Today I want to bring you my travel itinerary for spending a weekend in Tomales Bay, California. This finger-like inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County separates the famous Point Reyes National Seashore from the West Marin mainland. With an abundance of oyster beds and stunning scenery, it’s the perfect place to spend two days on the Northern California coast. I’m here now and I’m excited show you the highlights. I’ve included a map, too.
Weekend in Tomales Bay
Right on the Pacific Coast, Tomales Bay is 15 miles long and 1 mile wide. Locals and visitors flock here for its waterfront seafood restaurants and variety of outdoor activities, and I’m no exception. I’ve been coming to this part of the Golden State my whole life, and I’m excited to be back now.
Located 30 miles north of San Francisco, Tomales Bay is an easy day trip from the city. But it’s worth spending a whole weekend here to soak up the coastal atmosphere, get into nature, and enjoy the local restaurants.
Two days is enough time to experience the best things to do in Tomales Bay and Point Reyes, and on this trip I’ve planned a range of activities for myself and my other half that show off the best of this part of West Marin.
Places to Stay in Tomales Bay
There are lots of great hotels, inns, B&Bs, and other types of accommodation that are ideal for a weekend in Tomales Bay. We’ve booked ourselves a room at a place in Marshall called the Lodge at Marconi.
This historic property was once a hotel for the employees of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America, and it’s since been converted into a cool coastal retreat with bay views and “Marin chic” decor.
We love everything from the tree-studded grounds to the beautiful guest lounges and hilltop vistas. Our room is stylish and cozy, and we can see the water from our window. Best of all, it’s a lot less expensive than some of the other hotels in the area. If you want to follow in our footsteps, you can book a stay of your own here.
There are plenty of other options in the vicinity, too. From the famous Nick’s Cove to the beautiful Olema House, Tomales Bay and the surrounding areas have you covered. You can see a range of choices and find accommodation that fits your style here.
Day 1
My other half and I hop in the car in San Francisco on a Saturday morning, cross the Golden Gate Bridge, and drive out to the Pacific coast to start our weekend in Tomales Bay. On the way we enjoy driving among the redwoods and alongside pastures full of grazing cows.
Eventually we reach Tomales Bay, where we cruise along the waterfront and take in views of Point Reyes on the west side. We keep our eyes out for the houses in Inverness and the sand at Heart’s Desire Beach as we make our way north on the Shoreline Highway toward Marshall.
Lunch
When we arrive, we know exactly where we’re going. We pull into a parking space in front of Tony’s Seafood, a beloved bayside restaurant owned by the famous Hog Island Oyster Co (and just down the road from its landmark Tomales Bay location). Situated right over the water, it’s a great place to enjoy local bivalves as close to the source as they come.
We’re seated at a waterfront table in the glass-fronted dining room, and we’re excited to kick off our trip with a meal of local fish and shellfish. We start with a platter of raw oysters from Tomales Bay, Humboldt Bay, and Washington state. They’re so good we can’t resist following them up with grilled oysters in garlic butter. Yum.
For our main courses, we enjoy steamed mussels and classic fish and chips. They go down a treat as we watch birds fishing in the water outside the windows.
Point Reyes Station
After lunch we continue our weekend in Tomales Bay with a drive down to Point Reyes Station. This pint-size town is just past the southern end of the inlet, and it’s one of our favorite places in West Marin.
Point Reyes Station is full of historic wooden buildings with shops selling everything from photographic prints to gifts, books, and baked goods. There are restaurants and a big supermarket here, and also local stores offering homemade cheeses and artisanal foods and drinks.
We spend a while browsing the shops and picking up picnic supplies at the West Marin Culture Shop for the following day. As we go, we enjoy the relaxed pace of life, chat with friendly shopkeepers, and admire the 19th-century facades lining the main street.
Heidrun Meadery
When we’re done shopping and exploring, we continue our weekend in Tomlaes Bay with a trip to a local meadery. This place produces the honey wine that always makes me think of Beowulf (anyone else?). Along with a local winery and a farmstead creamery, it’s a great place to taste the area’s produce at the source.
Just outside Point Reyes Station, the meadery is set on the grounds of a former dairy farm. It has a beautiful bohemian tasting room lined with jars of honey and baskets of blankets. There are outdoor tables and an al fresco bar for sunny days, and the whole place feels like something out of a pastoral fairy tale.
