Awesome flat walking path for all levels of walkers and gorgeous views on benches all along the path look out at the water. This is one of my favorite spots in Berkeley. read more

Been launching my boat out of the marina for 15 yrs. and have slowly watched this facility go to Shit! Where do I start? How about University Ave heading west past the frontage road. The asphalt is so bad you can't travel over 5 mph. while towing a boat due to the pot holes and speed bumps every 5 feet. Once you navigate through the pot holes and you get to the launch ramp parking lot, there are standing pools of water at the entrance and exit, due to the poor drainage. They have installed a new ticket machine with a arm at the entrance and exit to keep the homeless RV squatters out. At the launch ramp itself, even the concrete ramp is deteriorated. With the launch ramp revenue they should reinvest to keep the boaters coming back. As of now, I will be launching at a different boat ramp until they do major upgrades to the road and launch area. Berkeley is going to lose a lot of revenue. read more

Berkeley Marina is cute. Gorgeous views on clear days and a great place to relax during warm summer days if you're feeling a little lazy and not wanting to trek to the other side of the bay to hit the ocean. You can fish off the pier and i often see people doing it, but i really don't know what they are fishing for. I don't want to eat anything they catch, in all honesty. I love how the pier is ridiculously long and walking up and down is a little activity in itself. It's a great place for a date at night during the summer because the views are clear and the city lights glow from Oakland to Emeryville, to San Francisco. Plus, the Golden Gate Bridge with it's lights rising and dipping from the cables is gorgeous too. Definitely can be a place to get all lovey with the lovely. So why 3 stars? Well, for all it's charm, the Berkeley Marina needs a beach. I need sand and i need access to the water. Maybe i should just learn to sail. Oh well. So while it is a great spot true to its urban roots, it falls a tad short for this California dreamer. read more

Went for my last beautiful run around here with a great girlfriend who I trained to run the 26.2 SF Marathon! Fabulous place: The sun was shinning down on us, the smell and sound of the ocean, the cool breeze :) Beautiful place to be when you don't have to wake up every bloody Sunday morning at 6:00am to run here! (we raised 1.5 million dollars for AIDS so it was so worth it) I love going into La La land and fantasizing about a totally gorgeous sexy stranger who invites me onto his yacht. We sail off into the sunset together to a tropical island somewhere in the Caribbean where we eat coconuts on the beach all day, swim in warm waters together and make love under the stars at night. Back to reality: The only thing that has come close to this fantasy was being asked onto a boat by a guy who is old enough to be my grandfather, another seemed like a date rapist and the other had his boat repossessed by the bank :( Still give Berkeley Marina a 5! read more

This is THE SPOT. I have a lot of memories here and go here when times are tough sometimes. Just to be alone, to do some thinking, to listen to music in my car, to watch the twinkling of the city or the lighthouse on Alcatraz look over the bay. I love this place. read more

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Nice Pathways, Easy Hikes. Lots of Benches. Grand Vistas. Easy Parking, Worked well for me for morning walks from the nearby hotel. Note also you can catch the ferry and get a lift to SF as well! read more

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This is a pleasant little marina, very new and well-kept, with lots of shiny boats. Sadly, it is expensive to berth here (I'm told). But they do offer charter boats and sailing lessons through the top-notch OCSC. But if you're more of a pirate, go for the 5th Avenue Marina in Oakland. read more

This is one of the best spots in the Bay Area to enjoy spectacular views in every direction. Even on foggy days you can enjoy views of Alcatraz, the city, Tiburon and Sausalito, the Berkeley Hills, and the North Bay. There are frequent festivals (Kite Festival just last weekend) and always plenty of people out and about enjoying the trails and bike paths. There are a few restaurants nearby as well as playgrounds at the nearby marina. Parking is not usually too much of a problem but if there is a festival you might run into some traffic woes. read more

There's nothing quite like Berkeley Marina. It's a great place to relax, watch the sunset, and read a book. The view is amazing and just makes me want to contemplate life. There's something about good scenery that naturally provokes profound thinking :) It's a great place to go when you just want to escape the world and gather your thoughts! read more

Since I live in Hayward, I'm not that far away from this place... It's my place to escape away and work out. When I feel like jogging outdoors, this is one of the places that I head to. There's also a little park where you can BBQ and have a party at. Skates by the Bay (Restaurant) is also right on the edge of the water. If you need to relax a bit, a walk around here will do the trick. read more

