Free Walking Tour of San Francisco
2h30 · rated 9.2/10 in 4,425 reviews
Guided in English
Reserve a spot- Home
- San Francisco
- Tuesday
What is free in San Francisco on Tuesdays
Free museum hours in San Francisco change with the day of the week. This is the list for Tuesday: first what is free on this day in particular, then what is free on any day.
Free walking tours in San Francisco2
These have no fixed price. You reserve a spot, and at the end you tip the guide what you think the tour was worth.
Chinatown & Little Italy Free Evening Tour
2h · rated 8.8/10 in 101 reviews
Guided in English
Reserve a spotSpots are booked through Civitatis.
Free on Tuesdays in particular4
de Young Museum, free first Tuesday
Golden Gate ParkFree on certain daysBooking recommendedIndoorGood with kids
The city's main fine arts museum in Golden Gate Park, strong on American painting, textiles and art from Africa, Oceania and the Americas.
- Free when
- First Tuesday of every month, 9:30 am to 5:15 pm. Permanent collection galleries only, special exhibitions stay full price.
- Free for whom
- Everyone, no residency requirement
- Reservation
- Reserve a free timed ticket at famsf.org a few days ahead. Same-day tickets at the desk depend on capacity.
- Time needed
- 2h
- How to get there
- Muni 44 to the Music Concourse stop on Tea Garden Dr, or 5 Fulton to 8th Ave and a 5-minute walk into the park
Worth it? Yes.This is the free day a visitor can actually use, since Saturdays are for Bay Area residents. Arrive at opening. The same morning the Conservatory of Flowers, a 10-minute walk east, is free too.
Source: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco · checked Oct 4, 2026Open in Maps
Legion of Honor, free first Tuesday
Lincoln ParkFree on certain daysBooking recommendedIndoorGood with kids
European painting and sculpture in a colonnaded building on a bluff above the Golden Gate, with a cast of Rodin's Thinker in the courtyard.
- Free when
- First Tuesday of every month, 9:30 am to 5:15 pm. Permanent collection galleries only, special exhibitions stay full price.
- Free for whom
- Everyone, no residency requirement
- Reservation
- Reserve a free timed ticket at famsf.org a few days ahead. Same-day tickets at the desk depend on capacity.
- Time needed
- 1h30
- How to get there
- Muni 18 to the Legion of Honor stop, or 38 Geary to 33rd Ave and a 15-minute walk uphill through Lincoln Park
Worth it? Yes.Quieter than the de Young on free day and the setting does half the work. Combine it with the Lands End trail, which ends a few minutes from the door. Doing both museums the same Tuesday is possible but rushed.
Source: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco · checked Oct 4, 2026Open in Maps
Conservatory of Flowers, free first Tuesday
Golden Gate ParkFree on certain daysIndoorGood with kids
A white Victorian glasshouse from 1879 with tropical plants, orchids and giant water lilies in five warm rooms.
- Free when
- First Tuesday of every month, 10 am to 4:30 pm
- Free for whom
- Everyone
- Reservation
- Not needed
- Time needed
- 30 to 45 min
- How to get there
- Muni 5 Fulton to Arguello Blvd, then 5 minutes on foot into the park along JFK Promenade
Worth it? Yes.Small, so 40 minutes covers it. On any other day the outside and the flowerbeds in front are free and are honestly the better photo.
Source: Gardens of Golden Gate Park · checked Oct 4, 2026Open in Maps
San Francisco Botanical Garden, free early hours
Golden Gate ParkFree on certain daysGood with kids
Fifty-five acres of plants arranged by region, including a redwood grove and a cloud forest collection that grows outdoors here because of the fog.
- Free when
- Daily 7:30 am to 9 am, enter before 9. Also free all day on the second Tuesday of every month, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
- Free for whom
- Everyone during the free hours
- Reservation
- Not needed
- Time needed
- 1h to 1h30
- How to get there
- Muni N Judah to 9th Ave and Irving, then 5 minutes on foot to the main gate at 9th Ave and Lincoln Way
Worth it? Yes.Once you are in before 9 you can stay. Early morning is also when it is quietest. In February and March head straight for the magnolias.
Source: Gardens of Golden Gate Park · checked Oct 4, 2026Open in Maps
Free every day, Tuesday included15
- Golden Gate Bridge walkPresidioAlways · East sidewalk 5 am to 9 pm from early March to early November, 5 am to 6:30 pm the rest of the year. Gates lock automatically.
- Crissy Field promenadePresidioAlways · Open every day, shoreline access is unrestricted
- Presidio Tunnel TopsPresidioAlways · Open daily, year-round. The outdoor space is open at any time, the visitor center and playground keep their own hours.
- Lands End and the Sutro Baths ruinsOuter RichmondAlways · Daily, 6 am to one hour after sunset
- Golden Gate Park and JFK PromenadeGolden Gate ParkAlways · Park hours 5 am to midnight, every day. JFK Promenade is car-free 24 hours a day.
- Twin PeaksTwin PeaksAlways · Park hours 5 am to midnight, every day
- Palace of Fine ArtsMarinaAlways · Park hours 5 am to midnight, every day. The rotunda can close for a few hours for repairs or private events.
- ChinatownChinatownAlways · Streets are open at all times, shops roughly 10 am to 6 pm
- Ferry Building and Ferry Plaza Farmers MarketEmbarcaderoAlways · Building open daily 6 am to 10 pm. Farmers market Tuesday and Thursday 10 am to 2 pm, Saturday 8 am to 2 pm.
- Cable Car MuseumNob HillAlways · Tuesday to Thursday 10 am to 4 pm, Friday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Closed Monday, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Musée MécaniqueFisherman's WharfAlways · Every day of the year, 10 am to 8 pm
- Hamon Observation Tower at the de YoungGolden Gate ParkAlways · Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. The tower closes 45 minutes before the museum. Closed Monday.
- Alamo Square and the Painted LadiesWestern AdditionAlways · Park hours 5 am to midnight, every day
- SFMOMA free public galleriesSoMaAlways · Monday and Tuesday 10 am to 5 pm, Thursday noon to 8 pm, Friday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Closed Wednesday.
- Lombard StreetRussian HillAlways · A public street, open at all times
PAID · ONE PER CITY
If you spend on one thing in San Francisco, make it this.
Alcatraz Island, by the official ferry
You can look at Alcatraz from a dozen free spots, but the cellhouse audio tour, narrated by former guards and inmates, only exists on the island. The ferry ticket includes it and the park ranger talks. Book weeks ahead in summer, since the single official operator sells out.
Everything above is free. This is the only paid pick on the page, chosen because no free option replaces it.
See tickets and prices
