With a sparkling setting on the sunny side of San Francisco Bay, Berkeley is a spirited city that has grown from counter-culture roots to become a hot culinary / cool cultural escape. Today, Berkeley is the place to stay by the Bay, a celebrated place to dine, listen to live music, take in a play, and feel an authentic (if endearingly off-beat) college town vibe.

Calling Art Lovers

Berkeley cultural discoveries range from vibrant street art and public galleries to major venues for theatre and live music. The Downtown Arts District is a highlight-reel hub with the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Freight, and the UC Theatre. And just a few blocks away stands Zellerbach Hall, the home venue for Cal Performances on the University of California campus.

Summer is high season for live music indoors and out. Iconic outdoor venues like the Greek Theatre and UC Botanical Garden’s Redwood Grove Concert Series keep the vibes high, while The Freight, UC Theatre, and Cornerstone attract star talent year round.

Tables for You

Berkeley is where American local, sustainable and organic dining gained popularity during the ‘70s at Chez Panisse Restaurant, the vision of the city’s first foodie Alice Waters. Today, Chez Panisse remains the jewel in Berkeley’s culinary crown, a wonderful choice both for fine dining downstairs and slightly more casual fare at its upstairs café. It’s new Bar Panisse is just next door to offer tasty craft cocktails and noshables.

Restaurants featuring the cuisines of Thailand, India, Mexico, Japan, China, Vietnam, Burma, the Mediterranean, Nepal and North Africa, and more bring celebrated cuisines of the world to Berkeley. Their common thread is how the ingredients, and the farms and ranches that raised them, become the stars.

Fresh Air Fun

With all the cultural and culinary experiences to savor, Berkeley offers at least as many ways to enjoy the great outdoors. Walking is woven into the soul of Berkeley; city planners included a network of some 140 public paths throughout the city’s hillside neighborhoods. Hiking and biking trails race along the bay and through the city’s landmark regional parks. Visitors can walk through epic botanic gardens and golf, sail, and kayak at the Berkeley Waterfront.

Berkeley has lyrical public gardens. The University of California Botanical Garden showcases plants of the world including a Chinese Medicinal Herb Garden and Rainforest House. The Botanic Garden at Tilden Regional Park grows the largest collection of California native plants in the world and features a grove of Earth’s largest tree, Sequoia sempervirens – California Redwoods. Tilden is laced with hiking trails and panoramic vistas to the Golden Gate Bridge and beyond.

Berkeley begins with the University of California campus, the sylvan and stone complex at the soulful heart of the city. Today, the 178-acre Berkeley campus, or “Cal” to locals and students, serves as more than an academic enclave. It is Berkeley’s “Central Park” with beautifully landscaped grounds, historic architecture, redwood forests and wonderful walking paths.

Shop Local

Independent merchants thrive in Berkeley’s tree-lined, fragrant and walkable districts. The city’s twists and turns of terrain give these neighborhoods room to establish signature personas, moods and mantras. North Shattuck, Fourth Street, Telegraph Avenue, Solano Avenue, Gilman, Lorin, Elmwood and Downtown – each of Berkeley’s districts has its own allure.

Berkeley: Your Bay Area Basecamp

Berkeley is your Bay Area basecamp, day-trip close to San Francisco and California’s fabled wine country, with national park destinations just over the horizon. With Berkeley’s college-town vibe, celebrated food and arts, local-find shops, and outdoor escapes – you may not want to venture too far with all there is to do right here. Plan to play!