Places where children have room to move and something to look at, all free. Booking rules matter more with kids in tow, so check each card.
Always free in San Francisco15
Open to everyone, every day they are open. No ticket to buy.
Golden Gate Bridge walk
Presidio
Always freeGood with kids
The 1.7-mile walk across the bridge on the east sidewalk, the side that faces the city and Alcatraz. Drivers pay a toll, people on foot pay nothing.
Free when
Always · 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.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1h to 1h30 round trip to the first tower and back, 2h for the full crossing and return
How to get there
Muni 28 to the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza stop, or the free Presidio GO Downtown shuttle to the Presidio Transit Center and a 25-minute walk
Worth it? Yes.Walk to the first tower and turn around if you are short on time, the view barely changes after that. Bring a windproof layer even in August, and go before 10 am if you want the towers out of the fog less often than not.
A Civil War era brick fort sitting directly under the south arch of the Golden Gate Bridge. You can climb to the roof and look straight up at the steel.
Free when
Always · Thursday to Monday, 10 am to 5 pm. Roof closes at 4:30 pm. Closed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Free for whom
Everyone, no entrance pass required
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
45 min
How to get there
Walk 15 minutes downhill from the bridge toll plaza (Muni 28), or follow the Crissy Field promenade west to its end
Worth it? Yes.The best close view of the bridge and almost nobody plans for it. Check the weekday before you walk down, it is shut Tuesday and Wednesday.
A flat waterfront path from East Beach to Fort Point with the bridge ahead of you the whole way. About 2.3 miles, mostly packed gravel and boardwalk.
Free when
Always · Open every day, shoreline access is unrestricted
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1h one way
How to get there
Muni 30 to Broderick St and walk 10 minutes north to the Marina Gate, or the free Presidio GO Downtown shuttle to the Presidio Transit Center
Worth it? Yes.The easiest way to get the bridge photo without a hill. Walk it east to west so the bridge is in front of you, and expect a stiff headwind after noon.
A park built on top of the highway tunnels, with lawns, a big nature playground and a straight view of the bridge and the bay.
Free when
Always · Open daily, year-round. The outdoor space is open at any time, the visitor center and playground keep their own hours.
Free for whom
Everyone, no tickets or reservations
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1h
How to get there
Free Presidio GO Downtown shuttle from Embarcadero BART or the Salesforce Transit Center to the Presidio Transit Center. Muni 43 and 30 also stop here.
Worth it? Yes.Good with kids and a sensible lunch stop if you bring your own food. The free shuttle from downtown makes this the cheapest way into the Presidio, but note that some weekday rush-hour runs are reserved for pass holders.
A clifftop trail on the northwest corner of the city, with the concrete remains of an 1890s swimming complex at the start and the bridge appearing through the cypress trees.
Free when
Always · Daily, 6 am to one hour after sunset
Free for whom
Everyone, no entrance fee
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1h30 to 2h
How to get there
Muni 38 Geary to the end of the line at 48th Ave and Point Lobos, then 5 minutes on foot to the Lands End Lookout
Worth it? Yes.The best free walk in the city if the fog cooperates. Start at the Sutro Baths, walk the Coastal Trail east and come out near the Legion of Honor. Stay on the marked trail, the cliffs are not fenced.
Three miles of park running to the ocean. The eastern 1.5 miles of JFK Drive are permanently closed to cars, and there is a bison herd at the western end.
Free when
Always · Park hours 5 am to midnight, every day. JFK Promenade is car-free 24 hours a day.
Free for whom
Everyone. The gardens and museums inside the park charge separately.
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
2h to half a day
How to get there
Muni N Judah to 9th Ave and Irving, 5 Fulton to 8th Ave, or 7 Haight to Stanyan St. A free park shuttle runs along JFK Drive.
Worth it? Yes.The park is bigger than it looks on a map, so pick an end. The east end has the museums and the promenade, the west end has the bison, the windmills and Ocean Beach. Use the free shuttle to link them.
Two bare hills near the middle of the city, 922 feet up, with a view down Market Street to the bay. The overlook at Christmas Tree Point is the usual spot.
Free when
Always · Park hours 5 am to midnight, every day
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
45 min to 1h
How to get there
Muni 37 Corbett to Crestline Dr, then a 10-minute climb on the signed trail
Worth it? Yes.Worth it on a clear day and pointless in fog, so look up from downtown before you go. If you cannot see Sutro Tower, skip it. It is cold and windy at the top at any hour.
A domed rotunda and colonnades around a lagoon, left over from the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. You walk straight in under the dome.
Free when
Always · Park hours 5 am to midnight, every day. The rotunda can close for a few hours for repairs or private events.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
30 to 45 min
How to get there
Muni 30 toward the Presidio to Broderick St, then 5 minutes on foot. 10 minutes on foot from Crissy Field East Beach.
Worth it? Yes.Bigger and stranger in person than in photos. Pair it with the Crissy Field walk, it is at the eastern end. Saturdays fill up with wedding shoots by midday.
The oldest Chinatown in North America. Enter through the Dragon Gate at Grant Ave and Bush St, then leave Grant for Waverly Place, Ross Alley and the produce shops on Stockton St.
Free when
Always · Streets are open at all times, shops roughly 10 am to 6 pm
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1h to 1h30
How to get there
10 minutes on foot from Union Square. Muni T Third to Chinatown-Rose Pak station.
Worth it? Yes.Grant Avenue is souvenir shops. Stockton Street on a Saturday morning is where people actually shop, and Portsmouth Square is where they play cards. Go before noon.
The 1898 ferry terminal at the foot of Market Street, now a food hall, with a farmers market outside three days a week and the Bay Bridge off the back deck.
