Car Hire Oakland - Mini guide to Oakland
Oakland is situated on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay and is one of the busiest ports on the West Coast. With several fine museums and a stylish waterfront strip, the area houses a large artistic community and offers many cultural opportunities.
The city’s waterfront scene is centred on Jack London Square, named after the famous writer. You’ll find plenty of shops, diverse restaurants, historic pubs and a lively music scene. The Jack London Museum is fascinating, as is the Ebony Museum of African Art. You can take a drink at one of London’s favorite watering holes, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, built in 1883 from the hull of a whaling ship.
The Oakland Museum of California offers an excellent overview of Californian history. 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.
The East Bay area is punctuated with rolling hills of redwood and eucalyptus that are popular for hiking and mountain biking. Mount Tamalpais is the largest and most striking mountain in the area. There are plenty of lovely walks and the summit offers breathtaking views of the Bay.
San Francisco, where you can enjoy the delights of steep winding streets leading down to the beautiful bay and iconic Golden Gate Bridge, is just ten miles to the west. The city boasts a world famous club, arts and culture scene and there are a wealth of art galleries, museums, bars and restaurants to suit every taste.
Oakland and the East Bay area are easily accessible by car from San Francisco along I-80 over the Bay Bridge. San Francisco is a major air traffic hub for the West Coast, with numerous daily flights across the Pacific and to Asia. Amtrak offers an extensive train service throughout the Bay region, with trains connecting San Jose to Roseville seven times daily, seven days a week. The Coast Starlight connects Los Angeles with Seattle while the California Zephyr leaves daily to and from Oakland and Chicago. Greyhound offers an extensive network of buses serving all major Californian destinations. You can also catch a ferry from San Francisco’s Alameda terminal across the bay to Oakland.
