San Francisco Botanical Gardens Review

Beautiful, peaceful just remember to bring your ID if you live in San Francisco

Lovely space for a walk and meditation. Could imagine it being even more exciting in the warm months...

Beautiful place for walking, enjoying the trees and plants and great place for a picnic

Absolutely beautiful. We went during the flower piano concerts and it was a wonderful and memorable day. It was a special treat to wander through the gardens and happen upon a piano being played by a talented musician and stop for a while.

It is free for SF residents but still only $8 for visitors.

It's quite and beautiful park. Entry is free for SF residents, for others it's $8. Very good place to go with kids.

Admission is free for school groups and San Francisco city and county residents (with proof of residence) (all year round).

Okay place but not really worth the entry fees, there is more colors outside the botanical garden than inside.

You can't go wrong at this place. Reserve an hour on your calendar and take a nice stroll through all the different mini-gardens

We spent some wonderful time exploring the gardens Friday Afternoon. The sweetest moment occurred when we had the privilege of meeting an older gentlemen on the bench. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Frank. I wish we had gotten his contact information. If he ever sees this we would love to stay in touch. The best part of our day was this man who comes to the garden everyday. Please stop and say hello to him if you ever see him. He is truly fascinating and kind. Gardens have a way of bringing us together. We all need to remember to stop and smell the flowers.

Relax take your kids or a friend or just take yourself with your best book and take a short walk to the botanical garden, it worth every penny

It's not that pretty. But it's a good place to relax.

How could you not love the SF Botanical garden. It's got a huge variety of plant life to see. There are special events every month you can attend. There are occasional weekend plant sale.

Best of all it's free for SF residents! I've been here a good number of times and always manage to find something new.

Very well maintained with plants from all over the world spreadout through meandering trails over 55 acres. A great place to explore the diverse botanicals with plenty of benches to pause, reflect, and appreciate the oxygen enriched environment that envelopes your body and soothes your mind. Best of all free for San Francisco residents with valid ID upon entry. The recent addition of 12 grand pianos there for the playing make it even more extraordinary. Take a stroll and immerse yourself in nature.

Absolutely a hidden gem! Many areas to see beautiful flowers and picnic areas.

The park is incredible and I love their little store, great books and cards.

There is a collection of ferns along a path that evolve chronologically over millions of years as you walk. There is information about that era and the soil/plants/fauna of that time along the way. Also some big Redwoods and a great collection of native and non-native flowers.

The library is open to the public and has a big collection of super interesting materials, drawings, and watercolors!

Absoutely worth going early 07:30-9 for free entry. It's absolutely beautiful and peaceful and hardly anyone else is there that early in the morning.

The Botanical Garden was great, but in August there isn't a lot that is in bloom. The space does offer a lot of sitting room and space for you to breathe in and appreciate your surroundings. If you have time, I would recommend this, but it isn't something that you need to fit into your schedule.

My secret chill spot in gg park. Clean bathrooms and lawns to set up a picnic. Seasonal blooms for the plant photographer. It's free if you live in the city and have identification to prove it.

This garden is enormous ! Very beautiful and a must see if in SF

What a jem. It's wonderful for a few hours of pure joy.

Fantastic place great outdoor with the whole family

The park is always a wonderful place to visit. This visit was during the free piano placements and it was delightful to be walking through the trails and coming upon someone playing the piano in the moonlight garden or the middle of a field or hidden in the trees. Absolutely beautiful.

Very nice for fans. Several types of plants and flowers divided by origin. Nice atmosphere and the pond with turtles and carp. Furthermore, the second Tuesday of the month admission is free. So a stroll is also recommended for the less passionate but who want to spend a few minutes immersed in nature.

Very clean and nice. Can get crowded and parking hassle. Park far, walk over. 9$ is stiff. But garden is beautiful

Green gem in SF.

PRO TIP: Parking is tricky on the weekend, but if you don t mind paying, park in the garage of the California Academy of Sciences

Deceptively large, we seem to find new things upon every visit. The staff is always polite and friendly and the place is very well maintained.

