Oakland travel guide
Oakland Tourism | Oakland Guide
You're Going to Love Oakland
With a population of 390,724, Oakland is a must-see destination in California, United States. It is among the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Oakland deserves at least 2 full days for you to see its main sights.
Activities & attractions in Oakland
Activities
Tours
Art & Performing Arts
Other activities
Where to Eat in Oakland
North Oakland is the neighborhood with the most restaurants in Oakland. These include popular favorites such as Wood Tavern (6317 College Ave.), Commis Dining Room (3859 Piedmont Avenue) and Lovely Day (4629 Martin Luther King Jr Way). If you’re looking for affordable options, A Cote (5478 College Ave) and Scott's Seafood - Oakland (2 Broadway) are great picks. For delicious green meals, Low Bar Oakland (2300 Webster St) and Shakewell (3407 Lakeshore Ave) are recommended spots to get vegetarian or vegan food in Oakland.
When to visit Oakland
Looking for warm weather? Then head to Oakland in August, when the average temperature is 66.2 °F, and the highest can go up to 73.4 °F. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 44.6 °F, with an average temperature of 51.8 °F. You’re likely to see more rain in January, when precipitation is around 4.8″. In contrast, July is usually the driest month of the year in Oakland, with an average rainfall of 0″.
How to Get to Oakland
Plane
Oakland is served by 2 airports: Oakland Airport (OAK) and San Francisco Airport (SFO). The closest to downtown Oakland is Oakland Airport, which is located 11 km from the city center. Further away is San Francisco Airport, 22 km from the center of Oakland. Oakland Airport is the most popular, with regular flights from Spirit Airlines, Southwest, Alaska Airlines and other airlines departing from the United States. The shortest domestic flight to Oakland departs from Ontario and takes around 1h 20m.
Train
Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to Oakland. The train journey from Oakland to Sacramento takes 1h 41m and costs around $21 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from Fresno, expect to pay about $17 for a 3h 59m trip. Located 1.2 km from the city center, Oakland Jack London Square is the busiest station in Oakland. Another popular train station is Oakland Coliseum, located 9 km from the center.
Car
Another option to get to Oakland is to pick up a car rental from San Francisco, which is about 13 km from Oakland. You’ll find branches of Kyte and Sixt, among others, in San Francisco.
Bus
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Oakland, including FlixBus, Greyhound and Busbud. From Santa Barbara, the bus ride to Oakland takes 636 km and will cost you around $92. From Burbank, the ticket costs about $47 for a journey of 676 km. The most popular bus station is Oakland, located 0.8 km from downtown Oakland. Oakland Jack London is also a commonly used station, and is 0.8 km from the city center.
Airlines serving Oakland
Where to stay in Oakland
There are also lots of vacation rental options in Oakland, with prices from $13 to $886 per night. North Oakland is the neighborhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, vacation rentals in Oakland are about 52% more expensive than a hotel room in the city.
North Oakland - In Oakland’s most popular neighborhood to stay, recommended hotels include Westwind Lodge, Claremont Club and Spa A Fairmont Hotel and Imperial Inn Oakland.
Where to stay in popular areas of Oakland
Most booked hotels in Oakland
Renting a car in Oakland
Renting a car in Oakland costs $56 per day, on average, or $112 if you want to rent if for 2 days. Alamo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Europcar are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to rent a car in Oakland is the Fox branch at 7600 Earhart Road, which is 9 km from the city center.
It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 15% cheaper than airport locations in Oakland.
Expect to pay $3.94 per gallon in Oakland (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $47.24 and $62.99. The most frequently booked car type in Oakland is Mini (Chrysler Pacifica or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Compact rental cars (Dodge Neon or similar) are, on average, 71% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.
Best car rental deals in Oakland
Supplier choice
5 Adults, 5 Bags
$28/day
Compact
4 Adults, 2 Bags
$30/day