This is the new hot spot, for me that is. With the summer season (kind of) in full effect and a friend with a sailboat--things are pretty legit for me at the Marina. It's so quiet and peaceful; the sounds of ropes pulling, bells chiming, seagulls, albatross, and water sloshing--a far cry from my flat in le mission of S.F. ...Saw the fireworks on the fourth and it was pretty much the most amazing fourth I've ever celebrated. There's plenty of friendly "boat folks" around. I've heard there's another term for them but I don't think it's nice to use it. Besides, I may be considered one of those people, being as I've been spending a considerable time out in the marina lately. It's a great place for the family, for a picnic, for a boat ride, flying a kite. Even the homeless seem to make it out to the marina. I get it. If I were homeless, I think the Maritime life would probably be the most charmed. Don't look for good food while out here though, bring your own. Otherwise you'll be overcharged and not very satisfied. read more

I love heading out here. Here are a couple of my fave spots: - Pier, near Hs. Lordship's restaurant - Parking lot, off Gilman just to the north Beautiful views of the beautiful bay, you get a nice breeze on hot and sunny days. You can chill in your car with the moonroof open (or sit on your bumper I guess), and at the second location above, there's usually a taco truck in the same lot. Sunsets here are great. One word of warning: once this homeboy in a pearl-white Bentley drove up right next to me, opened up his trunk, and said, "Hey, you wanna buy a laptop for a hundred bucks?" I'd heard about people getting burned by similar ruses before, so I said, "Laptop? You mean, a brick in a box?" He got really ticked, so I hit the ignition and booked it out of there. But that was only 1 time out of the dozens I've been there. So, I guess just be careful =) The view and chance to chill, reflect, pray, away from the craziness of Berkeley, is worth it. read more

This place is great to spend time with family and kids, taking a walk, breth taking views, this place is great to clear your mind.

I vote Berkeley Marina as the best place for the not-in-so-good-physique joggers like myself. It is only 1.25 mi around, so it's difficult to get bored, and there are many walker, so if you are slightly lifting up your feet and pretending to jog, you are ahead of the crowd. Also, the Bay is gorgeous at any time of the day, so after your jog, take a minute or two to enjoy and appreciate where you live. However, layer up, I often wear long sleeves and a tank top underneath to jog because it can get pretty windy. **This is the best spot for that special date that you don't want to end** read more

As others have noted, a very windy place, but what else can one expect when this is so close to the Bay? Lots of great memories going here, either with family or spending time with friends during 4th of July. My (late) father especially enjoyed the annual Kite Festival held here (in August), and the rest of my family came to enjoy it as well. A great place for walking around in general, sitting down and enjoying the view, walking along the pier, jogging, biking, etc. Awesome for a picnic, too. One gripe I have is that parking tends to be rather tight, especially when there are activities going on. Still well worth visiting this place - looking forward to going again. read more

If you're ever having a nice hair day, come here, it'll be ruined in 0.2 seconds or less. I swear this is the windest place in the frickin' world. Well okay, I'm exaggerating, but the wind really does blow harder than.. yeah. It blows. It's a good place for BBQs (grills all around) and flying kites. It has a decent view of the bay, lots of birds you can feed and trick, and some small animals that creep up to you begging for food. A good place for outdoor activities or grilling. There are large stretches of grass for people to run around in, but also a long stretch of dock for fishing purposes. Btw, this place makes for an awesome getaway when you need to go somewhere and scream at the top of your lungs in order to vent your frustrations. The road leading up to it though... hell for automobiles. read more

Came here for the 1st time during their 4th of July Celebration. I must say great area to celebrate the holiday with family & friends: Likes: Lots of areas to host a BBQ Free Parking Great Food Vendors for the Festival Dislikes: Can be Breezy even if sunny since soo close to the Bay Exiting the parking for 4th of July can be exhausting...If you're there to see fireworks and have a car parked after 7pm...You can't leave until they re-open the roads which was like around 10-11pm... read more

I keep my powerboat in the Berkeley Marina and, as far as Marinas go, it's a clean, safe and convenient place to do that. While my last marina had a bit more night life available via bars and restaurants the Berkeley Marina excels in natural beauty and lots of wind for you sailors. No question this is one of the best places to get a view of the sunset. To windy and cold? No problem, grab a table at Skates near the window and watch the sun slip into the Marin Headlands while you're sipping a cocktail. If you're ever in the market for a boat slip the prices are very reasonable (it's actually run by the City of Berkeley) and the staff and very friendly. Be sure to ask for John at the harbor master office. There's also a fuel dock in the marina which, believe it or not, is very valuable around here as most marinas don't seem to have one. There's also a bait dock for all you fisherman out there. There's easy access to dry dock storage and boat repair at the Berkeley Marine Center - say hi to Cree and Karl. And last, but not least, there are plenty of places to have a picnic and bbq as well as the infamous kite flying park. And don't forget there are sailing and wind surfing lessons on the south side of the Marina. If you live in the area it's definitely worth checking out. read more

