SF Museums Tours
San francisco museum of modern art (downtown).
SFMOMA Calder Gallery
Regarding Art SF’s SFMOMA tour is approximately three hours and includes museum admission for 4 people.
No wonder the reopening of the greatly expanded SFMOMA was the premiere event of the 2016 art season!
- A new 10-story addition designed by Norwegian architects Snohetta, combined with elements of the older SFMOMA now comprise the largest museum in America devoted to modern and contemporary art.
- The Doris and Don Fisher Collection of 1,100 world class works of modern and contemporary art.
- The already distinguished and continually growing SFMOMA collection of national and international masters of fine art, architecture, photography and media arts.
- Alexander Calder, Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Philip Guston, Frank Stella, Sol LeWitt, Cy Twombly, Roy Lichtenstein, Brice Marden and Chuck Close, Picasso, Matisse, Steiglitz, Weston. The deepest collection anywhere of Gerhard Richter paintings. And so many more artists on view.
- Seven viewing floors, with permanent and changing specialized exhibitions.
Exciting but also perhaps daunting. Let Regarding Art SF guide you – to your favorites, through the museum as a whole or, if you’re wondering what modern art is all about, let me introduce you to some ways of viewing it that will bring it more alive and accessible to you. We’ll spend two hours together taking in the grand SFMOMA building and collections in the ways that are stimulating and memorable to you.
Add-on options: 1. Walking Tour of Downtown Galleries near SFMOMA
Rates starting at $450 for entry fees and tour for 4 people. $75 additional per person up to 8 people.*
- Additional Special Exhibition fee at SFMOMA rate if required.
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de Young Museum (Golden Gate Park)
de Young Museum Tour
Regarding Art SF’s basic de Young tour is a two hour overview of its diverse and superb collections and includes museum admission.
Your actual trip to the de Young Museum is a virtual trip around the world. From the dramatic copper-clad Swiss-designed building, to the Scottish sculptor Andy Goldsworthy’s entrance sculpture, we go in to find extraordinary worlds. We view the de Young’s renowned holdings of American art and crafts of all periods, and the art of Oceania – including the fascinating Jolika Collection of New Guinea art. Then it is on to stirring tribal pieces from Africa and the clay, feather and beaded artifacts from South America. We view finely crafted costumes, jewelry and textiles from a wide variety of Eastern and Western traditions. All this with periodic views of the grand trees and ferns of Golden Gate Park through enormous glass walls. The most visited museum on the West Coast, the de Young is a rich feast for the eyes and imagination.
Add-on option:
- An historic promenade through nearby Golden Gate Park attractions including the Japanese Tea Garden, Bandshell Music Concourse, Strybing Arboretum, Conservatory of Flowers, Stow Lake
Rates starting at $375 for Admission and Tour for 4 People, $50 additional per person up to 8 people.*
Additional Promenade Option: $160 for up to 8 People.
* Additional Special Exhibition Fee per person at Museum rate when required.
Palace of the Legion of Honor (Lincoln Park)
Rodin, The Thinker , Legion of Honor
Regarding Art SF’s basic Legion of Honor tour is a two hour overview of its collection and includes museum admission.
San Francisco’s most beautiful public museum, The Palace of the Legion of Honor displays a collection of 4,000 years of ancient and European art, artifacts and porcelain in an exquisite Beaux-Arts building in an unforgettable setting overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Particularly noteworthy and visited works at the Legion of Honor include an early casting of Rodin’s monumental The Thinker as well as numerous other important Rodin works from the collection of Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, Rubens’ The Tribute Money, El Greco’s John the Baptist, the Bowles Porcelain Gallery, the perfectly restored Salon Dore, and the marvelous collection of Dutch paintings.
Rates starting at $375* includes tour and admission fee for up 4 people. $75 additional per person up to 8 people.
*Additional Special Exhibition Fee per person at Museum rate if required.
The Asian Art Museum (Civic Center)
Seated Shakyamuni Buddha at the Asian Art Museum
Regarding Art SF will arrange for you to take a private tour of the Asian Art Museum with a local Asian Art expert and scholar. The Asian Art Museum Tour is approximately two hours and includes museum admission.
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco houses one of the most comprehensive Asian art collections in the world, with more than 18,000 works of art in its permanent collection, some as much as 6,000 years old. Its masterpieces include: Simhavaktra Dakini , Seated Buddha (dated 338), Shiva and Parvati , Rhinoceros Vessel , Korean Art and the recent George Gund III bequest of ink paintings created mostly during Japan’s Edo period (1615–1868).
