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. We recommend you stay at least 3 days in order to fully appreciate everything Oakland has to offer.
What to do in Oakland
Top activities & attractions in Oakland
Where to Eat in Oakland
North Oakland is the neighborhood with the most restaurants in Oakland. These include popular favorites such as Pucquio (5337 College Ave), Lovely Day (4629 Martin Luther King Jr Way) and Daughter Thai Kitchen (6118 Medau Pl). If you’re looking for affordable options, Scott's Seafood - Oakland (2 Broadway) and MUA (2442A Webster Street) are great picks. For delicious green meals, Shakewell (3407 Lakeshore Ave) and Grand Lake Kitchen - Lake Merritt (576 Grand Ave) are recommended spots to get vegetarian or vegan food in Oakland.
Most popular restaurants 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 Southwest, Air France, Delta and other airlines departing from the United States. The shortest domestic flight to Oakland departs from Las Vegas and takes around 1h 35m.
Train
Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to Oakland. The train journey from Oakland to Stockton takes 1h 38m and costs around $15 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from Sacramento, expect to pay about $17 for a 1h 41m 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 Fox and Kyte, among others, in San Francisco.
Bus
You can travel by bus to Oakland using FlixBus or Greyhound. From Santa Rosa, the bus ride to Oakland takes 145 km and will cost you around $21. From Sacramento, the ticket costs about $26 for a journey of 193 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 $512 per night. North Oakland is the neighborhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, vacation rentals in Oakland are about 86% more expensive than a hotel room in the city.
Where to stay in popular areas of Oakland
Most booked hotels in Oakland
Renting a car in Oakland
Renting a car in Oakland costs $61 per day, on average, or $182 if you want to rent if for 3 days. Enterprise, Alamo and Hertz 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 4147 km from the city center.
It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 6% cheaper than airport locations in Oakland.
Expect to pay $3.75 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 $44.97 and $59.96. The most frequently booked car type in Oakland is Mini (Dodge Grand Caravan or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Compact rental cars (Dodge Neon or similar) are, on average, 72% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.