San Francisco Botanical Gardens Review

So many plants, and the resolution of those trees is spectacular, just like the real thing.

A relaxing place to walk. Has plenty of benches to stop to snack or look at the surroundings. Free if you are a SF resident.

This place is free to San Francisco residents. It's big; it's' beautiful. The perfect place to walk or meditate. It's so peaceful.

This place is a gem and a must see to any and all visitors to SF. Every time I go, I discover something new about the grounds, a new path, a new hidden secret spot, a new wonderful plant or flower I have never seen. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful and treasure.

Amazing amazing is big really big but worth the walk

Beautiful garden! One of the nicest botanical gardens I have ever visited!

I could explore this park for days! It's also perfect for relaxing with a good book or a picnic and it's free for SF residents

I love the grounds here. My girlfriend and I got lost for a few hours and still didn't make it through everything! Will be coming back

A beauty of a place to while away the afternoon. Lots of places to stretch out. The perfect family activity.

Beautiful gardens located near amazing museums. Pop by in between other cultural activities in Golden Gate Park.

Even in this time of Covid19, the Botanical Garden is such a worthwhile visit. They limit the number of entrants (reservations recommended)!!

A great place to get lost for a few hours. Many different species of plants to observe. Beautifully maintained trails and walkways. Peaceful.

Pricey to get in, but enough to make it worth your while

Great place to see plants at all times of the year. The plants are organized by geographical regions, and there's always something in bloom. I always enjoy the succulent garden, which has some interesting aloes. A fun place to stroll around and explore.

This place was really beautiful. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but we walked in and it was like being transported into a serene Forest. There are so many different trails that branch off from the main paths and differing species that it would take me years to discover everything! There are different areas that feature plants life from specific areas of the world, which was very interesting. My son especially loved the different ponds and fountains waiting to be found. There's only two small issues we ran into. First was trying to find the entrance. Both Google maps and apple gave us directions to the same area, which was a parking lot that was closed for construction. Due to the fair building location and no signs letting us know the garden was open, we almost left without visiting. Luckily we had time to kill and decided to park inside the park a walk around to see if there was a different way to get to the entrance. Pretty straight forward once we started walking, but for people who haven't been before it would be easy to give up on. The other small reason is the distance the children's garden area is from the entrance. It looks to be as far away from the entrance as possible. It would have been nice if there was another area closer to the entrance. Our kid is very patient, but we were still not able to make it out there before he was on the verge of a meltdown and we had to leave. All in all this place is an amazing feature to the park and one worth checking out. Judging by the small number of people we saw, it's also a hidden gem!

A beautiful and serene space, full of quiet corners with benches, well labeled specimens, and some carefully curated views.

SF residents have free entry, so a short visit is worthwhile, otherwise it's quite pricey.

Garden opens at 7:30, and is a perfect place for a meditation walk.

Don't miss the Redwood grove.

They promoted a program at the children s garden which was really kind of minor watering and planting. However they never said it was a 40 minute walk from the front entrance. A long way to walk with a child

Great place for a picnic it a stroll. Free for locals.

The atmosphere is amazing. Their is a large variety of plants to look at. It's pretty nice place to chill and have a picnic if they allow you(unsure if it's allowed but it's one of the things I think about when I go)

It's a lively green dense Forest like park with trees and vegetation from most parts of world. Trees and plants are very well marked. One should have sufficient time while visiting this place. There are no sufficient markings indicating the exit route.

If you like plants you can not miss the guided tour

So gorgeous. The different environments were fantastic. I could spend all day here.

Free for SF residents. One of my favorite places to both walk and sit.

Good signage for the plants and trees. Many meandering paths to explore. Also plenty of benches from which to enjoy views of the various themed areas.

I hate wearing shoes. I'll do it, but I'm more of a sandals man. And even then, there's nothing quite like taking off whatever is boxing in my poor feet and letting them run free across large swaths of luxuriant, soft green grass. Yes, I'm a Sod man and I'm not ashamed to admit it. And that's what the SFBG is to me: a place to get my fix.

And then there are the never ending, meandering paths through more fauna and flora than you can shake a stick (or maybe an umbrella?) at. It's all meticulously maintained and for the price of entry it's one of the few bargains in the city. Additionally, you can buy a membership that will get you into other gardens across the state.

