Travel to Marin

Some of our favorite hotels, restaurants and attractions in Marin

Marin county, California is among the world’s most beautiful travel destinations. As natives and avid travelers, we fancy ourselves ambassadors to the area, sharing our favorite hotels, restaurants and attractions with our out of town guests. Beyond what we have listed below, our friends at the Marin Hotels have also compiled a list of events and activities that you can see here.

Our Favorite Hotels and Lodges in Marin

  • Acqua Hotel is a 49-room boutique hotel situated on the shores of Richardson Bay in full view of Mt. Tamalpais. The perfect location for Marin County adventures. Check out their cool list of things to do here.

  • Casa Madrona Lodge and Spa a high-end property in the heart of downtown Sausalito. Close to coffee shops, restaurants and the San Francisco ferry.

  • Cavallo Point Lodge a high-end property located in Ft. Baker, almost literally underneath the Golden GateBridge. 

  • Corte Madera Suites is a great choice for long-term stays in Marin. Close to a bookstore and coffee.  

  • Gables Inn is a quaint, authentic old Sausalito property, tucked in just above Sausalito’s main drag. Close to coffee shops, restaurants and the ferry to and from San Francisco. 

  • Inn Above Tide is literally perched above the San Francisco Bay at thr ferry terminal in downtown Sausalito. Convenient to coffee shops and restaurants.

  • Mill Valley Inn is a charming historic property nestled in a cluster of Redwoods and the only hotel in downtown Mill Valley. 

  • San Anselmo Inn is an authentic slice of old Marin with a fantastic collection of photos and maps of old Marin and California,

  • Water’s Edge Hotel is a contemporary bayside oasis in Tiburon. The only hotel in Tiburon situated on the San Francisco Bay!

Restaurants, Cafés and Markets

Marin County offers restaurants to suit anybody’s taste. Here are a few of our favorites ranging from local breakfast joints to high-end Italian. Bon app…

Sausalito Restaurants

  • Anchorage 5 - One of our local favorites. Anchorage 5 is a low-key local place serving classic American and Mexican breakfast and lunch. Always busy, but never crowded. Easy bike parking. 415.331.8329

  • Angelino - Family owned, high-end Italian fare with a view. One of the few places locals frequent in the Zona Turista. Great wine selections. Bike parking a block away. Dinner reservations recommended. 415.331.5225

  • Bar Bocce - Specialty pizzas and a nice outdoor beer garden with water views. Easy bike parking. 415.331.0555

  • Barrel House - Great views and an extended happy hour. Park and lock bikes a block away. 415.729.9593

  • Copita - Mexican food and drink right in the heart of the action! 415.331.7400

  • Fish - Expensive, but fresh and sustainably caught. Nice outdoor dining space. Can be crowded. Easy bike parking. 415.331.3474

  • Kitti’s Place - Another of our local favorites, Kitti’s is a casual lunch spot on the north end of Sausalito serving fantastic(!) Thai food with a California flair. Easy bike parking. 415.331.0390

  • LeGarage - This casual spot features French cuisine. Le Burger. (think Royale with cheese…) is a favorite. Easy bike parking. 415.332.5625

  • Taste of Rome - A Sausalito institution, (formerly known as Café Trieste) is a casual café for anytime of the day. Good coffee, breakfast, pizza, pasta and more. Easy bike parking. 415.332.7660

Mill Valley Restaurants

  • Avatars Punjabi Burrito - A recommended local favorite, Avatar’s Punjabi in Mill Valley dishes up authentic Indian “burritos” and rice plates in downtown Mill Valley. Really good. Easy bike parking. 415.381.8293

  • The Cantina - Mexican in a casual atmosphere. Nice outdoor patio and easy bike parking. 415.381.1070

  • The Depot Café and Bookstore - Dead center in the middle of Mill Valley, this local favorite offers a selection of pastries, coffee drinks, sandwiches and other snacks in the historic railroad depot. Easy bike parking.

