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Northwest Blooms · Printable itinerary

San Francisco Gardens Tour

A full, very walkable garden day inside Golden Gate Park. All three gardens sit within a short walk of one another, so there is almost no driving once you arrive. Start with the largest garden, pause for tea and lunch in the Japanese Tea Garden, and finish with the Conservatory of Flowers. Check current hours and admission before you go, since they vary by season and residency.

  1. 1. San Francisco Botanical Garden

    1199 9th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122
    Hours: Daily, 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM in summer; admission free for SF residents, fee for non-residents (no dogs)
    Suggested visit: About 2 to 3 hours
    Highlights: Fifty-five acres and more than 8,000 kinds of plants, including the Redwood Grove, Garden of Fragrance, Succulent Garden, Moon Viewing Garden, and a large magnolia collection.
    The garden is large, so pick up a map or use the online Garden Explorer to find the collections you most want to see.
    Walk to the next stop: about 5 minutes

  2. 2. Japanese Tea Garden and lunch at the Tea House

    75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118
    Hours: Daily, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM; admission free for SF residents, fee for non-residents (no dogs)
    Suggested visit: About 1 hour plus lunch
    Highlights: The oldest operating public Japanese garden in North America, with winding paths, koi ponds, the steeply arched Drum Bridge, a five-story pagoda, bronze Buddha, and a Zen garden.
    Lunch: the on-site Tea House serves tea and Japanese snacks overlooking the landscape.
    For fewer crowds, arrive close to opening time.
    Walk to the next stop: about 10 minutes

  3. 3. Conservatory of Flowers

    100 John F. Kennedy Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118
    Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM, closed Mondays; admission fee (no dogs)
    Suggested visit: About 30 to 60 minutes inside, plus the surrounding gardens
    Highlights: An 1879 Victorian glasshouse with five galleries of tropical and aquatic plants, including orchids, carnivorous plants, and giant water lilies.
    Don't miss the Conservatory Valley flowerbeds out front and the Dahlia Dell on the east side of the building.
    Dahlias generally bloom from June into October, peaking around late August.

All three gardens are within Golden Gate Park and easy to combine into a single day on foot. Total walking between stops: about 15 minutes. · northwestblooms.com