Marin County in the Bay Area of California is a bedroom community across the Golden Gate Bridge to the north of San Francisco. Affluent Marin County is home to ex-hippies and dot-com millionaires. It has rugged wilderness areas on its western coast, while towns on the Bay have a nautical air dating to the 1800s.
Marin is known for affluence and left-wing politics, even compared to the rest of the famously liberal and economically booming Bay Area. To give you an idea of the politics, Marin County's Fairfax is the only town in the nation with a Green Party majority in its town council. Meanwhile, the money in the area means that there's no shortage of fine restaurants and shopping, as well as a fair share of performances, festivals, and so on.
But the big draw for most visitors is Marin's nature: steep hills, rugged beaches, ancient forests, and state parks for hiking, biking, and camping.
Marin has a temperate climate, with warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Temperatures rarely go below freezing. During the summer, it's usually sunny and almost never rains, which means that this is the best season for planning outdoor activities, and it's the time when outdoor festivals and other interesting events tend to be scheduled.
The temperature tends to change a lot over the course of the day, so dress in layers. Always bring a sweatshirt or jacket (even on warm days), especially if you plan to be out past sundown.
Like its neighbor to the south, Marin can sometimes get foggy. The typical pattern is for the fog to come in overnight and burn off during the day. Be careful if you plan to drive after midnight. The fog can interfere with the views on a hike, but the good news is that it burns offโso if you get to a lookout and feel like the fog is blocking a good view, it might be worth waiting a few minutes to see if it clears.
The closest major airports are San Francisco International Airport (IATA: SFO) in San Francisco and Oakland International Airport (IATA: OAK) in Oakland. Convenient airport bus service is provided by the Marin Airporter from San Francisco International Airport (every 30 minutes, 5AM to midnight, fare is $23 to be paid when you get off the bus, stops in Sausalito, Mill Valley (Manzanita and Seminary Drive), Larkspur Landing, San Rafael (Anderson Drive and the Transit Center), and Novato) and by the Airport Express from Oakland International Airport (every hour or two, 5:30AM to 11:45PM, $30 for adults and free for children 12 and under).
The three main routes into Marin County are the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, the RichmondโSan Rafael Bridge from the East Bay, and US 101 from Sonoma County.
The Golden Gate Ferry from San Francisco to Larkspur or Sausalito is a pleasant way to get to Marin. Sit on the top level to enjoy the fresh air and views of the bay.
Golden Gate Transit offers public bus service from other parts of the Bay Area.
Greyhound buses stop at the San Rafael Transit Center (3rd St and Hetherton St).
SMART (Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit) provides commuter rail service to Sonoma County on a line from the Sonoma County Airport to Larkspur, with stops in between including Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Novato, and San Rafael. The Larkspur station allows connections to ferries to San Francisco. Fares range from $3.50 to $11.50 depending on how far you go, and must be paid by Clipper card or an "eTickets" app.
Marin is not served by BART, the commuter rail system that connects San Francisco with the East Bay and the Peninsula. If you're travelling by BART, you'll have to transfer to a ferry or bus in San Francisco, or to a bus in Richmond. The San Francisco option is probably better in terms of safety.
Most people get around by car. The main highway is US 101, which continues north to Sonoma County and south to San Francisco.
Marin Transit provides bus service. In addition to connecting the Marin County cities, it offers a seasonal shuttle to Muir Woods (buses 66 and 66F), and the West Marin stagecoach goes to Stinson Beach (bus 61) and Point Reyes (bus 68). The system's biggest hub is the San Rafael Transit Center in San Rafael, with smaller hubs in Novato, San Anselmo, and Marin City. Connections to Golden Gate Transit buses to San Francisco, Richmond, and Sonoma County are available.
Marin Transit's service is sometimes late and not always convenient, but if you're visiting Marin without a car, it gets the job done.
In addition to providing service to Sonoma County, SMART connects Novato and Larkspur, with three stops in Novato and two in San Rafael, one at the Civic Center and one downtown.
Marin has lots of beaches and mountains and is a great destination for outdoor activities like hiking, biking, kayaking, horseback riding, and sailing.
As a rule, lodging is expensive in Marin.
Hotels range from familiar chains to more distinctive local inns. Airbnb are available too. If you want to sleep out in nature instead, there are a couple of hostels (one in the Marin Headlands and one at Point Reyes) and plenty of campsites.
Lower-income areas (the Canal in San Rafael and Marin City) can carry a slight risk for violent crime. In central San Rafael, exercise caution at night. In other parts of Marin, crime is generally not a significant concern.
Be careful to check for ticks after hiking in fields in the bay area. There is a high rate of lyme disease transmission in the Bay Area. If a bulls' eye rash develops at the tick bite site, immediately seek medical help and treatment with antibiotics.
Rattlesnakes, bobcats, and coyotes can be found in Marin, but they usually avoid humans, and you're unlikely to see one. If you do, don't bother them and they won't bother you.
The Marin County Free Library has branches scattered throughout the county's cities, with public computers and free Wi-Fi.
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