Beautiful place. Serenity in the city. Magnolias are starting to bloom and it is only January. I like to see the different trees, plants and flowers Always something new to see.

Good collection of plants arranged (mostly) by country of origin. In February, the magnolias are spectacular. Don't miss the collection of camellias and the moon viewing garden.

Love the Garden of Fragrances!
Beauty for the blind.

I like to go to the mini redwood forest and breath in that dark green air.

The different climates represented are fantastic. Go for the scenery but get blown away by the sheer variety.

It was beautiful, just be careful about parking. Cars were getting broken into

It is worth visiting, it has species from all continents

My home is here, my heart is here filled with so many warm memories from my early childhood. Introducing my boys to this wonderful garden and now today my granddaughter. Well maintained, organized, safe beautiful. With so many places to bird, nap, stroll, and learn. Over the decades this garden has and continues to evolve offering all who visit a unique experience.

Beautiful natural respite in the heart of San Francisco and Golden Gate Park!

Amazing place to visit!!! Free entry before 10am on some days.

I've visited this arboretum several times, and like it very much. I like the way it's organized into geographical regions, such as South Africa and Australia, and plant types such as succulents and ancient plants.

The Botanical Gardens are one of SF's hidden treasures. Not only are the grounds spectacular, but there is so much space that you can almost always find a bench at some quiet place all to yourself. I had lived in the city for many years before I discovered the Botanical Gardens and I've heard many others say the same thing.

A benefit of the Botanical Gardens that isn't much talked about: no dogs! That means no dog poo and no off-leash dogs running up to you or scaring your kids. It seems silly, but if you're a not a dog owner, you probably don't realize how hard it is to get away from them.

The wildlife is also surprisingly diverse. Wild turkeys, Great Blue Herons, Townsend's Warblers, Red-Tailed Hawks, Egrets, and now even coyotes are regular visitors to the Botancial Gardens.

They recently have redone the benches in the Redwood Grove and so what was once already a magical spot is even better.

My only complaint is how much they charge non-residents. I'm a resident so my family gets in free, and I think it's fair enough to charge some fee to non-residents. But $9 for an adult is about twice as much as what I think is reasonable. I've personally witnessed non-residents who have turned away at that price, and that's not something we should be doing to any guest. I think $4 per adult and $1-2 per kid wouldn't cause hardly anybody to hesitate yet would still bring in much needed funds.

You'll get a heavy dose of endorphin here. Definitely a "feel good" place.

The botanical gardens are so beautiful and well kept. I love the small trails, it is easy to lose yourself in the plants and enjoy the serenity.

Amazing place. So beautiful and peaceful. I love it here.

Nice layout of gardens. Learned a Lot about different plants. But winter visit is not ideal as ground was wet, muddy and plants were half dead. Free admission on new year's day. Overall it was a lovely garden to relax.

Was my first time hear and its AWESOME!!!! We loved the ancient garden section alot!!!

I've loved walking through this garden. San Francisco's temperate climate allows for a variety of plant communities to thrive.

super cool! talked to some cool people and admired some great views!

Didn't get to go in, some of us in our group couldn't afford it so we all decided not to go. Beautiful place outside. I'm sure that it is beautiful inside based on the revenue they must generate from the entrance fee.

It is a walk that lasts about an hour and you can also see many squirrels, some areas were restricted because coyotes had been reported and you have to be careful with your pet.

Pianos in the park was cool. Only $9 entrance fee. There were restrooms but nowhere to buy drinks or food. No cafe in a decent sized garden.

Free for locals, worth the price for visitors, amazing plants!

Expansive and only $7 entrance for adults. Free for San Francisco residents.

This botanical garden inside Golden Gate Park is big enough to spend 2 or 3 hours inside with no problems. It has different continental and subcontinental sections. I specially like the Sequoias.

The entrance turned out to be paid. I decided for myself that there are still a lot of other places to visit in the district that do not require admission. Saving about 10 $.

Very nice place to visit, a lot to see and it's free on every second Tuesday of the month!

I didn't visit this place but look nice to walk around. Ticket $9.