Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: garden (28) free (22) plants (19) beautiful (12) world (10) walk (9) visit (9) time (8) trees (8) botanical (8)
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  • 5/5 K M. 2 years ago on Google
    Absolutely stunning - bring your camera because everything is breathtaking and a welcome nature retreat - free between 7:30am - 9am - with restrooms and drinking fountains - arrive early to have it to yourself - 55 acres so allow time to soak it in and pause for pictures - the morning light is stunning and the sprinklers briefly run which give everything a glistening appearance. Bring a snack and bottle of water to enjoy on the many benches spread around.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Noelle K. 2 years ago on Google
    We actually didn't plan on visiting, but we are so glad we did. We're not residents of San Francisco, so our entrance wasn't free but if I was a resident I would go there as often as I could. I was surprised by the variety of plants, routes and paths you could take. Also very good accessible for strollers or wheelchairs.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Supriya R. 1 year ago on Google
    Everyday it's entrance is free from 7.30-9am, but we can only enter through main entrance. It's free for SF residents and veterans. It has different fees from Feb- October ($13/Adult) and November - January ($10/Adult). Youth and seniors $7 and kids( 5-11) $3. We can park for four house on the road. It was very good experience to see plants and trees from different parts of the world. It took us 3 hours to finish the walk around the garden ( by skipping few places). Coyote warnings were placed through out the park. Kids/children garden was ok. To have a walk or spend sometime in nature, then it's the best place. It has free guided tours on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 2 pm. Restrooms are not that clean.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Armita 1 year ago on Google
    Amazing botanical garden to visit. It has over 8000 plants from around the world. It has many beautiful garden sections. It takes about 2.5 hours to go around the garden. It’s good to visit with a friend. There were many coyote warnings around the garden. The fee was $10, but it had a free guided tour. So it was an amazing deal. There are restrooms around the garden but they are not very clean.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Diana M. 2 years ago on Google
    What a spectacular garden to visit! Over 8000 exotic plants from around the world. A display of beauty, you will encounter several different collections of garden displays, which are broken down into sections. Enjoy a walk with free guide tours. Trained experts hold these exciting excursions departing from the bookstore (Monday thru Friday at 1:30pm; and on weekends from 10:30am to 1:30pm) and from Friend Gate (2pm on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Wilson T. 2 months ago on Google • 1021 reviews New
    TLDR: free before 9AM for everyone, free for SF residents! We came in around 8AM and walked around for an hour and probably only saw half the park. It was a great time seeing all the beautiful flowers and you can even come during different seasons and see different flowers and plants bloom. The layout is also fun as you can take the main path or the side dirt paths around the gardens
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Gregory C. 4 months ago on Google • 143 reviews
    Nature enthusiasts will find this hidden gem an absolute delight. Despite residing in the Bay Area for a decade, I recently discovered this serene haven, and it's a vibrant sanctuary. The tranquil atmosphere here effortlessly soothes the mind. The botanical garden beautifully organizes plants by global regions, offering fascinating insights with labeled exhibits. Personally, strolling across the water bridge, observing the playful catfish below, was a highlight. They curiously followed my steps along the bridge—a unique experience. Parking is conveniently available on the street with a generous 4-hour free limit. I visited on a Tuesday, encountering manageable crowds. I recommend arriving early on busy days to avoid congestion. Overall, it's a stunning destination well worth a visit.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 mayliss 2 years ago on Google
    i visited the sf botanical garden a few days ago, & i loved it! the nice lady at the ticket booth explained how entrance was free to sf residents, which is awesome. the views & plants are absolutely beautiful. i love nature & all things green so i had a fun time seeing all the different plants, flowers & trees. i also thought it was very interesting how they had little metal plaques with information on the organisms & for the donators on their benches. my camera roll is now full of plants pictures lol!! i went in the early morning (9am) & was surprised to see a good amount of people there. many children, elderly couples, runners, & nature enthusiasts, a great & safe place to spend your time! just make sure to wear warm layers because my fingers turned purple because of the weather, & i was wearing 3 jackets!! other than that i had a great time :)
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jason M. 1 year ago on Google
    So beautiful. I could spend all day here. Such a variety of plants from different parts of the world. If you get there early enough there is no charge for entry. A nice change of pace from the usual price gouging from the lovely and beautiful san Francisco. All love for the city. I especially enjoy the wooden bridge over the lake. Very pretty. Please check this place out!!!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Janet Z. 1 year ago on Google
    I had my wedding ceremony at the Celebration Garden. It was easy to reserve. We rented chairs and their staff was able to set them up and tear down. The event coordinators were helpful and provided a lot of information. Our wedding day was magical and everyone enjoyed themselves. My husband and I are happy we chose this place for our ceremony. We got a lot of great photos too!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mrimon G. 6 months ago on Google • 325 reviews
    Heavenly! This garden is so beautiful and peaceful, I absolutely loved every inch of this place. There are so many trees, flowers and animals. I fell in love with nature and it is ridiculously huge for you to roam around. It is free every day from 7:30 AM to 9 AM, every second Tuesday of the month, Thanskgiving, new year’s. 10/10
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Div M. 3 months ago on Google • 312 reviews New
