Travel is expensive, especially when getting to and staying in a world-class city like San Francisco. Luckily, finding fun free things to do in San Francisco isn’t hard. Just walking through city parks and around historic neighborhoods turns up ways to relax and enjoy the gorgeous sights.
The list of free things to do in San Francisco is long, but here are nine memorable, authentic city experiences to discover during your visit.
Walk Over the Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge, synonymous with San Francisco, is the city’s ultimate free experience. Make memories exploring both sides of the bridge and the bridge by foot. As you walk across the iconic expanse, get up-close, thrilling views of the International Orange suspension cables and wires engineered to support the bridge deck 250 feet above Bay waters.
Start at the Golden Gate Bridge welcome center at the northern tip of the Presidio and walk just under a mile to reach the Marin Headlands of Sausalito, CA. Rest up before heading back while taking in gorgeous Bay views and the famous bridge that spans it all.
Get Curious at Fort Point
Fort Point, a Civil War-era military fort tucked under the Golden Gate Bridge, is a National Historic Site and part of the Bay’s retired defense system. Visit the fort’s interior Thursday through Monday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and catch daily ranger-led talks. The exterior is always open to walk around and enjoy bridge-bay views.
Stairs lead up three levels of red brick masonry arched halls that open onto an open courtyard. The history of the fort and its architecture help tell the story of how San Francisco was defended from Gold Rush times until World War II. Find examples of cannons on the first level, a watch tower at the top, and a perch to guard the Bay.
Discover Gold at the Wells Fargo Museum
Wells Fargo Bank transformed gold dust and gold nuggets into the currency that supported the settlement of the West during the California Gold Rush. The Wells Fargo Museum, a free thing to do in San Francisco, is located inside the bank’s corporate office in San Francisco’s Financial District. The museum is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m..
An original 1860 stagecoach used to transport precious cargo is on display, and a stagecoach ride simulator helps visitors feel what travel by actual horsepower was like. Check out vintage banking machines on display, try sending a real telegraph, and view original works of art depicting life in the great American West.
Stroll the Palace of Fine Arts
Take a delightful walk through ancient Rome, yes, in San Francisco. The Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition, was inspired by Roman ruins’ reflection on water. It’s an incredible backdrop for dreamy photos.
Many a visitor, local, and bridal party stop for pics with the Palace’s domed rotunda, statues of elegantly robed women, and outline of colonnade studded walkways. Lush trees and bushes line the lagoon streetside, where passersby can find turtles basking in the sun and waterfowl out for a swim, including ducks and the occasional swan.
Seek Wisdom at the Yoda Fountain
Go on a quest to discover one of the most enduring Star Wars characters—Yoda—at Lucasfilm in San Francisco’s Presidio. From the Palace of Fine Arts, cross Lyon Street to the tranquil garden landscape of the Letterman Digital Arts Center. You’ll find the Yoda Fountain with the Jedi Master gazing wisely from the top of an ever flowing fountain in front of Lucasfilm’s lobby.
Take a selfie with the all-knowing figure, then peek inside the building’s sculpture room for a glimpse of the studio’s many industry awards and an imposing full-scale Darth Vader figure. Epic tales of the struggle between good and evil continue from this San Francisco media studio.
Amusement Park Glee at Musée Mécanique
What’s your game—pinball, fortune teller, strength gauge? The Musée Mécanique has these mechanical marvels and more at Fisherman’s Wharf Pier 45. This free admission San Francisco museum houses over 300 coin-operated fun-making mechanical machines.
Rows of antique arcade games depicting old-timey humor and dioramas detailing scenes from country carnivals to life in medieval times line the museum. Experience the carnival atmosphere of San Francisco’s fabled, now defunct Playland at the Beach amusement park with an animatronic Laffing Sal. The boisterously loud woman cackles belly laughs at the museum entrance—enter if you dare.
A Day in Golden Gate Park
Spend all day roaming Golden Gate Park. The famed thousand-acre park—part manicured open space, part cultural hub—carves out space in the city for recreation and learning. While Golden Gate Park attractions like the De Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences have entry fees, there are plenty of free things to do in this San Francisco destination.
Bring a picnic to enjoy at one of the park’s many grassy groves, meadows, or lakes. Stow Lake, near the middle of the park, is a fairytale setting. Rent a paddle boat to cruise around the lake, or walk over a bridge to Strawberry Hill, the island inside the lake, and seek out its scenic waterfall.
Golden Gate Park is full of unexpected sites we love to visit again and again. Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, on the west end of the park, livens the exterior of a wooden Dutch windmill with seasonal flower blooms. And a herd of shaggy American bison in the Bison Paddock off John F. Kennedy Drive graze in the coastal breeze.
Go Back in Time at Sutro Baths
Lands End, where the Pacific Ocean coastline meets the Bay’s shore, is a source of fresh, healing salt water. In 1894, Sutro Baths was part of a Lands End complex where San Franciscans played and swam in a network of indoor salt-water pools.
Today, a few concrete ruins of pools and changing rooms remain and is a free San Francisco point of interest to roam. Hike down to the walls of the bygone bathhouse and peek in a cliff-side tunnel that once pumped ocean water into the pools.
Disembark at the Ferry Building
The Ferry Building, the iconic San Francisco entry point, continues to welcome ferry boat passengers and visitors to San Francisco’s waterfront. The sprawling building and clock tower rising above the Bay has been around since 1898. It strikes a dazzling waterfront backdrop with the Bay Bridge and Yerba Buena Island.
Inside the Ferry Building, taste locally made food and wine from artisan producers. Think freshly baked breads, a selection of edible fungi, and ice cream made from high-end ingredients. If you pick up something delicious to snack on or are just stopping by, take a seat on one of the many water-facing benches. Watch waterfowl and passing boats zig-zag across the Bay, putting on an unscripted show.
