University of California, Berkeley, Research university in Berkeley, United States
The University of California, Berkeley is a public research institution spread across roughly 1,232 acres on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay. From several elevated points, visitors can see the bay, the bridge, and the city skyline in the distance.
The institution opened in 1868 as the first campus of the University of California system under a federal act from 1862. Over the following decades, it grew into a center for science and political engagement.
Students gather daily at Sproul Plaza to debate ideas, hand out petitions, and participate in spontaneous demonstrations. This open atmosphere shapes campus life and makes public discourse a visible part of everyday routine.
The campus can be explored on foot, though some paths slope upward and comfortable shoes are recommended. Several libraries and museums are open to visitors and offer glimpses into research and collections.
In the labs and offices here, 16 chemical elements were discovered, more than at any other location in the world. Traces of this research remain visible today in buildings around the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Location: Berkeley
Inception: March 23, 1868
Operator: University of California, Berkeley
Part of: University of California
Address: 200 California Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720
Phone: +15106426000
Website: https://berkeley.edu
GPS coordinates: 37.87194,-122.25833
Latest update: December 2, 2025 21:10
Silicon Valley gathers the headquarters of big tech companies like Meta, Apple, Google, and Oracle. Their campuses are modern, with glass towers and low buildings surrounded by gardens. Apple Park forms a ring of glass amid the hills of Cupertino, while Oracle's blue cylindrical towers remind visitors of their database roots. Google has several areas in Mountain View with colorful buildings and large sculptures of Android mascots. Some garages show where these companies started. The one where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP in 1939 in Palo Alto now has a plaque up. In Los Altos, the family garage where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the first Apple computers in 1976 is a place that curious visitors like to see. Stanford University, founded in the late 1800s, covers a large area south of San Francisco. Its labs and research programs still train engineers and entrepreneurs. Museums like the Intel museum tell the story of microprocessors from the 1960s onward.
This collection brings together 50 universities from four continents, among the best known in the world. You can find institutions that were founded centuries ago, with campuses full of history, next to research centers working on future technologies. These places host students, researchers, and teachers from all over the world. This creates a lively environment that often spills over into nearby neighborhoods. In Oxford and Cambridge, medieval colleges line cobbled streets where students ride bikes. In Boston, the brick buildings of Harvard and the modern labs of MIT run along the Charles River. In California, Stanford sets up its arcades under the sun, while in Zurich, ETH watches over the city from above. In Singapore, the tropical campus blends into the thick greenery of the island. Each university leaves its mark on the cityscape, drawing visitors with its architecture, history, or just curiosity to see these places where part of today’s thinking forms.
People's Park
722 m
California Memorial Stadium
666 m
Sather Tower
49 m
Hearst Greek Theatre
413 m
Telegraph Avenue
531 m
Campus of the University of California, Berkeley
402 m
Berkeley Art Museum - Pacific Film Archive
717 m
Haas Pavilion
429 m
Gourmet Ghetto
1.4 km
Bevatron
885 m
Lawrence Hall of Science
1.3 km
Thorsen House
649 m
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
942 m
Sather Gate
217 m
Evans Hall
195 m
University of California Museum of Paleontology
333 m
Housing at the University of California, Berkeley
537 m
Hearst Memorial Mining Building
269 m
University of California Botanical Garden
1.8 km
Hillside Elementary School
992 m
South Hall
70 m
Edwards Stadium
671 m
The Big "C"
822 m
Zellerbach Hall
412 m
Wheeler Hall
163 m
Barrington Hall
868 m
University House, Berkeley
370 m
LeConte Hall
218 mReviews
Visited this place? Tap the stars to rate it and share your experience / photos with the community! Try now! You can cancel it anytime.
Discover hidden gems everywhere you go!
From secret cafés to breathtaking viewpoints, skip the crowded tourist spots and find places that match your style. Our app makes it easy with voice search, smart filtering, route optimization, and insider tips from travelers worldwide. Download now for the complete mobile experience.
A unique approach to discovering new places❞
— Le Figaro
All the places worth exploring❞
— France Info
A tailor-made excursion in just a few clicks❞
— 20 Minutes