Berkeley

Berkeley sits on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, just north of Oakland, and is best known as the home of the University of California, Berkeley. It is a college town with a long record of student politics, independent bookstores, record shops and cafes. The flat streets near the bay rise into steep hills behind the campus, with views across the water to the Golden Gate. Neighborhoods are walkable and each has its own shopping street. Berkeley is easy to reach from San Francisco and makes a good change from the city, with a smaller scale, more green space and a strong food scene.

The University of California campus is the main stop. Sather Tower, known as the Campanile, rises over the grounds, and Sproul Plaza and Memorial Glade are the social centers of the campus. The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is a museum and cinema in one, and the University of California Botanical Garden spreads across a canyon above the campus. The Lawrence Hall of Science in the hills suits families. Tilden Regional Park has hiking trails, Lake Anza and the Little Farm. The Berkeley Marina and Cesar Chavez Park offer open shoreline walks, and the Berkeley Municipal Rose Garden is a terraced garden in the north.

Berkeley has a serious food culture. The Gourmet Ghetto, along Shattuck Avenue in North Berkeley, is home to Chez Panisse and the Cheese Board Collective, and the street has bakeries, cafes and restaurants worth a walk. Fourth Street, in the west, has shops, restaurants and Bette's Oceanview Diner. Telegraph Avenue runs south from the campus with cheap eats, record stores, vintage clothes and street vendors. Downtown has a mix of restaurants, and farmers markets run on several days of the week. Music fits easily into an evening, with the Greek Theatre, Freight and Salvage, the UC Theatre and Cornerstone. Berkeley Repertory Theatre brings in live theater.

Downtown Berkeley is the easiest base, with hotels near the campus, the Downtown Berkeley BART station and a good choice of restaurants. The area around Telegraph Avenue suits budget travelers and those who want to be near the university. Hotels near the marina and Interstate 80 are practical for drivers and close to Fourth Street. Berkeley is walkable, and BART connects Downtown Berkeley, Ashby and North Berkeley stations with Oakland and San Francisco. AC Transit runs local buses and buses across the bay. The Capitol Corridor Amtrak station sits near the marina. Parking is hard near the campus and downtown. Oakland International Airport is the closest, and San Francisco International Airport is reachable by BART.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with clear days and mild weather. Summers are dry and often cool, with fog and wind off the bay, so bring a jacket for evenings. Winters are mild and wet, and the hills turn green. Autumn brings Cal football to the campus stadium, and graduation season in May fills hotels. One day covers the campus, Telegraph Avenue and a meal in the Gourmet Ghetto. A second day adds Tilden Regional Park or the marina, and a third works well if you want to use Berkeley as a quieter base for San Francisco.

Berkeley sits on Interstate 80, which crosses the Bay Bridge to San Francisco and runs northeast toward Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. Interstate 580 leads west across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to Marin County, Muir Woods and Point Reyes. Napa and Sonoma are an easy drive north. The Capitol Corridor train runs from Berkeley to Oakland and Sacramento and also reaches San Jose. A night or two here pairs well with San Francisco, wine country or a drive up the coast, and the BART and train links make a car optional.