21 Best Things to Do in Berkeley (2024)

Berkeley is one of the most popular college towns in California, but this small city caters to more than just college students with its bohemian spirit and historic charm. I’m here to help you find the best things to do in Berkeley that you didn’t even know existed during your next trip to Northern California.

These claims aren’t just speculation — I’ve lived in California my entire life and have traveled to Berkeley multiple times. I’ve had a chance to experience the best of Berkeley and decide which activities are the top things to do in town.

In this article, I will not only fill you in on what to do in Berkeley but also provide helpful tips on where to stay in Berkeley and how to get around. Let’s dig in!

Disclosure: Travel Lemming is an independent reader-supported blog. You can support us by purchasing via the affiliate links on this page, which may earn us commissions. See our Advertising Policy for further explanation. Thank you!

21 Best Things to Do in Berkeley

Tilden Regional Park

Explore Berkeley’s most famous park, complete with a golf course, steam train, petting zoo, and tons of trails.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 544-2747 | Website | Hours: 5 am-10 pm daily | Entrance: Free

Located in the Berkeley Hills, Tilden Regional Park is one of the best parks in the Bay Area. The 2,079-acre park has a petting zoo, a carousel, a small steam train, an 18-hole golf course, hiking trails, picnic areas, and a beautiful lake.

Tilden is one of the most popular spots for both Berkeley residents and visitors. Kids love the miniature steam train and the Tilden Little Farm, where you can feed goats, sheep, and piglets.

Visit Tilden with your bathing suit and fishing rod in hand and head over to Lake Anza, a refreshing spot to swim in the summer months.

Trail runners and cyclists frequent Tilden Regional Park. Some of Tilden’s best trails have views over the San Francisco Bay and across to Marin. Make sure to check out Inspiration Point for a gorgeous out-and-back hike.

👉 Pro Tip: Be sure to check the current conditions at Lake Anza. The lake sometimes has algal blooms that make it unsafe to swim.

Lawrence Hall of Science

Discover hands-on exhibits about life science, environmental science, the solar system, physics, computer science, and more.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 642-5132 | Website | Hours: 10 am-5 pm daily, closed Mondays & Tuesdays | Entrance: Free

The Lawrence Hall of Science is a kid-friendly science museum open to the public. It’s located next to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a prestigious UC Berkeley research center specializing in life and material sciences.

Lawrence Hall of Science has hands-on science exhibits, a planetarium, and a 3D theater showcasing nature and science films. Kids enjoy activities like the Animal Discovery Zone, the Outdoor Nature Lab, and introductory Biotech builds. If you are traveling with small children, this is the perfect educational activity to do in Berkeley.

Greek Theater

Catch a show at the best outdoor concert venue in Northern California.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 871-9225 | Website

The Greek Theater is the best place to go in Berkeley if you appreciate the performing arts. Immersed in the foothills behind UC Berkeley, this 8,500-seat outdoor amphitheater overlooks the iconic San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Greek Theatre has hosted a wide variety of performers and entertainers throughout its 100 years of history, such as Theodore Roosevelt and the 14th Dalai Lama. The theater is particularly active in the summer months with non-stop concerts.

This outdoor amphitheater is one of the best things to do in Berkeley for music lovers. Past concerts at the Greek have included The Grateful Dead, Phish, Tom Petty, Joan Baez, Pearl Jam, and more! The rounded layout of the Greek Theatre amplifies the music from every seat, making it an enjoyable experience for all.

Downtown Berkeley

Visit the heart of Berkeley’s cultural and social scene while discovering restaurants, bars, bookstores, and more.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Hours: 24 hours | Entrance: Free

Experience Berkeley culture at its finest with a trip to Downtown Berkeley. This area of Berkeley has the highest concentration of restaurants, trendy coffee shops, and bars, often with live music performances.

Most main attractions in Downtown Berkeley are within walking distance. Stroll around Shattuck Avenue and University Avenue, the two main streets. You’ll stumble upon delicious restaurants, independent bookstores, boutique shops, and historic government buildings.

The vibrant urban atmosphere of downtown draws many visitors each year. Visit the local farmer’s market for fresh produce, enjoy the lively art scene, or witness a classic Berkeley demonstration downtown on your next trip to the Bay Area.

UC Berkeley Campus

Walk around the campus of the #1 public university in the world.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 642-6000 | Website | Entrance: Free

Walking around the UC Berkeley campus is a necessary part of any visit to Berkeley. UC Berkeley is known for many things — the birthplace of free speech, the #1 public university in the world, and the home of multiple Nobel Prize winners. It was most recently featured in the Academy Award-winning movie Oppenheimer, so now it’s also an Oscar-worthy film location!

