Traveling to Berkeley
Flying in
If you'll be flying in to the Berkeley Classic Competition, you have the choice of flying into three airports in the Bay Area. There is public transit from all of them to Berkeley (see "getting around" below).
- Oakland International Airport (OAK) is closest to Berkeley, about 10 miles south of Berkeley in the East Bay. Oakland Airport offers many Southwest flights (its terminal 2 is completely dedicated to Southwest) as well as Alaska Air, JetBlue and many others. It has many domestic flights, especially to cities in the western United States.
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is south of San Francisco, about 30 miles away from Berkeley and across the bay. San Francisco has many longer-range flights than Oakland, and conveniently connects directly to BART.
- San Jose International Airport (SJC) is in the South Bay, about 50 miles south of Berkeley.
Where to stay
There are many places to stay near the Berkeley campus, including hotels, motels, bed and breakfast places, and hostels.The Berkeley Resource Guide lists many hotels near campus. Check with YMCA, YWCA, and hostels.com for more affordable housing. There are over a dozen hostels in San Francisco, many close to public transit, and there is both a YMCA and YWCA in Berkeley.
Limited free team housing is available for out-of-town collegiate teams on a first-come, first-served basis. To request housing, or for any further questions, please contact the Competition Coordinator, Cindy Chien, at ucbd.competition@gmail.com.
Getting around
The public transit system in the Bay Area is one of the best in the nation. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit, the Bay Area's heavy-rail transit) is the fastest way to get from city to city, and AC Transit runs buses in Berkeley and elsewhere in the East Bay. Transitinfo gives information about all of these services, and has a trip planner to help you find your way around.
- From SFO: If you fly into San Francisco Airport, you can take BART all the way from the airport to San Francisco or Berkeley. Look for the BART signs in the main terminal at SFO.
- From Oakland Airport: BART has a shuttle bus service, called "Air BART," from Oakland airport to its trains. You will have to purchase an Air BART ticket at the airport to board Air BART, then a BART ticket at the BART station. Look for the Air BART signs and ticket machines in terminal 1. There are also some AC Transit buses that go to the Oakland Airport.
- From the South Bay and Peninsula: Caltrain now connects San Jose and the peninsula to BART at Millbrae station.
- From San Francisco and the East Bay: BART connects cities from Millbrae and San Francisco in the west, Fremont in the south, Richmond in the north, and Bay Point and Pleasanton in the east. Use BART's trip planner to find routes.
- Within Berkeley: AC Transit runs many buses to the Berkeley campus. Use Transitinfo's trip planner to find transit to Berkeley. UC Berkeley also has its own shuttle service that skirts the perimeter of campus and a few other locations.
- To the competition: See our Directions page.
Sightseeing
The Berkeley campus and the city of Berkeley are beautiful places to visit, and San Francisco is only a 20-minute BART ride away. Start with a campus tour, and then explore other campus attractions. UC Berkeley recommends these starting points for exploring beyond campus. Also, feel free to ask any UCBD Team member about local attractions at the competition.