Add-on option :
Walking tour of the Beaux-Arts Civic Center of San Francisco where its City Hall, Library (with Pioneer Statue), Opera House, and Symphony Hall are located. (Volunteer and Docent tours of these facilities are available by arrangement on certain days of the week).
Rates starting at $350.
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Richard Serra's "Sequence." Video: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle
SFMOMA: Our 2-hour tour
There will be excellent audio guides to the exhibitions when the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art reopens to the public May 14. Here, though, The Chronicle offers our art critic’s custom tour of his picks in the vast new building, for those with limited time.
Keep in mind that, with 1,900 works on view, spending just one minute with each object would require more than 30 hours of looking, without so much as a restroom break. So, to really get to know the museum, you will want to become a member (membership starts at $100 annually, and includes free admission as well as other benefits). Then, return many times over the year.
If you really must limit your visit, you need a minimum of two hours. (Anything less and you might as well enjoy the free admission to the lobby, including Richard Serra’s great “Sequence” and Sol Lewitt’s “Loopy Doopy.”) Wear comfortable shoes, and move briskly - or change that appointment and spend the day!
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Close up of "Sequence" by Richard Serra. Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle
One of the most wonderful things about the redesigned SFMOMA is also one of the most frustrating: there is so much to see here, you could spend several days. Richard Serra’s remarkable sculpture is worth a good 20 minutes, minimum. If you are in line for a timed entry ticket, the best place to wait is here. The sheer scale of the thing, even from a distance; makes me catch my breath; wandering through the coils is a pleasantly disorienting experience - like spelunking, I imagine, or a visit to a desert canyon. Up close, the walls of oxidized steel are as lovely as vast sheets and rolls of the finest velvet.
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Video: Erin Brethauer & Tim Hussin, The Chronicle
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Sol LeWitt's "Wall Drawing 895: Loopy Doopy (white and blue)"" is seen above elevators in the new central lobby. Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle
Even if you run through the museum, you will probably encounter Sol Lewitt “wall drawings” elsewhere - his work is well represented throughout the building. Indeed, a later stop on this tour is a gallery of Lewitt sculpture and drawings. The appropriately titled “Loopy Doopy” is the largest of the wall works. LeWitt, who died in 2007, was interested not only in how his art looked, but in the systems of art making. He decided, at one point, that his work could exist as instructions to others. Following the artist’s directions, workers produce visually compelling experiences for the viewer. I think of it as almost a natural phenomenon, like a rainbow or an ocean wave: the coldly objective rules of nature/artist produce subjective, emotionally satisfying encounters.
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A man walks past an Alexander Calder mobile, "Eighteen Numbered Black." Photo: Tim Hussin, The Chronicle
My favorite space in the entire museum as currently hung (things will move around over the months and years, as the curators re-think and rotate works), is the Alexander Calder gallery (I will have a hard time calling it the museum’s preferred “Motion Lab” until they let me experiment by spinning the mobile sculptures). Calder knew a lot about scale - compare the tiny wire-drawing-in-space from 1929, “Aquarium,” which brings you near to wonder at its intricacy, to the slender grace of “Double Gong” and “Eighteen Numbered Black,” which stretch to almost 12 feet. The small sculpture is intimate (Calder made many such works with children in mind); the larger works are grand but they not straining to be spectacular; I think of them as operatic without being pompous.
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"Double Gong" by Alexander Calder. Photo Courtesy SFMOMA
For Calder - especially in the later part of his career - motion was not something frenetic or mechanical, an end in itself. It was completely natural, flowing from the ends of the physical objects he created, extending them beyond their material form and into the space around.
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East sculpture terrace, with living wall. Photo: Tim Hussin, The Chronicle
The Calder gallery opens through glass walls on two sides to outdoor “sculpture terraces”; the east terrace is one of the great spaces of the new building, with a gigantic living wall of local vegetation as backdrop, slitted urban views, and varied heights and exposure to the sky. Here, we have more Calder, made for the outdoors, as well as the contrast of good sculptures by George Segal (figurative and touching) and the San Francisco-born Mark di Suvero (abstract and muscular). Most of all, though, I think of the terrace as a great place to contemplate the art of architecture: the space itself; the varied materials of the building’s skin; the inside-outside, mirroring-transparency of the glass walls between indoor galleries and the open air.
Walk around the Sculpture Terrace:
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Ellsworth Kelly works. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle
It’s hardly fair to pick just a few focus points in the vast wealth of great offerings, but we are on a forced march of two hours (what, do you have a plane to catch?). Nowhere else can you experience such a wide spread of the art of the late Ellsworth Kelly - and a deep dive, as well.
