Free things to do · San Francisco · United States
13 free things to do in San Francisco
San Francisco without the ticket prices: sights, walks and views that cost nothing.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
You can fill at least 4 days in San Francisco without paying an entry fee: Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39 and the sea lions, Lombard Street and Painted Ladies and Alamo Square are all free. A Muni Visitor Passport pays for itself after a couple of cable-car rides plus a few bus trips.
Key facts
- Free sights in this guide
- 13
- Low-cost extras
- 2
- Cost level
- Very expensive
- Lowest hotel prices
- January
Free sights and experiences
Landmark · Presidio
1.Golden Gate Bridge
Bring a windproof layer even in summer, and keep a backup plan: fog can hide the towers for hours, especially from June to August.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Views
- Active
- Photo spot
Waterfront · Fisherman's Wharf
2.Pier 39 and the sea lions
See the sea lions early or late to avoid crowds, then walk west along the Wharf to the Musée Mécanique and the historic ships at Hyde Street Pier.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Iconic
- Views
Street · Russian Hill
3.Lombard Street
Visit early in the morning, when the gardens are in soft light and before the queue of cars builds.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Photo spot
- Views
Architecture · Alamo Square
4.Painted Ladies and Alamo Square
Continue about 20 minutes west to Haight-Ashbury for vintage shops and 1960s counterculture history.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
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Park · Golden Gate Park
5.Golden Gate Park
Rent a bike near the eastern end and ride west along the car-free JFK Promenade to the Dutch Windmill and Ocean Beach.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
- Active
Market · Embarcadero
6.Ferry Building Marketplace
Come on a Saturday morning for the full farmers market, then catch a ferry to Sausalito or Oakland from the terminal behind the building.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- Architecture
- History
Neighbourhood · Chinatown
7.Chinatown
Walk Stockton Street in the morning, when the markets are at their busiest with local shoppers.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- History
- Shopping
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Architecture · Marina
8.Palace of Fine Arts
Combine it with a walk along Crissy Field towards the Golden Gate Bridge, about 3 km away.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Couples
- Photo spot
- History
Park · Presidio
9.Presidio and Crissy Field
Picnic on the Tunnel Tops lawns, where food trucks often gather on weekends in the warmer months.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Views
- Nature
Park · Mission District
10.Mission Dolores Park and the Mission murals
Walk 24th Street and Balmy Alley for murals, then pick up a burrito and eat it on the park's upper slopes.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Art
- Views
- History
Nature · Outer Richmond
11.Lands End and the Sutro Baths
Start at the Lands End Lookout visitor centre, explore the Sutro Baths ruins, then walk the trail east for bridge views; it is about 5 km out and back.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Views
- Off the beaten path
- History
- Photo spot
Viewpoint · Twin Peaks
12.Twin Peaks
Go on a clear evening for sunset and the city lights; it gets cold and windy, so bring a jacket.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- After dark
- Couples
- Photo spot
Experience · Fisherman's Wharf
13.Musée Mécanique
Get a handful of quarters from the change machines and try the hand-cranked moving-picture viewers.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Free sights by area
| Area | Free sights | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Presidio | Golden Gate Bridge and Presidio and Crissy Field | 1–3 hours + Half a day |
| Fisherman's Wharf | Pier 39 and the sea lions and Musée Mécanique | 1–2 hours + 1 hour |
| Russian Hill | Lombard Street | 30 minutes |
| Alamo Square | Painted Ladies and Alamo Square | 30 minutes |
| Golden Gate Park | Golden Gate Park | Half a day |
| Embarcadero | Ferry Building Marketplace | 1–2 hours |
| Chinatown | Chinatown | 2 hours |
| Marina | Palace of Fine Arts | 45 minutes |
| Mission District | Mission Dolores Park and the Mission murals | 2–3 hours |
| Outer Richmond | Lands End and the Sutro Baths | 2 hours |
| Twin Peaks | Twin Peaks | 45 minutes |
Worth a small ticket
Experience · Nob Hill
Cable cars and the Cable Car Museum
Skip the long queue at the Powell and Market turnaround by boarding a few stops up the line, or ride the quieter California Street line.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Kids
- Views
- History
Viewpoint · Telegraph Hill
Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill
Walk up from North Beach and down the Filbert Steps to Levi's Plaza; the lobby murals are free to see.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Art
- Off the beaten path
More ways to save
- A Muni Visitor Passport pays for itself after a couple of cable-car rides plus a few bus trips.
- Free sights include the Golden Gate Bridge, Lands End, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Cable Car Museum, the de Young's observation tower and SFMOMA's ground-floor galleries.
- Eat in the Mission, Chinatown and the Richmond District for good food at lower prices than near the Wharf.
- Check the Moscone Center convention calendar before booking; downtown hotel rates spike during big conferences.
- Skip a rental car in the city; overnight parking alone can rival the cost of a budget room.
- Some museum free days are for Bay Area residents only, so check each museum's policy before planning around them.
Questions travellers ask
+Is San Francisco expensive to visit?
San Francisco is very expensive for most visitors, but 13 of its best-known sights are free, which makes a tight budget workable.
+What is the best free thing to do in San Francisco?
Golden Gate Bridge: Bring a windproof layer even in summer, and keep a backup plan: fog can hide the towers for hours, especially from June to August.