We settle in at an indoor table and opt for the mead and chocolate pairing. This unique tasting matches Heidrun Meadery’s signature sparkling honey wines with sweet treats from San Francisco’s famous Dandelion Chocolate. With a generous selection of each, we settle in for an enjoyable experience.
Dinner
After the tasting we drive north and check into our room at the Lodge at Marconi. We unpack our bags, freshen up for the evening, then continue our weekend in Tomales Bay by heading to dinner just south of Point Reyes Station in Olema.
We’ve booked a table at Due West Tavern, the restaurant next to the Olema House hotel. With a historic wooden facade and an intimate dining room, it’s a great place to eat in the area. We can’t help starting with more local oysters (when in Tomales Bay and all), which go down a treat at the beginning of our meal.
From there we tuck into heaping salads of marinated kale and local farm lettuces, both of which are packed with flavor. Our mains of miso black cod and Mary’s roasted chicken are equally good, as is the service and atmosphere. We end on a sweet note with apple cake and vanilla ice cream, then head back to the Lodge at Marconi for a good night’s sleep.
Day 2
We need our rest too, as the next morning our weekend in Tomales Bay continues with a big hike. It’s a beautiful day, and we’re excited to get outdoors and into nature in Point Reyes.
Breakfast
But first, breakfast. And coffee. We check out of the Lodge at Marconi and drive down to Point Reyes Station to pick up pastries and espresso drinks at Bovine Bakery.
This beloved local spot is famous for its morning buns, which are like cinnamon rolls without the icing. We pick one up along with a big veggie scone, enjoying them out on the sidewalk with our lattes.
Afterwards we pop into Palace Market to get a few more picnic supplies for lunch. From plump green olives to spicy prawns, the deli counter sets us up well for the coming meal.
Point Reyes Cypress Tree Tunnel
From Point Reyes Station we drive through Inverness and out to the Point Reyes National Seashore. We’re excited for our hike, but we have an important stop to make before we hit the trail.
The Point Reyes Cypress Tree Tunnel is famous for being the Californian equivalent of Northern Ireland’s Dark Hedges. A long row of trees arching over a side road halfway between the Point Reyes Lighthouse and the visitors center, this place is a photographer’s dream.
The Monterey cypress trees here were planted around 1930 to provide shelter along the road to an Art Deco-style radio station built at the same time to receive wireless Morse code messages from ships.
While the last commercial message was broadcast from the KPH Maritime Radio Receiving Station in 1999, the tree tunnel still attracts visitors from all over the world.
We park along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, then walk through the gate to get to the tree tunnel. There are a few people around when we arrive, but after a couple minutes we have the whole place to ourselves. It’s amazing to see the gnarled trunks and curved branches up close.
Tomales Point Trail
After taking a million photos, we hop back in the car and drive past dairy farms to get to the trailhead for the popular Tomales Point hike. This 9.5-mile round-trip route goes from the middle of the peninsula to the very end. It’s unique in that it passes through the Tule Elk Reserve and offers stunning waterfront scenery on both sides along the way.
We park in the lot by the historic Pierce Point Ranch, then walk past the whitewashed buildings at the Tomales Point Trailhead to start our hike. As we go along the undulating path atop the bluffs, we soak up the Pacific Ocean air, spot resident elk and skunks, and admire the views of Hog Island, Dillon Beach, Bodega Bay, Sand Point, and rocky beaches.
When we reach Tomales Point, we stop for a picnic lunch of local Point Reyes cheeses and other goodies we picked up from the shops in town. Afterwards we watch the seabirds on the rocks before retracing our steps back to Pierce Point Ranch.
The hike takes 5 hours, including our lunch break. When we reach the car, we feel like we’ve earned a treat. Back to Point Reyes Station we go, and back into Palace Market. But this time we’re not picking up picnic supples. We’re here for soft serve.
Specifically, Double 8 Dairy buffalo milk soft serve. It’s rich and creamy, and we come here every time we’re in the area to get some. We eat outside and savor the delicious local treat, which makes for a perfect end to our trip.
Weekend in Tomales Bay
As we drive back to San Francisco, we can’t help feeling like we’ve had a great weekend in Tomales Bay and a fun time discovering the best of this coastal area in Northern California. It was worth a special trip to Marin County discover the towns, restaurants, trails, and other local highlights.
Tomales Bay Itinerary Map
If you want to follow my travel itinerary for a weekend in Tomales Bay, you can find an interactive Google map of all the places I mentioned here. I hope it helps you get a feel for the area so you can enjoy your time visiting.
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