San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Nestled against the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Zoo is an urban oasis. It is home to over 1,000 exotic, endangered and rescued animals representing more than 250 species and lovely peaceful gardens full of native and foreign plants.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Top ways to experience San Francisco Zoo and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Merced Manor
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Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
540 within 5 kms
Attractions
583 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- @Thorpe20203 contributionsA chilled dayWe visited the zoo on a family Holiday any excuse to see the animals! San Francisco Zoo had many amazing Animals especially the wolves,but there was also a lot of empty spaces and a lot of things were closed. Apart from this we had a lovely day and the staff were very friendly.Visited November 2023Travelled with familyWritten 5 November 2023
- Mary MSanta Rosa, California39 contributionsA nice zoo with a playground, train & carouselSome really great animal habitats and some not so great - closed and/or under renovation. Missing key animals: tigers, elephants, polar bears. Awesome gorilla & giraffe/zebra habitats. We went to the Zoo website to buy tickets & were directed to a third party site that charged us a lot more. The person coming in behind us had the exact same complaint! Beware! Buy your tickets at the gate, NOT ONLINE!Visited January 2024Travelled with familyWritten 4 January 2024
- kathy4117Dinwiddie, Virginia29 contributionsZoo tripSome of the animals are not there. As at most zoos in the warm part of the day animals are in the shared areas and can't be seen. This is not a huge zoo, and doesn't have tons of signs. The only way to have a map is on your phone or print one before you visit. The no paper thing pays off, we saw no trash there. We spent a couple of nice hours, with lots of sitting and watching.Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten 10 May 2024
- Naomi C1 contributionLovely little zooLovely little zoo, visited big cats first and saw all of them. Lots to do with small children but very enjoyable for adults as well. We spent about 2.5 - 3 hours there. Habitats are mostly beautiful and spacious. Easy to get to by transit (metro and L line - if you can find it, bus stops are not marked well). We went as part of a Go City San Francisco pass so great value for us. Across the street from a beautiful beach, wide open ocean.Visited August 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 20 August 2024
- barnloves2travelGatineau, Canada151 contributionsNot as expectedSmall zoo - not than many animals - lots of empty pens. A lot of areas looked overgrown - it felt like they were about to close for the season. There seems to be a newer area which looks better but still a work in progress. It was expensive to go in and then you have to pay additional parking which is expensive as well - maybe go in the middle of the summer ? Maybe it’s more busy.Visited September 2024Travelled with familyWritten 20 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.0
946 reviews
Excellent
358
Very good
310
Average
164
Poor
75
Terrible
39
Melody Flanagan
San Jose, CA1 contribution
Sept 2022 • Family
Lots of exhibits closed without telling us. Not worth ticket price. Plus restaurants make you pay with credit card so you are forced to give a gratuity for self serve cafe.
Written 5 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary M
Santa Rosa, CA39 contributions
Jan 2024 • Family
Some really great animal habitats and some not so great - closed and/or under renovation. Missing key animals: tigers, elephants, polar bears. Awesome gorilla & giraffe/zebra habitats. We went to the Zoo website to buy tickets & were directed to a third party site that charged us a lot more. The person coming in behind us had the exact same complaint! Beware! Buy your tickets at the gate, NOT ONLINE!
Written 4 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
perrx
Columbus, OH270 contributions
June 2023
We had a great time at this zoo, spent about 4 hours looking at the wildlife. Your travel app will have trouble finding the place and will send you in circles. There is construction nearby to add to the confusion. When you come down the highway that runs parallel to the ocean and take a right, the entrance and parking are right there- look for a small sign, and you can park onsite for $11, or park out on the street a few blocks away.
Written 23 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steven L
8 contributions
July 2022 • Couples
I'm vacationing from New Mexico, and we decided to experience the Zoo. What a wonderful experience. The scenery is amazing and we fell in love with the variety of plants and trees, it made the walk very peaceful. Not the biggest collection of animals, but their enclosures were really nice and gave a close up experience. I would recommend anyone who isn't from the area to experience this beautiful zoo.
Written 12 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martha H
27 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
About a quarter of the exhibits were closed. Other things like the story keys and some drinking fountains were out of order.
The size of the enclosures was larger than many zoos. The animals had enrichment items to play with. The enclosures were clean and the animals looked healthy.
There was poor maintenance on other areas of the zoo, like the fountain filled with weeds and areas that needed to be trimmed. To be fair they have been kept busy with cleaning up trees and branches after recent storms.
