Hotels in Emeryville

Emeryville is a sliver of a city wedged between Oakland and Berkeley at the eastern foot of the Bay Bridge, a former rail-and-factory town that has reinvented itself as a commercial hub. It is best known as the home of Pixar's headquarters, plus a dense cluster of big-box and mall-style retail around Bay Street and the IKEA. The Amtrak station is a genuine asset, serving the Capitol Corridor and the California Zephyr, and the free Emery Go-Round shuttle links to MacArthur BART for trains into San Francisco.

This is not a place you come for charm. Much of it is freeway interchanges, office parks and chain stores, and evenings can feel quiet once the shoppers leave. Its real appeal is position: it is a practical, often cheaper base for the Bay Area, close to Oakland airport and across the water from the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz ferries. Stay on the Powell Street peninsula or near Bay Street for bay views, walkable dining and the easiest access to the Bay Bridge.