Getting to Oakland

There are a number of different ways to reach Oakland. Oakland International Airport is the main access point for many, especially from other US cities, while those arriving on long haul flights tend to fly into San Francisco. There are good rail links both regionally and nationally, and there is a Greyhound bus terminal here.

By car

If you are driving to Oakland from San Francisco, then take I-80 east over the Bay Bridge, then take I-580 to the Grand Avenue. If you want to continue to downtown Oakland or the waterfront then connect from I-580 to I-890 and take the exit at 12th Street. The journey should take around 30 minutes.

If you are coming from the North; Portland or Seattle, then the I-5 southbound travels all the way along the west coast. For Oakland you should follow the I-80 for San Francisco and then follow the signs for downtown Oakland. Oakland is around 800 miles from Seattle and 625 from Portland.

From the south and Los Angeles its about 370 miles to Oakland, taking the I-5 northbound until you connect with the I-580 and I-880 for Oakland, the journey should take around 5-6 hours.

By rail

Oakland has good rail links, and is served by the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) regional services and Amtrak providing long-distance rail services. There are Amtrak stations both in Oakland (at Jack London Square) and Emeryville, south of Berkeley, which is the Bay Areas largest station.

There are regional BART services to Oakland from San Francisco, the Peninsula, Contra Costa County, and the northeastern areas of Silicon Valley, and services are usually efficient.

There are a number of Amtrak routes that serve Oakland. The Capitol Corridor that travels from San Jose to Auburn stops at Oakland Coliseum/ Airport station; the San Joaquins line goes from Oakland to Bakersfield and the Coast Starlight from Seattle to Los Angeles. The California Zephyr route terminates at Emeryville, coming from Chicago, Illinois, and AC Transit operate routes from Emeryville to Oakland.

By bus

There are bus routes operated by AC Transit serving Oakland from San Francisco, and buses run regularly, around every 15 minutes. There are also services to Berkeley and Richmond. For long distance bus services there is a Greyhound terminal in downtown Oakland, on San Pablo Avenue, close to 20th Street, with connections all over the country.

By air

Oakland International Airport is predominantly served by domestic routes, with a much smaller number of international connections than San Franciscos airport. International flights to Oakland tend to be from Mexico. Southwest Airlines operate the most routes here, and is the sole carrier using Terminal Two with connections all over the country. In the future there will be additional international connections, to Hong Kong for example.

Most long haul international flights to the Bay Area use San Francisco International Airport, which is a short shuttle or car ride from downtown Oakland over the Bay Bridge.

By ferry

The Alameda to Oakland Ferry route has a number of departures every day from Pier 41 or the Ferry Building in San Francisco, and arrives in Oakland at the Clay Street dock close to Jack London Square. During the summer, there are additional weekend ferries to Angel Island, in the middle of the bay, which was once an immigration station.

Oakland International Airport

Oakland is served by an international airport, located just four miles south of downtown Oakland. The airport has two terminals, and serves well over 10 million passengers every year. The airport is one of the fastest growing airports, predominantly due to its popularity with low cost airlines, and as a result there are plans to expand the airport by 2009.

The airport has two terminals, with terminal two only served by Southwest Airlines. The expansion plans will include the construction of five additional gates at terminal two, and seven more at terminal one.

Oakland International Airport has good facilities with a number of food and beverage outlets including burger and pizza places, cafs and a Freshns Yoghurt branch. There is the usual range of airport shops, with bookshops, gift shops, duty free shops. The airport also has Wi-Fi internet access and a number of ATMs.

Oakland International Airport transportation

Oakland International Airport is located just four miles outside the city, so transportation is relatively straightforward, although the airport is not directly connected to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) system. However, there are shuttle buses on hand to take passengers to and from the Coliseum/Oakland Airport station.

AC Transit operates two buses serving the airport. Line N runs every hour between 00:30 and 05:30 connecting the airport with east Oakland, downtown Oakland, and also San Francisco. Line 50 operates in the day and evening, with services every 15 minutes between 06:00 and 21:00 and then every 30 minutes between 21:00 and 00:00. Line 50 connects the airport with Coliseum Station, as well as east Oakland, San Leandro, and east Oakland.

There are dozens of taxis and limos on hand at the airport to take you the short journey into the city, as well as having the usual car hire firms represented.