  • Piazza Di’Angelos - A Mill valley institution, DiAngelos dishes up Italian food in the heart of Mill Valley’s lively downtown. Open for lunch and dinner in a comfortable indoor/outdoor setting. (415)-388-2000

  • Joe’s Taco Lounge  - A Mill Valley institution, Joe’s features burritos, tacos and other Mexican snacks surrounded by the biggest selection of hot sauces you’ve ever seen. Easy bike parking. 415.383.8164

  • The Junction/Pizza Hacker - Specialty pizzas and a nice outdoor beer garden. Easy bike parking but a busy road to arrive there. 415.888.3544

  • Tamalpie - Delicious, upscale pizza and great Italian style food in a casual atmosphere. Nice outdoor space and easy bike parking. 415.388.7437

  • Watershed / Mill Valley Lumberyard Good food and a casual atmosphere in Mill Valley’s historic lumberyard. Convenient bike parking. 415.888.2406

  • Playa - High-end Mexican cuisine in downtown Mill Valley at premium prices, but worth it if you’re spending too much money on this trip anyway. Convenient bike parking in front or in back.

Tiburon

  • Cafe Acri - An easy spot for coffee, pastry or pasta in a casual cafe atmosphere. Beautiful setting and easy bike parking. 415.435.8515

  • Sam’s Anchor Cafe - A Tiburon institution as a local restaurant and watering hole. You might need to park the bikes across the street, but it’s convenient. 415.435.4527

  • Waypoint Pizza - Tiburon’s go-to pizza joint. Easy bike parking. 415.435.3440

  • Servino’s - A long time local establishment tucked away on Tiburon’s Ark Row. Good food and a casual environment in the heart of Tiburon. 415.435.2676

Corte Madera, Larkspur, Fairfax and Beyond

  • Café Verde (Corte Madera) - An absolute favorite. Great pizza, sandwiches and libations in an easy indoor/outdoor environment.

  • Perry’s (Larkspur) - A Marin and San Francisco institution serving American fare. Easy bike parking.

  • Split Rock (Fairfax) - Combination bike shop and café serving sandwiches, tacos and other snacks in the heart of Marin’s bike scene. Next door to the Marin Museum of Bicycling.

  • Gesthalt Haus (Fairfax) - The Marin biker’s “bar”, Gestalt serves up killer sausages and sandwiches in a lively, mountain bike influenced atmosphere. People in spandex also go there sometimes.

  • Fairfax Brewing Company (Fairfax) - Local brew pub with brew pub food. A favorite.

  • Sabor (San Rafael) - Probably the best Mexican food in Marin. Easy bike parking.

  • Rad Haus (San Francisco) - A cool German styled restaurant and beer hall in San Francisco’s historic Ft. Mason. Easy bike parking.

  • Burma Superstar (San Francisco) - Amazing Burmese food on Clement St, one of San Francisco’s liveliest and most diverse streets. Outdoor parklet and easy bike parking.

  • Puerta Alegre (San Francisco) - The perfect San Francisco restaurant, Puerta Alegre sits at the cross roads of The City on Valencia St near 16th. Good Mexican food and a colorful crowd. (415) 255-8201

    Markets

  • Golden Gate Market (Sausalito) - The best deli sandwiches and picnic supplies in Sausalito with a small café and outdoor seating. 415.332.3040 

  • Drivers Market (Sausalito) - Deli sandwiches, prepared foods. Hippie vibe. Organic produce and incense. Scents of patchouli. Seating inside or out. 415.729.9582

  • Mill Valley Market (Mill Valley) - Mill Valley’s local, family owned market brings local ingredients to their deli sandwiches and prepared foods. A few seats outside or take it to go and hang out in Mill Valley’s downtown plaza. 415.388.3222

Attractions and Excursions

  • Golden Gate Bridge - One of the world’s top tourist attractions, the Golden Gate Bridge is a quick jaunt from our shop and any of the hotels in Sausalito, Mill Valley or Tiburon. See “Routes” or get in touch and we will help you out if you don't see what you're after. 

  • Golden Gate Park - For a snapshot of San Francisco’s colour, take a slow roll through Golden Gate Park on a weekend. The roller disco arena and its cast of characters is always entertaining, as you watch and wonder what these people do in their day jobs. Hippie Hill and its drum circle are worth a flyby as they do their best to keep that faded dream alive. And the museums…obviously the museums, Academy of Sciences, Stowe Lake, the Rose Garden, Conservatory of Flowers and the Japanese Tea Garden. The problem with some of this is that leaving bikes locked up in San Francisco and Golden Gate Park is risky.

  • Marin Headlands - One of the Bay Area’s most visually stunning vistas can be had from the top of the Marin Headlands where you look east over the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, or west over the Pacific Ocean and the edge of the continent. 

  • Marin Museum of Bicycling (Fairfax) - The Marin Museum of Bicycling is located in Fairfax, the town largely credited as the birthplace of the mountain bike. The Museum features a comprehensive timeline of mountain bike development along with championship winning road and track bikes and a few curiosities. You may also get to meet Joe Breeze, the museum’s driving force and the man credited with building the first purpose-built mountain bike to help launch what is now an Olympic sport. 

