SFMOMA seen from Yerba Buena Gardens

9 of the best · San Francisco, California

Museums, Galleries and Performing Arts in San Francisco

SFMOMA, MoAD, the Walt Disney Family Museum, historic ships at Hyde Street Pier, the Japanese Tea Garden, the opera house, A.C.T. and the Castro Theatre.

Our 9 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026

Insiders' picks

Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love San Francisco.

  1. The city’s modern art museum

    SFMOMA

    SoMa·Modern & contemporary art

    The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, on Third Street in SoMa.

    151 Third St, San Francisco, CA 94103Explore View on map

  2. San Francisco Opera and Ballet

    War Memorial Opera House

    Civic Center·Opera & ballet

    The Civic Center opera house, home of San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet.

    301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102Explore View on map

The full list: Museums & Performing Arts, A–Z

Neighbourhood

Museums 5

Art, history and ships.

  1. A garden of pagodas and ponds

    Japanese Tea Garden

    Golden Gate Park·Garden

    The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, one of the three Gardens of Golden Gate Park.

    75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118Explore View on map

  2. Art of the African diaspora

    Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)

    SoMa·Museum

    A contemporary art museum of the African diaspora, at Mission and Third Streets.

    685 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105Explore View on map

  3. Historic ships at Hyde Street Pier

    San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

    Fisherman’s Wharf·National park & historic ships

    The National Park Service’s maritime park, with historic ships moored at Hyde Street Pier.

    Explore View on map

  4. The city’s modern art museum

    SFMOMA

    SoMa·Modern & contemporary art

    The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, on Third Street in SoMa.

    151 Third St, San Francisco, CA 94103Explore View on map

  5. Walt’s story in the Presidio

    The Walt Disney Family Museum

    The Presidio·Museum

    A museum of Walt Disney’s life and work, in a historic building on the Presidio’s Main Post.

    104 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94129Explore View on map

Performing arts 4

Opera, ballet, theatre and film.

  1. Theatre on Geary Street

    American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)

    Union Square·Theatre

    The city’s leading theatre company, at the Toni Rembe Theater on Geary Street.

    415 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102Explore View on map

  2. Broadway in San Francisco

    BroadwaySF theatres

    Union Square & Mid-Market·Touring musicals

    Touring Broadway shows at the Orpheum, the Golden Gate and the Curran, sold through ATG Tickets.

    Explore View on map

  3. The Castro’s movie palace

    The Castro Theatre

    Castro·Historic cinema & venue

    The historic movie palace on Castro Street, now hosting films and live events.

    429 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114Explore View on map

  4. San Francisco Opera and Ballet

    War Memorial Opera House

    Civic Center·Opera & ballet

    The Civic Center opera house, home of San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet.

    301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102Explore View on map

The Contemporary Jewish Museum is temporarily closed and the Beat Museum is closed for seismic work until 2027, so neither is listed.

Explore more of San Francisco

The ULTIMATE letter

San Francisco in your inbox

An occasional email with new places, events and our latest in-depth articles. No spam, ever.