7 Oakland Tours Worth the Fare

1.Black Food Tour – Downtown Oakland

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $150Our pick

Join a local guide in downtown Oakland for a 3.5-hour walk through Black-owned food businesses, with tastings at four or five restaurants, water, and stories about the city. Sample brunch or lunch dishes, with past favorites including shrimp and grits, plantain, oysters, and hibiscus tea. The tour starts at 11 a.m. and ends about a mile away.

“Ari was great host. Not only did we eat good but we played trivia game. Which is not usually done on tours. Ari was also very knowledge about resturants and history behind it. Each stop was given enough time to enjoy meal without being rushed overall good tour”

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2.Best of North Berkeley Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $137

This three-hour North Berkeley walk begins at 1517 Shattuck Avenue and visits local food stops that may include The Cheese Board, Peet’s, and Epicurious Garden. Your guide shares East Bay food history as you sample everything from pizza and cheese to sweets and coffee. Tastings are included, and the route can change with availability.

“Ive been on many walking tours, but tgis ine takes the cake. The instructor was knowledgeable, experienced, thoughtful and an all around pleasure. We started at the Cheeseboard Collective and ended at the same place. I was absolutely stuffed by the end of it.I didnt feel hurried or streessed about making the next stop. It was chill, educational with an awesome variety of food types as well: pastrami sando, coffee, chocolate, smoothies, cheese.. etc etc etc.. its a must try!”

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3.Ruth Bancroft Garden General Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $15Best value

Spend about one to two hours at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, a 3.5-acre collection of succulents, cacti and drought-tolerant plants from around the world. Admission is $15 per person. Bring a picnic, walk the gravel paths, bring a leashed dog or browse plants in the on-site nursery.

“The Bancroft Gardens has a really interesting collection of primarily drought tolerant plants. They have some very big agaves, etc. additionally, there are nursery has very reasonably priced plants to take home.”

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4.Guided Wine Tasting at Berkeley Wineries with Local Sommelière

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · 3 hours (approx.)

Join local sommelière Elisabeth for a three-hour introduction to Berkeley’s urban wineries. Visit two wineries, taste a flight at each, and talk through farming, vintages, and traditional winemaking in a group capped at six. Snacks are included, questions are welcome, and the open-air or well-ventilated winery spaces are dog friendly.

“We had so much fun drinking wine in the wine ghetto of Berkeley! She took us to two different wineries and loved both of them. It was great to learn about wine from someone who is clearly such an expert. Definitely recommend!”

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5.Oakland’s Temescal Tastes Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $126

Explore Temescal with a guide on a three-hour Oakland food tour, sampling Baja-style tacos, Breton pastry, Ethiopian injera and wot, Korean tofu soup, pickles and alley treats. Tastings and venues can change. Guides such as Rebecca share neighborhood stories, and dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice.

“My wife and I went on the tour with Rebecca and it is great! Rebecca is super knowledgeable she gave lots of history and stories about the places we visited. She’s also got great energy. I definitely felt like I learned the ins and outs of Oakland‘s food scene by the end. There’s no shortage of food on this tour - plan to leave stuffed!”

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6.Private Transfer: Oakland International Airport to Hotel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $207

Book a private, one-way ride from Oakland International Airport to a hotel or residence in Oakland, Berkeley, or San Francisco. The service runs 24/7, with a hybrid for up to two passengers, a sedan for three, or an SUV for six. Call when you have your bags, then meet your driver for an approximately one-hour trip.

“Impressive service. From the first phone call made confirming details. We were met as advised. Transfer was without issue and Singh the driver was informative on the journey into Hotel. Even enquired if could assist with our onward transportation couple of days later. ArrangRead more”

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7.Private Walking Berkeley: Personalized Self-Guided App Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 4 reviews · 1 to 3 hours (approx.)

This self-guided English app tour takes your private group of up to 15 from downtown Berkeley to Lake Anza, with stops at UC Berkeley, North Shattuck, the Rose Garden and Indian Rock Park. It costs $5 per group and takes about one to three hours. Bring headphones, and plan how you’ll handle the route’s long stretch to Tilden Regional Park.

“The app was recommended by a few friends and we decided to try out the tour, quite fun — recommend bringing headphones”

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