The Asian Art Museum takes visitors on a comprehensive tour of the major cultural regions in Asia. From Iran to Indonesia, the Himalayas to Malaysia, galleries include sculptures and paintings, sacred objects, and historical photographs, arranged to provide a detailed picture of the vast region’s differing cultures. Masterpieces, such as the Buddha Triumphing over Mara, a stone sculpture from India dating to the 900s, are interwoven into the collections.
The San Francisco Explorer Pass and Go card include admission to the Asian Art Museum. Hop-on-hop-off bus tours also stop here.
The Asian Art Museum is known for its popular and immersive cultural programming, much of which must be booked in advance.
All of the museum’s entrances are accessible to people using wheeled devices.
A special effort is made to include children in the museum’s programming. There are even before-hours stroller tours for moms, dads, and caregivers for the 0–2 set.
Tickets to evening programs are sold separately.
The Exploratorium’s on-site restaurant, Sunday at the Museum, is very popular and lines can be long. Visit after 1pm to avoid the longest lines.
The Asian Art Museum is located at San Francisco’s Civic Center and is easily accessed by public transportation. On BART, exit at Civic Center/Larkin Street. Muni J, K, L, M, N, and T streetcar lines all stop within a block of the museum near Larkin and Market streets. San Francisco Muni bus lines, 5, 6, 7, 21, 47, and 48 also make stops at Civic Center.
The Asian Art Museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10am–5pm, extending until 9pm Thursdays, February through September. The museum is closed on Mondays, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. During events and festival days, such as Lunar New Year, the museum and on-site restaurant are extremely busy. Booking tickets in advance is highly recommended.
The museum recently invited local chef Deuki Hong and restaurateurs Andrew Chau and Bin Chen of Boba Guys milk tea to take over its on-site restaurant, Sunday at the Museum. A sample of the menu of Asian flavors include Hong’s classic Korean fried chicken sandwich, soy-chili-garlic chicken wings, and miso avocado toast on Japanese milk bread, and milk tea, of course.
