Welcome to SoMa and Civic Center

Top Experiences

• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): Explore the vast trove of modern masterpieces at this sprawling museum, one of the largest in the country dedicated to modern art.
• Asian Art Museum: Stand face-to-face with a massive gold Buddha at one of the world's most expansive collections of Asian art.
• Club-hopping in SoMa: Shake it with the cool, friendly crowd that fills SoMa's dance clubs until the wee hours, and all weekend long at the EndUp.
• Yerba Buena Gardens: Gather picnic provisions and choose a spot on the grass in downtown's oasis.
• SFJAZZ Center: Experience the amazing acoustics at Hayes Valley's intimate temple to jazz.
• SF Opera, Ballet, and Symphony: Enjoy San Francisco's world-class performing arts companies in the shadow of spectacular City Hall.

Getting Here

For most SoMa visitors who stick close to the area around Yerba Buena Gardens and the Moscone Center, getting here is a matter of walking roughly 10 minutes from Union Square, less from Market Street transit.

It's best to reach Civic Center by Muni light-rail, bus, or F-line. Hoofing it from Union Square takes you through the often seedy Tenderloin neighborhood and is a bit of a trek.

After dark, a cab or rideshare may be prudent for both of these neighborhoods.

Planning Your Time

You could spend all day museum-hopping in SoMa. Allow at least two hours for gigantic SFMOMA. An hour each should do it for the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a little less than that for the smaller museums.

SoMa after dark is another adventure entirely. More interested in merlot or megaclubs than Matisse? Start here around 8 pm for dinner, then move on to a bar or dance spot.

Plan on spending at least two hours at the Asian Art Museum and no more than a half hour at City Hall. Except for these two mainstays, you'll have little reason to visit the Civic Center area unless you have tickets to the opera, symphony, or other cultural event. Hayes Valley and its restaurants and boutiques merit a leisurely one-hour look-see.