California · United States
Hayward travel guide
Hayward is a city in California, United States, home to about 163,000 people.
- Best months
- April to October
- Nearest airport
- OAK14 km · Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport
- Currency
- USDUnited States dollar
- Time zone
- America/Los Angeles
- Language
- Carolinian, Chamorro, Hawaiian
Things to do
What to see and do in Hayward
See
- Museum of History & Culture
- The Japanese Gardens
- Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks
- Don Castro Regional Park
- Murals
Do
Hayward is home to the CSUEB, the California State University East Bay. The highlight of Hayward is in the beautiful panoramic views of the bay which can be seen from and near the university in the hills. Visitors anywhere in the bay should definitely take this detour. From the Hayward hills, one can see Fremont, Silicon Valley, Oakland and San Francisco at once. The drive from Hayward/Castro Valley to Oakland on Redwood Road is quite beautiful. This road is usually empty, and has the feel of being in a remote area despite the fact that it is near the bay. Beware of the cyclists and the Import racers that frequent Redwood Road.
- Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center
- Sulphur Creek Nature Center
- Hayward/Russell City Blues Festival
- Cinema Place Gallery
- John O'Lague Galleria at City Hall
- Kennedy Park
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Hayward
1 hotel within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Green Shutter Hotel | 0.4 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Hayward
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Hayward are April to October. September is the warmest month, with average highs of 24 °C; December is the wettest, with about 119 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Hayward: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; San Carlos Airport (SQL, 23 km) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO, 27 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
As is the case in most of the U.S., you will find it easiest to get to and around Hayward by car. That being said, there are several options for arriving by public transport. Amtrak runs multiple trains per day on its Capital Corridor route between Sacramento and San Jose, via Oakland. Long distance trains calls at Hayward Amtrak station, located at 22555 Meekland Ave. Commuter rail is provided by BART, which serves serves Hayward via its Warm Springs/South Fremont–Daly City line with two stops within city limits.
Getting around
Hayward does have a lot of traffic in the Downtown area and on Highways. Hayward has several bus systems that serve the city. AC Transit and All Nighter Bus Network provide bus service and Union City Transit provides service in the Southern Hayward Area along the Union City Border. SamTrans service was discontinued in 1999. The HillHopper Bus System provides service to CSUEB. BART Has two stations (Downtown, South Hayward) with BayFair and Castro Valley BART stations nearby. Hayward has an Amtrak station in the Burbank District.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
OAK · Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport
SQL · San Carlos Airport
SFO · San Francisco International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Hayward
Eat
Although the overall number of restaurants in Hayward is respectable by the standards of most cities in the United States, the choices are disappointing compared to those in nearby gourmet powerhouses Berkeley and Oakland. The advantages here: plentiful parking, lower prices, shorter waits. Most of the Mexican restaurants, especially the taquerias, are excellent inexpensive places to chow down on authentic, if non-gourmet, traditional dishes. If you choose to find a place to eat in Hayward, the city center is normally the best place to go, though many eateries can be found all around Hayward. You can also find food on Mission, Jackson, and Foothill Blvds.
Drink
The downtown area has enough odd little hangouts and events, one can easily perambulate on a Friday night and pick up on blues or other music at the Music Depot (944 B St.), "pub" crawl, see a movie at Cinema Place. Always plenty of parking.
Stay safe
Like most cities in the United States, Hayward does have its rougher areas. Most of these are small areas right off of the five main streets in Hayward that run east to west.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Hayward: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Hayward?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Hayward are April to October. September is the warmest month, with average highs of 24 °C; December is the wettest, with about 119 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Hayward?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; San Carlos Airport (SQL, 23 km) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO, 27 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Hayward?
United States dollar (USD).
Nearby
Destinations near Hayward
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.