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Ellsworth Kelly's "Cité." Photo courtesy SFMOMA
Kelly is the loveable minimalist: he made works enlivened by intense color, in broad shapes drawn from the forms he observed in nature, architecture and the city. His 1951 painting, “Cité,” was a breakthrough for him and a strikingly new kind of painting, combining hard-edge abstraction with chance discoveries both out in the world and in the studio. The works are “geometric” only in the quirkiest sense. Very few of them are strictly symmetrical, yet they are balanced - just like the world.
Kelly was a stickler about the placement of his works - he saw the wall as, in a sense, part of the work of art, with the floor, ceiling, other objects in the room playing a role, as well.
![sfmoma tours sfmoma tours](https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2016/sfmoma-tour-guide/static/images/208.jpg)
Agnes Martin Gallery. Photo: Tim Hussin, The Chronicle
We generally think of Abstract Expressionism (particularly as practiced by its biggest stars, Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, who can be seen elsewhere at SFMOMA) as all pomp and grand gesture. But the painter Agnes Martin called herself an Abstract Expressionist, though her work expressed its power through subtlety and meditative quietude. One of the few women working in the 1960s to receive the approval of the art market, she paradoxically garnered even more attention when she left New York for New Mexico and stopped painting for several years.
The SFMOMA gallery devoted to Martin’s work has rapidly acquired an informal nickname as “the chapel,” which seems perfectly appropriate to works that evoke a sense of the spiritual. Martin’s work is the subject of a major retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art through Sept. 11, then moves on to the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
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Sol Lewitt's, "Wall Drawing 1247" (2007). Photo courtesy SFMOMA
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Sol Lewitt's "12x23x12" (1996). Photo courtesy SFMOMA
Having seen the Sol Lewitt work “Loopy Doopy” in the lobby, you might be surprised to see these works by Lewitt. The work downstairs is colorful and seems almost random in its swoops and curls, yet it is the product of rules, no less than the strictly geometric sculpture presented here.
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Gerard Richter, "Wald (4) (Forest [4])" (1990). Photo courtesy SFMOMA
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Gerard Richter, "Zwei (Two Candles)" (1982). Photo courtesy SFMOMA
The sixth floor of SFMOMA is largely devoted to the extraordinary collection of post-1960 German art assembled by Doris and Donald Fisher, which is but a part of the 1,100-work Fisher Collection on loan to the museum for 100 years. This floor could itself be a separate museum, and viewing it all could easily consume your two hours: it’s filled with rare objects of heroic scale, by artists now recognized as the most significant working in their country in the past half-century.
To focus on Gerhard Richter is to get a good sense of some of the most important concerns of German artists in the late 20th century. His remarkable facility as a painter, making photo-realistically accurate images like “Zwei Kerzen (Two Candles)” alongside abstract works such as “Wald (4) (Forest [4]),” raise questions about representation and its place in the contemporary world. Is a painting a window on the world or an object of contemplation? What is information? What is true?
With one foot in East Germany, where he was born and originally trained, and the other in the West, Richter is the embodiment of our postmodern ambivalence about the questions and their possible answers.
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The Campaign for Art gallery. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle
The seventh floor is where the most recent contemporary art is presented in the museum’s inaugural exhibition. If you have more time, wander through the rest of this level to get a feel for the concerns of today’s artists. But if your time is short, spend a few minutes in the first gallery, which presents a grouping of works, mostly from the 1990s, promised as gifts in honor of John Caldwell, who was Curator of Painting and Sculpture from 1989 to 1993. Caldwell had a very strong impact on collectors associated with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, as popular curators tend to do. And, as this small show-within-a-show demonstrates, the influence a curator has on collectors - through lectures, individual advice and by the example of their research and exhibitions - eventually comes to color the community’s view of art, because the private collector may make donations to the museum permanent collection.
Three relatively early examples of works by Jeff Koons anchor the presentation, and these are encircled by other works struggling with the same central questions with which we saw Richter grappling - indeed, questions pondered by society at least since Plato. What is the difference between what we see, what we are told and what is real? In other words, where does art end, and the world begin?
Best things to do in US cities
![10 BEST Attractions at SFMOMA 10 BEST Attractions at SFMOMA](https://citybop.com/sites/default/files/styles/700_wide/public/destinations/SFMOMA.jpg?itok=SG61fqag)
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is in downtown.