The size of the enclosures was larger than many zoos. The animals had enrichment items to play with. The enclosures were clean and the animals looked healthy.
There was poor maintenance on other areas of the zoo, like the fountain filled with weeds and areas that needed to be trimmed. To be fair they have been kept busy with cleaning up trees and branches after recent storms.
Written 22 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chloe j
1 contribution
Sept 2024 • Friends
Most anti-climactic zoo I have ever experienced. 90% of the enclosures were empty and we only saw around 7 animals and all of those were sleeping. The bear walk was closed but we weren’t informed of this on the way in.
The park in itself looked abandoned and could’ve with some major reconstruction, I feel sorry for the animals, most of them looked sad and lonely caged in solitude.
As a typical tourist attraction the food and drink prices were extortionate paying 7 dollars for a can of coke.
Would not recommend and we left the park within a hour.
The park in itself looked abandoned and could’ve with some major reconstruction, I feel sorry for the animals, most of them looked sad and lonely caged in solitude.
As a typical tourist attraction the food and drink prices were extortionate paying 7 dollars for a can of coke.
Would not recommend and we left the park within a hour.
Written 24 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lowri Brickell
2 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
If I could put 0 stars I would. The grounds etc are beautiful however I came across an injured bird so I asked for help to move it / help it as it looked petrified with people almost stepping on it. The zoo keepers did not care one bit so I picked up the bird myself and moved it to a safe spot. I also noticed when walking around some of the animals had darts stuck in them which were clearly irritating them as they were trying to get them out. This zoo would’ve had 4 stars from me if these 2 things never happened but as I’m a massive animal lover this straight away made me think they couldn’t care less about the animals.
Sad to see.
Sad to see.
Written 1 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
barnloves2travel
Gatineau, Canada151 contributions
Sept 2024 • Family
Small zoo - not than many animals - lots of empty pens. A lot of areas looked overgrown - it felt like they were about to close for the season. There seems to be a newer area which looks better but still a work in progress. It was expensive to go in and then you have to pay additional parking which is expensive as well - maybe go in the middle of the summer ? Maybe it’s more busy.
Written 20 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kate Sharma
1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Family
The variety of animals was great! Lindsey, our guide, was very knowledgeable and had a great personality. The buggy tour allowed us to explore parts of the zoo that the public rarely sees and get in-depth explanations about the animals, feeding habits, etc. The souvenir shop is quite expensive,
but has adorable looking products. The weather is obviously quite hot in August so plan ahead.
but has adorable looking products. The weather is obviously quite hot in August so plan ahead.
Written 20 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
@Thorpe2020
Redditch3 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
We visited the zoo on a family Holiday any excuse to see the animals! San Francisco Zoo had many amazing Animals especially the wolves,but there was also a lot of empty spaces and a lot of things were closed. Apart from this we had a lovely day and the staff were very friendly.
Written 5 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Como llegar al zoo desde el centrde la ciudad?
Written 29 April 2024
How is parking? Is it best to prepay?
Written 3 October 2021
Hi do you accept British Uk student discount
Written 15 February 2020
So sorry I don't know. I was a German visitor and senior citizen. Enjoy your visit even if you have to pay the full amount without a discount.
Written 17 February 2020
Sonali B
55 contributions
Is there a beach near San Francisco Zoo? Also has anyone went to San Francisco Zoo from Hotel Nikko San Francisco in California USA?
Written 10 April 2019
San Francisco Zoo is across the street from the Pacific Ocean. I do not know if it is a swimming beach though
Written 13 June 2019
Sonali B
55 contributions
Is San Francisco Zoo on flat or hilly grounds?
Written 7 January 2019
Mostly flat. A few short up and downs
Written 6 March 2019
Hello, I'll be visiting in October. I'm guessing that would still be classed as 'summer' opening times of 10-5 pm, or is it classed as winter 10-4?
Written 13 August 2018
Can you see the sloth? Many times they are asleep.or can we interact with them
Written 29 April 2018
We saw the sloth, as he slooooowly crossed the cage on a branch
Written 29 April 2018
Sonali B
55 contributions
Does San Francisco Zoo have gravesite of Tatiana the Siberian tiger who died on 25 December 2007? If yes, can I visit her gravesite and how big is San Francisco Zoo compared to Australia Zoo in Beerwah of Queensland Australia? Do we need a whole day to see all animals at San Francisco Zoo in California USA?
Written 4 February 2018
Yes you need a whole day! Well worth it
Written 18 August 2018
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