Golden Gate Park, San Francisco: A thousand acres
between the city and the sea.
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What do you want to know?
SAN FRANCISCO’S BACKYARD
Find your Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park runs three miles from Haight-Ashbury to Ocean Beach. Start with the museums and gardens around the Music Concourse, the Japanese Tea Garden and Conservatory of Flowers, then head west to Blue Heron Lake, the bison and the windmills. Entry is free; see hours and admission and parking before you go.
First visit
Outdoors
Families
01Carousel & playgroundRide the 1914 carouselNext to the first public playground.
02California Academy of SciencesPenguins and a rainforestAn aquarium under a living roof.
03Free things to doFree days and free sightsSave money without missing out.
04With kidsLittle adventuresPlans for every kind of weather.
THE ESSENTIALS
Golden Gate Park at a glance
- Size
- 1,017 acres; about 3 miles long and half a mile wide, 20% larger than Central Park
- Entry
- Free
- Hours
- 5 a.m. to midnight daily
- Visitors
- An estimated 24 million a year
- Established
- 1870, on sand dunes known as the Outside Lands
- Getting here
- Muni 5 Fulton, N Judah, 44, 7; free shuttle on the eastern half
- Main garage
- Music Concourse Garage, 800 spaces, 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
Checked October 20, 2026 against San Francisco Recreation and Park and the attractions’ own sites.
The Music Concourse from the de Young tower · Image credits
MUSEUMS, GARDENS AND A BANDSHELL
Start at the
Music Concourse.
Two great museums face each other across a plaza of fountains and plane trees, with the Japanese Tea Garden on one side and the Botanical Garden across the road. On Sundays from spring to fall, the band plays for free.
Your half-day plan ↗
A LITTLE PLANNING GOES A LONG WAY
Know before you go
Golden Gate Park questions, answered
Is Golden Gate Park free?
Yes. Entry to the park is free, as are its lakes, meadows, trails, playgrounds and most gardens. The museums, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers and the Botanical Garden charge admission, with free hours or days at each.
What are the hours of Golden Gate Park?
The park is open daily from 5 a.m. to midnight. Attractions keep shorter hours; see the hours and admission guide.
How big is Golden Gate Park?
1,017 acres, about three miles long and half a mile wide. It is about 20 percent larger than New York’s Central Park.
What is there to do in Golden Gate Park?
Visit the de Young Museum and California Academy of Sciences, the Japanese Tea Garden and Conservatory of Flowers, rent a boat on Blue Heron Lake, see the bison and windmills, bike the car-free JFK Promenade and walk to Ocean Beach.
Where do you park at Golden Gate Park?
The 800-space Music Concourse Garage serves the museums and gardens. Street parking along park roads is mostly free for now, but paid parking is expected from January 2027.
How do you get to Golden Gate Park by public transit?
Take the 5 or 5R Fulton to Eighth Avenue or the N Judah to Ninth Avenue and Irving Street for the museums. A free shuttle runs through the eastern half of the park.
How much time do you need in Golden Gate Park?
Half a day covers the museum and garden cluster; a full day lets you continue west to Blue Heron Lake, the bison, the windmills and Ocean Beach.