The SFMOMA is one of the best museums in the nation for contemporary art.
It has seven floors of galleries spread over 170,000 square feet, with a breathtaking new renovation that has more than doubled the gallery space, and seamlessly integrated six spectacular outdoor spaces.
10 best things about SFMOMA
1. It's free for anyone under 18.
2. There are two free public spaces.
The Third Street and Howard Street entrances on the main floor lead to two free public spaces. The main entrance on Third Street opens to an atrium with a spectacular, architectural staircase flanked by two massive murals. Purchase a coffee at the stand, browse the museum shop, and gaze up at the magnificent murals, or walk around to the Howard Street entrance and take a seat at the indoor amphitheater with 25-foot windows, and see the latest artwork on display.
3. The $305 million renovation is architecturally stunning!
The SFMOMA re-opened in 2016 after three years of extensive renovations at a cost of $305 million. The result is a more light filled, open experience, with double the gallery space, and more connection to six outdoor spaces. The original 5-story Mario Botta building was expanded to include a 10-story building by Norwegian firm Snohetta. The new building has a white, undulating facade with a ripple effect that mimics the waters of San Francisco Bay.
4. It boasts the biggest 'Living Wall' in America.
The most striking outdoor space at SFMOMA is the sculpture garden on the 3rd floor terrace with a 30-foot high living wall supporting 19,000 plants.
5. It has a restaurant named after the museum's founder.
The first floor is home to Grace Restaurant , named after SFMOMA's founder, Grace Morley.
6. The sleek, modern cafe on the 5th floor overlooks a sculpture garden.
The cafe on SFMOMA's 5th floor has a spacious, minimalist feel, and a wall of glass doors overlooking an expansive patio area decorated with striking sculptures. Sit indoors or outdoors and soak in the serene atmosphere.
7. The sculpture terrace on the 7th floor has awesome city views.
8. It has the largest photography collection in America.
The Pritzker Center for Photography on the 3rd floor of SFMOMA has nearly 18,000 art works spread over 15,000 feet. Amongst the most famous pieces is the Depression-era Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange, and a stunning collection of Diane Arbus photographs. The chic Sightglass Coffee is just past the photography collection on the 3rd floor, embodying the same sleek style as the rest of SFMOMA.
9. The impressive art collection includes Warhol, Pollock, Matisse and Picasso.
The permanent collection at SFMOMA includes 1960’s Pop Art from Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Jason Pollock. Some other notable works at SFMOMA include Frieda and Diego Rivera by Frida Kahlo, Woman with a Hat by Henri Matisse, and Women of Algiers by Picasso.
10. The Museum Shop has unique gifts.
Find something special at the SFMOMA Museum Shop, with beautifully curated gifts including prints, frames, vases, jewelry and books.
![Lobby at SFMOMA Lobby at SFMOMA](https://citybop.com/sites/default/files/SFMOMA_4.jpg)
Know before you go
- Address: 151 3rd St, San Francisco.
- Hours & admission: Check here (FREE under 18).
- Parking: Parking garage on 147 Minna Street.
More Art Museums in San Francisco
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SFMoMA – tickets, prices, discounts, free entry, what to see
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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) is the largest museum of modern art in the United States.
SFMoMA has about 170,000 square feet of galleries featuring Picasso, Henry Matisse, Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, and many more legendary artists.
This article covers everything you must know before buying tickets to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Top SFMoMA Tickets
# SFMoMA ticket
Table of contents
What to expect.
Witness one of the greatest collections of modern and contemporary artists in the modern world, with over 47,000 works of art.
See the unique and eye-catching Snøhetta building expansion, which expanded the 80-year-old collection space by threefolds.
Traverse through time as you explore the diverse collection, a harmonious blend of avant-garde masterpieces and contemporary gems, with world-class artists such as Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Jasper Johns, and many more.
Immerse yourself in the iconic Fisher Collection, the greatest private collection of postwar and contemporary artifacts sourced from Doris and Donald Fisher, the founders of GAP Inc.
Learn about the evolution of modern art and about the significance of the SFMoMA, one of the first museums in the world to recognize photography as a fine art.
Savour artisanal coffee and California-fusion cuisine, or indulge in fine dining at the Sightglass coffee bar, Café 5, or In Situ.
Where to book tickets
Tickets for San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA ) are available online and at the museum ticket counter.
Online ticket prices tend to be cheaper than tickets at the attraction.
When you buy online, you can avoid the long queues at the ticket counters.
Because the San Francisco Museum holds some exhibitions for a limited time, tickets may sell out during peak days.
