Oakland is the working class sister of the fashionable and trendy San Francisco, situated on the eastern side of San Francisco Bay by rental car to Oakland. It’s one of the busiest ports on the West Coast, with several fine museums and a hip waterfront strip. With Berkeley abutting its northern end, the area is a prime breeding ground for alternative culture, left wing political movements, and national travel deals.
Getting there
San Francisco is a major West Coast air traffic hub. Transport to anywhere in the Bay area is excellent and reliable, with buses, cabs, shuttle buses, and car rental all available. National travel deals are equally plentiful. BART (the Bay Area Rapid Transit System) provides an efficient way to get around the area, with trains from San Francisco to Oakland traveling through one of the longest underwater transit tunnels in the world. Amtrak also offers an extensive train service throughout the Bay area, while Greyhound offers an extensive network of buses serving all major Californian destinations. You can also catch a ferry from San Franciscoеs Alameda terminal across the bay to Oakland.
Oakland and the East Bay area is easily accessible by car rental from San Francisco along I-80 over the Bay Bridge, the largest and most traveled bridge in the U.S. Signs lead you to downtown Oakland or you can take the Grand Avenue South Exit for the Lake Merritt area.
Key attractions
the city’s waterfront scene is centered on Jack London Square and while few of the attractions are ‘related to the famous writer, it is still a great place to hang out. You’ll find plenty of shops, diverse restaurants, historic pubs and a lively music scene, while a stroll along the Boardwalk is always relaxing. The Jack London Museum is fascinating, as is the Ebony Museum of African Art. You can take a drink at one of Londonеs favorite watering holes, Heinoldеs First and Last Chance Saloon, built in 1883 from the hull of a whaling ship.
Oakland Museum of California offers one of the best overviews of Californian history you’ll find, including an extensive section on the Beat Generation. The city is also home to an internationally acclaimed zoo, while the Chabot Space and Science Center features one of the largest public telescopes in the country, a space flight simulator and a 250-seat planetarium.
Out and about
Oakland merges into Berkeley to the north, home to the famous University of California and its heritage as a hotbed of dissent and alternative culture. Anti-war protests raged here during the sixties and seventies as well as other movements such as the Free Speech Movement. San Francisco, where you can enjoy the delights of steep winding streets leading down to the beautiful bay and iconic Golden Gate Bridge, lies on the opposite end of the San Francisco Bay by rental car in Oakland.
Leisure options
Oakland boasts some delightful natural scenery and parks, notably Lake Merritt, the largest saltwater lake in the country. A picturesque park surrounds the lake with beautiful gardens, an assortment of wildlife, and an amusement park. Out on the lake you can enjoy sailing and windsurfing, or take a cruise on an authentic Italian gondola and listen to the sweet sounds of your very own gondolier.
Safety
despite Oakland’s reputation as a city filled with crime, most tourists are safe as long as they remain within the Jack London Square area and the more affluent neighbourhoods east of Interstate 580. Chinatown and downtown Oakland are also typically safe during the day. Travel insurance is a must when visiting this busy area.