Call it the Book Festival Express. BART brings you directly to Downtown Berkeley, right into the heart of the festival. Read your books en route rather than worry about traffic and parking. Check out BART’s Quick Planner. AC Transit also goes right to Downtown Berkeley, and it has a huge network. 511.org.
The Berkeley Bike Station, 2023 Center St, 510-548-7433, is a safe and convenient place to park your bike. It is not staffed during the weekend, but you can access the BikeLink Secure Parking 24/7. You can find additional parking using the Bike Parking Map from the City of Berkeley
Paid public parking lots in the immediate festival area will be noted on the map, but they’re expected to fill up quickly. The City of Berkeley’s transportation site has information about additional lots within walking distance from downtown. Note that on Saturday, most of the residential streets surrounding the festival have restricted two-hour parking; on Sunday, there are no restrictions.
Our recommendation if you are driving from an area not served easily by BART: Use a BART station near the festival as a parking lot. It’s free on weekends. Then just take a Richmond line train straight to Downtown Berkeley. From Marin, consider El Cerrito Plaza BART (huge lot) or North Berkeley (also lots of spaces); from the East Bay, there’s MacArthur (another big lot and great for people driving from San Francisco). Check out www.bart.gov for station choices.
If you are coming to the Festival and using a ride share service like Lyft or Uber, we have 2 designated drop off/pick up yellow zones you can use:
The Bay Area Book Festival has a discounted rate at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza, a generous festival partner and community treasure that also happens to be right within the festival footprint. It has a great bar, to boot. Here is the link for the discounted rate. It comes to $ 232.05 a night with taxes & fees – a very good deal for this 4-star hotel.
| Hotel name | hotel rates 2019 | website | phone number | address |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Americas Best Value Inn | $349/night+ | Link | 510-525-6770 | 1620 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA |
| Bancroft Hotel | $179/night + | Link | 510-549-1000 | 2680 Bancroft Way, Berkeley |
| Berkeley Inn | $98/night+ | Link | 855-516-1090 | 1720 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley |
| Berkeley City Club | $255/night + | Link | 510-848-7800 | 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley |
| Berkeley Rodeway Inn | $180/night+ | Link | 510-848-3840 | 1461 University Ave., Berkeley |
| Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel | $329/night+ | Link | 510-843-3000 | 41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley |
| Courtyard by Mariott | $179/night+ | Link | 510-652-8777 | 5555 Shellmound St, Emeryville |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel | $208/night+ | Link | 510-548-7920 | 200 Marina Blvd., Berkeley |
| Downtown Berkeley Inn | $139/night+ | Link | 510-843-4043 | 2001 Bancroft Way, Berkekely |
| Graduate Berkeley | $239/night+ | Link | 510-845-8981 | 2600 Durant Ave., Berkeley |
| Hilton Garden Inn | $204/night+ | Link | 510-658-9300 | 1800 Powell St, Emeryville |
| Holiday Inn Express | $205night+ | Link | 510-548-1700 | 1175 University Ave, Berkeley |
| Hotel Shattuck Plaza | $232/night+ | Link | 510-845-7300 | 2086 Allston Way, Berkeley |
| Hyatt House | $229/night+ | Link | 510-601-5880 | 5800 Shellmound St, Emeryville |
| Knights Inn | $125/night+ | Link | 510-845-7090 | 1512 University Ave., Berkeley |
| La Quinta Inn | $139/night+ | Link | 510-849-1121 | 920 University Ave., Berkeley |
| Nash Hotel | $149/night+ ($99 with shared bathroom) | Link | 510-841-1163 | 2045 University Ave., Berkeley |
| Quality Inn Berkeley | $144/night+ | Link | 510-841-4242 | 1761 University Ave., Berkeley |
| Rose Garden Inn | $190/night+ | Link | 510-549-2145 | 2740 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley |
| SenS Hotel & Bistro Berkeley | $180/night+ | Link | 510-548-9930 | 1538 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley |
| Super 8 Berkeley | $169/night+ | Link | 510-841-3844 | 1619 University Ave., Berkeley |
| Travelodge Berkeley | $499/night+ | Link | 510-295-2297 | 1820 University Ave., Berkeley |
| UC Faculty Club | $150/night+ | Link | 510-540-5678 | UC Berkeley |
Airbnb.com and more options can be found at visitberkeley.com
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Outdoor Fair – M.L.K. Civic Center Park | 2151 MLK Jr. Way |
| San Francisco Chronicle Stage in the Park | 2151 MLK Jr. Way & Allston |
| The Showtime Stage | On Allston Way near Harold Way |
| Freight & Salvage | 2020 Addison St. |
| BAMPFA, The Barbro Osher Theater | 2155 Center St. |
| Bay Area Children’s Theater | 2055 Center Street |
| Berkeley City College, Auditorium | 2050 Center St. |
| Cornerstone | 2367 Shattuck Avenue |
| David Brower Center, Goldman Theater | 2150 Allston Way |
| David Brower Center, Tamalpais Room | 2150 Allston Way (Upstairs) |
| Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Boiler Room | 2086 Allston Way (Rear) |
| Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Crystal Ballroom | 2086 Allston Way (Front) |
| Hotel Shattuck Plaza, White Cotton Room | 2086 Allston Way |
| The Magnes Collection | 2121 Allston Way |
| The Marsh Berkeley Arts Center (theater and cabaret) | 2120 Allston Way |
| Veterans’ Memorial Building Auditorium | 1931 Center Street |