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County in California, United States
Photo: The original uploader was MCB at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
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.
By car
The three main routes into Marin County are the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge from the East Bay, and US 101 from Sonoma County.
By ferry
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.
By bus
Golden Gate Transit offers public bus service from other parts of the Bay Area.
By commuter rail
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,…
By bike
A popular way to reach Sausalito is by biking across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. From Sausalito, a network of bike routes lead to Marin County's other cities.
On foot
The walk into Marin across the Golden Gate Bridge is charming and scenic, if it isn't too foggy.
By bus
Marin Transit provides bus service.
By commuter rail
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.
By bike
Marin has a strong biking culture and lots of bike trails, and drivers here are used to making room for bikes.
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San Francisco · International · SFO
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Bolinas is an unincorporated town in Marin County, California. It has long been a counterculture enclave (a "free box" where people can leave and take items as needed is a local landmark) and has, in the past, been the home of several famous people such as musicians Grace Slick and Paul Kantner, and writer Richard Brautigan.
Fairfax is a cute little town nestled in the hills of Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Though small, it's surprisingly lively and has kept its historic charm.
The "twin cities" of Larkspur and Corte Madera are a pair of towns in Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Larkspur is the main gateway to Marin by ferry, while Corte Madera is known for upscale shopping.
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area of California. The city begins in the canyons and ridges at the base of Mount Tamalpais and extends into a broad valley that reaches the Richardson Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay.
Novato is a sprawling suburb in Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Novato is in the transition zone between the patchwork of suburban Marin County towns, long oriented towards San Francisco and the bay, and the wineries and pastureland of Sonoma County to the north.
San Anselmo is in Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. It's bordered on the east side by San Rafael, and the west side by Fairfax.
Historically home to one of California's original Spanish missions, San Rafael is now a mid-sized Bay Area commuter town with beautiful hills, peaceful nature, interesting architecture, and a bustling downtown area centered around 4th Street. San Rafael is the cultural and political center of Marin County, and offers its own set of attractions as well as easy access to other parts of the county.
Sausalito is a unique and picturesque community, perched on a hillside between the San Francisco Bay and the Marin Headlands. Since it's across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, it makes a great trip by bike, ferry, bus, or car, for a good meal, a visit to an art studio, and views of the city from across the bay.
Tiburon is a small historic town in California's Marin County, located across the bay from San Francisco. Tiburon's Main Street has been preserved as it was when the town was a Gold Rush train town and lumber yard.
Point Reyes National Seashore is a United States national seashore that is one of the Bay Area's overlooked treasures, with more than 100 square miles of coastal wilderness area. Located at the westernmost tip of Marin County, it is a reasonable day trip from San Francisco, but also worth visiting as a destination on its own.
The Marin Headlands are located in southern Marin County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area of California. Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Marin Headlands offer beaches, hiking, history, and spectacular views of the California coast.
This national monument, located in Mill Valley, has some of the oldest remaining giant coastal redwoods in the world.
The largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay, a good place for hiking, and home to a historic immigration station. Accessible by ferry from Tiburon or by private boat.
a clean beach, and not too crowded, though the water is a little chilly for swimming
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