The liberal university was founded in 1868 as the first school in the University of California system. It quickly rose to fame as one of the top universities in the United States. The acceptance rate is incredibly low, but the campus is breathtaking.

The campus is open to the public, so stroll around to get a better feel for Berkeley life. Don’t miss the Campanile clock tower, Memorial Glade, the University Library, Sather Gate, and the Valley Life Sciences Building.

Fun fact: if you’re walking around campus and wondering what the ugly gray square building next to Memorial Glade is, it’s Evans Hall. Students hated Evans Hall so much that they staged actual protests against its brutalist architectural design. The university has finally decided to tear it down, with construction set to begin in 2024. True story.

Telegraph Avenue

This iconic street is known for its street art, vintage shops, and strong community spirit.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Hours: 24 hours | Entrance: free

Telegraph is the heart of the Southside neighborhood. It’s a vibrant street filled with record stores, thrift shops, tattoo parlors, street art, and cheap eats.

Telegraph Avenue is a cultural epicenter and critically important in Berkeley’s history. It’s consistently been a place for the Berkeley community to gather together, from the Free Speech movement in the 1960s to political protests in the 2000s.

Most shops along Telegraph are small, locally-owned businesses that have been on the street for years. Spend time poking around street merchant stalls, quirky vintage stores, and independent bookstores (like the adorable Sleepy Cat Books). Most of the main attractions are found in the four blocks closest to campus, from Dwight to Bancroft.

Berkeley Rose Garden

Visit 3 acres of roses in this stunning park in North Berkeley.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 981-6637 | Website | Hours: 6 am-10 pm daily | Entrance: Free

With over 1,500 rose bushes, the Berkeley Rose Garden is a rose-lovers paradise. Experience the sweet scent of the flowers in the tranquil North Berkeley hills, with sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate Bridge.

The Berkeley Rose Garden offers much more than roses. There are also tennis courts, hiking trails, picnic tables, a gazebo, and an amphitheater throughout the large park. It’s the perfect spot for a leisurely lunchtime picnic.

You will find over 250 rose varieties in the garden. The best time to visit is during peak bloom in May. The park is open from 6 am-10 pm daily.

Gourmet Ghetto

Dine out in the heart of Berkeley’s culinary scene.

📍 Google Maps | Hours: 24 hours | Entrance: Free

Gourmet Ghetto is a nickname for the business district of North Berkeley with a delicious array of restaurants. Also known as the birthplace of California cuisine, the Gourmet Ghetto area is a food lover’s paradise. Since its beginnings in 1966 as the original spot of Peet’s Coffee, the area has since grown into a renowned Berkeley culinary hotspot.

Gourmet Ghetto has a global reputation and several restaurants that shouldn’t be missed. The most famous is Chez Panisse, where chef Alice Waters became one of the primary drivers of California cuisine. Chez Panisse is an expensive restaurant, but I highly recommend a visit.

Other notable restaurants are The Cheese Board Collective which serves artisan pizza with unique flavors, and Gregoire for famous Berkeley potato puffs served with aioli sauce. If you prefer Japanese food, then Cha-Ya’s sushi and noodle soups are for you.

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden

Wander through serene gardens filled with plants from around the world.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 643-2755 | Website | Hours: 10 am-5 pm daily, closed Tuesdays | Entrance: $18 adult, $12 seniors and non-UC Berkeley students, $8 youth, FREE to UC Berkeley students and children under 4

Not to be confused with the Berkeley Rose Garden, the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley offers a much wider variety of flora and fauna. This 34-acre garden is located in the hills behind the UC Berkeley campus and is open to both students and the general public.

Enjoy more than 10,000 types of plants at the Botanical Garden, from native California plants to international varieties. The garden invites you on a botanical journey around the world, with plants from Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and more.

Founded in 1890, the Botanical Garden is a part of the university’s rich history. The UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm except Tuesdays.

Elmwood

This quaint neighborhood flies under the radar, but it’s one of the best parts of Berkeley for shopping, dining, and strolling.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Hours: 24 hours | Entrance: free

Elmwood is my favorite area of Berkeley. It’s a little local gem, tucked away from the student-centric Southside neighborhood or the hubbub of Downtown Berkeley. In Elmwood, life slows down a bit.

Here, you’ll find locally owned cafes where neighbors gather to read the morning paper and share a cup of coffee. Elmwood is mostly residential, but the main business area is around College and Ashby Avenues.

Take time to explore Elmwood’s boutique stores, specialty ice cream parlors, and delicious restaurants with abundant outdoor seating. Tuck in for a bite to eat, or just relax with a drink in hand and watch the world go by.