We are senior citizens from out of the area and our truck was stolen from the Berkeley Marina parking lot on Wednesday afternoon. The website encourages you to "escape the urban jungle"!Apparently the same thugs hit that parking lot regularly. How/why do the locals put up with this? Zero stars but not possible. read more

This marina is supposed to be a 5 star marina thats a bunch of Bullshit. For one thing the launch ramp has no fresh water so you can't even rinse your boat or clean your fish. It costs 15 dollars to launch your boat . On the weekend it is usually full so what are they doing with the money? They sure aren't fixing things. read more

What a beautiful place to run, have a picnic, or just hang out. From the Powell St. area, you can get a good 6 mile run in, running to the marina and back. I never felt unsafe, and the path was well cared for. The view is beautiful and it's not crowded. read more

I have no idea how many babies have been conceived in parked cars here after dark, but I imagine more than you or I would like to think about right now... So to avoid that thought sinking too deep, let's get to the review! I've often come here to walk the long pier (which takes at least 20 minutes down 'n back when there's people traffic) and enjoy the views of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. It can get pretty windy and there are always mobs of people on clear days, but the slow (and very romantic walk, minus the fish smell) and gorgeous sunsets totally outweigh the obstacles. Beside the pier that practically stretches half the length to the City across the Bay, the Marina also hosts a series of restaurants and parks along the shore with their own highlights: DoubleTree (great early bird special dinners), H's Lordships (fine as old wine), Skates by the Bay ($traight up amazing), Hana Japan (never tried it), Adventure Park (beware), and Shorebird Playground (much cooler than AP). Nice spot for families, couples, friends, and/or by yourself. Just watch your back (and your car)... it can get a tad raunchy in these sticks - I'm holding off one star until the safety situation improves. read more

So nice and relaxing, it's a great stop if you wanna pull over to just relax a little after work while traffic dies down and there's Skates and HS lordships for food if you are every in the area. read more

hubby and i love this place. a lot of parking, picnic tables. place is clean and great view. I'm not exactly sure if I have enough review space to tell you what's great in this place. read more

Love this place! I've actually only been here during nighttime for the boat rides and banquets at the restaurants on the marina. The day time is pretty nice! They have areas for kids to play...a nice playground --free to children as long as there is a supervisory adult. Not bad I'd say. Hidden gem. We brought Zachary's pizza to eat here and enjoy the nice weather..walked around a bit. Lovely. read more

bring a windbreaker, it's usually always windy... which is GREAT to fly kites! There's so much to see here: the views of the bridges, and SF, people watching, the kites, drones or remote airplanes, watching people rollerskate WITH a parachute kite that's pulling them all over the place, etc. Bring your dog, bring a blanket, bring a ball, bring BBQ (they have pits) There are bathrooms as well. I think the perfect day would be to go get a pie or two from cheeseboard collective, and come to the marina to enjoy the rest of your day flying kites or watching other people fly kites, lay on the blanket, watch the clouds, read, etc. Parking used to be dumb here but now there's a huge parking lot so there's always room. For some reason I always find a spot right in front though. read more

Yes, Please! Kites, rocks, water, hills, grass, great photo ops, parking, and fun for every age. No, Thanks. Accessible mostly by car. Wind. read more

Don't feed the squirrels. I saw some real fat ones hoping along the rocks. And they weren't afraid of humans either. Great views of SF, Treasure Island and Oakland from the pier. Prime spot to go fishing. read more

The Marina is an overall good place to relax, chill and enjoy the view of the SF Skyline while either walking the pier or parked in your car facing the shore. It also seems like a great place to go fishing since I always see fishermen there. The sunsets here are amazing, too. read more

The Marina is a great place for walking, picnicking, contemplating the forms, and flying kites. I speak mainly of the north side of the Marina, where most people go. There's a great 360 degree view from the hill there, and boy can it get windy! The south side of the Marina makes me a bit more hesitant. It's a little more empty, and sometimes seems a bit scary. People don't seem to hang out there much. There's a little park area, and kayak rentals, but it's certainly not as welcoming. You can take a long walk out on the dock, passing fishermen on the way, and back for a pretty good amount of exercise. There's also a kids' drop-off playground the name of which escapes me, but I've not tried it. read more

Great place to go: eat a lunch, take a walk & or jog, push a stroller,walk a dog, ride a bike, read a book, chill-out veg, catch a party boat for guided fishing trips, launch a boat into the bay ($5 to launch north side of marina), Frozen bait store on southern side of marina, live bait seller inside the middle of the docks, there's a peer on the southern side of the marina where you can fish & walk on, sight-see (good views of the SF, alcatrazz, cities & bridges), fly a kite - (there's a kite festival annually), kayak, wind surfing, kite surfing, there's fireworks here for the 4th of July too, There's 4-5 restaraunts on this marina & a Motel. There's playgrounds on the southern side to take the little ones to. Plenty of parking. Can get very cold here so dress appropriately read more

