Albany, Point Richmond, Martinez, Pinole, Crockett, Sunol, Canyon, El Cerrito’s hills, and the Eden Area towns are not secrets. They are just bad at marketing, which is part of the charm and part of why you should visit before you repeat a slogan.
A gem is a place that rewards an hour. Port Costa rewards an hour. A random freeway exit does not. Use the town pages and go look.
Towns
Berkeley & the north hills
Albany
A small city with Solano Avenue as its living room.
OpenCentral Contra Costa
Martinez
The county seat, John Muir’s house, and a working marina.
OpenWest Contra Costa
Pinole
Old Town, a ridge of houses, and a view toward the bay.
OpenWest Contra Costa
Crockett
The C&H sugar town on the Carquinez Strait.
OpenWest Contra Costa
Port Costa
A handful of streets and a historic grain-warehouse bar.
OpenTri-Valley
Sunol
A tiny town, a water temple, and a railroad in the hills.
OpenHills & canyons
Canyon
A redwood community on a road that feels like a secret.
OpenBerkeley & the north hills
El Cerrito
Two BART stations and a hill that looks back at the bay.
Open