Booking early helps avoid last-minute disappointments.
How do online tickets work
Visit the ticket booking page San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) , select the preferred date, time slot, and number of tickets, and buy the tickets immediately.
Once you purchase tickets, they get delivered to your email address.
There is no need to get printouts of the ticket.
Show the e-ticket on your smartphone at the entrance and walk in.
Please carry a valid ID with you.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts Ticket Prices
For San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): Entry Ticket , an adult ticket for all ages between 25 and 64 costs US$30.
A Young Adult ticket for all ages between 18 to 24 years is priced at US$23.
Seniors above 64 years are charged US$25.
Visitors under 18 are not charged any entry fee but need to have a free ticket and should be accompanied by an adult.
Federal employees with federally-issued IDs also get free entry.
The Museum gives free entry to everyone on 10 September, 21 October, and the first Thursday of each month.
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SFMoMA tickets
![sfmoma tours SFMoMA tickets - price and discounts](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/03/SFMoMA-Tickets.jpg.webp)
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art tickets give you access to all the permanent collections and the temporary exhibitions at the museum.
You will also have access to a downloadable Audio Guide.
The Museum is wheelchair accessible, and you can spend as much time as you want.
Surcharged special exhibitions will not be a part of this tour and can be seen for an additional fee.
Ticket Prices
Adult ticket (25 to 64): US$30 Youth ticket (19 to 24): US$23 Seniors ticket (65+): US$25 Child ticket (0 to 18): Free entry
Visual Story : 13 must-know tips before visiting MoMA
How to reach SFMoMA
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is located in the famous Bay Area.
Address: 151 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. Get Directions .
The museum is well-connected by public transportation.
Market St & 3rd St bus stop is a five-minute walk from the museum.
Mission St & 3rd St bus stop is a four-minute walk away from the museum.
Montgomery Street Station is a seven-minute walk away.
Union Square/Market St Station Northbound L station is a 10-minute walk away.
Cars for rent and taxis for hire are easily available in San Francisco.
Put on Google Maps to navigate to the SFMoMA.
SFO’s Museum of Modern Art has its garage on Minna Street, a few steps from Third Street’s main entrance.
The parking is open from 7 am to 11 pm daily.
Several other parking spots can be found in the vicinity.
SFMoMA timings
From Friday to Tuesday, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art opens at 10 am and closes at 5 pm.
On Thursday, SFMoMA continues to stay open till 8 pm.
The art museum remains closed on Wednesday.
This premier Art Museum in San Francisco is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
How long does SFMoMA take
Most visitors spend up to three hours exploring the numerous artworks displayed on the seven floors of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
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Staying longer at SFMoMA
Tourists who have been to numerous art museums say that art fatigue sets in after approximately 2 to 3 hours of roaming around.
However, it is possible to overcome art fatigue and spend more time at the most prominent art museum in the USA.
- Be well-rested and well-fed before your visit
- Buy the SFMoMA ticket online so that you don’t waste your time and energy waiting in long lines
- Visit one of the cafes and take a break
Best time to visit SFMoMA
The best time to visit SFMoMA is when they open at 10 am on weekdays.
Visiting early in the day helps you avoid the crowd and explore the exhibits peacefully.
SFMoMA gets more than 1.25 million art lovers yearly, and it can get crowded during peak summer months.
What to see at SFMoMA
All of the SFMoMA exhibits are fantastic and equally breathtaking, but it is humanly impossible to see all of them in one go.
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One-hour masterpieces tour
If you need a quick list of masterpieces, following what the Director of SFMoMA recommends is best.
4 to 5 hours tour of SFMoMA
We have a long list if you can spend four to five hours in the Museum.
Ground floor : Let’s start with the intricate Richard Serra’s behemoth walk-in sculpture Sequence, and then let us climb up.
Second Floor : You can spot Matisse’s Femme au Chapeau, along with artworks by Robert Rauschenberg.
Third Floor : Welcome to the floor dedicated to photography. Look at Alexander Clader’s “motion Lab” apart from one-of-a-kind clicks.
Then, step outside on the large terrace with a vertical garden and grab a coffee at Sightglass coffee bar.
Fourth Floor : Halfway through the Museum, check out the progressive works of Ellsworth Kelly. Up next, you’ll see Agnes Martin’s spirit-raising artworks.
Fifth Floor : You can head to the Fisher Collection with its minimal pop art, Chuck Close, and many more. Then, step into Café 5 to save yourself from art fatigue.
