For other places with the same name, see Pacifica (disambiguation).
Pacifica is on the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Popular for its beaches, Pacifica has a mix of Bay Area hippies and blue-collar folks (especially in the fishing industry). It's the kind of place where you'll find a gun store next to a yoga studio.
Pacifica is approximately 15 minutes south of San Francisco on coastal Route 1.
Take Samtrans 112 or 118 from Colma BART station, or Samtrans 110 from Daly City BART station. You will get off at Linda Mar Park and Ride, where you will walk down the street to approach the beach.
The price to travel to Pacifica via BART and bus varies depending on the station you board at but you will get a transfer discount once you tag off at BART and tag on, on the bus.
If you are a solo traveler, once you get off the bus, you can walk to the shopping center near the park and ride and then walk to the beach where the Taco Bell Cantina is. However, to get around in Pacifica, it's suggested to use a ride-share service or drive your own car around, due to the limited frequencies of the buses.
Pacifica is has numerous public beaches.
The most popular beach is Linda Mar State Beach at the southern end of Pacifica by Pedro Point. Linda Mar is a very popular surfing spot and has a well-known beach front Taco Bell.
Sharp Park Beach is by the fishing pier and fronts Sharp Park Golf Course. It is a black sand beach with a dangerously steep shoreline.
Rockaway Beach is between Linda Mar and Sharp Park and is a small cove and beach in a commercial area with hotels and restaurants. A nice hiking / biking trail connects Linda Mar, Rockaway and Sharp Park and goes over the intervening headlands.
Pacifica is the only town in San Mateo County where fireworks are legal (you might hear them going off in the middle of the night sometimes), and it has a big Fourth of July celebration.
Be careful when swimming at the beach. The undertow is strong, and once in a while someone drowns.
Exercise caution when driving near the tunnel at "Devil's Slide" near the water to the south of Pacifica. The cliffs are steep and sometimes people drive off the road.
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.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division