Free things to do in San Francisco

Free Tickets lists 10 places in San Francisco with free entry we checked against official sources. Always free: Golden Gate Bridge. Free on set days: Asian Art Museum, Japanese Tea Garden, Legion of Honor, San Francisco Botanical Garden and de Young. Free for some visitors (children, students, residents and others): Alcatraz, Asian Art Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, Japanese Tea Garden, Legion of Honor and 3 more.

Asian Art Museum — first Sundays: free general admission for everyone on the first Sunday of every month; Japanese Tea Garden — hour for everyone: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9-10am; Legion of Honor — general admission for everyone on the first Tuesday of every month; San Francisco Botanical Garden — every morning, 7:30-9am; de Young — general admission for everyone on the first Tuesday of every month. Each place page shows the next dates, with closures and holidays already taken out.

Alcatraz, Asian Art Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, Legion of Honor, SFMOMA and de Young — age limits differ, see each page for the exact rule and the ID you may need.

Some free days are for San Francisco residents and Bay Area residents only, with proof of address. Visitors from elsewhere can use the free days for everyone or the paid options on each page.

At Alcatraz, Exploratorium and Japanese Tea Garden even free entry needs a timed reservation, and free slots can run out. Book as soon as the slots open.

Among the places here that charge entry, the cheapest standard adult ticket is Asian Art Museum at $20 (official price). Each place page compares official prices with partner tickets and tours, and our cheap-tickets page lists everything for 10 or less.