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Asian Art Museum

200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (Civic Center)
415 581 3500
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Ranked #16 of 327 attractions in San Francisco
Type: Art Museums
Activities: Shopping
Traveler Description: The Asian Art Museum is one of the best Asian art museums in the world so plan on spending several hours. The best introduction to the museum is to... more »
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341 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Picton, New Zealand
2 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 24, 2013 NEW

We got to see the Terracotta Warrior main exhibit, then continued through the museum which was all so worthwhile, simply ran out of time...fantastic variety of beauty and information, must return some day for more

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Santa Maria, California
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 23, 2013 NEW

We came for the Jade exhibits, which used to be housed in the DeYoung Museum, but were moved to the Asian Art Museum after the last big earthquake. We enjoyed this very much and they have quite an extensive collection of Jade. There was also on display an exhibition of the Terracotta Warriors from China, but we had seen them... More

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Campbell
Senior Contributor
45 reviews 45 reviews
14 attraction reviews
Reviews in 31 cities Reviews in 31 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 21, 2013 NEW

Just visited the Asian Art Museum for the first time, mainly to see the Terracotta Warrior exhibit. This beautiful building houses so many treasures in various areas, separated geographically. The exhibit was mind-boggling as it was a recent discovery (1974) of huge magnitude. This museum will be a great addition to my San Francisco tour for visiting friends.

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Pebble Beach, California
Senior Contributor
49 reviews 49 reviews
28 attraction reviews
Reviews in 25 cities Reviews in 25 cities
26 helpful votes 26 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 18, 2013

We recently went to specifically see the Terra Cotta Warriors. Outstanding! We particularly enjoyed how well they used this exhibit to inform us about the early history of China and how this compared to other earlier, contemporary, and later empires around the world. They also provided a fascinating story of the First Emperor, in whose tomb these artifacts were found,... More

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Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 17, 2013

This is a wonderful museum so plan on spending some time. If you see the Terra Cotta Warriors before that exhibit leaves, be sure to take one of the docent-led tours, as not only are they free but you have the opportunity to ask questions. There are so many interesting things here to see and photograph!

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See 3 more reviews by TulsaGal2011 for San Francisco
Antwerp, Belgium
Senior Contributor
29 reviews 29 reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 16, 2013

We loved the many beautiful pieces of art. Especially from India. The free guide tour was less interesting than we expected.

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See 2 more reviews by Rose L for San Francisco
adelaide
Top Contributor
52 reviews 52 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
23 helpful votes 23 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 14, 2013

The collection of South East Asian art is good and comprehensive, although the museum's main collection focuses on China and Japan, with a great collection of netsuke. The collection begins up on the highest floor and you wind your way down. The cafe seems to offer good fare, although I was pressed for time and couldn't sample it. Like all... More

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See 8 more reviews by khmersrei for San Francisco
Mexico City, Mexico
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 14, 2013

dont miss the terracota warriors exhibit! all the museum has a very good collection! its all so well picked that its amazing! Give it 3 hours at least.

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See 12 more reviews by TatianaMR for San Francisco
Phoenix, Arizona
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 14, 2013

My husband and I really enjoyed the museum. It was a great way to spend an afternoon in the city. However, it is mostly geared toward adults, so I would not recommend it to families with younger kids. Also, It was crowded, as the Terra Cotta Warrior display is there right now. If possible, I would recommended to go to... More

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See 3 more reviews by WeLOVEtravel806 for San Francisco
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed May 14, 2013 via mobile

Don't go to the special exhibits here. We went to see the terra cotta warriors: it was like a packed bar. As many people as they could get into that room, they squeezed in. It was loud, people constantly bumping into you and you had to jockey for position to read the small signs placed low on the wall/displays. There... More

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