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

Explore Berkeley’s largest Asian art and film collection.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 642-0808 | Website | Hours: 11 am-7 pm daily, closed Mondays & Tuesdays | Entrance: $14 adults; $12 disabled, seniors, non-UC Berkeley students; FREE to UC Berkeley students and all children under 18

The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is one of the best things to do in Berkeley for a casual day out on the town. Located in downtown Berkeley right across from the UC Berkeley campus, it is one of the most popular attractions for both college students and the general public.

The art collection is internationally recognized as one of the leading museums of art and film, especially Asian art. BAMPFA has more than 22,000 works of art and hosts more than 450 film screenings annually.

Examples of collections at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive are the Ming and Qing Dynasty Chinese paintings, Old Master works on paper, and Abstract Expressionist paintings. The museum also holds the largest collection of Japanese cinema outside of Japan.

The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm. Most visitors spend between 1 and 3 hours there.

Berkeley Marina

Stroll around the Berkeley waterfront while admiring views of the harbor and the San Francisco Bay.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Hours: 24 hours | Entrance: Free

Take a stroll on the Berkeley Marina for a relaxing Berkeley afternoon or evening. The Berkeley Marina is just a 15-minute drive from downtown Berkeley and is the best place in town to find delicious seafood restaurants.

Stay in a hotel at the Berkeley Marina for some of the best views of the San Francisco Bay. Watch boats roll in and out of the harbor, fishermen catching their dinner, and families strolling hand-in-hand down the dock.

The Berkeley Marina is the perfect spot to watch the sunset when golden hour lights up the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Cruise Around the San Francisco Bay

Enjoy uninterrupted views of the San Francisco skyline, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz Island in these boat tours departing from the Berkeley Marina.

📍 Google Maps | Hours: 24 hours | Entrance: $40 – 150 | 👉 Browse Tours on Viator

Berkeley is located in the East Bay Area, across the water from San Francisco, and it has great views of the San Francisco Bay. Taking a boat tour of the iconic bay is one of the best things to do in Berkeley!

Visitors can enjoy picturesque views on a luxurious cruise around the bay, complete with meals and drinks included. You can also book a more touristy, informational boat for a more affordable price.

Also one of the top things to do in San Francisco, the most popular Berkeley boat tour is a cruise over to the Golden Gate Bridge, only a short ride away. Experience the sunset as you’ve never before by layering up and going for a guided cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Berkeley Marina has several options for tours of the San Francisco Bay, so it’s possible to tour the Bay directly from Berkeley. However, most cruises leave from the San Francisco piers. If you don’t mind driving 30 minutes over to San Francisco, you’ll have more tour options to choose from.

Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve

One of the best easy hiking trails in Berkeley for panoramic views, native wildflowers, and gorgeous sunsets.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (888) 327-2757 | Website | Hours: 5 am-10 pm daily | Entrance: Free

Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve is a small park nestled between the Berkeley and Oakland Hills, behind the historic Claremont Hotel. These gorgeous hiking trails are clean, safe, and completely free to the public.

The preserve is known for its premiere hiking and equestrian trails. Make sure you hike the 0.75-mile Stonewall-Panoramic trail, which is the most spectacular view in the city. You will be able to see all of Berkeley, San Francisco, and Oakland from the top.

Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve is easily accessible from the streets behind Clark Kerr, one of the UC Berkeley dorm halls. Street parking is available but limited.

Berkeley Hills

Upscale living and urban outdoor rock climbing combine in Berkeley’s most expensive neighborhood.

📍 Google Maps | Hours: 24 hours | Entrance: Free

The Berkeley Hills neighborhood is one of the most desirable places to live in Berkeley. Visit the Berkeley Hills to admire the beautiful architecture, house hunt for the future, or enjoy the stunning views of the San Francisco Bay around every corner.

The major draw to Berkeley Hills is the abundance of outdoor activities. There are several hidden gem parks in the area, from little rock-climbing havens to hiking oases.

Scale some boulders in Indian Rock Park, or hike to its panoramic lookout point for the best view in Berkeley. Grotto Rock Park is another great park in the area that’s less crowded than neighboring Indian Rock.

My advice? Take a self-guided walking tour around Indian Rock, Grotto Rock, Mortar Rock, and Cragmont Rock. You’ll see some super unique parks, and walking up those hills will give you a good workout!

Cal Football Game

Cheer on the Cal Bears at the UC Berkeley football stadium.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Hours: 8 am – 10 pm daily | Entrance: $30 – 100 adult ticket

Attending a college football game at UC Berkeley is a right of passage for any Berkeley visitor. The Cal Bears play at Memorial Stadium, a gorgeous stadium in the hills behind the Berkeley campus. The football season is from September to November each year.

