Welcome to Oakland
Oakland is the third-largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and home to 400,000 residents. The North Cal locale has become a national travel destination, ranked as the top North American city to visit by the New York Times in 2012. It also recently claimed the title of the one of "America's Coolest Cities" by Forbes, thanks to its burgeoning restaurant scene, arts and culture and outstanding recreational opportunities. Like other cities in Northern California, Oakland has a Mediterranean climate with an average of about 260 sunny days each year.
Located 6 miles east of San Francisco, the city is a major transportation hub and trade center and the busiest port for San Francisco Bay and all of Northern California. To navigate the city, many visitors take BART, the rapid transit system that serves Oakland and the entire Bay Area. BART has eight stations that bring travelers to destinations like Union Square in San Fran as well as the airport. Besides the train, you can take AC Transit, the primary bus operator within the East Bay area. From here, you can get to downtown Berkeley, Lake Merritt, Piedmont Avenue, downtown San Francisco and other hot spots.