Skip the Line: California Academy of Sciences General Admission Ticket

San Francisco, United States of America

Skip the line as you visit the California Academy of Sciences - the only place on the planet with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof! As this is your pre-paid ticket, you will skip all the massive ticket buying lines.

Filled with hundreds of exhibits and thousands of animals, the California Academy of Sciences has something for everyone to enjoy. Ideal for a family day out, prepare to be amazed and taught about the planet's diversity and biology.

Start your journey with a lift off from planet Earth and take a jaw-dropping ride to the far reaches of the universe at the Morrison Planetarium, the largest all-digital planetarium in the world. Then explore the colorful world of the ocean at the Steinhart Aquarium, home to 38,000 live animals from around the world. A diver will descend into the tank and introduce you to the world's deepest living coral reef exhibit, featuring more than 900 separate species!

Don't forget to stop by and greet Pierre, Howard, Ocio and the rest of the African Penguin colony. Marine biologists will answer your questions while feeding and caring for them. After meeting the albino alligator and his swamp companions, you may find yourself fascinated with the swamp world. Join in on the Swamp Talk and you'll learn about what it takes to care for these amazing creatures, natives to swamps in the southeastern United States.

Enter the 4-story living rainforest contained within a spectacular 90-foot diameter glass dome. It's the largest spherical rainforest exhibit in the world and is home to 1,600 live animals, including free-flying birds and butterflies, exotic reptiles and bats. Don't leave without a visit to the Kimball Natural History Museum that focusses on the evolution and maintenance of life on Earth, drawing on the Academy's 150 years of research!

Behind the Scenes Tour

For an extra special experience, upgrade to the California Academy of Sciences Behind the Scenes Tour to gain exclusive behind-the-scenes entry to the exhibits. On this 1.5-hour tour you will gain access to staff-only areas, interact with Academy researchers and enjoy a private viewing of some of the Academy's secured collections.

Special Offer - Book by June 30, 2012 to save over 16% compared to local general admission ticket price - BOOK NOW! - Book Now!

USD $24.95

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Jer	March 2012
Good despite the rain !!!

Review by: Yvonne F	January 2012
I was hoping to skip going to the ticket window by going through Viator, but when I reached the front doors of the California Academy of Sciences I was told I had to redeem my voucher at the ticket window. Luckily the lines were short since I came early but I did save on each child's admission and that was worth going on line for.

Review by: Serene G	January 2012
Purchasing the Voucher on line worked pretty well, but because it WAS a voucher, I still had to wait in line to exchange it for a ticket. We were very lucky as there was NO line!

Review by: cecotter	December 2011
excellent day out

Review by: Sharon A	December 2011
What a great place! A full day of exploring. This ticket gets you into the planetaium, aquarium as well as all the displays at a very discounted price. Thanks Viator, I will definitly use you again

Review by: Jenna S	December 2011
The aquarium was very cool, and the penguins cute. We got there kinda late and didn't have time to explore everything.

Review by: Amitava G	December 2011
Very good. Booking in advance made it very convenient

Review by: Kevin C	December 2011
fast and convenient

Review by: Agnieszka Z	November 2011
Catch the 71 bus to Golden Gate Park, then walk ~5mins to the entrance of the Academy._br/_ Lots of great natural history stuff to see in the museum (including an albino alligator!) as well as the IMAX-style film shown in the planetarium every 1/2 hour.

Review by: Nancy R	November 2011
It was great! We just walked up with our pre-printed ticket and skipped the line.

Review by: James M	November 2011
after e-printing my tickets we still had to wait in line for the real tickets and e-tickets didnt give us the youth discount for the kids charged as adults ! cheaper to buy membership and go in with no waiting next time !

Review by: Alan R	October 2011
Good venue to visit -sorry I needed more time

Review by: MAZ	October 2011
This is a great place to spend half a day. The butterflies and fabulous frogs in the rainforest as well as the aquarium were awesome. We had just been to the aquarium at monteray and this was so much better. From here you can also walk to the de young and other places of interest in golden gate park, however, check opening days and hours as we were there on a Monday and the conservatory was closed._br/_ It was not busy the day we went so I can't comment on the effectiveness of the skip the line element._br/_ The African exhibit was great, great taxidermy!

Review by: Gemma K	October 2011
Loads to do here!! It is a very modern place and full of fantastic exhibits! Learnt alot of facinating things. The planetarium was great and the aquarium was excellent!! Very good food in the cafe and very clean! The academy is in the middle of beautiful golden gate park and you can make a really full and enjoyable day out of it! Highly recommended.

Review by: Elaine C	October 2011
Our trip to the Academy of Sciences was great...the children enjoyed the exhibits and the exhibits were amazing. theonly two issues were with the lack of affordable food for small children and the parking was horrible. That being said, we will plan to visit again!

Review by: Tracey B	October 2011
Apart from the school groups (but it would be school groups or weekend traffic) this was interesting and not something that every other tourist goes and sees (just school groups instead).

Review by: Ana G	October 2011
Very convenient and cheaper price.

Review by: Patricia S	October 2011
What a wonderful experience. Buying tickets ahead of time and at a lower rate was perfect for my pocketbook. Easy entrance into the Academy. Weather was perfect and in the low 80;s. The exhibits were fantasitc and I'm glad they kept some of the exhibits from my childhood so I could share them with my grandson.