I assume this review is for the southern branch of the Marina peninsula, i.e. the pier, the actual marina, and its immediate environs. (Cesar Chavez Park has a separate Yelp entry.) And if I'm reviewing just that area, the great views are still there but the area seems kind of ratty and poorly maintained. You're better off heading to Cesar Chavez instead. read more

Nice marina with a beautiful view of the bay. You can see the outline of san fran, the bridges, and the view is really nice. The sun hits the water, a breeze blows through, seagulls float around, it's deeply peaceful. read more

This is my favorite spot to just overlook the bay, it's beautiful. Family setting which is great. Plenty of parking! read more

The best place in the world!!! The view is amazing, and if you go on a mellow day, you can sneak a BBQ or two. Enjoy the water, enjoy the view. Every time I'm there, I think "Damn Im a Lucky Bastard to live in the Bay". Gotta watch out for the "wild life", "don't feed s#!t", and you will be cool. I go all the time! read more

I had my sailboat in this Marina several years ago. Wanted to put it in again this year but after seeing all the homeless around the marina and University Avenue and the car break-ins I figured it would be best to go elsewhere. read more

First time visitor to the BAY AREA. For the 4th of July we came to Berkeley Marina. I give this place 4 stars for three reasons. 1) not enough attractions, 2) firework show could have been better and 3) traffic is ugly coming in and getting out. I've been sitting in my car for 45mins and no movement. But anytime with the family is a great time no matter what. Will I be back, he'll no, but I do recommend as long as you walk in and not drive in. read more

The Berkeley Marina, which is one of the largest urban green spaces in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1100 berths with electricity, water, showers, toilets, etc. Also has a boat ramp and refueling facilities. It has panoramic views of the region's three main bridges (Golden Gate, Bay, and Richmond), Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the San Francisco skyline. The Marina is home to Cesar Chavez Park, a city-owned 90-acre park, East shore State Park, a restored 72-acre meadow with trails and excellent bird watching; and, the Berkeley Pier, 3000ft pier you can fish off of without a license. Great views, nice place for a walk, biking, picnics, really should bring a camera. I've seen alot of wildlife in the parks, especially in the evenings when there are not many people around. There are areas for dog lovers and a nice paved path thru out most of the parks. Clean Bathrooms. Plenty of parking. Bring your own food & drinks. Be sure to check out the annual A Day On The Water 2 free music festival, Arts & Crafts fair, and Fun Zone on Sept 28 from 12-7pm at Cesar Chavez Park in the Berkeley Marina. read more

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Sandy, Rach, Maya & I decided to check out the 4th of July festival and firework show at the Berkeley Marina. The food was okay, some items better than others, but maybe we got there too late, 8? One booth was selling single pupusas for $5.50. The pupusas were dry, burnt and you could tell they had sitting for some time. However, the same booth was selling BBQ'd oysters which were pretty tasty. Maya had to have corn on the cob, good, but I guess it would be difficult to screw up. The firework show started a little late and it was on the foggy side and hard to see the fireworks. Maybe it was just me, but I think that the timing was off too and they had a few duds. The weather was nice despite being so close to the water, and the crowd was nicely diverse and mellow. read more

Great place to unwind your mind after a long days work Love the crisp air, the view and the serenity the place offers. My only qualm with this place are the PERVS that frequent the area after nightfalls. These dudes are repulsive.They are the lowest form of life in our entire solar system!! These guys drive around the marina expecting to happen upon some poor, unsuspecting couple "getting it in" so to speak!! WHATS THEIR M.O.?? to pull up next to you, park, and stare inside your vehicle like you're a menu at a five star restaurant!! THIS IS UNFATHOMABLY CREEPY, right?! Amirite?? I usually visit the marina 2 maybe 3x's a week (if i'm lucky), so i've been able to pick up on their disgustingly, slimy patterns. There are 3 of them that regularly trolls the area: the 1st one drives a silver HONDA ELEMENT (newer model) w/fancy wheels, tinted windows. the 2nd one drives a dusty, dingy, dark green NISSAN SENTRA (2001-2003 model). the 3rd one drives a dark colored FORD or GMC pickup BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESE UTTERLY DESPICABLE DREGS OF OUR SOCIETY. Its just a quick heads up, not meant to be some over-sensationalized, FOX News, fear mongering crap, but honk if you see them. THESE GUYS ARE PRIME CUT, USDA, WORLD CLASS PERVS!!! they do not deserve to dwell or chill in such a beautiful place. ijs read more