Golden Gate Park

• Hours: Open any time
• Cost: Free entrance to the Golden Gate Park, but many museums and other sights charge admission
• Location: Driving directions below
• How Long: Allow an hour to drive through following the scenic drive signs, up to all day, depending on how many times you stop
• Best Time to Visit: Any time, but Sundays are especially nice, when John F. Kennedy Drive is closed to automobile traffic
• See It Now: Photo Tour

Golden Gate Park

San Francisco's largest park, Golden Gate Park covers over 1,013 acres and is 3 miles long by 1/2-mile wide, larger than New York City's Central Park. Once nothing more than barren sand dunes, Golden Gate Park owes its existence to tenacious Scotsman John McLaren, who created the landscape we see today in the late 1800s, a task many thought impossible.

Golden Gate Park Highlights

The 49-Mile Drive enters Golden Gate Park on the west edge of San Francisco at Sunset Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue on the south side. An easy way to see the top Golden Gate Park spots is to just follow the signs showing a white sea gull with an orange beak and "49 MILE" in blue. If you'd rather walk than drive, try one of the guided Golden Gate Park walking tours, which include history tours, stroller tours, and tours of the Japanese Tea Garden.

To tour Golden Gate Park on your own, see our self-guided tour directions.

Golden Gate Park Review

We give Golden Gate Park four stars out of five. It's one of California's most beautiful urban parks and provides a nice respite from the crowded city. If you only have a day in San Francisco, you can skip it, but it's a nice place to explore if you have two or more days.

Others may disagree. You can see what other people just like you think about it, then bookmark this page and after you've been there, come back and tell us what you think.

What do you think of Golden Gate Park as a tourist destination?

• Awesome! It's a must-see sight that I recommend to everyon
• Good. I really liked it, and I think you will, too
• OK. Some people find it interesting, but I didn't
• Yuck! Avoid it.

Getting to Golden Gate Park

Bounded by Fulton Street, Lincoln Way, Great Highway and Stanyan Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 751-2766
Golden Gate Park website

Golden Gate Park is most easily accessed off 19th Avenue, which runs through the middle of it. You can also enter from any of the major streets that bound it.

Free shuttles run through the Golden Gate Park on summer weekends and holidays, about every 15 minutes.