Berkeley

Berkeley sits on the east shore of the bay, about 45 miles north of Palo Alto, with its university at the foot of the hills and San Francisco in full view across the water. For people who live near Stanford it is the other great campus of the Bay Area: older, more crowded and more political, with a city that grew up around its gates. A day here mixes a campus walk, a climb up the Campanile, lunch in the neighborhood that shaped California cooking and a browse through the bookstores of Telegraph Avenue.

It is also one of the few day trips from Palo Alto that works well without a car. Caltrain and BART connect at Millbrae and BART stops a block from campus. This guide covers both ways of getting there, then the campus, North Shattuck, Telegraph and a few extras in the hills.

Getting there from Palo Alto

By Caltrain and BART

Take Caltrain north from Palo Alto or California Avenue to Millbrae, where Caltrain and BART share a station. Our Caltrain guide covers fares and stations. At Millbrae, walk across to the BART platforms and board a train toward Richmond.

• Red Line trains run from Millbrae through San Francisco and under the bay to Downtown Berkeley without a change. BART runs the Red Line every day until about 9 p.m.
• Later in the evening, ride the Yellow Line and switch to an Orange Line train at 19th Street Oakland or MacArthur, where BART times the cross-platform transfers.
• Get off at Downtown Berkeley. The station sits on Shattuck Avenue a block west of campus. North Berkeley and Ashby are the other two stations in town.

Pay with a Clipper card or a contactless bank card on both systems. The BART ride from Millbrae takes roughly an hour, so allow about an hour and a half to two hours from Palo Alto in total. BART does weekend track work fairly often, so check the BART website for service changes the day before.

By car

The drive is about an hour in light traffic. You can take US 101 north and cross the Bay Bridge, or cross the San Mateo Bridge on Highway 92 and follow Interstate 880 north through Oakland. Bay Area bridges collect tolls electronically and only in the westbound direction, so you pay on the way home. Parking near campus is scarce and metered. University lots are mostly permit only. A public garage downtown is the easiest choice.

The UC Berkeley campus

The University of California was founded in 1868 and opened on this site in 1873. It is the oldest campus of the UC system. The central campus is compact and walkable, with Strawberry Creek running through groves of oaks and eucalyptus between granite Beaux Arts buildings and later concrete ones. A loop from the west entrance up to the Campanile and back down to Sather Gate takes about an hour at a slow pace.

Places to look for on a first visit:

• Sather Gate, the bronze and granite gate at the south edge of campus, where the Free Speech Movement gathered in 1964.
• Sproul Plaza, just outside the gate, still the place for rallies, club tables and student groups.
• Doe Library and the glade in front of it, the classic campus lawn.
• The Hearst Greek Theatre in the northeast corner of campus, an open-air amphitheater still used for concerts and commencement.
• California Memorial Stadium in Strawberry Canyon, home of Cal football, built in 1923.

The university runs guided campus tours through its visitor center. Book them on the Visit Berkeley tours page, which also offers a self-guided map. If you are comparing schools, our guide to visiting Stanford as a prospective student covers the other half of the rivalry.

Climbing the Campanile

Sather Tower, always called the Campanile, rises 307 feet over the middle of campus. The university calls it the second tallest freestanding clock and bell tower in the world. An elevator and 38 stairs take you to the observation platform, which looks across the bay to the Golden Gate Bridge on a clear day.

Here is what the Campanile page listed in late October 2026:

• Regular hours: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 5:30 p.m.
• Tickets are paid by credit card or Apple Pay only. No cash.
• The tower is closed Thanksgiving weekend, November 26 to 29, 2026 and over winter break, December 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027. It also closes early on some days and can close with little notice.

The carillon plays short recitals several times a day. If you hear the bells while you are at the top, cover your ears.

Museums on and near campus

Three collections reward an extra hour. The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, known as BAMPFA, sits on Center Street just across from the downtown BART station. It combines art galleries with a cinema that screens classic and international film. The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology holds one of the largest anthropology collections in the country, with strong holdings from California Native peoples. Up Strawberry Canyon, the UC Botanical Garden covers dozens of acres of plants from around the world, arranged by region. Check each site for days and admission before you go, since all three keep limited weekly schedules.

North Shattuck, the Gourmet Ghetto

A short walk north of downtown along Shattuck Avenue is the neighborhood long nicknamed the Gourmet Ghetto. Local merchants now promote it as North Shattuck, but the history is the same. Three places here changed how Americans eat.

• Peet's Coffee opened its first store at Vine and Walnut streets in 1966 and introduced dark-roast coffee to a generation of Bay Area drinkers. The original corner still serves coffee.
• Chez Panisse, Alice Waters's restaurant at 1517 Shattuck Avenue, opened in 1971 and built its menu around local, seasonal ingredients. A set menu downstairs and a more casual café upstairs both take reservations on the restaurant's website, often weeks ahead.
• The Cheese Board Collective has been worker-owned since 1971. Its bakery and cheese counter are at 1504 Shattuck and its pizzeria, which makes one vegetarian pizza a day, is at 1512 Shattuck. The pizza line often reaches down the block, but it moves fast. Check the Cheese Board website for days and hours.

Around them are bakeries, delis and small restaurants. A good plan is to arrive mid-morning, take coffee at the old Peet's corner and eat lunch here before the campus walk.

Telegraph Avenue

Telegraph Avenue runs south from Sather Gate through the student district. The first four blocks are the famous part, lined with cheap cafes, poster shops, street vendors selling tie-dye and jewelry and some of the best used bookstores on the West Coast. Moe's Books at 2476 Telegraph has been here since 1959 and fills four floors with used, new and rare books. Book lovers can compare it with our guide to bookstores in Palo Alto.

People's Park, a block east of Telegraph, was a flashpoint of the 1960s. The university has since fenced the site for a student housing project, so you will see construction rather than a park. Telegraph can feel gritty and some storefronts sit empty, so keep an eye on your belongings after dark.

The hills and the views

If you have a car, drive up into the Berkeley Hills for the views. The East Bay Regional Park District runs Tilden Regional Park along the ridge, with a small farm for children, a carousel, a botanic garden of California plants and trails with views over the bay. Lower down, Indian Rock Park in north Berkeley is a cluster of volcanic rocks with carved steps and a famous sunset view toward the Golden Gate. Bring a jacket. The hills catch wind and fog.

Berkeley pairs naturally with its neighbor. Downtown Oakland is three BART stops south, so you can spend the morning on campus and the late afternoon at Lake Merritt.

Staying overnight

Most visitors from the Peninsula do Berkeley as a day trip. If you want an evening at the Greek Theatre or a long dinner on Shattuck without the late ride home, there are hotels downtown and near campus. You can compare hotels in Berkeley for a night. If you would rather someone else plan the day, Bay Area tours from San Francisco sometimes include Berkeley along with other East Bay stops.

Frequently asked questions