San Francisco Gardens Tour
Three of San Francisco's finest gardens sit within walking distance of one another in Golden Gate Park. A cool, foggy climate lets the botanical garden grow plants from cloud forests and Mediterranean hillsides alike, while the Japanese Tea Garden and the Victorian Conservatory of Flowers add a compact, detailed counterpoint. Together they make a full and very walkable garden day.
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San Francisco Botanical Garden
San Francisco Botanical Garden covers 55 acres within Golden Gate Park and is home to more than 8,000 kinds of plants from around the world. San Francisco's mild, foggy climate allows plants from many different regions to grow here, including species from cloud forests and other cool climates. Visitors can explore collections from California, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean. Highlights include the Redwood Grove, Garden of Fragrance, Succulent Garden, Moon Viewing Garden, and an extensive magnolia collection. Wide lawns, wooded paths, ponds, and quieter garden areas make this an easy place to spend several hours exploring.
Helpful hints
Give yourself at least two to three hours if you want to see a good portion of the garden. It is quite large, so picking up a map or using the garden's online Garden Explorer can help you find the collections you most want to see. If you are also visiting the Japanese Tea Garden and Conservatory of Flowers, all three are located within Golden Gate Park and can easily be combined into a full garden day.
Japanese Tea Garden
The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park is the oldest operating public Japanese garden in North America, dating to the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. Its five acres are filled with winding paths, koi ponds, carefully pruned trees, stone lanterns, and traditional Japanese structures. Highlights include the steeply arched Drum Bridge, five-story pagoda, bronze Buddha, Zen garden, and native Japanese plants. Japanese maples provide beautiful fall color, while cherry blossoms, azaleas, and other flowering plants bring seasonal interest. The garden's small scale and detailed design make it an easy place to slow down and explore during a day in Golden Gate Park.
Helpful hints
The garden is fairly compact, so allow about an hour, or longer if you stop at the Tea House for tea and Japanese snacks overlooking the landscape. For fewer crowds, visit close to opening time. The tea garden is just a short walk from the San Francisco Botanical Garden.
Conservatory Of Flowers
The Conservatory of Flowers is a Victorian glasshouse in Golden Gate Park, opened in 1879 and filled with tropical and aquatic plants from around the world. Inside, five galleries display nearly 1,700 species, including orchids, carnivorous plants, giant water lilies, and other unusual tropical plants. Outside, the Conservatory Valley gardens are just as beautiful, with large, carefully designed flowerbeds stretching across the lawn in front of the white glasshouse. Nearby, the Dahlia Dell contains around 1,000 plants tended by the Dahlia Society of California, creating an impressive display of colorful dahlias that reaches its peak in late summer.
Helpful hints
Don't limit your visit to the inside of the Conservatory. Allow time to walk through the flowerbeds in front and visit the Dahlia Dell on the east side of the building. The dahlias generally bloom from June into October, with the display reaching its peak around late August, making late summer and early fall an especially good time to visit. The Conservatory itself is fairly compact, so about 30 to 60 minutes inside is usually enough, with additional time for the surrounding gardens.
