UC Berkeley is easily accessible via public transportation from both San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Oakland International Airport (OAK) via BART (the Bay Area Rapid Transit). Travel to campus from SFO takes at least an hour; travel from OAK is slightly shorter.
BART instructions and details can be found on Google Maps or on BART’s website. (BART is not a 24-hour service and does stop running late at night.)
The city of Berkeley offers several public bus routes via AC Transit that stop at or near campus. You can find their schedules here and the overall route map here (as well as on Google Maps).
You can pay bus fare in cash, but we recommend stopping by a BART station and acquiring a Clipper card (or getting a digital clipper card on your phone), which you can pre-load and use for all bus and subway transit as needed.
Please consult the campus parking map, which includes visitor parking options, and check here for parking hours and rates. For cheaper parking, we recommend parking in an off-campus garage or lot; please be sure to check parking restrictions at each location to avoid citations.
Driving directions to UC Berkeley can be found here.
AMP2025 does not have a block of rooms at a particular hotel. However, we highly recommend booking a hotel room (or other accommodation) early. Lodging options near campus include:
Additionally, any BART-accessible hotel should allow relatively easy access to campus via BART. Extensive bus services in the Bay Area may allow you to stay at an Airbnb around Berkeley or Oakland as well, and you may find places to stay within walking distance of campus.
Check out the list below for some good local restaurants recommended by Berkeley linguists (most within 20 minutes of walking from campus).
MoMo Masalas ($): right across the street! offers traditional Indian & Tibetan dishes
Imm Thai Street Food ($): good vegan/vegetarian options with indoor seating; their Pad Kee Mao is to die for!
Butcher's Son ($): vegan American-style diner
Saigon Express ($): cheap but tasty Vietnamese food!
Sheng Kee Bakery ($): Taiwanese pastries (sweet and savory), coffee, tea eggs, etc.
Mezzo ($): a great spot for a huge, hearty salad or sandwich, and very close to campus
The Cheese Board Collective ($): best pizza ever, also baked goods & cheese!
Noodle Dynasty ($): hearty Chinese-style noodles
Free House ($): comfortable inside or on a large patio in the back; good starters, sandwiches, quesadillas, hamburgers, salads
Freshroll ($): quick lunch under $10! vegan and vegetarian options
Poke Bar ($): fresh poke!
Oori Rice Triangles ($): quick lunch of rice triangles or tacos; no seating :(
Momo House ($): Himalayan dumpling house very close to campus; try their 'C' Momo if you can handle spicy food!
Ike's Love & Sandwiches ($): good, reasonably priced, award-winning sandwiches; gluten-free and vegan options
Poke Parlor ($): generous portions of Hawaiian fare such as poké and sushi
Nom Nom Bánh Mì ($): counter-service Vietnamese spot with classic banh mi sandwiches plus meatless & vegan options
Burma Berkeley ($): ✨ recently opened ✨ Burmese cuisine
Marugame Udon ($): outpost of a Japanese udon chain
Cancun Sabor Mexicano ($): excellent homemade salsas; try the crispy tacos!
Casa de Chocolates ($): chocolate shop with excellent Mexican hot (and iced) chocolate
Way Station Brew ($): coffee shop with lunch fare
Pink Cloud Tea and More ($): tiny bubble tea place with strangely compelling sandos
Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine ($$): popular Thai dishes such as fried chicken and coconut ice cream
La Note ($$): French, good for breakfast/brunch/lunch
Great China ($$): fancy Chinese restaurant in town; must try their Tea-smoked Duck!
Jupiter ($$): nice back patio, good pizza, a variety of salads and appetizers; they brew their own beer
Lucia's ($$): good Italian-style pizza
Shan Dong ($$): traditional Chinese staples
Pizzeria da Laura ($$): 3x World Pizza Champion in downtown Berkeley
Tane Vegan Izakaya ($$): for vegans looking for a nice meal downtown
Heroic Italian Berkeley ($$): good Italian deli sandwiches and salads; they have a nice outdoor seating area on a side street
Viks Chaat ($$): Indian food; not close to campus but worth the trek for chaats of all types (and Indian sweets)
Fournée Bakery ($$): French-style bakery, especially croissants
Bake Sum ($$): pop-up shop of Asian-inflected French-style pastry
Via del Corso ($$$): Northern Italian, pasta, fish, steak/other meat, wine, cocktails; recommended by Larry Hyman, so you know it's good 🙂
Chez Panisse ($$$$): one of the originators of California cuisine, and the farm-to-table movement
For general recommendations, check out this Visit Berkeley page. But here are some recommendations from Berkeley linguists:
Hiking trails
Clark Kerr Fire Trail
Inspiration Point
(... also check out this link for other suggestions)
Berkeley Campanile (take the elevator to the top and check out the view!)
BAMPFA (art museum in downtown Berkeley; awesome space & exhibits)
Oakland Museum of California (farther from campus but accessible via Lake Merritt Bart Station)
Bookstores
Moe's Books (huge bookstore that recently unionized; lots of used and new books and souvenirs)
Sleepy Cat (true to its name, has a cat there who is almost always asleep)
Pegasus Books (super close to campus, great selection of new and used books, including lots of local authors and zines)
AxeVentures Axe Throwing (vent that frustration after too many questions that are "more of a comment than a question")
(... or check out the Atlas Obscura Guide to Berkeley for 26 more cool, hidden, and unusual things to do in Berkeley, California!)