    My happy place.. I love walking around the botanical garden no matter where in the world I am. This is just pure joy and happiness ❤️ And it was great to find out that before 9:00 am it's free.. got there at 8:45 am I am excited to see the magnolia in Bloom in a few months.. The Redwood Grove was pretty awesome just walking amongst the sequoia and feeling a part of the universe.. Thank you for what you do to make this botanical garden a reality in the San Francisco Golden gate Park. I so appreciate you. And it's free for SF residents. Just show an ID or residence proof.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 MD Networking P. 2 months ago on Google • 183 reviews New
    It is a wonderful place to visit especially in the summer. There are several species of plants, the Lake of Dwarf Conifers is a spectacle in itself, as well as a large lawn ideal for those who want to take a family walk. There is a free tour daily at 1:30 pm leaving from the Main Gate. I recommend the visit!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Apoorv M. 9 months ago on Google
    It is a nice place. The best part of it is how peaceful it is in the middle of the city. Its huge and well maintained (clean). There are plantations from all across the world. People come out here with their families. There is pond in between . You can see Geese, Ducks, Turtles and Fishes over there living in harmony. I would still say I have been to very beautiful parks/gardens thus the price of the ticket was not justifying to what I saw in here. But, hey, that's just my experience. Definitely give it a try and cut yourself out from the busy city life.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Nick Y. 1 year ago on Google
    Absolutely amazing day at the botanical gardens! Everything looks very fresh and green after all the rain we've been having. There was a line to get in which was a little unexpected. Parking was already pretty full at 10:30am on a Saturday, but we parked in one of the underground lots and found a spot pretty easily. Nearby fields were full of weekend family sports, so plan accordingly.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sara M. 7 months ago on Google
    I had such a wonderful ramble through the botanical garden! I was there for roughly three hours and saw nearly every inch. I was so amazed at the variety - they had sections for different parts of the world. It was such a tour! The fragrance garden was so stimulating and I loved the paths through the beds; I felt like they added so much to the immersion factor.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Abigail 6 months ago on Google • 22 reviews
    Absolutely stunning! A must visit for tourists and locals. If you’re a resident of SF it’s free entry but well worth the price to visit if you’re not. You could spend days here and not see everything this garden has to offer. I’ve gone 4x since March and April through June have been the best months in my opinion.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Pavan 7 months ago on Google
    Stunning garden... Such a beautiful oasis in the middle of another oasis! ❤️ Highly recommend commend visiting this place... And if you're a SF resident, it's free! The team has put in so much effort and time in keeping the trees and plants from all over the world in such an immaculate state! Well done. 👍🙏🙌❤️.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Larry 1 year ago on Google
    Amazing! My favorite out of the Botanic Garden, Japanese Tea Garden, and Academy of Sciences. A giant park with many different plants, places to visits, and ponds. Well worth the $13 for an adult. You can spend hours wandering around. If you are planning to take pictures, make sure you have enough storage on your phone haha
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Caitlin T. 1 year ago on Google
    This was one of the highlights of our trip. They had so many different flowers, trees, plants! There are paved paths around the whole park but we enjoyed the small unpaved pathways that allowed you to explore the different sections of the gardens. Plenty of areas to sit and relax if needed. Definitely worth the ticket price.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Brianna D. 1 year ago on Google
    Such an awesome garden! There are a lot more small paths in the middle of sections of the garden than I’ve seen at other botanical gardens. We saw lots of pollinators and hummingbirds. This is a huge space with a lot to explore. It’s a lot less of a hike than the Berkeley Botanical Garden (although both are lovely)
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ash L. 2 years ago on Google
    Wow absolutely beautiful. A definite must see! So many flowers all spread out so beautifully and in an organized location. It’s huge and there’s a lot to see. Price for tickets is well priced.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Emily G. 2 years ago on Google
    This is a nice escape from the city with a lot of space to explore. Entrance is free before 9am and there was plenty of free street parking right in front when we got there at 8am on a Saturday. Check out the websites “what’s in bloom” section so you know what the highlights since it obviously varies every few months.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 龔振勝 3 months ago on Google • 259 reviews New
    This place is huge. So glad the passes you buy are more 3 days. One thing to note, is that the Japanese-inspired Moon-viewing terrace looks very natural, in that it's been left alone. We need to be careful of this though, because there were lakes that were left like this in Japan, and it took major efforts to eventually clean them up, because they had become biological cesspools that smelled and would be quite dangerous for people to be near. They solved that by regularly cleaning up the bodies of water, and most importantly, adding an oxygen system that would pump air into the lakes from the bottom, which helped make the body of water habitable for life like fish and other things. Some may complain that it's fake and not natural, but honestly at the end of the day, these gardens are to provide a healthy portion of nature for humans, and I think all it takes is a bit of human ingenuity to make it more hospitable for aqua-life and other forms of flora, not just something pleasing to the eye. Other than that, it was nice to visit, but sort of scary, when we tried to exit from where we entered, because this place is big enough that you can easily get lost. Trying to find an exit we were familiar with to get out of was hard enough, but to find that it was closed was kinda' scary, and my friend had a condition that caused walking difficulties, so to make him walk further to another gate was kinda cruel. We did manage to get out of the "Hotel California" eventually, but it would help to have exit-only turn-styles along the other gates. If you're there past 4pm, make sure to KNOW where the main gate is that you can exit, and it might not be the same gate you entered through!