Sixth Floor : Full and energized, look at the Fisher Collection with mind-blowing post-war German masterpieces.
Also, feast on the Museum’s famous sequence gallery dedicated to Gorge Baselitz and many more.
Seventh Floor : Almost out of time! Let’s run through contemporary pieces by Cindy Sherman and more.
Before you head out, visit the new Museum Store to buy a souvenir.
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SFMoMA entrances
The SFMOMA has three entrances.
The main entrance is on Third Street between Mission and Howard.
The second entrance is the entry on Howard Street between Hawthorne and Third Street.
Regular visitors can use either the main or second entrance to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
After-hours and educational group tours use the Joyce and Larry Stupski Entrance at Minna Street.
SFMoMA Thursday nights
![sfmoma tours SFMoMA Thursday nights](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/03/SFMoMA-Thursday-nights.jpg.webp)
Thursday night is the next best time to visit San Francisco’s Modern Art Museum.
The museum is open on Thursdays till 9 pm, with many special events lined up.
If you stay late in the museum, you can end the day with a Michelin-starred dinner at In Situ, the in-house restaurant.
The regular SFMoMA ticket gets you to Thursday night as well.
SFMoMA for free
45,000 sq feet of art-filled space at SFMoMA requires no ticket.
Many artworks on Floor 1 and 2 offer a great introduction to the art of our time, and visitors can explore it for free.
Besides, visitors can also access some of the temporary exhibitions at San Francisco’s Modern Art Museum for free.
SFMoMA Free Day
Occasionally, SFMoMA announces Free Family Day with many hands-on activities and movie screenings.
On such days, up to two adults may each claim a free ticket, and they can be accompanied by a visitor 18 years and younger.
You can’t book these free tickets online but claim them at the venue on the free entry day.
The museum hasn’t yet announced the next free family day .
SFMoMA audio guide
You can’t buy/rent an audio guide for this SFO Art Museum.
However, you can explore SFMoMA with the help of their mobile app, which has beautifully produced stories about the artworks on display.
The apps haven’t been rated well by the tourists who have used them before, but you have nothing to lose.
SFMoMA audio guide is available for both Android and iPhone .
Note: Don’t forget to charge your mobile and bring your earphones.
SFMoMA reviews
![sfmoma tours Visitors enjoy art at SFMOMA](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/06/Visitors-enjoy-art-at-SFMOMA.jpg.webp)
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a highly-rated tourist attraction.
Check out two SFMoMA reviews we selected from Tripadvisor, which give you an idea of what to expect at this attraction.
Great stop for modern art lovers
I love Modern Art, and this Museum had a little of everything. Photography, Sculptures, Paintings, Videos and Music exhibits, Architecture, Light Art, etc. It was well worth my time and money. – Netia1128 , Denver, Colorado
Outstanding Museum
This is a must-see for anyone in San Francisco. From Warhol to Lichenstein, it is the major Modern Art home on the West Coast. The only competition – Getty in Los Angeles. – Aphmann , Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
SFMoMA restaurants
Art and food go along very well, so SFMoMA’s three restaurants are always full.
Steps Coffee
Stop by to enjoy illy coffee, tea, desserts, pastries, and more in a lively setting surrounded by art.
Located inside SFMOMA on floor 2, right off the Roman Steps in Schwab Hall, this space includes a community bookshelf, puzzle table, and charging stations.
Steps Coffee opens from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, Friday to Tuesday, and Thursday from 11 am to 6 pm.
The Coffee shop remains closed on Wednesday.
Have a fine-dining family-friendly experience in this quiet café and sculpture garden on the 5th floor.
The restaurant offers rich coffee, wines, and seasonal ingredients.
It is open from Friday to Monday from 11.30 am to 4 pm.
This café remains closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays.
grace on floor 1 is a restaurant with a welcoming gathering place for the community.
Enjoy French American fare, drinks, and art in a casual indoor/outdoor setting.
Sunday to Monday: 11.30 am to 5 pm Tuesday: 11.30 am to 9 pm Thursday to Saturday: 11.30 am to 9 pm.
grace is closed on Wednesday.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art can be a maze for first-time visitors.
The exhibits are spread over seven stories, and there is much to see and do.
With the help of a floor plan, you won’t waste your time trying to find what you want to see.
A floor plan can also help you find other tourist facilities such as washrooms, restaurants, shops, etc.
