Berkeley

Berkeley is synonymous with protest, activism and left wing politics. Beyond those tropes is a busy, attractive city, a blend of yuppie and hippie and student, all existing side by side with great Asia-Pacific regional restaurants, twee toy stores, Latin American groceries, high-end organic food halls and the misty green campus of the University of California, Berkeley (aka 'Cal'). It’s easy to stereotype ‘Beserkeley’ for some of its recycle-or-else PC crankiness and occasional overbearing self-righteousness. But some of that attitude is justified: at the end of the day Berkeley has, more often than not, been on the right side of environmental and political issues that have defined the rest of the nation.

Berkeley is also home to a large South Asian community, as evidenced by an abundance of sari shops on University Ave and an unusually large number of Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese restaurants.

Explore Berkeley

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Berkeley.

  • Park

    Tilden Regional Park

    This 2079-acre park, up in the hills east of town, is Berkeley’s best. It has nearly 40 miles of hiking and multiuse trails of varying difficulty, from…

  • University

    University of California, Berkeley

    'Cal' is one of the country's top universities, California's oldest university (1866), and home to 40,000 diverse, politically conscious students. Next to…

  • Gardens

    UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

    With 34 acres and more than 10,000 types of plants, this garden in the hills above campus has one of the most varied collections in the USA. Flora from…

  • Museum

    Takara Sake

    Stop in to see the traditional wooden tools used for making sake and a short video of the brewing process. Tours of the factory aren’t offered, but you…

  • Landmark

    Campanile

    Officially called Sather Tower, the Campanile was modeled on St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. The 307ft spire offers fine views of the Bay Area, and at the…

  • Street

    Telegraph Avenue

    Telegraph Ave has traditionally been the throbbing heart of studentville in Berkeley, the sidewalks crowded with undergrads, postdocs and youthful…

  • Gardens

    Berkeley Rose Garden

    In North Berkeley discover the Berkeley Rose Garden, with its eight terraces of colorful explosions. Here you’ll find quiet benches and a plethora of…

  • Park

    Adventure Playground

    At the Berkeley Marina, this is one of the coolest play spaces in the Bay Area – a free outdoor park encouraging creativity and cooperation where…

  • Museum

    UC Berkeley Art Museum

    With a stainless-steel exterior wrapping around a 1930s printing plant, this museum holds multiple galleries showcasing a limited number of artworks, from…

  • Museum

    Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

    This museum boasts a fine collection – almost 15,000 pieces – of art and cultural artifacts sourced from across the Jewish diaspora, particularly Jewish…

  • Museum

    Phoebe A Hearst Museum of Anthropology

    South of the Campanile in Kroeber Hall, this small museum includes exhibits from indigenous cultures around the world, including ancient Peruvian,…

  • Museum

    Lawrence Hall of Science

    Near Grizzly Peak Blvd, this science hall is named after Ernest Lawrence, who won the Nobel Prize for his invention of the cyclotron particle accelerator…

  • Library

    Bancroft Library

    The Bancroft houses, among other gems, the papers of Mark Twain, a copy of Shakespeare’s folios and a diary from the Donner Party. Its small public…

  • Marina

    Berkeley Marina

    At the west end of University Ave is the marina, frequented by squawking seagulls, silent types fishing from the pier and, especially on windy weekends,…

  • Church

    First Church of Christ, Scientist

    Bernard Maybeck’s impressive 1910 church uses concrete and wood in its blend of arts-and-crafts, Asian and Gothic influences. Maybeck was a professor of…

  • Gate

    Sather Gate

    The frenetic energy buzzing from the university’s Sather Gate on any given day is a mixture of youthful posthippies reminiscing about days before their…

  • Park

    People’s Park

    This park, just east of Telegraph Ave, is a marker in local history as a political battleground between residents and the city and state government in the…

  • Research Center

    UC Museum of Paleontology

    Despite the title, this isn't a museum, but rather a research facility that's closed to the public. With that said, the location within the Valley Life…