University of California, Berkeley
UC Berkeley
A world-renowned university across the bay on the East Bay shore. Climbing Sather Tower offers views of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the bookstores and cafés of Telegraph Avenue add to its strong academic atmosphere.
UC Berkeley was founded in 1868 and is the oldest campus in the University of California system. It has produced dozens of Nobel laureates and was a center of the 1960s Free Speech Movement. The campus is free to visit. Its landmark is the 94-meter Sather Tower. A ride to the top costs about $5 and offers views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Other highlights include Sather Gate, Doe Library, the Hearst Greek Theatre, and the creeks and redwoods on campus.
Outside the south gate, Telegraph Avenue has used bookshops, record stores and affordable restaurants, and it is the heart of student life. From San Francisco, take BART to the Downtown Berkeley station, about 25 minutes, then walk 5 minutes to campus.
Opening hours
Campus open all day; clock tower approx. 10:00–16:00
Nearby sights
- San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge
- USS Hornet Museum
- Ferry Building Marketplace
- Exploratorium
- Coit Tower & North Beach
- Transamerica Pyramid
- Fisherman's Wharf & Pier 39
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)