Oakland

Introduction

Oakland is the 8th largest city in California and is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, about 8 miles (13 kilometres) east of San Francisco. It has well over 400,000 inhabitants.

Weather

The weather is comparable to that of San Francisco, though usually a little warmer and sunnier because the incoming fog from the Pacific does not always reach the eastside of the Bay Area.

Getting There

By Plane

Oakland International Airport (OAK) is about 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the CBD of Oakland. It mainly serves other US cities, but has some international flights as well, mainly to Guadalajara and Cancun and seasonal flights to Terceira, one of the Azores Islands.

To/from the airport

• Public Transport: AirBART shuttle buses and AC Transit's Lines 73 and 805 buses take passengers between the terminal and the Coliseum/Oakland Airport station, from where there are connections on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). AirBART generally comes more often than AC Transit buses after 9:30pm daily. AirBART and Line 73 run during regular hours from about 5:00am to midnight, whereas Line 805 is a night bus that runs from midnight to 5:00am. A 3.2 mile (5 kilometres) extension of BART from Oakland Coliseum station to the airport is anticipated to start in mid-2010. A completion date for the project is set for sometime during 2013.
• Car: Oakland International is accessible from Interstate 880 (Nimitz Freeway) which is 2 miles (3 km) away. The airport can be reached by exiting Hegenberger Road or 98th Avenue. Rental cars are available at the airport and there are also taxis.

By Train

A number of Amtrak trains travel to and from Oakland:

• The Coast Starlight between Los Angeles and Seattle.
• The Capitol Corridor between Auburn and San Jose.
• The Sao Joaquins between the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.

Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

Sleep

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The US Postal Service is very good and well priced mail system. There are post offices in every small and large town for sending packages internationally or domestically. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS and DHL.

External Links

• Oakland Official Website