Pacifica
- For other places with the same name, see Pacifica (disambiguation).
Pacifica is on the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Popular for its beaches, Pacifica has a mix of Bay Area hippies and blue-collar folks (especially in the fishing industry). It's the kind of place where you'll find a gun store next to a yoga studio.
Understand
Climate
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Get in
By car
Pacifica is located approximately 15 minutes south of San Francisco, CA on coastal Route 1.
By bus
Take Samtrans 112 or 118 from Colma BART station, or Samtrans 110 from Daly City BART station.
Get around
See
Pacifica is located on the coast and has numerous public beaches.
The most popular beach is Linda Mar State Beach at the southern end of Pacifica by Pedro Point. Linda Mar is a very popular surfing spot and has a well-known beach front Taco Bell.
Sharp Park Beach is located by the fishing pier and fronts Sharp Park Golf Course. It is a black sand beach with a dangerously steep shoreline.
Rockaway Beach is located between Linda Mar and Sharp Park and is a small cove and beach in a commercial area with hotels and restaurants. A nice hiking / biking trail connects Linda Mar, Rockaway and Sharp Park and goes over the intervening headlands.
Do
Pacifica is the only town in San Mateo where fireworks are legal (you might hear them going off in the middle of the night sometimes), and it has a big Fourth of July celebration.
- There is a Fog Fest the last full weekend of September.
Buy
Eat
- Nick's, 100 Rockaway Beach Ave, ☏ +1 650 359-3900, info@nicksrestaurant.net.
- Guererro's Taqueria, 164 Reina Del Mar Ave and 713 Hickey Boulevard. M–Sa 10AM–9PM, Su 10AM–8PM.
- Colombo's Delicatessen, 484 Manor Plaza, ☏ +1 650-355-5023, ColombosDeli@yahoo.com. M–F 8:30AM–6PM, Sa 8AM–5PM, Su 9AM–4PM.
- Gorilla BBQ, 2145 Coast Highway 1, ☏ +1 650-359-RIBS (7427) (7427), gorillabbq@yahoo.com. Noon–8PM (or until sold out), closed Tuesdays.
- High Tide Cafe, 5500 Highway 1.
Drink
- A Grape in the Fog Wine Bar, 400 Old County Road, ☏ +1 650 735-5854, wine@agitf.com. M–F 4–10PM, Sa 2–10PM.
- Winters Tavern, 1522 Francisco Blvd, ☏ +1 650 355-6162. Noon–2AM.
Sleep
- Lighthouse Hotel, 105 Rockaway Beach Ave, ☏ +1 650 355-6300, toll-free: +1-800-832-4777, fax: +1 650 355-9217, reservations@pacificalighthouse.com.
- Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 519 Nick Gust Way, ☏ +1 650 355-5000.
Stay safe
Be careful when swimming at the beach. The undertow is strong, and once in a while someone drowns.
Exercise caution when driving near the tunnel at "Devil's Slide" near the water to the south of Pacifica. The cliffs are steep and sometimes people drive off the road.
Stay healthy
Check for ticks after hiking in fields in the bay area. There is a high rate of lyme disease transmission in the Bay Area. If a bulls' eye rash develops at the tick bite site, immediately seek medical help and treatment with antibiotics.
Go next
| Routes through Pacifica |
| San Francisco ← Daly City ← | N  S |
→ Moss Beach → Santa Cruz |