Why Should You Go? Will You Like It?
- Get a Preview: Take a look at our Berkeley Pictures
- Berkeley is popular with arts lovers, shoppers and foodies and is a good place to take the kids, too.
Best Time to Go
Berekeley weather is about the same as in San Francisco, but it may be somewhat less foggy in summer. The area around the university is livelier during the school year, and Telegraph Avenue is best on weekends. The Berkeley area will be busy, and hotels full, during homecoming and graduation weekends. Parking places get quite scarce when the football or basketball teams are playing at home.5 Great Things to Do in Berkeley
Normally, we single out one thing that you shouldn’t miss during a day trip or weekend getaway, but there's too much to do in Berkeley and the don't-miss attraction depends on what your interests are.- University of California at Berkeley: Visitor services offers guided campus tours, or explore on your own. You can even download an podcast tour and listen to it on your MP3 player. Highlights include Sather Tower (The Campanile) which has sweeping views of the surroundings, campus museums and the Pacific Film Archives. Cross Bancroft Avenue on Telegraph Avenue for a lively weekend street market scene, populated with the full range of Berkeley shoppers: local characters, students and gawking tourists.
- Food-Lovers' Mecca: Besides the dining spots mentioned below, try Takara Sake for a new twist on wine-tasting: theirs is sake (rice wine). Cooks shouldn't miss Berkeley Bowl, with a produce department the size of a parking lot, offering up to 20 kinds of apples and a dozen varieties of eggplant..
- Family Fun: Everyone seems to love the full-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton on display at the Valley Life Sciences Building on the university campus and over on 5th street, reptile-loving kids will like the East Bay Vivarium, one of the largest reptile specialty stores in the country. For more hands-on type science fun, we found bunches of kids having a great time at the Lawrence Hall of Science, which also boasts great views from its hillside location. And while you're up there, how about a stop in Tilden Park to ride the carousel?
- Performing Arts: This theatre-loving writer discovered Berkeley Rep about the same time the Tony Awards folks did. It won their award for regional theatre in 1997 and has exported 7 of its productions to New York in the past 7 years. Cal Performances hosts a wide range of performers in all the arts.
- Shopping: City government resists the incursion of chain stores so successfully that local residents may have to go out of town just to buy pillowcases. Their inconvenience is a shopper's bonanza: interesting local boutiques cluster along exciting shopping streets all over town. Some of the best include Fourth Street (best for outlet shopping), Solano Avenue and Elmwood (don't miss Ici Ice Cream here).
- Golden Gate Fields: November through April, you can watch the horses run at the track just north of town.
Annual Events You Should Know About
Even if you don’t want to attend, it's a good idea to know what's going on at the university. Check their football schedule and basketball schedule. Commencement ceremonies take place in mid-May and homecoming is in early October.Best Bites
Cuisine in Berkeley ranges from simple ethnic fare to the groundbreaking Chez Panisse and all its offshoots (Cesar, Ici Ice Cream and more). Use our list of places to eat to find one that suits you best. If you're looking for a place to eat breakfast during your weekend getaway, try Cafe Fanny (San Pablo Avenue at Cedar St.) or Bette's Oceanview Diner on Fourth Street.Where to Stay
Accommodations people like best are a varied lot, from the Rodeway Inn to bed and breakfast inns. Your best bet for finding a place to stay that's highly rated by its customers is to check the ratings at tripadvisor.com. Hotel Durant is a good choice if you want to stay near the University.Getting to Berkeley, California
Driving? Berkeley is just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco. Take I-80 east. Exit at University Avenue for the university and most other sights. Exit Ashby Avenue for the Claremont Hotel and Elmwood shopping.BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is a no-hassle option if you're just going to the Berkeley Rep Theatre or are willing to walk a mile or more round trip to the campus. Otherwise, Berkeley is best explored in an automobile. If you want to see it all and leave the driving to someone else, A Friend in Town tour company offers customized Berkeley tours.
Flying? The nearest airport is in Oakland.