You’re bound to know when a game is happening if you’re visiting Berkeley on a fall weekend. The streets around the stadium will be packed, parking will be nonexistent, and students will be dressed in their best blue and gold. Join in on the fun, and head to the stadium to watch the game!

Up until 2023, Cal played in the Pac-12 conference. Following a series of dramatic events, the Pac-12 conference fell apart, and Cal is now set to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2024 football season. A new batch of opponents means the 2024 football season will be one of the most exciting times to watch a Cal football game!

Ecology Center Farmers’ Markets

Taste local produce, meats, cheeses, and more at these thrice-weekly Berkeley markets.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 548-3333 | Website | Hours: 2 – 6:30 PM Tuesday, 3 – 7 PM Thursday, 10 am – 3 pm Saturday | Entrance: free

Farmers’ markets in the Bay Area are more of a social activity than a grocery trip. The markets are a community gathering, a celebration of local food, and a way for farmers to connect with their customers.

The Ecology Center, a Berkeley nonprofit, puts on three Berkeley markets per week. The market comes to South Berkeley every Tuesday from 2 – 6:30 pm, North Berkeley every Thursday from 3 – 7 pm, and Downtown Berkeley every Saturday from 10 am – 3 pm.

These Berkeley Farmers’ Markets offer patrons the chance to taste sustainable local foods while getting to know the local community. This is especially true at the North Berkeley Farmers’ Market, where “Thirsty Thursdays” feature live music, craft beer and wine, and family-friendly activities.

Adventure Playground

Encourage your little ones to unleash their creativity at this unique family-friendly park.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 981-6720 | Website | Hours: 11 am – 5 pm Saturday & Sunday | Entrance: Free during weekends & summers, $10 per child for the after-school program

Berkeley’s Adventure Playground is a unique, low-budget, artsy playground for children. Located on the waterfront of the Berkeley Marina, the Adventure Playground is a favorite activity for kids in Berkeley.

Adventure Playground encourages kids to build different aspects of the playground themselves, meaning the unique structure is always changing. There are many forts, boats, towers, a zip line, and building tools for children to utilize.

At Adventure Playground, children have the opportunity to build, create, and learn self-confidence. There is always a supervisor on the premises to regulate the usage of building tools. Adventure Playground is free during regular hours, which are 11 am – 4 pm on weekends.

Sibley Volcanic Regional Park

Hike around the site of an ancient volcano just 10 minutes from Berkeley.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (888) 327-2757 | Website | Hours: 7 am – sunset | Entrance: Free

Technically located in Oakland Hills, Sibley Volcanic Regional Park is only a short 10-15 minute drive from Berkeley. This is another wonderful park in the Bay Area that shouldn’t be missed.

After you’ve done the major city attractions, get your fix of physical exercise at this regional park. There are 11 major hiking trails in the area ranging from 1 to 7 miles roundtrip. The RoundTop Skyline Trail is the most popular trail and is suited for individuals of all hiking levels.

Berkeley Poetry Walk

Read famous poems inspired by Berkeley while on this downtown walk.

📍 Google Maps | Website | Hours: 24 hours daily | Entrance: Free

Berkeley has a rich history with famous poets like Jack Kerouac living amongst its residents. Berkeley restaurants, bars, and cafes were frequently visited by such lyrical geniuses since the early 1900s. Berkeley has carried on the tradition of poetry with the sidewalk poetry walk.

The Poetry Walk is on the sidewalk of Addison Street in downtown Berkeley. The street is lined with cast-iron poetry panels with works by Allen Ginsburg, Kerouac, Shakespeare, and Alice Walker, among others. The Poetry Walk is perfect to check out if you have time to spare in the city.

Shorebird Park Nature Center

Explore native birdlife down at the Berkeley Marina.

📍 Google Maps | Phone: (510) 981-6720 | Website | Hours: 6 am-10 pm daily | Entrance: Free

The Shorebird Park Nature Center is a scenic park on the waterfront with educational exhibits, picnic areas, and play areas. It’s one of the top things to do in Berkeley for families with small children.

Shorebird Park is located in the Berkeley Marina. This unique wetland ecosystem is home to a variety of native bird species, which you can spot in the park.

Group tours at the Shorebird Park Nature Center include informational videos, group workshops, and a tour of the facilities. When your little ones need a break from learning about native California birds and ecosystems, take them on the playground or to the communal picnic tables for lunchtime.

👉 Want more? See my full list of things to do in Northern California.

FAQs About What to Do in Berkeley

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You’ve made it to the end of my best things to do in Berkeley guide. Enjoy the many activities this college town has to offer and be sure to check out my California road trip itinerary to plan for your upcoming trip!