In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United States
Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Base here only if you want the ferry to San Francisco or Six Flags: 1 night, or a day trip from Napa or the East Bay.
Vallejo sits on the north shore of San Francisco Bay, about an hour by ferry from the city's Financial District and 40–70 minutes by car. It is a working Bay Area city, not a resort: the draws are the ferry crossing, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, the old Mare Island Navy yard and a downtown that is small but real. Most travellers pass through; a night works if you are pairing it with Napa or want the ferry without city hotel prices.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Vallejo, California
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (Six Flags often closed), Jul–Aug heat inland
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $80–130 excl. bed · Mid $130–220 excl. bed · High $220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Burger and fries at a local spot | $12–18 |
| Sit-down dinner, one main | $18–35 |
| Draught beer at a taproom | $7–10 |
| SolTrans local bus ride | $2.00 adult, $1.00 reduced, youth 18 and under free |
| San Francisco Bay Ferry, one way | about $10 |
| Six Flags Discovery Kingdom one-day ticket | $45–90 depending on date |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SFO · San Francisco International
- About 50–70 min by car; Airporter shuttle serves some Vallejo hotels, about $29
- OAK · Oakland International
- About 45–60 min by car; Airporter shuttle also runs here
- SMF · Sacramento International
- About 1 h 15 min by car via I-80 east
Typical fares
- Ferry Vallejo → San Francisco
- about $10 one way, just over 1 h, roughly hourly
- SolTrans local bus
- $2.00 adult, $1.00 reduced, youth 18 and under free
- Airporter shuttle SFO/OAK → Vallejo hotels
- about $29
Get around
Vallejo is car country: I-80, I-780, SR 29 and SR 37 all meet here, and most sights are 5–15 min apart by car. SolTrans buses cover the centre and Benicia (adult $2.00 in town, reduced $1.00, youth 18 and under free). Mare Island and Hiddenbrooke have no bus service. The San Francisco Bay Ferry runs roughly hourly to the city, just over an hour each way.
See and do
Known for
- San Francisco Bay Ferry terminal
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
- Mare Island historic naval shipyard
- Empress Theatre and downtown Georgia Street
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | San Francisco Bay Ferry from the Vallejo Ferry Terminal, 289 Mare Island Way, roughly hourly | About 1 h 15 min |
| Napa Valley | Drive SR 29 north, or VINE Transit Route 11/11X from Vallejo | 10–50 min by car |
| Benicia | Drive I-780 west, or SolTrans Yellow route | About 15–20 min |
| Sacramento | Drive I-80 east | About 1 h |
| Fairfield | Drive I-80 east, or SolTrans Red route | About 20–25 min |
Sleep
- