university of berkeley college tour

Virtual Engagements

Virtual campus visits.

We are conducting live virtual campus visits over Zoom Webinar this summer with our student campus ambassadors! Learn all about the Berkeley campus, academics, and student life. We'll present for 45 minutes and then answer some of your questions. Visitors will not be able to show their video or unmute themselves; rather, all questions can be typed in the Q&A functionality of the webinar.

We are offering these on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30pm PT from July 10 - August 21, 2024. Please register for the virtual campus visit  and pick the date you want to attend.

Virtual Campus Experience through YouVisit

Wander the campus virtually through our  YouVisit interactive experience! (link is external)

Recorded Virtual Sessions

Visit our  YouTube channel  for past virtual visits. We have recorded visits in English and Spanish, as well as student panels. Check out our playlists and watch a few of them to see different student ambassadors. We additionally have a  self-guided audio tour . “Walk” the campus at your own pace, dial in on your phone and listen to campus leaders and students share information about our campus.

Admissions Presentation

Visit the  admissions office reservation system  to register for an in-person or virtual admissions presentation.

Make a Virtual Campus Visit Reservation

Free Public Walking Tours and Specialized Tours

Below is a calendar of available public walking tours ("Cal Tour Weekday" or "Cal Tour Weekend"), Engineering tours, California Memorial Stadium tours (spring only), and newly admitted student tours (spring only). Click on a tour you wish to reserve. If you see a plus sign with a number, it is a link to the full tour schedule for that day.

If a day shows no tours listed, tours are either not being offered or are completely full.

Please be sure to click on the correct type of tour you want. Only the "Cal Tour Weekday" and "Cal Tour Weekend" are general tours of our campus.

NOTE! If you don't receive an email immediately, your reservation was not successfully completed.

Free Guided Tour Reservation

Please complete the form below to make a reservation. Required fields are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Tour Details

Tour Name: Campus Walking Tour

Tour Date: Monday, September 9th 2024

Tour Start: 09:30 AM

Tour Starting Location: Koret Visitor Center

Tour End: 11:00 AM

Tour Ending Location: Sproul Plaza area

Tour Attendance: 32/30

Reservation Information

Please note the maximum tour group size is 9. If your party is larger than 9 please book a group tour .

Experience University of California, Berkeley

Virtually explore University of California, Berkeley in a fully immersive 360-degree experience.

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Educating leaders. Creating knowledge. Serving society.

Koret Visitor Center

Campus tours.

The campus is open to visitors! You can learn the hours of operation, including holiday exceptions, at the Koret Visitor Center . You can also wander the campus virtually through the YouVisit interactive experience !

Detailed directions, parking and public transit info can be found at the UC Berkeley Visitor Services website.

Campus maps

Berkeley Engineering is spread across campus, but the majority of our buildings are in the northeast quadrant. See our Maps page for online and printable maps for visitors, drivers, transit riders and more. If exploring campus, you can checkout our self-guided tour of the Berkeley Engineering quadrant.

Visitor resources

Looking for a place to stay, or to grab lunch ?  Or maybe a nearby wireless hot spot ? Find out what to see and where to go — both on and off campus — at the UC Berkeley Visitor Services website, or check out the Visit Berkeley gateway site.

The Navigating Berkeley web page from the campus Disability Access and Compliance office also offers maps and other resources for getting around the UC Berkeley campus.

• Where to Stay
• Outdoor Activities
• Sightseeing & Tours
• Arts & Culture
• Shopping & Services
• Berkeley: Your Bay Area Basecamp
• Berkeley Bucks
• Berkeley Restaurant Week 2024
• Restaurants & Desserts
• Wineries & Wine Shops
• Craft Beer & Bars
• Farmers Markets
• Coffee & Tea Shops
• Berkeley Festivals & Annual Events
• Telegraph Avenue District
• Fourth Street
• North Shattuck
• Elmwood District
• Solano Avenue
• Lorin District

UC Berkeley

• Gilman District
• West Berkeley Design Loop
• Tilden Park
• Berkeley Marina
• West Berkeley Intl. Market Place
• University Avenue
• Meeting & Event Venues
• Weddings & Receptions
• Private Dining
• Local Catering
• Team Building
• IKE Interactive Kiosks
• Visitor Center
• FREE! Official Berkeley Visitors Guide
• Getting to Berkeley
• Transportation
• Weather & Average Temperatures
• Visitor Services
• Highlights, Sites & Bites
• Itineraries
• UC Berkeley/Cal Bears
• Berkeley Tourism Improvement District
• Visit Berkeley Team
• Media & Press

The top public university in the world, Cal is also Berkeley’s unofficial “Central Park."

Berkeley begins with the University of California campus, the sylvan and stone complex at the soulful heart of the city. Today, the UC Berkeley campus, or “Cal” to locals and students, serves as more than an academic enclave. It is Berkeley’s “Central Park,” a destination within the destination. (In fact, the co-architect of New York’s Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted, was also instrumental in designing the University of California campus.)

Check out Visit Berkeley's “ Cal Secret Spots ” guide, created in collaboration with content company Bravo Your City!, available in both high-quality printed map and digital online formats. Berkeley travelers can pick one up at the Visitor Information Center , 2030 Addison Street in downtown Berkeley , or free digital versions at iBooks and Kindle.

Where is UC Berkeley?

UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is approximately a 20 minute drive from San Francisco.

Berkeley's "Bear" territory, the 178-acre University of California, Berkeley campus is open to the public with beautifully landscaped grounds, historic architecture , redwood forests and and wonderful walking paths that cross campus to connect Downtown Berkeley , North Shattuck , and the Telegraph Avenue business districts.

What is UC Berkeley known for?

UC Berkeley is a public university offering 184 academic programs over 14 different schools and colleges. They are best known for their top-ranking programs in the sciences, engineering, mathematics, and business, as well as their D1 athletics and flourishing student organizations.

Here are a 6 ideas for exploring UC Berkeley:

1. Hop on A Campus Tour

There are many ways to tour the campus -- starting with the fabulous new Koret Visitor Center located in historic California Memorial Stadium . There are also daily guided tours (reservations required) and self-guided sightseeing tour options.

2. Don't Miss The View from The Campanile

The best place to start any UC Berkeley exploration is the short but sweet elevator ride to the observation deck of the Campanile .

3. Visit Strawberry Creek

This peaceful creek provides a cool oasis of foliage, surrounded by towering California redwoods. It’s the perfect spot to breathe in, breathe out, and get a little zen on campus.

4. Time Travel to Morrison Library

Located inside the larger Doe Library, Morrison Library opened in 1928 as a traditional library reading room, providing an ambient atmosphere for students to take a break from the rigors of academic life. It’s vaulted ceilings, and long wooden reading tables, still serve as a quiet refuge for students and visitors alike. One of the architectural treasures of the UC system, the library’s marble steps are also a popular spot for graduation photos.

5. Hunt for Founders Rock

Try to find Founders Rock at the corner of Hearst Ave and Gayley Road. Oak and eucalyptus trees shelter a jumble of lichen-encrusted stones -- but don't be fooled. This unassuming spot is the very heart of Berkeley. In 1860, more than a century before Mario Savio would initiate the Free Speech Movement on UC Berkeley’s campus, the trustees of the College of California in Oakland met to survey the land they had purchased for a new university.

6. Shop at Moe's Books

An icon and a historic landmark ever since the 1960s, Moe’s Books got its start in 1959 under the leadership of Moe Moskowitz. Originally founded on Shattuck Avenue, Moe’s Books was soon moved to Telegraph and Dwight, however, where it would bear witness to the tumultuous, counterculture Sixties scene. Today, Moe's is a superb independent bookstore with titles one might not easily find elsewhere. For example there's an entire section on Beatnik authors!

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Campanile (Sather Tower) The Campanile Berkeley, 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

Campanile (Sather Tower)

The Campanile Berkeley, 94720

The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley 2001 Gayley Rd Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

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2001 Gayley Rd Berkeley, California 94720

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The Lawrence Hall of Science

1 Centennial Dr Berkeley, California 94720

UC Berkeley Campus Tours 2207 Piedmont Avenue, Room 141 Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

UC Berkeley Campus Tours

2207 Piedmont Avenue, Room 141 Berkeley, California 94720

UC Berkeley Event Services, ASUC Student Union 2495 Bancroft Way, MLK Building Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

UC Berkeley Event Services, ASUC Student Union

2495 Bancroft Way, MLK Building Berkeley, California 94720

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley 200 Centennial Dr Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

200 Centennial Dr Berkeley, California 94720

Bancroft Library One South Hall Road Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

Bancroft Library

One South Hall Road Berkeley, California 94720

Cal Performances UC Berkeley 101 Zellerbach Hall #4800 Berkeley, California 94720-4800 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

Cal Performances

UC Berkeley 101 Zellerbach Hall #4800 Berkeley, California 94720-4800

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California Golden Bears Football

2227 Piedmont Ave. Berkeley, California 94720

California Memorial Stadium 2227 Piedmont Ave Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

California Memorial Stadium

2227 Piedmont Ave Berkeley, California 94720

Faculty Club at UC Berkeley Minor Lane, UC Berkeley Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

Faculty Club at UC Berkeley

Minor Lane, UC Berkeley Berkeley, California 94720

Free Speech Movement Cafe Details   Open in Google Maps

Free Speech Movement Cafe

Haas Pavilion 115 Haas Pavilion Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

Haas Pavilion

115 Haas Pavilion Berkeley, California 94720

Hearst Memorial Gymnasium 200 Hearst Gym Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

Hearst Memorial Gymnasium

200 Hearst Gym Berkeley, California 94720

International House at UC Berkeley 2299 Piedmont Ave Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

International House at UC Berkeley

2299 Piedmont Ave Berkeley, California 94720

Julia Morgan Hall 200 Centennial Drive Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

Julia Morgan Hall

200 Centennial Drive Berkeley, California 94720

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Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) at UC Berkeley University of California, 15 Dwinelle Hall MC 2560 Berkeley, California 94720 U.S. Details   Open in Google Maps

Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) at UC Berkeley

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Valley Life Sciences Building

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Admission Presentation

• If the date you are requesting is unavailable or you are a prospective transfer student, please stop by our pre-admission information center in 103 Sproul, on weekdays 9am-4pm (Closed Wednesdays), or by phone at 510-642-3175 to ask your questions and get more information about Berkeley admissions. 
• Campus Tours are managed separately by the Koret Visitor Center located at the California Memorial Stadium. You need to sign up for  visit.berkeley.edu for more information. 

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7 Things To See On Your Campus Tour of UC Berkeley

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If you are looking for a college atmosphere that is open-minded, always exciting, and filled with academic excellence, the University of California Berkeley is the university for you. It is ranked as the top public university in the United States, and it is home to 22 Nobel Laureate Professors. It is also one of the largest undergraduate research institutions in the country.

Established in 1868, the university has a rich history of forward thinking and change. It is the flagship college of the University of California system, which has given the university the right to call itself “Cal.” You will often find locals and students referring to the university as Cal.

In the 1960’s, UC Berkeley played a large role in the free speech movement, organizing mass student protests that garnered the attention of the entire country. Since then, Berkeley has made a name for itself as having a liberal mindset and as a home to many free thinkers. The university prides itself on its quirky and diverse campus. Any type of person can find a home at this university.

UC Berkeley is located in California’s Bay Area, a 25-minute drive from San Francisco. It’s worth taking a campus tour of the university to see not only the beautiful campus, but also its lively surroundings. If you’re looking for things to see during your campus tour of UC Berkeley, read on to discover the best spots in the opinion of a current UC Berkeley student.

Want to learn what UC Berkeley will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take?  Here’s what every student considering UC Berkeley needs to know.

1) Doe Library

When a student thinks of the UC Berkeley campus, one of the first images that comes to mind is the iconic Doe Library. With its unique neoclassical architecture, it is the main library of the UC Library system. Doe Library is where students go to study, do club photoshoots, and take their graduation pictures. It makes for a spectacular backdrop.

Doe Library is open to the public, so when you go inside, be sure to check out the small exhibit in the front of the library. Then, make your way down the marble steps to the North Reading Room, one of the most aesthetically pleasing study spots on the UC Berkeley campus. The ornate ceiling, huge windows with lots of natural light, and wooden tables make you feel like you’re at Hogwarts!

In addition, Doe Library has the Morrison Reading Room, a lesser-known study space at UC Berkeley. This particular library room was set up to be an escape for students from the rigors of academic life. The library offers fiction and non-fiction books with plush seats for leisurely reading. You will never find a student on their laptop in the Morrison Reading Room. Electronics are not allowed in order to maintain the relaxing and calm atmosphere.

What truly sets Doe Library apart from other university libraries, however, is that it is connected through underground and above-ground tunnels to two other libraries on the UC Berkeley campus: Bancroft Library and (Gardner) Main Stacks. Together, they make up the largest network of undergraduate research libraries at a public institution in the United States.

2) The Campanile

The Campanile is a symbol and a beloved spot on the UC Berkeley campus. It is the third tallest bell and clock tower in the world, and students love to come here to relax in between classes and enjoy the spectacular view.

The top of the Campanile has an observation deck with a 360-degree view of Berkeley and the Golden Gate Bridge. The trip up to the observation deck is free for students, staff, faculty, and children under the age of 3, and $3 for everyone else. There is rarely a line to get to the observation deck, and you can stay up there as long as you want.

While you’re on the UC Berkeley campus, make sure to listen for the Campanile’s Carillon concerts that occur three times a day. The Campanile plays a variety of songs, from classical Beethoven to Bollywood hits. It’s always a treat to hear what songs will be played on any given day.

3) Memorial Glade

Memorial Glade is a large grass field located right outside of Doe Library in the middle of campus. It is a great place to sit down and have a picnic while admiring the gorgeous Berkeley campus. On a day with good weather, you’ll find students out on the glade playing sports or studying with friends.

Memorial Glade is also a place where many school events take place. If you’re lucky, there might be a random carnival or festival on the glade during your campus visit. If you stay until the evening, you’ll often find free movie screenings and concerts on Memorial Glade.

Finally, if you come during the week before final exams, you’ll find llamas from a petting zoo. The university brings the llamas to campus as a stress-relieving mechanism for students, but anyone can approach and pet them.

If this sounds like a campus environment that you would be interested in, check out our Elite Universities Application Assistance page. We at CV will walk you through your applications to Berkeley and other top universities and give you the best tools to get accepted.

4) The First Floor Dinosaur Exhibit in the Valley Life Sciences Building

This small exhibit is free, open to the public, and inside the beautiful Valley Life Sciences Building (VLSB). The entire exhibit features dinosaur fossils and skeletons that were recovered by Berkeley professors.

The centerpiece of the exhibit, however, is in the middle of the VLSB atrium. There, you’ll find a fully recovered, freestanding mount of a Tyrannosaurus Rex that was recovered by a Berkeley professor.

If you step right outside of VLSB through the north entrance, you’ll find a special bench and wall designed by Berkeley physicists. If you face the semi-circular bench, find the middle of the bench, stand where the tiles meet the cement, and speak, anything you say will echo back to you. This will only work, however, if you stand at that one spot. This is a quirky experience on the UC Berkeley Campus that is worth trying out!

5) Durant Square

Durant Square is the most popular food spot for college students who live off the South Side of the UC Berkeley campus. (It is one block off of the Southern edge of campus on Durant Avenue.)

Durant Square is a small plaza of restaurants and boba tea cafes — it is not a very appealing-looking place, and it is easy to miss if you don’t know where it is. However, it’s got some of the cheapest and most delicious food for students in Berkeley, especially those on a budget.

Note that while Durant Square is the official name of this plaza of restaurants, many students and locals refer to it as “Asian Ghetto.” If you want to get an unfiltered look at where students spend their time off campus, Asian Ghetto is a must-see.

6) Free Speech Movement Cafe

As a student, this on-campus cafe is not only a convenient place to get a quick bite to eat during a long study session in Moffit Library or Main Stacks library, but it is also a testament to Berkeley’s rich history of equal rights and progress.

The Free Speech Movement Cafe (fondly known as FSM) was created as a tribute to Berkeley’s role in the Free Speech Movement and Mario Savio, who played a key role in the struggle for free speech. When you walk into the cafe, the walls and tables are plastered with newspapers and pictures talking about Berkeley, the free speech movement, and other social and political issues. Going to FSM is like getting a meal and a walk-through history at the same time.

Berkeley provides bulletin boards outside the cafe with the covers of various newspapers from around the world on that particular day. The point of this is to keep students informed about the most pressing issues of the day and allow people to see the world from many different perspectives.

You will rarely find FSM empty. Students love this cafe for its fresh ingredients and its proximity to libraries and other buildings on campus. In addition, many GSIs (Graduate Student Instructors) will claim a table in FSM and hold their office hours there. Students can approach their GSI individually and ask any questions they may have about the course material.

7) People’s Park

People’s Park is three short blocks away from the South Side of campus on Telegraph Avenue. On the outside, People’s Park is simply a large park in the middle of Southside Berkeley. However, it also plays a significant role in the rich history of the university.

Before the lot was decorated and a park was put in, People’s Park was essentially a patch of grass where Berkeley “hippies” used to hang out in the late 1960’s. This was a time of great conflict between the free-loving students and the university administration. In 1967, the students were forcibly removed from the park so that university dorms could be built on the lot.

In 1968, the university ran out of funds to build the dorms, so the project was scrapped. People’s Park became a muddy site of debris and broken cars. In reaction to this, student and community volunteers came in and cultivated a beautiful park with grass, trees, and flowers.

However, on May 15, 1969, a day known in Berkeley as “Bloody Thursday,” Governor Ronald Reagan called Berkeley “a haven for communist sympathizers, protesters, and sex deviants,” and sent the California Highway Patrol and and Berkeley police officers to forcibly remove the students and community members. This led to a violent protest and riot in Berkeley. 128 Berkeley residents and 111 police officers were injured.

Today, People’s Park is a free public park with many volunteer gardens and a basketball court. Students who pass it on their way to class are reminded of Berkeley’s rough history against the administration and the spirit of protest on the UC Berkeley campus. If you decide to visit People’s Park, however, take caution; while it has a rich history, it has also developed a reputation for crime.

Berkeley is beautiful, quirky, and rich with history both on campus and in the surrounding area. When you arrive on campus, you will instantly feel the spirit of freedom and protest. More importantly, however, you will be exposed to the brilliant minds and the best academic programs of any public university in the nation.

If you would like to learn more about UC Berkeley, other elite institutions, and campus tours, check out these posts:

• The Ultimate Guide to Applying to the University of California
• How to Write the UC Berkeley/University of California Application Essays 2016-2017
• An Insider’s View of Seven Top College Campuses
• How To Make the Most of A Campus Visit
• Eight Sights to See On Your Campus Visit to Pomona College
• All the Right Moves, on All the Right Campuses: 5 not-so-obvious things to do on your campus visits
• 5 Question to Ask Your College Tour Guide

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!

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Black lives at cal, black history walking tour.

Koret Visitor Center/Cal Athletics Hall of Fame

https://blac.berkeley.edu/ You’re invited to participate in a Black History Walking Tour about the Black community at UC Berkeley! This tour was written and designed by long-time staff member and alumna Gia White ’86. The tour draws from her extensive research about the earliest Black students at UC Berkeley (see " As I Walk These Paths "), a few of our many notable Black faculty members, and the special spaces that Black people have fought to create for Black people on the campus. 

Please sign up in advance; there are 25 slots available on each day of the tour.

The tour will begin at the Koret Visitor Center/Cal Athletic Hall of Fame, Memorial Stadium and end at Sproul Plaza. The tour is approximately 90 minutes. 

Black Lives at Cal is a multi-year initiative to research, preserve, and publicize the legacy of Black people at UC Berkeley.

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28 fun outdoor things to do in Berkeley before summer ends

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Never miss local events!  Sign up for Berkeleyside’s arts and culture newsletter, The Scene . And check out our roundup of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley .

The return of tens of thousands of Cal students to Berkeley, including all those lanyard-donning freshmen, signals one thing: summer is drawing to a close. 

That’s why we’ve compiled this list of fun things to do outdoors in Berkeley before mild summer turns to hot, hazy fall — from East Bay staples like the steam trains in Tilden Regional Park to lesser-known treasures like lawn bowling and tours of Berkeley’s historic tank houses. It’s culled from our much longer roundup of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley .  

We hope this list will inspire you to go out and explore while the air’s still nice. Have something you think belongs on this list? Email us at [email protected] .

⚫ Take up the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club’s standing offer of a free introductory lesson on its field in Poet’s Corner. A full membership for Berkeley residents is $200 per year. Read our story about the charming ancient sport, which came to the Americas in the 1600s and was played by George Washington. Call (510) 841-2174 to schedule a lesson. You’re encouraged to come with a group of four or six friends.

🧘 Outdoor Yoga Berkeley offers daily yoga classes at Ohlone Park, near Hearst and McGee avenues. No registration is required — just show up with a mat and props. Check the website for details and its Instagram for weather cancellations. Suggested donation: $13 

🎶 Attend a show at the picturesque Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley. The amphitheater opened in 1903 with an address by President Theodore Roosevelt and recently underwent renovations . Tip: bring layers for evening shows, as the venue gets chilly once the fog rolls in. Check the website for upcoming events. 

⛵ The nonprofit Cal Sailing Club offers free introductory sails at its Open Houses (heavy rain and excessive winds cancel). The rides are given on a first-come-first-serve basis by skippers trained in safe boating practices. You’ll typically get to choose between sailing on a larger, more stable keelboat or speedy, rockier dinghy. Check the website for details and a schedule — the next Open House is Sept. 22. 124 University Avenue

👞 Take a tour of the East Bay’s windmill-topped water towers, led by Berkeley tank house historian Aaron Goldstein. Read our story about Goldstein, an architect by day who became fascinated by the towers during long pandemic walks. Email [email protected] to join a tour.

🌷 Blake Garden is both a botanical garden open to the public and a teaching facility for the UC Berkeley Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning. The 10.5-acre garden is located in Kensington, about 4 miles from the UC Berkeley campus, and used to teach students landscape architecture and environmental planning. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, with a free public tour at 2 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. To join the tour, email [email protected] . Blake Garden, 70 Rincon Road, Kensington. FREE

🐮 Visit the Tilden Little Farm and feed the animals lettuce or celery (please don’t feed them anything else). Built in 1955, the farm features cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks, turkey, chickens and pigs. Read our story . Open daily, 5 a.m.-10 p.m. unless otherwise posted. FREE

📦 A trip to Codornices Park , located across the street from the Rose Garden (they’re connected via a tunnel), isn’t complete without descending the popular 40-foot concrete slide. Bring a flattened cardboard box to sit on to avoid scrapes. Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE

🪴The 34-acre UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley , established in 1890, features more than 10,000 types of plants, including many rare and endangered species. (There’s also a garden shop where you can buy plants and other garden-related gifts.) Garden open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Shop open daily, 10:30-4:30 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays. $18

🚶 Go on one of the 21 self-guided walking tours highlighted in Berkeley residents Robert Johnson and Janet Byron’s Berkeley Walks ($22) and learn about the city’s diverse architecture, unusual gardens and secret pathways and parks. There are also some free walking tours available for PDF download on their website . Read our Q&A with the guidebook’s authors . 

🪁 Fly a kite at the Berkeley Marina’s César Chávez Park whenever the wind blows. You can buy one from Highline Kites , a mobile kite shop run by Tom McAlister — the man behind the beloved Berkeley Kite Festival, which ran from 1986 until 2019 . The kite shop is parked on Spinnaker Way most weekends. Saturday-Sundays, 1:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Basic kites start at $14

🪨 Indian Rock Park , located in the Northbrae neighborhood, offers stunning views of the Bay, especially at sunset, from atop a giant mass of rhyolite, millions of years old. It’s a popular destination to watch the sunset over a Cheeseboard pizza. Climbers make their way up the steep walls, but the stairways carved in the stone will also get you up to the top. Read our two-part series on the site’s history . Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE

🪨 Here’s another rock with a scenic view. Head toward the back of Cragmont Rock Park , also located in the Northbrae neighborhood, and you’ll find a two-story cliff to climb. It’s a good place for beginners, but you’ll want to go with someone who can show you the ropes. Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE

🍓 When Strawberry Creek Park was built in the 1980s on an abandoned rail yard, its centerpiece, a section of daylighted creek, marked a watershed moment (pardon the pun) in Berkeley’s environmental history. Today, it’s a popular place to hang out or attend the occasional live outdoor concert. We recommend stopping by the cozy Hidden Cafe while you’re there. Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE

🏀 The 13-acre San Pablo Park , which opened in 1914, is the city’s oldest park. There’s a soccer field, softball field, and several basketball and tennis courts. Here’s how to reserve one of the city’s sports fields or courts . Open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE

🌳 Nestled a nondescript hillside oak grove, John Hinkel Park in North Berkeley is a neighborhood treasure that’s too great to gatekeep. Local theater groups Actors Ensemble of Berkeley and Inferno Theatre regularly put on free outdoor shows at the park’s 1934 outdoor amphitheater, which doubles as a great picnic spot (just don’t bring alcoholic beverages). One easy way to stay in the know about free theater productions is by subscribing to The Scene , Berkeleyside’s free weekly arts, culture and events newsletter. Park open daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE

🌼 The Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve , which sits behind the fancy Claremont Hotel, offers sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland. The .75 mile Stonewall Panoramic Trail takes you through a eucalyptus grove and up a short-but-steep hill. It’s a great place to go wildflower spotting; here’s a PDF guide from the East Bay Regional Park District. Open daily, 5 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE

🚂 Take a short scenic ride through Tilden on a real steam locomotive. The Redwood Valley Railway Company ’s miniature trains have delighted East Bay families for more than 70 years . If you’re prone to mosquito bites, we recommend bringing bug spray. Saturday-Sunday (and most holidays and summer weekdays), 11 a.m.-6 p.m. $4

🛤️ Located a short walk downhill from the Redwood Valley train is the Golden Gate Live Steamers , the nation’s oldest live steam train club. You can ride the tiny steam trains, which run on propane (and member donations – the club is a nonprofit), for free. Read our story . Sundays, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. FREE

🎠 Here’s another Tilden gem: a merry-go-round built in New York in 1911 that was used in the Universal Studios film “So Ends Our Night” (1941). Reservations are encouraged but not required. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. $4

🌱 Take a docent-led tour of the 10-acre Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden on weekends and holidays. Read our story about its award-winning rock garden, which opened in 2022 . Saturday, 2 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. FREE

🪘 The eclectic Berkeley Flea Market has been a South Berkeley staple since the ’70s. Browse through clothing, jewelry, fabric, soap, vinyls and other goods from local vendors — many of whom are retired or disabled — as community members jam out on the drums. Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Ashby BART Station. 

🐠 Volunteer to clean up the Berkeley coastline and compile data about trash and marine debris. Buckets, bags and gloves will be available. Meet at the Shorebird Park Nature Center at 160 University Ave. Third Saturdays, 9-11 a.m. FREE

🧺 The Downtown Berkeley Farmers Market , one of three in Berkeley, features locally grown produce, baked goods, prepared foods and more. Put on by the Ecology Center, the market accepts CalFresh EBT and WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) checks. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Center Street at MLK Jr. Way .

🥭 Trade cash for plastic coins at Wat Mongkolratanaram, or “Thai Temple.” Food sold in the temple’s backyard food court include curries, pad thai, fried chicken, beef noodle soup, taro fritters, and, if you’re lucky, mango sticky rice (which usually runs out before noon). Every Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 1911 Russell St. 

🧺 The South Berkeley Farmers Market is held every Tuesday. 2-6:30 p.m., Adeline Street and 63rd Street. 

🧺 The North Berkeley Farmers Market occurs every Thursday. 3-7 p.m., Shattuck Avenue and Vine Street.  🚲 The East Bay Bike Party , founded in 2010 to promote community positivity and safe cycling, holds monthly group bicycle rides that are open to all ages. Bring blinkies, water, and snacks. Locations (and themes!) vary, but routes often go through Berkeley. Second Friday, 7:30 p.m. FREE

see our full list of Berkeley activities

Affordable things to do in Berkeley any day of the week

From farmers markets to trivia nights, we put together a roundup of events and activities held regularly in Berkeley.

