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.
Where to Eat in Oakland
North Oakland is the neighbourhood with the most restaurants in Oakland. These include popular favourites such as Pucquio (5337 College Ave), Lovely Day (4629 Martin Luther King Jr Way) and Wood Tavern (6317 College Ave.). 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, Grand Lake Kitchen - Lake Merritt (576 Grand Ave) 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 19 °C, and the highest can go up to 23 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 7 °C, with an average temperature of 11 °C. You’re likely to see more rain in January, when precipitation is around 122 mm. In contrast, July is usually the driest month of the year in Oakland, with an average rainfall of 0 mm.
How to Get to Oakland
Plane
Oakland is served by 2 airports: Oakland Airport (OAK) and San Francisco Airport (SFO). The closest to the city centre of Oakland is Oakland Airport, which is located 11 km from the city centre. Further away is San Francisco Airport, 22 km from the centre of Oakland. Oakland Airport is the most popular, with regular flights from Air Canada, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand and other airlines departing from New Zealand. The shortest flight to Oakland from New Zealand departs from Auckland and takes around 12h 10m.
Train
Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to Oakland. The train journey from Oakland to Santa Clara takes 1h 01m and costs around $32 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from San Jose, expect to pay about $34 for a 1h 16m trip. Located 1.2 km from the city centre, Oakland Jack London Square is the busiest station in Oakland. Another popular train station is Oakland Coliseum, located 9 km from the centre.
Car
Another option to get to Oakland is to pick up a car hire from San Francisco, which is about 13 km from Oakland. You’ll find branches of Dollar and Thrifty, among others, in San Francisco.
Bus
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Oakland, including Greyhound, FlixBus and Bus. From San Jose, the bus ride to Oakland takes 97 km and will cost you around $17. From Fresno, the ticket costs about $47 for a journey of 475 km. The most popular bus station is Oakland, located 0.8 km from the city centre of Oakland. Oakland Jack London is also a commonly used station, and is 0.8 km from the city centre.
Airlines serving Oakland
Where to stay in Oakland
If you’re on a budget, well-reviewed accommodations include Hampton Inn Oakland Downtown-City Center and Ramada by Wyndham Oakland Downtown City Center. There are also lots of holiday rental options in Oakland, with prices from $22 to $997 per night. North Oakland is the neighbourhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, holiday rentals in Oakland are about 58% more expensive than a hotel room in the city.
North Oakland - In Oakland’s most popular neighbourhood to stay, recommended hotels include Westwind Lodge, Bay Bridge Inn Oakland and Imperial Inn.
Elmhurst - Here you’ll find travellers’ favourites such as Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oakland-Airport, Radisson Hotel Oakland Airport and Motel 6 Oakland Airport. The average nightly price for a double room in Elmhurst is $144.
Where to stay in popular areas of Oakland
Most booked hotels in Oakland
Hiring a car in Oakland
Alamo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Europcar are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to hire a car in Oakland is the Fox branch at 7600 Earhart Road, which is 4147 km from the city centre.
It’s generally cheaper to hire your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 12% cheaper than airport locations in Oakland.
Expect to pay $1.86 per litre in Oakland (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your car hire, filling up the tank will cost between $22.26 and $29.68. Economy (Toyota Yaris or similar) is the most popular car type to hire in Oakland, while also 44% cheaper than other types, on average.