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.
North Oakland is the neighbourhood with the most restaurants in Oakland. These include popular favourites 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.
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.
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 7 miles from the city centre. Further away is San Francisco Airport, 14 miles from the centre of Oakland. The shortest flight to Oakland from the United Kingdom departs from London and takes around 11h.
Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to Oakland. The train journey from Oakland to Los Angeles takes 0h 38m and costs around £13 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from Sacramento, expect to pay about £14 for a 1h 41m trip. Located 0.7 miles from the city centre, Oakland Jack London Square is the busiest station in Oakland. Another popular train station is Oakland Coliseum, located 5 miles from the centre.
Another option to get to Oakland is to pick up a car hire from San Francisco, which is about 8 miles from Oakland. You’ll find branches of Budget and Avis, among others, in San Francisco.
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Oakland, including FlixBus, Busbud and Greyhound. From Fresno, the bus ride to Oakland takes 295 miles and will cost you around £54. From Los Angeles, the ticket costs about £69 for a journey of 425 miles. The most popular bus station is Oakland, located 0.5 miles from the city centre of Oakland. Oakland Jack London is also a commonly used station, and is 0.5 miles from the city centre.
If you’re on a budget, well-reviewed accommodations include Ramada by Wyndham Oakland Downtown City Center and Civic Center Lodge. There are also lots of holiday rental options in Oakland, with prices from £10 to £709 per night. North Oakland is the neighbourhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, holiday rentals in Oakland are about 53% more expensive than a hotel room in the city.
Hiring a car in Oakland costs £60 per day, on average, or £179 if you want to hire it for 3 days. 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 6 miles from the city centre.
You’re likely to save money by hiring your car at the airport: locations in the city are, on average, 21% more expensive than at San Francisco.
Expect to pay £0.83 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 £9.90 and £13.19. The most frequently booked car type in Oakland is Compact (Toyota RAV4 or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Full-size car hire (Nissan Altima or similar) is, on average, 65% cheaper than other car hire types in the city.