San Francisco Botanical Garden was as massive as it is (55 acres to be exact) and filled with so many great sights, including plants from around the world, a library, bookstore and a new plant nursery being built! (Must go to the grand opening!) For starters, the Sequoia trees were mesmerizing! The Redwoods are a beauty of their own and it was special to be among them in all their glory in the Redwood Grove. There is a TON of incredible sights and smells at the Botanical Garden and I advise you to dress in layers and to make sure you are wearing comfortable clothing and shoes and are prepared for a day of walking!

Beautiful botanical gardens. The grounds always look excellent. We visited the last time on a weekday and it wasn't busy at all!

Abulous. The park outside was crowded on this Saturday afternoon, but the botanical garden filters out the slightly lazy. The redwoods instantly puts me back in Yosemite if for a couple minutes. Relaxing as long as you find parking nearby. Dual membership.

It's a bit small but nice. I liked going to see the Magnolias in February. There were hundreds of trees blooming. We wanted to go for the plant tour at 1:30 pm but it got canceled that day.

Free for SF residents w/ proof! Judging from other's pictures it feels like I went to a completely different garden. I did end up going at the end of August though. There were hardly to no flowers, lots of the plants were dried up and everything looked pretty much the same: dark green and grey with dried up spots. Most interesting part were these fishes in the pond that followed us around because they were expecting food. It would be hard for me to imagine paying for this if someone were to go the same time I did. But I could imagine it being beautiful when all the flowers are in bloom.

Walking through the gardens was like visiting a living museum. It's amazing how we can see so many healthy, beautiful plants from all around the world, thriving in this one microclimate of San Francisco. Admission is free (south entrance doors were simply open) from 7:30-9am, and you can stay as long as you want. However, during the early morning time, the sprinklers are on everywhere which can make it difficult to explore the small paths while staying dry and getting good pictures. If you enter after 9am, admission is $13 for adults, $21 for families. Some plants they have include South African/Chilean/Australian/New Zealand/ancient/Southeast Asian plants, redwoods, succulents, California natives, rhododendrons, and a fragrance garden. You will also see so much more than plants. I'd never seen so many hummingbirds in one area in my life--dozens were in the Australia and succulent areas when I visited in the early morning.