California · United States
Sacramento travel guide
Sacramento is a city in California, United States, home to about 525,000 people.
- Best months
- April, May and October
- Nearest airport
- SMF16 km · Sacramento International Airport
- Currency
- USDUnited States dollar
- Time zone
- America/Los Angeles
- Language
- Carolinian, Chamorro, Hawaiian
About
About Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California. The county seat of Sacramento County, it is located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in the Sacramento Valley.
Sacramento is in the southern Sacramento Valley, the northern half of the vast 450-mile (720 km) long California Central Valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural areas. While the Central Valley is mostly rural, Sacramento and its urban area seemingly arise abruptly from the surrounding farmland, a sight that is particularly notable to those driving from the west on Interstate 80 or from the south on Interstate 5 or Highway 99.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Sacramento
See
- California State Capitol
- Sutter's Fort
- State Indian Museum
- Crocker Art Museum
- Cesar Chavez Park
- Sacramento Zoo
- California Museum
- Leland Stanford Mansion
- California Automobile Museum
- California State Railroad Museum
- Steam train rides
- Sacramento History Museum
Do
- Certified Farmers' Market
- Second Saturdays Art Walk
- Concerts in the Park
- Sacramento Capitol City Jazz Festival
- River rafting
- Sacramento Pride Festival and Parade
- California State Fair
- Sacramento Gold Rush Days
- Sacramento Kings NBA basketball
- American River Bike Trail
- Fairytale Town
- Funderland Amusement Park
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Sacramento to stay in
Visitors to Sacramento should be aware that hotels in the downtown area charge more on weekday and major event stays than weekends as a lot of business travelers come during the weekdays close to the central business district.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Sacramento
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sacramento are April, May and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; January is the wettest, with about 118 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 Sacramento: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sacramento International Airport (SMF), about 16 km from the city centre in a straight line; Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK, 79 km) and Buchanan Field (CCR, 82 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
Sacramento is fairly easy to navigate due to the numbered and lettered streets, especially in the central district which is laid out in a grid. Numbered streets run north and south while lettered streets run east and west. South of the city center (bounded by Broadway, Front Street, and Alhambra Boulevard), the streets are named "Avenue" when the lettered streets run out. Historic Old Sacramento, the Riverfront, and the California State Railroad Museum are all within an easy 5-minute walk of the train station. The Capitol building is a pleasant 15-minute walk from Old Sacramento.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SMF · Sacramento International Airport
SCK · Stockton Metropolitan Airport
CCR · Buchanan Field
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Sacramento
Eat
The diversity of Sacramento is not only reflected in its various neighborhoods but also in the food choices you can find here. The places in the central district tend to be more trendy and hip while food establishments in their respective neighborhoods reflect the tastes of their residents. Finding unique fare in suburban Sacramento, northeast of the city limits, can be difficult as many of the establishments are dominated by national or large regional chains.
Drink
Nightlife in Sacramento is vibrant if you know where to look. Stay in Downtown or Midtown. This is where most tourists are anyway. The upscale clubs and lounges tend to be on or near J Street. Just around the corner is the Capitol Garage which typically has guest DJs on Saturday and a $5 cover in a laid back atmosphere. Nearby is the Crest Theater, an independent historic movie theater that boasts art deco design. In the summer you can catch the French Film Festival here as well as the Trash Film Orgy, an all-night spectacle of old B movie flicks where locals gather in their cheesiest costumes.
Stay safe
Downtown has a lot of one-way streets which can be confusing and are not always well marked so look at the direction in which cars are parked. Sacramento is generally a safe place to visit. As with any other urban area, no matter where you are, stay safe. Be aware of your surroundings, lock your car doors, don't carry a large amount of cash, and don't wear flashy clothing or jewelry. As with other large metropolitan areas, there are neighborhoods that deserve more caution than others at night.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Sacramento: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Sacramento?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sacramento are April, May and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; January is the wettest, with about 118 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Sacramento?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sacramento International Airport (SMF), about 16 km from the city centre in a straight line; Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK, 79 km) and Buchanan Field (CCR, 82 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Sacramento?
United States dollar (USD).
Nearby
Destinations near Sacramento
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.