Best hotels in San Rafael
Four Points by Sheraton San Rafael Marin County
1010 Northgate Dr, CA, 94903
Make the most of the Californian sunshine at this modern hotel with well-equipped rooms. The hot tub and outdoor heated pool are the perfect places to relax, and the location is handy for Marin County Civic Center and only three miles from Downtown.
Panama Hotel
4 Bayview St, CA, 94901
The Panama is a B&B big on charm, with quirky rooms decorated with individual touches. You’ll have your own balcony or patio, too, so you can kick back al fresco and soak up some rays. There’s an on-site restaurant where you can enjoy live music as you dine, and you’re also close to Gerstle Park and the western end of the creek.
Marin Lodge
1735 Lincoln Ave, CA, 94901
Located to the north of Boyd Memorial Park, just off Route 101, Marin Lodge is a cozy and welcoming base for your stay in San Rafael. Rooms come with a flat-screen TV, microwave, refrigerator and coffee machine, and the location means you can quickly take your rental car up to the verdant forests of the north.
Best restaurants in San Rafael
Sol Food
903 Lincoln Ave, CA, 94901
Inside this vividly colored building at the heart of San Rafael, you can expect excellent Puerto Rican cuisine and a relaxed atmosphere. For casual diners, choose sandwiches like the chuleton –a pan-fried pork chop coupled with jack cheese and onions. Rotisserie chicken and sauteed prawns are also must-tries..
Sunday Marin Farmers’ Market
3501 Civic Center Dr, CA, 94903
Go both local and global at this farmer’s market, which is held every Sunday at the Civic Center. You can browse brilliant produce from local farmers and producers, with a huge number of stalls running the gamut from cheese to vegetables, charcuterie to dim sum, and freshly baked bread to artisan crafts.
The State Room
1132 4th St, CA, 94901
Visit the State Room for elevated comfort food. . The burger is already brilliant, even without tempting sides such as pork belly or melted IPA onions. There are also imaginative wood-fired pizzas, fried chicken and one of the finest brunches in town.
What to do in San Rafael
Mission San Rafael Arcangel
1104 Fifth Ave, CA, 94901
Without the Catholic Mission, there is no San Rafael, as it was the construction of this building in 1817 which founded the town. Its history is revealing – it was originally used as a sanatorium for Native American people who contracted diseases imported by European settlers. Today’s Mission is a 1949 replica of the original, albeit one facing in a different direction.
Marin County Civic Center
3501 Civic Center, Peter Behr Dr, CA, 94903
Celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed this remarkable civic center as his very last commission, although he didn’t live to see its construction. Today, you can take a docent-led tour for context on this 1957 building, with its trademark roof and furniture also designed by Wright.
China Camp State Park
101 Peacock Gap trail, CA, 94901
To the northeast of San Rafael, this state park abuts the bay and combines places to picnic with hiking and biking trails. There’s history to be discovered too, as the China Camp Beach was once home to a late-19
th century Chinese shrimp fishing village. You can discover more at the nearby museum.