Review by: Jacqueline B	October 2011
Went straight to the Service Desk, handed over the paperwork and they gave us the tickets, opened the doors and greeted us warmly. Couldn't have been better.

Review by: kennygooner	September 2011
Worth the money and a fascinating place

Review by: Junko P	September 2011
It was a great trip. When we got to the Academy and checked in at the Group Desk, they told us to go in a line for members which precluded us from having to stand in the long ticket line.

Review by: Jane L	September 2011
we like the Academy of Sciences; the only disappointment was the very bad food from the cafeteria.

Review by: Paula T	September 2011
Fast admission with no complications. The CSA was a wonderful experience

Review by: Paula T	September 2011
Fast admission with no complications. The CSA was a wonderful experience

Review by: wiliam s	September 2011
easy to buy tics, no lines and easy to use the e-tickets

Review by: Marie Terrie F	September 2011
Day was spent here with less crowding. A little disappointed as the rainforest was closed. Love the albino alligator as my husband thought it was plastic until it moves. The aquarium was great, with all the other specie that are local in the region. Planetarium is a plus too. It's a good day out and across the building is an exhibition of Picasso which we didn't have enough time as we wonder in the exhibit of the floral gardens...

Review by: Maral T	September 2011
This place is amazing. We had a great time. I have been wanting to go here for the longest time and finally we made plans to go to Ca Academy of Sciences. The Moss Cafe is also good since they have a good selection of items to eat especially with kids. If you haven't been, its a must to see the rainforest.

Review by: Julie J	September 2011
This is a wonderful place, for children and adults. I hope to return many times.

Review by: marie t	September 2011
Was well worth the money we enjoyed all the new exhibits and I was pleased to see how some of the old ones were preserved as I remembered them as a child.

Review by: Klaus G	August 2011
A great way to do this if buying single event tickets. Got a discount and exchanging the voucher for the tickets was a snap.

Review by: Margarita A	August 2011
Wonderful experience at the CAS. My three girls (8, 11, and 25) could not get enough, indeed, we will have to return to see all the exhibits. The staff was simply wonderful. I am handicapped and they did a wonderful job of helping me enjoy the visit. I especially appreciated their help during the planetarium show, which is absolutely enthralling. We liked it so much we bought a family membership when we returned home.

Review by: Theresa W	August 2011
My granddaughter (age 10) loved everything. I haven't been since her mother was a teen---very impressed. It was a great day!

Review by: Robert L	August 2011
The Academy was great and Viator ticketing saved $$ and time standing in line. My grandson and I loved the Snakes and Reptiles, the Planetarium and the Roof Garden in particular.

Review by: brad k	August 2011
Got their early to avoid parking problems. Ticket line was short . Skip the line , line was even shorter. No waiting . Was great. Would use this again. Thanks.

Review by: Paublo B	August 2011
The website did not say it was a free day and the crowds were beyond my comfort level. I would not have gone!

Review by: Traci T	August 2011
It was so quick and easy to just walk up to the counter and boom, we were in!

Review by: Jennifer S	August 2011
Great fun with the kids. I thought that there was going to be more to do, more hands on.

Review by: Joan N	August 2011
We still had to wait in line to pick up our tickets and then wait in another line to get in. By that time there was no longer any seating available for the planetarium. Very disappointing.

Review by: Paul K	August 2011
The $5 cheaper admission can be found anywhere one stays, so the only benefit to purchasing this way is to skip the line, which is definitely worth it if you know you're going to go to the CAS. An interesting museum, but not a must for a trip to San Francisco.

Review by: Marilyn T	August 2011
Easy purchase of discounted tickets to the Academy of Sciences Golden Gate Park. Had no trouble getting the tickets at the desk and got right in. I purchased 1 child, 1 senior and 1 adult for my 14 yr old grandson, Mostly good except there is a student price for the 14 yr old so wish I had that option but still saved money!

Review by: bon_kahlua_ride	August 2011
We had a great time! No line, exchanged our print-out for tickets, walked right in. Just make sure you get there EARLY for parking. We arrived a tad late around 1:30, way to late. So my suggestion is arrive very early so you can find parking. Otherwise, Awsome time!

Review by: Escono A	August 2011
Fast, convenient and saved money...who could ask for more?!

Review by: martin k, United Kingdom	June 2010
plenty to see,very informative,recommend it.

Review by: Ronald H, Australia	June 2010
Well worth the visit, especially if you have children. Quite an incredible building. Set aside at least a half day to see everything, but remember that the Academy closes at 5.00pm.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
cheaper than at the box office AND we got to go in the membership line nice surprise! just make sure to get there when the museum opens or the lines are loong1

Review by: anne r s, Australia	June 2010
Absolutely well worth seeing. The planetarium was the highlight but the whole museum was exceptional with pleasant staff and excellent things to see. This was one of the highlights of our trip.

Review by: Dale J H, United States of America	May 2010
Everything happened as we expected from the ad.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
There is so much to see and experience. It is easy to navigate and there are plenty of employees to guide you. We spent the entire day there! The restaurant offers a variety of food choices or you can bring your lunch. There is outdoor seating areas for eating or resting.

Review by: Larry F, United States of America	May 2010
A great place for the family, get there early so you can get the free passes for the planetarium and other special events that require additional free passes. Free parking is available in the park or park underground right under the museum. We were able to beat the lines buying the prepaid tickets at a dicount too, got in early as well.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
It was a wonderful museum and well worthwhile forall age groups