Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco tickets: which one to buy

Grace Cathedral stands at the top of Nob Hill in San Francisco, California, facing Huntington Park, and a ticket is required for sightseeing, while worship services are free. It is the Episcopal cathedral of San Francisco and one of its landmarks. Guided tours are offered, including a tour of the cathedral's grand organ and occasional tours of the towers. The cathedral is famous for its two labyrinths, one indoors, woven into a carpet, and one outdoors, in terrazzo, which are open to walkers, and yoga classes are held in the cathedral on certain evenings.

Nob Hill is reached by the California Street cable car line, which stops near the cathedral. Walking tours of Nob Hill combine the cathedral with the Fairmont and Mark Hopkins hotels and the Cable Car Museum. The cathedral holds regular concerts and choral services. Tickets for sightseeing can be booked online, and admission is free for worship and for residents on certain days.

Visiting Grace Cathedral, San Francisco: what to see

The first Grace Church was built in 1849, during the Gold Rush, and the church was destroyed in the earthquake and fire of 1906. The Crocker family donated the land on Nob Hill, where their mansion had burned, and the present cathedral was built between 1928 and 1964, designed by Lewis Hobart in a French Gothic style inspired by Notre-Dame de Paris, but built of reinforced concrete to resist earthquakes. The east doors are gilded bronze casts of Lorenzo Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise from the Florence Baptistery. Inside, the cathedral has stained glass windows, including a series showing modern figures such as Albert Einstein and astronaut John Glenn, and murals depicting the history of San Francisco and the founding of the United Nations.

The Interfaith AIDS Memorial Chapel holds an altarpiece by Keith Haring, his last work. The cathedral's carillon has forty-four bells. The grand organ, built by the Aeolian-Skinner company in 1934, has more than seven thousand pipes. The rose window, made in Chartres, shows the Canticle of the Sun by Saint Francis. The stained glass windows depict both saints and modern figures of science and culture. The murals, painted in the 1940s by Jan Henryk de Rosen, show scenes of the church in California. The cathedral's bells can be heard across Nob Hill. The outdoor labyrinth, on the terrace, is open around the clock. The cathedral's bookshop sells books and gifts.

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with limited sightseeing on Sundays. San Francisco's weather is mild but often foggy, especially in summer, and autumn is the warmest and clearest season. The cathedral hosts concerts during the Christmas season and choral evensong on Thursdays. Yoga on the labyrinth is held on certain evenings. The cable car ride up to Nob Hill is an experience in itself. Allow about forty-five minutes for the cathedral and labyrinths, and walk to the Cable Car Museum and Chinatown down the hill. The Cable Car Museum, a short walk downhill, shows the machinery that pulls the cables and the history of the system.