campus tour of UC Berkeley
 

I will be driving my daughter to Norther Calif to tour Berkeley in April.
I was thinking of staying one night in San Fran and taking the BART into UC Berkeley the next morning. I hear there is NO parking available @ Berkeley.
Can anyone tell me about a place called the Club Qtrs on Clay street near the Embarcadero? Or how about Hotel Whitcomb across from the BART station on Market St.
Are these safe spots for 2 ladies?
Or would it be better to stay @ Jack London square in Oakland or how about Berkely? Any place to stay there?
Thanks in advance for the help.

There's no street parking usually in Berkeley, but there are parking lots and garages. It would actually cost about the same to drive and park as it would for two of you to take BART round-trip. Also, be aware the BART station is a fairly long walk to the main part of campus.

According to the map of Berkeley and BART there is a station @ Center / Shatuck near the Campus Visitor Center. The tours do start in the center of campus @ the Sather Tower.
Any information on the parking garages surrounding the campus?

Sorry, I don't know where the Campus Visitor Center is - by center of campus, I was referring to Sather Gate, which is at Telegraph and Bancroft -- looks like a 7-8 block walk from BART. You might enjoy the walk.

That would be a no on the Hotel Whitcomb--its on Market between 8th and 9th, not a great place at night. Try staying in Berkeley itself so you can get an idea of what the town is like. If your daughter goes to Cal that's where she will be living and hanging out--not SF. I believe the Hotel Durant is a big choice for visiting Cal.

There's plenty of parking, just not so much on Cal Day (April 12th). There's a big garage under the recreation center right on campus, on Bancroft, and there's another parking lot under the tennis courts further up Bancroft at College St.

Coming from SF, you'll be taking the Oakland Bay Bridge (80) then immediately follow the signs on the other side, staying to the far left to the 80/580 and it will SAY towards Berkeley. Get off the fwy at the exit right BEFORE University (you can go to University, but then you have to backtrack a little). Follow the signs to Ashby (vs. Bay St. or Frontage road). You want to take Ashby all the way to College St., then make a left turn on College. Then follow College (really cute street!) all the way until it deadends at Bancroft and then you're at the campus. Bancroft is a one way street (west). First place you'll see on your right is the open air public parking under the tennis courts. If you continue down PAST Telegraph (you'll see the entrance to the University on your right -- Sproul Plaza), continue on about a block and you'll see a BIG SIGN on your right that says "Campus Parking" that will direct you to the underground parking. Once up at the top again, find your way to Sather Gate, walk under it and continue on to the first large pathway on your right. Head up that pathway and once you make it past Wheeler Hall, then South Hall (the oldest building on campus, I think), you can't miss the Campanile (Sather Tower). Walk towards it, then up a few steps to its base and that's where the tour starts. If it's a nice day and you have a few minutes to spare, spend the $3 (or free on Cal Day!) to go up to the top of the Campanile for an absolutely spectacular view.

If you do decide to go by BART, the station is on Shattuck and it's a bit of a trek from there to the center of campus (a good 15 minutes unless you're a fast walker and know exactly where you're going -- don't count on it!), so make sure you leave yourself enough time to get to get to the station (get off at DOWNTOWN Berkeley and NOT North Berkeley!), orient yourself, find you way to the edge of campus, then find your way to the center of it.

I would call the campus and see what they suggest for parking. They might have a visitor parking area.

Ktravel, I just mentioned that visitor parking is on Bancroft. Probably couldn't see it in the middle of my big message!

Take the car and you will be able to find parking near the campus. Make sure to take a drive up to the Lawrence Hall of Science above the campus for the most awesome view of the area. It is part of the campus and a great place to spend a couple of hours.

I agree that you will be able to find parking in Berkeley. Lots of visitors to UC stay at the Hotel Durant, as well as the hotel out at the Berkeley Marina (I think it's a Doubletree). There are also some high-rise hotels in Emeryville, not far away. BART is a brisk walk through mixed residential housing to the center of campus. Depending on what's going on, it is sometimes easier to park on the northside of campus than south (it's also a prettier walk from that side).

Oh yeah, I forgot, there's a big car park I think on Hearst by La Loma dorms. You can walk along Gayley past the dorms, the Berkeley Greek and the stadium, or head right down onto campus via Hearst Mining or Haas.