Free when
Always · Building open daily 6 am to 10 pm. Farmers market Tuesday and Thursday 10 am to 2 pm, Saturday 8 am to 2 pm.
Free for whom
Everyone. Browsing is free, the food is not.
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
45 min to 1h
How to get there
BART or Muni Metro to Embarcadero, one block. The F Market streetcar stops in front.
Worth it? Yes.Go on Saturday, when the market wraps around the whole building and stalls hand out fruit samples. On a non-market day it is a nice food court with a view, nothing more.
The working powerhouse of the cable car system. From a gallery you watch the huge wheels pull the cables that run under the streets, with three 1870s cars on display.
Free when
Always · 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.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
30 to 45 min
How to get there
1201 Mason St at Washington. 10 minutes uphill on foot from Chinatown along Washington St. Both Powell cable car lines stop at the door but cost a fare.
Worth it? Yes.The best free museum in the city for the time it takes. Go downstairs to the viewing room where the cables leave the building under the street. It is loud and smells of machine oil, which is the point.
A warehouse on Pier 45 holding more than 300 coin-operated machines, from 1900s music boxes and fortune tellers to 1980s arcade cabinets, all in working order.
Free when
Always · Every day of the year, 10 am to 8 pm
Free for whom
Everyone. Entry is free, each machine takes coins.
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
30 min to 1h
How to get there
Pier 45 at the end of Taylor St. F Market streetcar to Jefferson and Taylor.
Worth it? Yes.The one thing at Fisherman's Wharf worth walking in for. Looking costs nothing, but you will want a few quarters, so set a limit before you go in with kids.
The glass-walled ninth floor of the de Young's twisted copper tower, with a full circle view over Golden Gate Park to the ocean, the bridge towers and downtown.
Free when
Always · Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. The tower closes 45 minutes before the museum. Closed Monday.
Free for whom
Everyone, no museum ticket needed
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
20 min
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.Walk in the main entrance and take the tower elevator, nobody asks for a ticket. It is the only free indoor viewpoint in the city, useful when it is too cold for Twin Peaks.
A hilltop park facing the row of Victorian houses on Steiner Street, with the downtown skyline behind them.
Free when
Always · Park hours 5 am to midnight, every day
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
20 to 30 min
How to get there
Muni 21 Hayes to Hayes and Steiner, or 5 Fulton to McAllister and Pierce
Worth it? Depends.It is one photo and a patch of grass. Fine if you are passing on the way to Golden Gate Park, not worth a special trip. The houses are private homes, and the light is on their fronts in the afternoon.
About 45,000 square feet of SFMOMA on Floors 1 and 2 need no ticket. That covers large installations made for the museum by both entrances and the rotating Bay Area Walls murals upstairs.
Free when
Always · Monday and Tuesday 10 am to 5 pm, Thursday noon to 8 pm, Friday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Closed Wednesday.
Free for whom
Everyone. Visitors 18 and younger get free admission to the whole museum every day.
Reservation
Not needed for the free floors. Under-18 tickets can be reserved online.
Time needed
20 to 40 min
How to get there
151 Third St. BART or Muni Metro to Montgomery, or Muni T Third to Yerba Buena/Moscone.
Worth it? Depends.A decent rain stop and a fair sample of the building, but the collection is upstairs behind the ticket line. Travelling with teenagers changes the math, since they get in free.
Mostly museums. The free window, who it applies to and the booking rule are on each card.
de Young Museum, free first Tuesday
Golden Gate Park
Free 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.
Free 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.
One of the largest collections of Asian art outside Asia, in the old main library facing City Hall. The jade and the Chinese bronzes are the strongest rooms.
Free when
First Sunday of every month, 10 am to 5 pm. General admission is free, special exhibitions cost $10. The date can shift when it falls on a holiday.
Free for whom
Everyone. Children 12 and under are free every day.
Reservation
Not needed, entry is first come, first served
Time needed
1h30 to 2h
How to get there
200 Larkin St. BART or Muni Metro to Civic Center, 5 minutes on foot.
Worth it? Yes.Start on the third floor and work down, the galleries run in geographic order from there. Family storytelling sessions make late morning the busiest time, so come at 10 or after 2.
Free on certain daysResidents onlyBooking recommendedIndoorGood with kids
Both Fine Arts Museums give free general admission every Saturday to people who live in the nine Bay Area counties.
Free when
Every Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:15 pm. Permanent collection galleries only, special exhibitions stay full price.
Free for whom
Residents of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties. Bring a driver's license or a postmarked envelope with your address.
Reservation
Reserve a free resident ticket at famsf.org. ID is checked at the door.
Time needed
2h per museum
How to get there
de Young: Muni 44 to the Music Concourse stop or 5 Fulton to 8th Ave. Legion of Honor: Muni 18 to the Legion of Honor stop.
Worth it? Yes.No use to a visitor from outside the Bay Area, the ID check is real. If that is you, aim for the first Tuesday instead, or go up the free Hamon Tower.
A compact garden of ponds, stone lanterns, a steep drum bridge and a five-story pagoda, laid out for the 1894 Midwinter Fair.
Free when
Monday, Wednesday and Friday, enter between 9 am and 10 am
Free for whom
Everyone who enters during the free hour
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
30 to 45 min
How to get there
Muni 44 to the Music Concourse stop on Tea Garden Dr, or 5 Fulton to 8th Ave and a 10-minute walk
Worth it? Depends.Pretty and small. Free, yes. At full price it is hard to recommend. Be at the gate at 9, since the free hour is the busiest of the day and the bridge gets a line.
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.
