Life in Berkeley and the San Francisco Bay Area

Studying in the Evening Certificate Programs places you in the heart of downtown Berkeley. You attend classes in the UC Berkeley Extension building, just a few short blocks from the UC Berkeley campus.

Experience Berkeley

Downtown Berkeley resides in an arts and entertainment district that offers cinemas, live theater and music. You can sample local organic foods at a weekend farmers’ market, have coffee at a sidewalk café or take a hike in the wooded Berkeley hills. Visit street vendors on Telegraph Avenue, or enjoy an outdoor concert at the Greek Theatre. On any day of the week, from the hills to the bay, you can find enjoyable things to do in the diverse and colorful city of Berkeley.

Visit Nearby San Francisco

San Francisco is just west of Berkeley, across the San Francisco Bay. You can rent a bicycle and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge or take the cable car through Chinatown to Fisherman's Wharf. To experience the city's hip past, go to the coffeehouses and bookstores of North Beach. Enjoy the colorful Victorian architecture of the Haight-Ashbury district. Or view twinkling city lights, majestic bridges and the Pacific Ocean coastline from one of the city's many famous hilltops.

Travel California and the West

In the state of California, many worlds are within your reach. Napa Valley—with its wineries and restaurants—is just an hour north of San Francisco. You can fly south to Los Angeles in an hour or drive northeast to Lake Tahoe in about four hours. Yosemite National Park—featuring spectacular rock formations, hiking trails and waterfalls—is also within a day’s drive. And if you want to try your luck in Las Vegas, it’s several hours’ drive southeast of Berkeley. Whatever your interest, the place to explore it is only a short distance away.

Helpful Articles

Housing Options

Where you live depends on interests and budget.

Map of Berkeley

See where the Evening Certificate Programs are in relation to the main UC Berkeley campus, transportation and downtown.

UC Berkeley Campus