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Iris Kwok covers the environment for Berkeleyside through a partnership with Report for America. A former music journalist, her work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, San Francisco Examiner... More by Iris Kwok

At fall convocation, campus leaders urge 9,000 new students to discover the ‘Berkeley Way’

Wisdom from Chancellor Rich Lyons, Taiko drumming, inspiring video and Oski's antics marked this year's annual event.

By Amy Cranch

Brittany Hosea-Small for UC Berkeley

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley

August 23, 2024

Like most incoming students at UC Berkeley, Jocelyn Orozco is both nervous and excited. She’s nervous about “how challenging the classes are and how competitive everyone is,” she said, and “excited about meeting new friends and absorbing as much as I can in the next two years.” 

A transfer student from Santa Barbara City College, Orozco knows she’ll have less time to adjust to Berkeley than first-year students, but she’s eager to dive in. 

“I was very involved all throughout high school and city college,” she said. “I’m very school spirited.”

Orozco got her first taste of Berkeley’s spirit on Thursday morning when nearly 9,000 new students gathered for fall convocation at Haas Pavilion. The annual rite of passage is part of Golden Bear Orientation , a six-day whirlwind that connects the newest members of the campus community to each other and to faculty and staff, and introduces them to Berkeley’s resources and culture.

For most students, instruction at Berkeley starts Wednesday, Aug. 28.

This year’s convocation included a thunderous performance by Cal Raijin Taiko, Berkeley’s Japanese drumming ensemble; traditional and contemporary songs by the Cal Band; a video — “What will be your first step at Berkeley?” — and the antics of campus mascot Oski the Bear. Administrative and student leaders offered a mix of personal stories and wisdom.  

Chancellor Rich Lyons, in his first convocation address as Berkeley’s newly-minted 12th chancellor, told students, “You will also soon discover the ‘Berkeley Way,’ at the heart of which is our incessant questioning of the status quo, […] our unshakeable belief that there has got to be a better way.”

Lyons said faculty members and students at Berkeley have the freedom and agency to imagine and explore what the future holds. “This is innovation and entrepreneurship on a grand scale,” he said, referring not just to the number of venture-backed startups launched by alumni, but to “everything we do.”

Alumni speaker Sara Peach, who graduated last spring with a degree in architecture, recalled the first step she took as a new student to shake off the anxiety she felt: attending convocation.

“I was too shy to talk to anyone on my first day. I remember wearing my favorite bright pink pair of pants, hoping that someone would compliment them,” she said. “Thankfully, a kind girl came up to me and did just that.” 

That girl, Peach said, eventually became her roommate, and reminded her to make the most of her Berkeley experience. “At the end of the day you get what you give,” she said. “It may not be that first interaction that brings you someone to lean on, but rather the third or more.”

Shrinidhi Gopal, the new ASUC president, told new students to take advantage of everything they can. “Watch yourself fill out an application for [Berkeley] Haas your sophomore year, [do] research with Nobel laureates during your summers, or witness firsthand experimentation with the very elements our school has discovered.” 

Before convocation, students huddled in the small groups they are assigned to during orientation. Their conversations buzzed as they got to know one another — where they’re from, what they’re interested in, and why they chose Berkeley. 

Among them was America Ortiz, who transferred to Berkeley from Oxnard College in Southern California and now lives in Anchor House , Berkeley’s newest home for transfer students. She said choosing Berkeley was easy. “I got a full ride, and it’s the No. 1 school in California, so I had to come,” she said. 

Ortiz received Berkeley’s most prestigious scholarship, the Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarship.

Ortiz, who has financially supported her family, said the amount of financial aid she was awarded was a deciding factor in deciding where to go. When she found out about her scholarship, “it was my sign that [this is] where I’m supposed to go, and that I have the support here to succeed,” she said.

Ortiz is part of a rising tide: More students are receiving more financial support than ever before. Last year, the campus awarded more than $1 billion in financial aid and scholarships — the highest amount ever disbursed — and so far, for the 2024–25 school year, nearly $307.9 million has been given to over 20,000 students. 

If convocation is any indication, this new next school year promises to be one of excitement, exploration and potential.