The Northern California coast is one of my favorite places on earth, and from the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s a pretty accessible place for a weekend getaway. Among my favorite spots along the coast is Bodega Bay, a seaside town packed with cool history, beautiful beaches and hiking, and great spots to eat and stay. I grew up coming here because my grandmother—who moved to California late in life—loved this town, and I think of my own love of this place as a sort of affection legacy.
Bodega Bay’s other superpower is that it’s a supremely easy weekend getaway from the Bay Area, and gives you all that wild-feeling North Coast beauty with a shorter travel time than many other NorCal coastal hotspots.
Here’s my cheat sheet for planning a weekend in Bodega Bay.
Things to do in Bodega Bay
This seems maybe a little counterintuitive to say, but my favorite thing to do in Bodega Bay is: less. It’s a great place to take it a little slower and to spend time outdoors, watching nature and reconnecting. Here are some of my favorite ways to do less while still doing something in Bodega Bay:
Walk and hike
For an easy, beautiful, and a little-bit-unstructured wander, head to the Bodega Head Trail, which is made up of a cluster of interwoven trails and trailheads, and is a fun way of checking out the windswept bluff that separates Bodega Bay from the Pacific Ocean. To me, walking these paths feels like a low-stakes choose-your-own adventure hike. And if you’re there when it’s not socked in with fog, you’ll get blissful ocean-and-golden-hills vistas.
Bonus: Bodega Head is a great place to whale watch from land between October and February and again from February through April. Bring binoculars and look out for sprays and breaches.
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I also did an early morning walk along the Cheney Creek Trail, which is walking distance from the Lodge at Bodega Bay (more on that below), and early in the morning is a nice mix of exercising locals and birds.
And though Bodega Bay is situated right along Highway 1 and doesn’t have much in the way of sidewalks, you could also park somewhere central like the visitors center and then spend some time wandering around the sort-of-downtown. There are some gift shops, restaurants, and the pink-and-white striped Patrick’s of Bodega Bay, which has a delightfully overwhelming number of saltwater taffy options.
Beyond Bodega Bay, you’ll find more great hiking trails both south toward Point Reyes and North toward Jenner.
Play at the beach
Bodega Bay has some of the coast’s best beaches, including Salmon Creek Beach, South Salmon Creek Beach, and North Salmon Creek Beach. All are part of the larger Sonoma Coast State Park, a 16-mile stretch of the coast that runs from Bodega Head all the way to Vista Trail, four miles north of the town of Jenner.
But if you’re not used to Northern California beaches, you’ll need to adjust your beachgoing expectations. That’s because while none of the beaches here are particularly good or safe for swimming, they are amazing spots for tidepooling, picnicking, flying kites, and hanging out on the sand. Also, you should 100% bring layers because it’s probably going to get chilly at some point.
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Paddle or ride
New and experienced kayakers can rent from Bodega Bay Kayak and go for a paddle in Bodega’s small and usually relatively calm bay. The company also offers guided kayaking tours, both in the bay and out in the Pacific.
Five Brooks Bodega Bay runs a bunch of horse trail rides including a picnic ride, a sunset ride, a beach ride, and a combo trail ride and kayak tour. Horse N Around also leads trail rides from Hagemann Trout Farm
Head inland and check out Bodega
When people talk about Bodega, they’re usually talking about on-the-water Bodega Bay, which feels like both a seaside town and a working fishing community. But just a few miles away, the slightly inland town of Bodega—best known as the backdrop for the Alfred Hitchcock 1963 classic The Birds—is also worth a visit. The tiny town is lined with antique shops, art galleries, and some of the movie sights, and is a fun place to wander for an hour or two. It’s also sometimes warmer here than in Bodega Bay since it’s a bit inland and so is shielded from some of that coastal marine layer.
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Where to eat in Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay has some solid dining options, and nearby towns offer even more treasures. Here are some of my favorite spots:
- Terrapin Creek Cafe: Sprinkled along the coast are restaurants that have earned Michelin recognition, including Terrapin Creek Cafe, which earned Michelin Plate status in 2022. This cozy spot is popular with locals and welcomes visitors with its focus on local produce and seafood.
- Fireside Lounge and Drakes: For an apres-hike (or beach) cocktail, there’s no beating the Fireside Lounge at the Lodge at Bodega Bay, a spot where you can sit by the fire inside or score a spot overlooking the marsh and the bay from one of the outside fire pits. Next door, Drakes delivers seasonal fare in a dining room that feels both cozy and grand with its stone fireplace and bay windows.
- Fishetarian: The seafood shack vibe gets a healthy local glow-up at Fishetarian, a favorite in the heart of Bodega Bay. With a focus on seasonal, local, and when it can, organic ingredients, it’s a nice place to stop for both seafood specialties like grilled rockfish tacos and local crab sandwiches and for veggie options like fish-taco-style tofu tacos.
- Spud Point Crab Company: During the fall/winter/spring Dungeness crab season, there’s no better place to be than Spud Point Crab Company, a casual and mostly outdoors spot right across the street from Spud Point Marina (on your way to or from Bodega Head). Another favorite here is the chowder, which earns extra points for being both delicious and the perfect antidote to a chilly foggy day.
Eats beyond Bodega Bay
If your wanders take you beyond Bodega Bay, keep an eye out for these spots that I love:
- Rocker Oysterfeller’s in Valley Ford: Rocker Oysterfeller’s is the perfect excuse to stop in tiny Valley Ford, a tiny town along the pretty drive from Highway 101. Open for both lunch and dinner, this Southern-inspired restaurant serves up brisket, local oysters, and free-range hot chicken. And on Sunday afternoons, there’s live music on the patio.
- Wild Flour Bread in Freestone near Occidental: If I’m within 30 miles of Wild Flour Bakery when it’s open, I’ll make a special trip to pick up a treat to eat in the bakery’s beautiful garden (wander toward the back where there are picnic tables and benches) plus some bread to take home. My go-tos are the sourdough Wonder and the 100% whole wheat Gem loaves.
- Cafe Aquatica in Jenner: This waterfront bakery and cafe in Jenner, north of Bodega Bay, is one of my all-time favorites. Its breakfast pastries and cookies are great, as are its sandwiches (I usually get either the veggie-packed Rainbow sandwich or the crab roll). But the real magic here is the chance to grab a seat outside, soak up the view, and listen to some live music.
Where to stay in Bodega Bay
For being such a small town, Bodega Bay has some heavy hitters on the hotel front, including The Lodge at Bodega Bay, a low-key but pretty hotel that earned the top spot in the 2024 Conde Nast Travel Readers’ Choice Awards 2024. The hotel sits on a bluff overlooking the Bay (and is walking distance from Cheney Trail, which you can turn into a loop that starts and ends at the hotel). When I stayed, I loved the heated pool and infinity hot tub, the comfortable room with unfussy luxe touches like ultra-soft robes and fireplaces, and private balconies overlooking the water.
Getting there
Pretty much no matter which route you choose, it’s a beautiful drive to Bodega Bay. I love the road through the rolling hills and farmland between Highway 101 and Bodega, and for anyone who wants a more leisurely drive, heading up Highway 1 along Tomales Bay is a really beautiful way to go, especially during the day (the drive feels, at least to me, more challenging at night, when you’ll need to take the dark and winding road slower to avoid the deer and other wildlife that tends to hang out along the sides of the two-lane highway).
