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Major city · United States

Davis, CaliforniaDavis

Give Davis one night, two if you bike: it is a flat, walkable college town 20 min from Sacramento, not a sightseeing base.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
USD
Best months
Mar–May, Sep–Oct
avoid Jul–Aug (inland heat, 35 °C+ days)
Airports
SMF · OAK · SFO
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs …Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but ta…
  • North America ↗Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs your passport even on a day trip; rental cars need the company's written permission to cross, and most US and Canadian rental insurance stops at the Mexican border.
  • North America ↗Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but taking any amount across the US, Canadian or Mexican border is a federal crime — including edibles and vapes.
  • North America ↗The busiest US and Canadian national parks need timed-entry, campsite or lodge reservations in summer; release dates are months ahead.
  • United States ↗Check whether you need an ESTA (Visa Waiver Program) or a visa on the official CBP and State Department sites; apply only through esta.cbp.dhs.gov, not third-party sites, and allow time before you book.
  • United States ↗Several popular national parks use timed-entry or vehicle reservations in peak season; check each park's page on nps.gov and book on recreation.gov before fixing your dates.
  • United States ↗Medical care is very expensive for visitors; buy travel insurance with high medical cover before you fly.
  • United States ↗Tipping is expected: about 15–20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, and a tip for taxis, hotel staff and guides.

Davis is a university town of about 66,000 people in Yolo County, on Interstate 80 between the Bay Area and Sacramento. The UC Davis campus and downtown sit side by side, so you can walk both in a couple of hours. Bikes outnumber almost everything, the food is student-priced, and the town works best as a one-night stop on an Amtrak or I-80 run rather than a destination in itself.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Davis, California, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee$4–6
  • Sit-down mealSit-down dinner, one main$18–32
  • BeerDraught beer in a downtown bar$7–9
  • Taxi, about 5 km5 km taxi or rideshare$12–18
  • Budget bedHostel or shared-room bed, a night, per personUS$45
  • Mid-range bedDowntown hotel double room, a night, per roomUS$170
  • High-end bedDowntown hotel double room, a night, per roomUS$280

A day, not counting the bed: Budget US$60 · Mid US$110 · High US$200

Prices in local money; change the currency in the header to see yours next to them. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

University of California, DavisBike paths and the US Bicycling Hall of FameUC Davis ArboretumDavis Farmers Market and Picnic Day
Airports
SMF Sacramento International (About a 30-min drive; Yolobus route 42 runs to downtown Davis for a few dollars (check the current timetable).) · OAK Oakland (Amtrak Capitol Corridor connects the Bay Area to Davis; useful if you combine both.) · SFO San Francisco International (BART to Richmond, then Amtrak to Davis; Richmond station is unstaffed, so buy on board.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Davis, California: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

13°C

3°C

10 rd

Feb

16°C

5°C

9 rd

Mar

19°C

6°C

8 rd

Apr

23°C

8°C

5 rd

May

28°C

11°C

3 rd

Jun

32°C

14°C

1 rd

Jul

35°C

15°C

0 rd

Aug

34°C

15°C

0 rd

Sep

32°C

13°C

1 rd

Oct

27°C

10°C

3 rd

Nov

19°C

6°C

7 rd

Dec

13°C

3°C

10 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Walk or bike. Downtown and campus are adjacent and flat, and the city has one of the highest rates of cycling per person in the US. Unitrans buses run frequently; a single ride costs about $1 for the public (free for undergraduates). Driving is slow in the centre because of bikes and pedestrians.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Sacramento

go

Door to door: About 40 min

Amtrak Capitol Corridor from Davis station, about 20 min

State Capitol, Old Sacramento and the railroad museum; easy half day.

Woodland, California

go

Door to door: About 40 min

Yolobus from downtown Davis, about 20–25 min

Historic main street and a quieter county seat; pairs well with a Davis morning.

Winters

caution

Door to door: About 40 min

Car via I-80 and CA-128, about 30 min

Small farm town with a few tasting rooms; thin without a car.

San Francisco

overnight

Door to door: 2.5–3 h

Amtrak Capitol Corridor to Emeryville, then a connecting bus, about 2 h 30 min total

Too far for a comfortable return day; sleep in the city instead.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Downtown Davis

Hotels within walking distance of campus, the train station and most restaurants; best for one night without a car.

Richards Blvd / Mace Blvd exits

Highway-side hotel clusters with free parking; you need a car or bus to reach downtown.

On campus (Hyatt Place UC Davis)

Directly across from the Mondavi Center; convenient for campus visits and events.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
$60–100 excl. bed
Mid
$100–170 excl. bed
High
$170+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Downtown hotel double room1 × 1 night × US$170US$170
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × US$110US$220
Yolobus SMF airport to downtown, one way2 × US$2 · checkUS$4
Amtrak Capitol Corridor Davis to Sacramento, one way2 × US$12 · checkUS$24
eSIM, about a week of data2 × US$15US$30
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeUS$45
Trip total≈ US$247 per person per day, bed includedUS$493

2026 estimate in US dollars; sales tax added at checkout. Flights and car hire excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee$4–6
Counter-service lunch (Thai, Mexican, Indian)$12–20
Sit-down dinner, one main$18–32
Draught beer in a downtown bar$7–9
Unitrans single ride$1 (check)
5 km taxi or rideshare$12–18

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Davis is a low-crime college town and safe to walk at night in the centre. The real issues are summer heat, bike traffic on shared paths, and late-night drinking around Picnic Day and Whole Earth Festival.
  • Summer afternoons inland regularly pass 35 °C: plan campus walking for the morning.
  • Picnic Day in late April and Whole Earth Festival on Mother's Day weekend fill every hotel: book weeks ahead.
  • Some campus attractions (Bohart Museum, Raptor Center) keep limited hours: check before you go.
  • Amtrak trains stop at Davis station on 2nd Street; the station is unstaffed at times, so have your ticket ready.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance
911

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Davis, CaliforniaDavis

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

To this address, pleaseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance911

Embassy

No embassies in Davis; consulates-general are in San Francisco, and embassies in Washington, DC.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • SMF airport to downtown Davis, Yolobus 42: a few dollars, about 30–40 min (check)
  • Amtrak Davis to Sacramento: about $12 one way, 20 min (check)
  • Amtrak Bay Area to Davis, round trip: about $50 (check)

Say or show

  • Where is the train station? — Where is the train station?
  • Is this seat taken? — Is this seat taken?
  • Can I pay by card? — Can I pay by card?
  • How much is it? — How much is it?

Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Davis, California. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May, Sep–Oct · avoid Jul–Aug (inland heat, 35 °C+ days) · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for SMF: Yolobus 42 timings, taxi and rideshare fallback, late-arrival rung.
  2. Walking clusters with anchors: downtown and 2nd Street, UC Davis core, arboretum and Putah Creek, Richards Blvd hotels.
  3. Place pages with verified hours (Bohart Museum, US Bicycling Hall of Fame, Raptor Center, Mondavi Center) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Event fixtures for Picnic Day and Whole Earth Festival so hotel pricing and crowding are flagged in advance.

Meanwhile

Back to United States

Sources