  • 5/5 nicolo alexis d. 1 month ago on Google • 80 reviews New
    Beautifully kept garden. If u come before 9 you can enter for free. Loved all the exhibits, like the Jurassic garden, dessert (I think it was called succulents), and the redwood forest, which were overwhelmingly huge. There was also a very fragrant place although I couldn't figure out which plant it was, not sure it was one of the magnolia trees.I might have spent two hours walking the garden!

  • 5/5 Heather W. 10 months ago on Google
    We visited here while on vacation and got the 3 garden pass for the Golden Gate Park. What a beautiful and magical place! It's quite large and you can pretty much wander around wherever you like. So many unique and unusual trees and flowers from all over the world! Highly recommend!

  • 5/5 Shruti R. 7 months ago on Google
    A very vast space and very well maintained! You have plants and trees from across the world here. They charge non-SF residents $17 (including taxes) and also have maps in English, Mandrin and Spanish which gives you general information about the area. I went at a time where they had piano concerts happening in different locations inside the garden, it was a real treat to watch!

  • 5/5 Sian P. 6 months ago on Google
    Absolutely beautiful place to come & have a picnic (which they allow). I wish I could've visited earlier in my trip to SF but from I did see it was abosolutely breathtaking. Even tugging along a 48lb suitcase it was enjoyable & gives way for lots of photos.

  • 5/5 Aster H. 2 years ago on Google
    The magnolias were beautiful, easy walking on the trails, and a lot of open space that gives you a chance to breathe, even with a lot of people there. $10/person if you aren't a resident, and there's ample street parking for free, or a parking structure under the Academy of Sciences if you're willing to walk a bit (and pay an additional $18). Bring a water bottle, they don't sell any at the attached bookstore. Will definitely be returning.

  • 5/5 Rachel K. 7 months ago on Google
    Gorgeous gardens, the place is absolutely massive! We went an hour and a half to closing time and didn't make it all the way through the different sections. I'd definitely come again earlier in the day and bring a blanket to sit in the grass and enjoy the scenery with some drinks and food. The flowers and plants were amazing!

  • 3/5 Sujal M. 4 months ago on Google
    It is a vast land of a garden to walk through. I don’t have much understanding of plants. The regions were divided geographically to demarcate the plants. We loved the walk. Saw some pretty good plants. Nice seating areas as well

  • 5/5 Josh K. 2 years ago on Google
    Amazing venue for finding a peaceful moment with nature. Come with a group of friends, bring a book and a blanket, or just a desire for joy. I take a walk through here for lunch to clear my mind. Also a great place to learn or enhance your Botany knowledge. Special bonus for SF residents - admission is free with proof of residency.

  • 4/5 Uday U. 2 years ago on Google
    Huge garden with various sections. Very calm place and excellent for people having interest in Botany. Liked fragrance garden area. Only odd thing is we paid $20 each for entry but no ticket is issued!


Call (415) 661-1316 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Activities
    • ✓️ Hiking
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible parking lot

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