Admission & Tickets
The Garden charges admission for most visitors. San Francisco residents and certain other groups receive free admission at any time; others receive free admission before 10:00 AM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Either way, timed entry tickets are now required for everyone — free or paid. This is separate from our tour, which is free with an optional donation requested.
Purchase a timed ticket (free or paid, depending on your status) for the hour before the tour starts — e.g., a noon ticket for a 1:00 PM tour — so you can enter on time.
Combination tickets covering the Japanese Tea Garden, the Botanical Garden, and the Conservatory of Flowers are available at a discount — a great option if you plan to visit more than one.
Purchase timed entry tickets →Where We Meet
Look for me at
Meet inside the gate, immediately past the kiosk, by the azaleas. I arrive 15 minutes early — please join me! Look for me: 6'1", in a red City Guides jacket.
Directions to meeting point →Transit: MUNI N to 9th Avenue, 5/5R to 8th Avenue, or 44 to the park — check transit apps for more options
Parking: Allow plenty of time to find street parking on Martin Luther King Jr Drive. Alternatively, the paid garage under the Music Concourse has two entrances: one on the south side and one on the north side (typically less congested).
The tour ends at: Varies — part of the fun!
About This Tour
What to expect
Duration
Approximately 1 hour
Hills & Climbing
Some up/down, stairs, and uneven paths — sturdy shoes advised
Climate
Can be cool but not windy inside the garden. Layers recommended!
Who's Welcome
Children of any age who like to learn, can listen to stories, and maybe even help out are welcome!
A Few Requests
What I need from you
Cancellation
If you are unable to join, please cancel using the link in your confirmation email so that others may attend. I cannot do this on your behalf.
City Guides Policies
- No pets. Service animals are welcome; disruptive or uncontrolled animals may be asked to leave.
- Maximum group size is 6. Larger groups require a private booking.
- Complete policies are on the City Guides website.
Donations & Tipping
- Our suggested donation is $20/person.
- I do not accept tips: please donate generously to support City Guides!
Restrooms
Before the tour: Turn right after the kiosk and proceed to the building by the bamboo
For Kids
Nature Quest is a fun visual scavenger hunt that we hope will enhance your visit to the Garden. Please remember to look, not touch.
Download Nature Quest →Beyond the Tour
From the San Francisco City Guides newsletter
It's Tea Time
Linda H. on the botany of tea, then beverage preparation and recommendations for the Tea House menu — in two parts. Read this before you come to get an idea of what you'd like to try!
Part one: botany of tea · Part two: preparation & the Tea House
Japanese Maples
Eric F. on the botany and horticulture of Japanese Maples, with references for those who want to go deeper.
Brackets in the Bell Tower Gate
Eric F. built a working scale model of the roof-support brackets from the Bell Tower Gate — a marvel of traditional joinery engineering. The project was featured in the newsletter of Kezuroukai, a North American hand-tool woodworking organization.
About the project · Woodworking newsletter feature · Archived copy
One Garden, Many Hands
The world's oldest continuously operating public Japanese garden outside of Japan reflects the designs and aesthetics of many contributors. Here are some that have been treated in our newsletter.
George Turner Marsh
Philip S. traces the remarkable story of the young George Turner Marsh — from Yokohama to America, and ultimately to the Japanese Village that became this Garden — in a three-part historical essay.
Samuel Newsom, Jr.
Philip S. examines how Samuel Newsom, Jr. helped guide the Japanese Tea Garden through the difficult postwar years — preserving trees, reshaping landscapes, and drawing on years spent studying in Japan to reconnect the Garden with Japanese design traditions after wartime rupture. His work around the waterfall and dwarf tree collection reflects a broader effort to restore continuity, memory, and cultural dignity to one of San Francisco's most significant historic spaces.
Nagao Sakurai
Eric F. chronicles the story of how Imperial Palace landscape architect Nagao Sakurai helped shape the Japanese Tea Garden into a living work of postwar reconciliation — bringing centuries of Japanese garden tradition into conversation with San Francisco through designs that were subtle, rooted in but not limited by tradition, and meant to be experienced rather than merely viewed. His 1953 dry landscape garden behind the pagoda remains one of the Garden's clearest expressions of peace, translation, and cultural continuity.
Food & Shopping
9th Avenue, a short walk from the Garden, is a local foodie destination worth exploring, but the Tea House is your best option!
The Tea House
Inside the Garden
Besides a delightful range of tea, they have an extensive menu of snacks and more substantial choices. Guides eat here regularly. Read Linda H.'s “It’s Tea Time” article to learn about the different teas on the menu.
Garden Gift Shop
ShoppingInside the Garden
A wonderful resource — and quietly displays the forms used to make the world's very first fortune cookies. To see that process in action, watch Eric F.'s video from Kyōto.
Don't miss
Adjacent to the Garden
The observation tower offers 360° views of the city at no cost. The museum also hosts special events worth checking — Flower Piano among them.
Ready to walk?
Book through San Francisco City Guides — look for Eric F. on the tour schedule.
Book the Japanese Tea Garden Tour →