  • Sausalito Waterfront and Houseboats - The essence of Sausalito is its storied houseboat community towards the north end of town. It was here that Otis Redding wrote (Sittin’on) The Dock of the Bay amongst a cast of characters including Sterling Hayden, Shel Silverstein, Van Bo and Joe Tate. 

  • The Record Plant - Sausalito has deep connections to a lot of the music some of us grew up with and The Record Plant was central to that and the preferred recording studio of some of music’s biggest acts including Fleetwood Mac who recorded Rumors wishing its walls, as did Stevie Wonder when he made Songs in the Key of Life, the Deftones recorded White Pony and Metallica made a couple albums there, but The Dude says those guys are assholes, so we’re not naming the albums.  

  • Angel Island State Park - Ride to Tiburon and take the Ferry to Angel Island State Park, ride around the island and catch the ferry back. 

  • Mt. Tamalpais State Park - Explore the inner secrets of Mt. Tamalpais, aka, The Sleeping Lady. Mt. Tam is Marin’s energy center, offering over 200 miles of trails on an extended network that includes federal, state and county lands. Look online, then contact us and we would be happy to advise your route once you have a rough idea where you want to go.

  • Fairfax (Marin) - An easy and mostly flat ride from just about anywhere in Marin and obviously bike friendly. While you’re in Fairfax, take advantage of the quaint downtown for shopping, dining and the cultural experience of this timeless hamlet and its hippie vibe.. 

  • Bay Model (Sausalito) - Back in the late 1950’s there was a crackpot named John Reber. His plan was to build a series of dams in the Sacramento River delta to collect the fresh water that was wasted as it flowed into the San Francisco Bay. To study this idea, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers built a scale, working model of the bay and delta, using hydraulics to simulate tide changes. The Bay Model occupies several warehouses in the old Marinship boatyard and is open to the public, free of charge.

  • Fort Point (Presidio, San Francisco) - Built by the U.S. Army Engineers between 1853 and 1861, Fort Point is a beautifully preserved Civil War-era brick fort located directly underneath the south anchorage of the Golden Gate Bridge and a great stop on your way down the San Francisco waterfront. 

  • Fort Mason (Marina, San Francisco) - Fort Mason is a historic former U.S. Army post transformed into a vibrant waterfront cultural hub and public parkland. The Rad Haus, a German styled restaurant, is a must if you’re passing by and happen to like sausages or sauerkraut. 

  • SMART Train (Larkspur, San Rafael, Novato) - The SMART Train is a fantastic way to extend your range into northern Marin and Sonoma counties. With stops in Novato, Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Windsor, it’s a great way to see some of California’s beautiful wine country and experience different communities along the way.  

  • Repack Road/Downhill - Repack is a fire road outside of Fairfax, California. The Repack Downhill Race, conducted on the Repack fire road, was the world's first organized downhill mountain bike race, held from 1976 to 1979 in Marin County, California. This race was devised by Charlie Kelly and attracted pioneers like Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Otis Guy, Tom Ritchey, Charlie Cunningham , Jimmy Deaton, and Wende Cragg. https://mmbhof.org/mtn-bike-hall-of-fame/history/repack-history/

Other Outdoor Activities

  • Sea Trek - Kayak rentals and tours - Kayak the bay with Sea Trek, the Bay Area’s premier outfitter for kayaking and stand up paddleboard rentals and adventures. Sea Trek

  • Ride to San Francisco and take the Ferry Back to Sausalito - There is no better way to see the San Francisco Bay than a combination of a bike and the Golden Gate Ferry running between San Francisco and Sausalito. Ride over the Golden Gate and take the boat back. 

  • Hike Mt. Tamalpais - Explore the inner secrets of Mt. Tamalpais, aka, The Sleeping Lady. Mt. Tam offers over 200 miles of trails on an extended network that includes federal, state and county lands. Look online, then contact us and we would be happy to advise your route once you have a rough idea where you want to go.

  • Take Art Classes - Hachidori Studio in Larkspur offers scheduled or private adult art classes for groups and individuals in case you want to let your creative side out. 

Bike Shops

Don’t see what you’re after?

We’re also available to advise itineraries in and around Marin and Northern California. As expert travelers, hikers, bicycle and motorcycle riders, we can offer route advice for extended trips around the area and beyond.  Call us on 415.900.7305