San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: Hours, Tickets, and a Visit

SFMOMA’s main visitor entrance is on Third Street, near downtown transit and the Transbay Transit Center. The museum is a few blocks from Montgomery Street BART station, and it’s also near Montgomery Street and Powell Street stations for BART and SF Muni light rail.

Bus routes 8, 8AX, 8BX, 14, 14R, 15, 30, 45, 91, 101, 130 and 150 stop within a block, near Third Street and Mission Street. The Transbay Transit Center is two blocks from the museum. If you’re driving, the SFMOMA garage is at 147 Minna Street, a few steps from the entrance on Third Street.

The garage is open daily from 7 a.m.–11 p.m., with rates of $4 per 30 minutes, $26 for up to 10 hours, or $35 for up to 24 hours. Transit routes and garage details can change, so check the official site before you go.

SFMOMA’s standard schedule has a consistent weekly pattern, with Wednesday as its regular closing day. It is also closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Check the museum’s site for any changes before planning your visit.

General admission tickets are available online and onsite, and the museum encourages you to reserve online for your whole party. Everyone needs a ticket, including visitors eligible for free admission. General admission tickets are valid all day and must be shown at ticket checkpoints.

For a timed-ticket exhibition, arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time; entry for late arrivals depends on gallery capacity and ticket availability. Advance tickets may be exchanged for a $5 fee. Expired tickets cannot be exchanged, and ticket sales are final with no refunds.

Start with the collection galleries if you want a broad view of the museum: “1900 to Now: SFMOMA’s Collection” is an ongoing exhibition on Floor 2. The ongoing installation “Jacob Hashimoto: Giant Arc” is free to see on Floor 1.

Some exhibitions have separate entry requirements, so check the listing while choosing what to see. “RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me,” on Floor 7, requires both a museum ticket and a separately reserved timed ticket for exhibition access.

For a more focused visit, choose the collection or an installation first, then add a timed-ticket exhibition if you have reserved its separate entry. Exhibition listings can change, so confirm current details with the museum before you go.

SFMOMA’s entrance and floors are accessible to visitors using wheeled devices or with mobility difficulties. An accessible drop-off entrance near the Third Street entrance has electric push-button doors. There is also an entrance off Howard Street through glass doors into the free Roberts Family Gallery.

Manual wheelchairs, portable gallery stools and adjustable canes are available free at the Floor 1 Coat Check on a first-come, first-served basis in exchange for an ID card. Personal mobility devices and motorized vehicles are permitted at their lowest speed setting, and service animals are welcome on leash and under their owner’s control.

In galleries, backpacks and child carriers can’t be worn on your back; carry them below the waist, wear them at the front or check them at coat check. Personal, noncommercial photography and videography are allowed unless signs indicate otherwise, but flash, tripods and selfie sticks aren’t allowed.

Some exhibitions may restrict photography. Food and drink aren’t permitted in galleries except when needed for medical reasons; sealed spill-proof containers must remain sealed. Children age 13 and younger must be accompanied at all times.

Yerba Buena Gardens is a nearby outdoor stop to pair with SFMOMA. You can plan time in the gardens before or after the galleries, keeping the museum as the main indoor visit and the public open space as a separate pause in the downtown day.

If you’re building a wider downtown plan, the museum also fits into a day around the area’s cultural destinations. The guide to getting to Moscone Center covers another nearby downtown destination.

SFMOMA offers an indoor visit in the city center, with its main entrance on Third Street and another entrance off Howard Street. For a downtown itinerary, place the museum’s galleries at the heart of the plan and use the nearby transit connections to reach the entrance.

To connect the museum with other central stops, the downtown San Francisco day itinerary provides a broader route through the area. Confirm museum hours and exhibition ticket requirements before setting out.

What days is SFMOMA closed?

Its standard weekly schedule has the museum closed on Wednesday. It also closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Do you need a ticket if admission is free?

Yes. All visitors, including members and visitors age 18 and younger, need a ticket.

Can you enter a timed-ticket exhibition with general admission?

Some exhibitions require a separately reserved timed ticket as well as a museum ticket. Check the exhibition’s entry requirements when booking.

Are wheelchairs available at SFMOMA?

Manual wheelchairs are available free at the Floor 1 Coat Check on a first-come, first-served basis in exchange for an ID card.