Map of Level 1
![sfmoma tours SFMoMA map - First Floor](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/02/SFMoMA-map-First-Floor.jpg.webp)
Map of Level 2
![sfmoma tours SFMoMA map - Second Floor](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/02/SFMoMA-map-Second-Floor.jpg.webp)
Map of Level 3
![sfmoma tours SFMoMA map - Third Floor](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/02/SFMoMA-map-Third-Floor.jpg.webp)
Map of Level 4
![sfmoma tours SFMoMA map - Fourth Floor](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/02/SFMoMA-map-Fourth-Floor.jpg.webp)
Map of Level 5
![sfmoma tours SFMoMA map - Fifth Floor](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/02/SFMoMA-map-Fifth-Floor.jpg.webp)
Map of Level 6
![sfmoma tours SFMoMA map - Sixth Floor](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/02/SFMoMA-map-Sixth-Floor.jpg.webp)
Map of Level 7
![sfmoma tours SFMoMA map - Seventh Floor](https://thebettervacation.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2020/02/SFMoMA-map-Seventh-Floor.jpg.webp)
It is better to download the floor plan (pdf) for your visit.
SFMoMA store
The museum’s store is curated as carefully as the exhibits and has excellent books, toys, home décor, and many more.
Your every purchase supports the exhibits and education programs.
We recommend you stop by the Museum Store on floors 1 and 2 before you leave.
Sources # Sfmoma.org # Wikipedia.org # Tripadvisor.com # Snohetta.com The travel specialists at TheBetterVacation.com use only high-quality sources while researching & writing their articles. We make every attempt to keep our content current, reliable and trustworthy .
Popular attractions in San Francisco
# Alcatraz Island # San Francisco Zoo # California Academy of Sciences # Monterey Bay Aquarium # San Francisco aquarium # Exploratorium # De Young Museum # San Francisco Bus Tours # Madame Tussauds # San Francisco Bay Cruise # San Francisco Ghost Tour # The Tech Interactive # San Francisco Dinner Cruise # SFO Go Car Tour # Legion of Honor Museum # Walt Disney Family Museum # Museum of 3D Illusions # 7D Ride Experience
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This article was researched & written by
Jamshed V Rajan
He is a two-faced traveler, who enjoys both the hustle-bustle of an urban holiday and the serenity of a break from the rest of the World. During some of his vacations, he is a resort hopper, and on others, he barely spends time in his hotel. He loves to try mouth-watering local cuisines, especially non-vegetarian dishes. Favourite Cities: Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Dublin, Prague, Vienna
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Audio Tours
Welcome start with one of the thematic playlists below or enter a artwork stop number using the keypad on your mobile device..
![sfmoma tours sfmoma tours](https://sfmoma-media-dev.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/www-media/2023/03/27175730/THUMB_AG_Tile_ArtGoggles_1024x576.jpg)
Art Goggles Family Game
![sfmoma tours sfmoma tours](https://sfmoma-media-dev.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/www-media/2023/03/27175401/THUMB_AG_Tile_TruthAndPhotography_1024x576.jpg)
Artwalk: Truth and Photography
![sfmoma tours sfmoma tours](https://sfmoma-media-dev.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/www-media/2016/06/27175540/THUMB_AG_Tile_BuildingForArt_1024x576.jpg)
Artwalk: Building for Art
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IMAGES
COMMENTS
Hours. Monday-Tuesday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday: Closed Thursday: Noon-8 p.m. Friday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For a map of the museum, view or download the Summer 2024 Visitor's Guide. (Also available in Spanish, Filipino, and Chinese) Arriving. Our visitor entrance is at 151 Third Street, located in San Francisco's bustling SoMA district.
Public Tours. Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - Sunday, May 31, 2020. Public tours are currently paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please see our Visitor's Toolkit for information about visiting the museum. Led by our incredible Museum Guides, public tours at SFMOMA take visitors through the collection and special exhibitions. More of a guided ...
Five Things to Do at SFMOMA. There is always something new to see at SFMOMA. Start your trip with this shortlist of highlights. Enjoy seven gallery floors of awe-inspiring art, grab a bite to eat, and shop the museum store. Art for All. Families and Kids Guests 18 and younger always get in for free at SFMOMA! Learn more.
Closed now. 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Write a review. About. SFMOMA is one of San Francisco's must-see destinations, located within walking distance of Union Square. Explore seven floors of extraordinary art, including world-class exhibitions, the largest living wall in the U.S., and breathtaking city views from outdoor gardens and terraces.
SFMOMA's living wall is one of the largest public living walls in the United States, measuring 4,399 square feet and located on the third floor Pat and Bill Wilson Sculpture Terrace. The wall was designed by David Brenner, Principal and Co-Founder of Habitat Horticulture, and is home to 37 different plant species.
