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California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences, based in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, is home to an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum — all under one living roof! Inside one of the greenest museums in the world, visitors can find captivating experiences including nearly 60,000 live animals, with new exhibits added every year. Every visit supports the Academy’s mission to regenerate the natural world.

San Francisco CityPASS includes:

Daytime Admission — Entry includes all exhibits and shows at the world’s only aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum under one living roof.

San Francisco C3 includes:

Daytime Admission — Entry includes all exhibits and shows at the world’s only aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum under one living roof.

San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz includes:

Daytime Admission — Entry includes all exhibits and shows at the world’s only aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum under one living roof.

Highlights

  1. 01.

    Meet nearly 60,000 animal residents, from a colony of playful African penguins to colorful Caiman lizards.

  2. 02.

    Learn how scientists are studying venom to harness compounds that could hold the key to curing human disease in Venom: Fangs, Stingrays and Spines.

  3. 03.

    Peek into the past in Hidden Wonders: Inside the Academy’s Collections, featuring nearly 800 objects from the Academy's research collections–including some on view for the very first time.

Visit California Academy of Sciences with CityPASS®

CityPASS® tickets offer multiple great ways to see California Academy of Sciences. No matter which you choose, you'll save.

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Advice for Visitors

Tips

Best Time to Visit

Weekdays are less crowded than weekends.

Upon arrival, be sure to reserve your time for the Planetarium.

The free Academy Insider iPhone App is a great way to enhance and plan for your visit; details and download.

To get the full experience, allow about four hours for your visit. If you're short on time, don't miss: Steinhart Aquarium, where you'll see the Philippine Coral Reef, home to the deepest indoor display of living coral in the world; Osher Rainforest, a glass dome that houses the four-story living rainforest where birds and butterflies fly freely among lush tropical trees, plants, and other animals from around the world; and the adorable colony of African penguins in African Hall.

Learn more on the CityPASS Blog about what you'll see at California Academy of Sciences.

Attraction Features

Amenities

Dining: Academy Café, The Terrace

Gift Shops: Academy Store

Accessibility

Wheelchairs and assistive listening devices upon request. Service animals allowed. Get more information on accessibility.

Parking/Transportation

Get information on parking, transportation and directions.

Offers & Upgrades

15% off Your Purchase

15% off your purchase in all Academy stores.

VIP Tours for Ages 3+

Purchase on day of visit, or book online. Cost for CityPASS guests: Ages 8+, 24.95 (subject to availability).

NightLife

On Thursday nights, explore the nocturnal side of the Academy at NightLife and see what's revealed. With live DJs, weekly themes, outdoor bars, ambiance lighting, and nearly 60,000 live animals, the night is sure to be wild. For adults 21+. Price varies.

Contact Information & Hours

  • California Academy of Sciences
  • Golden Gate Park
  • 55 Music Concourse Dr.
  • San Francisco, CA 94118
  • Mon-Sat, 9:30am-5pm
  • Sun, 11am-5pm

Last entry is one hour before close.

Holiday hours may apply on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Day; please check website before visiting.

Closed for a special event on Feb. 25, 2026.

Read reviews from CityPASS® travelers.

San Francisco CityPASS
Amazing
So happy I bought the citypass in San Francisco. It helped make my trip there unforgettable. Would definitely do it again!
Great
I bought Citypass for my boyfriend’s birthday to show him some cool places in the city and I thought it was perfect. We went to four different places, and it was extremely affordable. 10/10 would recommend.
Great Deal
Easy to use and save you quite a bit of money. Our family had a trip to San Francisco and didn’t know what to do out there and this gave us a great option to enjoy activities as a family while still getting to know parts of San Francisco.
Great value for money!
It was a great trip and we loved the city pass . Will definitely recommend !!
NorCal CityPASS
We had an amazing experience visiting Northern California and much of it had to do with the activities included within the San Francisco CityPASS we purchased. Thank you, CityPASS, for helping to create lasting memories for my family!
San Francisco CityPASS is rated 4.7 out of 5 by 3344.
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Good price on a selection of attractions Good price on a selection of attractions. Be aware that they will continue to pester you for a review, even after you have posted.
Date published: 2026-02-10
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Great trip, but wish Alcatraz had been an option I went to San Francisco in September 2024 to try the Giants stadium, and chose the California Academy of Sciences, SFMOMA, the Blue & Gold Fleet Cruise, and the Disney Museum as my four options for the four item pass. I really enjoyed all four of them. That said, I wish Alcatraz had been an option back then. I'm glad it is now. We passed it on the cruise, but I would have enjoyed exploring the island. I also wish DeYoung was an option for the four destination pass. I particularly liked the sea lions at Pier 39 at the Blue and Gold Fleet Cruise and passing Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, the polka dot room at the SFMOMA, and the rainforest and endangered species paintings at the CAS. Overall, I loved SF, can't wait to be back, and would get a CityPASS again.
Date published: 2026-01-14
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Worth your money! Best bang for your buck when seeing all the great attractions in SF. My boys always like going to aquarium and exploritorium everytime we go to SF. Unfortunately, we werent able to use the Blue & gold bay cruise as it rained so much the remainder of the week we were in SF. I tried to go talk to someone at cruise stall but closed early due to the rain/flooding. No cruises were going out those days at the end of December 2025. We would have loved to see the bay out on a boat, Mother nature was not cooperating.
Date published: 2026-01-11
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Easy app We bought CityPASS ticket for our SanFrancisco trip. The app is really easy to use, a couple of attractions we had pre book, but was very easy process on app. Everywhere we avoided line to purchase tickets.
Date published: 2025-12-03
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Cool App I bought CityPASS for my trip to San Francisco. Overall, I was happy with it. I liked the fact that I could see highlighted only the experiences I had left. I also liked the fact that I could book my upcoming visits via the app. My only "complaint" is that I had to log in every time to the app to see my pass. Other than that, it is a good app.
Date published: 2025-11-10
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All images courtesy of California Academy of Sciences / Header image: Tim Griffith