But there is one caveat: beware the geese. Their temperament is almost as foul as what they leave behind for the unwary and, unfortunately, barefooted among us. They think that they own the place and make as much claim as they can with their droppings. So take care, gentle visitor, not to anger them nor make a misstep when treading in their wake.

Free for residents! Bring a date and have a picnic, loved my time here.

Nicely laid out and curated. Especially like the cloud forest.

Beautiful gardens. Great place to walk & enjoy the beauty of San Francisco.

Visiting in winter is not the best if you want to see lots of colors and flowers. It was ok but the children garden is under construction and doesn't look so well

Not a bad place to spend your time outdoors in the city, but a little lackluster in winter compared to other botanical gardens. Still a decent variety of plants and geographic areas to explore. Can get crowded, especially on free days. Free to SF residents. Within walking distance of other Golden Gate Park attractions. Free street parking as always atrocious.

Absolutely amazing place. Beautiful. Don't pass thos one by.

Beautiful gardens with exotic plants from around the world organized geographically. However, it's very difficult to navigate - there is no clear path to follow, there are dozens of unpaved side paths, and the map is less than accurate. I would prefer if they made recommendations on the best way to experience the entire gardens.

A magical oasis in the heart of San Francisco. Flowers bloom year round

Lots of plants all over the place. If you're a fan of plants, this is the place for you. Free for San Francisco residents, they ask for ID.

Always great to see plants from around the word as well native Californian plants. Right now magnolia are blooming.

Beautiful escape from reality and amazing to see plants from around the world

Shhh.....this is a secret sanctuary in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco residents. It feels like a special quiet place within the vastness of the larger park. We love to go on the weekend, throw down a blanket, have a picnic and let the kids run around. It is a great place for families. There are paved paths for little ones to ride their bikes/trikes and a fun fountain to splash around in if the weather is warm.

There are many wonderful adventures you can enjoy while spending time at San Francisco s Golden Gate Park, one of its greatest treasures is the Botanical Gardens which spans over 55 acres and has as I recall from the brochure, over 9,000 plants from around the world. While the magnolias were blooming, it s also such a peaceful park to sit and relax with a good book!

Locals get in free- being your ID!

A GORGEOUS place to stroll, picnic, relax, learn and rejuvenate.

Parking in park is tight. Buses, walking, taxi easier.

Nice gift shop. AWESOME sweatshirt design featuring The mighty California redwood. Be sure to get one. Heavy quality and you help support the gardens.

Great place to visit. Pretty flowers. Nice open areas to hang out & relax. Plenty of trails to walk. Nice water features. Some flowers for sale & small gift shop on the grounds.

Some really beautiful plants. I especially like the succulents and the redwood grove. The first because they are so weird and the latter for the silent peaceful aura. Way better bang for your buck than the tea garden.

This is a great place to take a walk and also to learn about all sorts of plants. Very well maintained.

The Garden of Fragrance inside is a great experience, especially under a friendly guidance of staff. Loved the variety of smells!

Pleasant quiet and with a variety of autochthonous species and arid climates very complete

Wide variety of plants sectored by region of origin.

Een here several times and still haven't seen it all. Always love taking pictures here. Have

We go there all the time. PS, San Francisco residents don't pay :)

Beautiful place to escape the hustle of the city and explore with plants from all over the world. SF residents get in for free - bring your ID, piece of mail or be ready to show an email with your address (shipping, bills, etc).

I went there in November so there were leaves everywhere and some of the plants were kind of in a sleep state. I was surprised to see no gardeners present to clean up the leaves and bad weeds. The garden size is also not that big and there are not that many structures so it's kind of boring in compare with other botanical gardens I've seen in the world.

Such a relaxing place. Thanks for a great time and I love your bamboo forest.

Very nice rose garden but windy whenever time to go there

It is absolutely a beautiful place to take your children. Or just to go on a stroll by yourself and meditate.

Multitudes of flora! One of, if not, the best, botanical gardens I have been to. An awesome experience. The area was clean, staff were friendly, and the setup is excellent.

So wonderful indeed..exotic, interesting and free on 1st Tuesday of month

One of the must see places if you're visiting Golden Gate park

This botanical garden seems bigger than it's equivalent in other cities. I went on a Saturday and it was pleasantly quiet. The garden is split up into areas by geographical region. My favorite area was New Zealand!

Beautiful gardens and always worth taking a stroll through when your in GG park.