Tour San Francisco with Go City and enjoy admission at more than 25 popular San Francisco attractions and activities - all on one digital pass. Choose an All-Inclusive Pass valid for 1-,2-, 3- or 5-days and visit as many attractions as you like, all while saving as much money as possible on your vacation. 2 days 17 hours 10 minutes.
SFMOMA offers exciting guided and audio tours that provide engaging experiences to learn about modern and contemporary art. The museum offers daily public tours by knowledgeable docents (free with admission). Audio and multimedia tours give visitors the opportunity to explore the galleries on their own pace. Private guided tours can be ...
Regarding Art SF's SFMOMA tour is approximately three hours and includes museum admission for 4 people. No wonder the reopening of the greatly expanded SFMOMA was the premiere event of the 2016 art season! A new 10-story addition designed by Norwegian architects Snohetta, combined with elements of the older SFMOMA now comprise the largest museum in America devoted to modern and contemporary art.
SFMOMA: Our 2-hour tour. There will be excellent audio guides to the exhibitions when the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art reopens to the public May 14. Here, though, The Chronicle offers our art critic's custom tour of his picks in the vast new building, for those with limited time. Keep in mind that, with 1,900 works on view, spending ...
The SFMOMA re-opened in 2016 after three years of extensive renovations at a cost of $305 million. The result is a more light filled, open experience, with double the gallery space, and more connection to six outdoor spaces. The original 5-story Mario Botta building was expanded to include a 10-story building by Norwegian firm Snohetta.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts Ticket Prices. For San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): Entry Ticket, an adult ticket for all ages between 25 and 64 costs US$30. A Young Adult ticket for all ages between 18 to 24 years is priced at US$23. Seniors above 64 years are charged US$25. Visitors under 18 are not charged any entry fee but ...
Admission for visitors ages 19 through 24 is $19. SFMOMA provides free admission to all visitors 18 and younger, furthering its goal of building the next generation of art lovers. Private guided tours and group discounts are available through the SFMOMA Group Sales Department. Tours are one hour in length and are not included with museum admission.
Groups + Tours. There is plenty to do and see at SFMOMA. Other than K-12 school groups, all other group categories listed below only have self-guided options currently available, though we have a range of resources to enrich your experience. If you don't find the information you are looking for below, email [email protected] or call (415 ...
Get tickets to SFMOMA in San Francisco to explore a vast collection of artwork spread over 170,000 square feet, featuring holdings of more than 33,000 modern and contemporary artworks by Alexander Calder, Frida Kahlo, Julie Mehretu, and others, including an entire floor dedicated to photography. ... 11 San Francisco Garden & park tours. 12 San ...
SFMOMA houses more than 33,000 modern and contemporary works of art on seven floors. See paintings, sculptures, photography, architecture, design, and media created by masters. Plus, with two restaurants and a cafe, it's easy to take a break whenever you're in need to regain some extra energy.
The best outdoor activities to do in San Francisco are: San Francisco: Golden Gate Bay Cruise. San Francisco: Inside Alcatraz Tour with Bay Cruise. San Francisco: Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour. San Francisco: Skip-the-Line 1-Hour Bay Cruise by Boat. San Francisco: California Sunset Boat Cruise.
Thank you for booking a group visit to SFMOMA! Groups receive discounted admission, and we typically recommend weekday visits. If you don't find the information you are looking for below, email [email protected] or call (415) 357-4197.. To qualify for a group discount, you must purchase at least 10 tickets, not including free admission for SFMOMA members, their guests, and/or visitors 18 and ...
Tours, activities and experiences bookable on Tripadvisor, ranked using exclusive Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, popularity, user preferences, price, and bookings made through Tripadvisor. We perform checks on reviews. Tripadvisor's approach to reviews.
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Guide-led tours of SFMOMA's collection will take place in the Floor 2 galleries and will highlight selections from Open Ended, Paul Klee, and Creative Growth: The House That Art Built. Interactive Teen Tours of SFMOMA's exhibitions are led by Museum Guides and can be tailored to complement high school curriculum in the arts and humanities ...
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Audio Tours Welcome! Start with one of the thematic playlists below or enter a artwork stop number using the keypad on your mobile device. ... Artwalk: Truth and Photography Artwalk: Building for Art. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. SFMOMA. 151 Third St San Francisco, CA 94103. About SFMOMA View on map 415.357.4000 Contact Us. Hours. Mon ...