Novato is in Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.

Get in

By car

Via Highway 101, the major north-south freeway or from Highway 37 which crosses marshland from Vallejo and Highway 80 or from west Marin on Hicks Valley Road/Novato Blvd.

By bus

Marin Transit offers service from other Marin County cities, and the affiliated service Golden Gate Transit goes north to Sonoma County and south to San Francisco.

By train

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, or SMART, connects Novato with San Rafael, Larkspur, and places in Sonoma County: Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, and Sonoma County Airport. An extension is planned to Cloverdale. The Larkspur station allows connections to the Golden Gate Ferry to San Francisco.

Get around

By bike

Conditions may be too windy for bicycles to go "upwind."

By bus

There is limited Marin Transit (bus) service, which is primarily used by commuters. The bus serves a major stop "downtown" on Old Redwood Highway.

See

• 1 Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, 500 Palm Drive, ☏ +1 415 506-0137, info@marinmoca.org. W–F 11AM–4PM, Sa Su 11AM–5PM.  
• The Space Station Museum, 464 Ignacio Blvd, ☏ +415 524-3940, operations@thespacestationca.org. (updated Sep 2017)
• 2 Marin Museum of the American Indian, 2200 Novato Blvd, ☏ +1 415 897-4064. F–Su 12:30–4:30. (updated Sep 2017)

Do

Essentially a bedroom community but there are various hiking opportunities in the open space around Novato and Marin County (e.g. Mt. Burdell). Immediately west of town are rolling hills, cow farms and 60-acre-plus ranches—a pleasant, scenic ride by car or motorcycle.

• 1 Olompali State Historic Park (just north of Novato on 101), ☏ +1 415 892-3383. W–Su 9AM–5PM. (updated Sep 2017)

Eat

• Maya Palenque, 349 Enfrente Rd, ☏ +1 415 883-6292, info@mayapalenque.com. Mexican restaurant with great staff, great drinks, great prices. Try the desserts! 
• Hilltop Cafe, 850 Lamont Ave, ☏ +1 415 893-1892. A local favorite for fine dining. 

Sleep

• Best Western Novato Oaks Inn, 215 Alameda Del Prado, ☏ +1-415-883-4400, toll-free: +1-800-625-7466, fax: +1-415-883-4128. 
• Courtyard Novato Marin/Sonoma, 1400 N Hamilton Pkwy, ☏ +1-415-883-8950, fax: +1-415-883-8960. 
• Days Inn San Francisco/Novato, 8141 Redwood Blvd, ☏ +1-408-737-1177. 
• Inn Marin, 250 Entrada Dr, ☏ +1-415-883-5952, fax: +1-415-883-5058. 

Go next

• San Rafael, a charming city with plenty of restaurants and shopping, is a 15-minute drive south on highway 101.
• San Francisco is about 30 minutes south on highway 101.
• Napa, a widely-recognized wine-lovers' destination, is about 45 minutes to the northeast.

Routes through Novato

Santa Rosa ← Petaluma ←	N  S	→ San Rafael → San Francisco
END ←	W  E	→ Jct N → Vallejo
Santa Rosa ← Petaluma ←	N  S	→ San Rafael → Larkspur