San Francisco stands out not only as the capital of the IT world, but also for its splendid museums: some structures, like SFMOMA, are true works of art in themselves. They house magnificent collections and informative projects, many of them interactive to a degree which is impossible to find elsewhere, thanks to the techniques imported from nearby Silicon Valley. To save on the cost of tickets, there are two main options: the San Francisco City Pass which includes four attractions and three days' unlimited cable car rides ($94), and the Go San Francisco Card ($78) which includes free entrance to more than 29 attractions and lots of discounts. Some museums, like the Cable Car Museum, are still free to visit.
SFMOMA | SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
Yerba Buena Gardens, 151 Third Street
www.sfmoma.org
SFMOMA is the second biggest modern and contemporary art museum in the US, after MOMA in New York. The building, designed by Mario Botta, is unmistakable: it is in the shape of a huge pile of bricks surmounted by a large cylinder, while the rippled white fibreglass exterior evokes fog. Among the 33,000+ works on display, you can admire creations by the likes of Matisse, Picasso, Dalí and Miró. Revamped and enlarged in 2016 after being closed for three years, it was recently enriched thanks to the private collection loaned (for 100 years) by Doris and Donald Fisher, the founders of Gap. The creative restaurant In Situ faithfully reproduces dishes by world-famous chefs. When the sun's shining, don't miss the Sculpture Garden Terrace on the 7th floor, where the view takes in the downtown skyline. Admission: adults $25, closed on Mondays.
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Golden Gate Park
www.calacademy.org
The natural history museum, founded in 1853: beautiful, innovative and one of the largest and most interesting ones in the world. The building that houses it, designed by Renzo Piano, has an unusual feature: the living roof, covered with native Californian plants and solar panels. The Italian starchitect created its wavy form to recall the city's seven hills. Inside the Academy you'll find the Kimball Natural History Museum, the large four-storey dome of the Osher Rainforest which recreates a tropical forest populated by birds and butterflies; the Steinhart Aquarium, the planetarium; the African Hall (with the albino crocodile, the museum's mascot); and the Earthquakes exhibition, which simulates the notorious Big One earthquake that sooner or (hopefully) later could wipe out California. Admission: $30 to $36. Thursdays, NightLife (21+) from 6pm to 10pm.
M. H. DE YOUNG MEMORIAL MUSEUM
Golden Gate Park
deyoung.famsf.org
Founded in 1895, it is one of the oldest museums in the city, but what you can see today dates back to 2005. The studio Herzog & de Meuron created a building that does not go unnoticed: stone, wood, glass, concrete, steel and an impressive copper facade that contrasts with the greenery of the park. It is named after Michael Henry de Young, founder of the museum and the first San Francisco newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, and director of the Associated Press news agency for many years.