Museums in San Francisco: Tickets and Tours

The array of museums in San Francisco may make you hope for a foggy day to spend inside. Peppered throughout the city are venues for everyone.

Some of the city’s most popular collections are set in top destinations like the Presidio, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Embarcadero and Golden Gate Park.

Marvel at 16th century art, microscopic life, original drawings by Walt Disney and mind-boggling visual tricks and much more at the wealth of museums in San Francisco.

Legion of Honor

For over 100 years, San Francisco’s nod to Paris’s Legion of Honor has sat at Land’s End in Golden Gate Park. The sprawling neoclassical structure houses 124,000 pieces of art including one of the original bronze casts of Rodin’s “The Thinker.”

Following the theme of its namesake in Paris, the museum features an abundance of French art. Browse three period rooms filled with paintings, sculpture as well as furniture.

The museum’s collection of English porcelain featuring a fabergé tea set is not to be missed.

Small crowds and the sublime views of the bay from its grounds make a visit to the Legion of Honor a pleasure. Same-day admission to the De Young Museum is included in the price of a ticket to the Legion of Honor.

De Young Museum

Just steps away from the California Academy of Sciences is the De Young Museum that exhibits five centuries of art. The museum’s modern architecture belies its 125-year history with the structure evolving several times over the decades.

Its collections span the globe, featuring European masterpieces to Polynesian feather art to African film. The museum’s 44-meter-high Hamon Observation Tower is an ideal vantage point to view the city skyline and surrounding parkland.

California Academy of Sciences

California Academy of Sciences, a complex made up of an aquarium, natural history museum, planetarium and interactive rainforest, is a museum experience like no other.

Spy a live penguin feeding, take a digital visit into space and search jungle undergrowth for hidden creatures in the museum’s many sections.

Under the garden-topped roof of the Academy are over 38,000 live animals and the world’s largest all-digital planetarium. The facility employs scientist guides who lead talks about anything from life in the swamps to theories about our solar system.

Take in the artifacts of the natural history wing with its brilliant gems and massive skeletons. Watch the hypnotic dance of jellies at the aquarium.

Walk among fluttering birds and insects in the rainforest globe, and even book a sleepover for your whole family!

On Thursday nights, leave the kids at home for “Nightlife” at the museum. Adults get their turn to enjoy all the complex has to offer.

Special features include music, performances and expert talks. Sip a cocktail or grab a bite during your explorations.

Madame Tussauds

Snuggle up to your favorite stars, step onto the set of a blockbuster movie or sit at the desk of the Oval Office on a visit to Madame Tussauds.

Located in Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco’s outpost of the world-famous wax museum gets you up close and personal to the stars of film, politics, music and innovation.

What makes an outing at Madame Tussauds special is your ability to approach and touch the replicas.

The highly realistic models make for fun selfies with chances to relive your favorite movie scenes, pose with celebrity crushes and relive the past with effigies of stars long gone.

Walt Disney Family Museum

Housed in a historical building in the Presidio, the Walt Disney Family Museum is chock-full of exhibits to delight fans of all ages.

Learn about Walt Disney’s roots, see his first sketches, view clips from famous films and interact with hands-on installations in the museum’s ten rooms.

Get inspired by the story of Disney’s journey from small-town boy to creator of one of the world’s best recognized characters.

Learn about what led to the genesis of Mickey Mouse, how his work evolved into film and the ways his legacy continues today.

Museum of 3D Illusions

The Embarcadero’s Museum of 3D and Illusions is tailor-made for the selfie lover. Snap photos of yourself and friends in bizarre scenes, from riding a magic carpet over the Golden Gate Bridge to being attacked by zombies.

Pose against murals of oversized hotdogs, flying paper airplanes and aerial city views that make you feel like you’re plummeting to earth.

Also at the museum is “Smash It,” an utterly satisfying chance to take out frustrations. With the separate entrance fee to this attraction, you get three ceramic plates to decorate or write on before hurling them against a wall.

Exploratorium

No one should miss the chance to see science in action at the Exploratorium. With hundreds of hands-on exhibits, visitors of any age will marvel at biology, physics, chemistry and earth sciences.

Virtually every branch of science is represented in the museum’s many interactive sections.

Check out the Aeolian Harp, an 8-meter-tall outdoor installation played by the wind. Test your perception of colors at numerous exhibits.

Try out psychological challenges like reading others’ emotions and challenging yourself to drink from a fountain fashioned from an actual toilet. These are just a sample of the hundreds of activities to discover here.

Adults get a night out, too. On Thursdays from 6 to 10 PM, people aged 18 and over can have free rein at the museum at After Dark. Play to your heart’s content with a drink in hand while a DJ spins out tunes.

Included in the price are weekly events that delve deeper into the science behind the museum’s many features.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Housing one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in the world, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a treasure trove of works from the 20th and 21st century.

With a permanent collection including masterpieces by O’Keeffe, Kahlo, Matisse, Warhol among many others, a visit to SFMOMA is a must for any fan of contemporary art.

Before you enter, marvel at the building’s harmonious mixture of styles. With the original 1995 structure designed by Mario Botta, Snohetta’s most recent addition, the complex is more distinctive than ever.

Step inside for glimpses of world-famous pieces, unexpected multi-media works and exhibitions that highlight San Francisco-area artists. With special events ranging from talks with experts to hands-on family outings, SFMOMA has something for everyone.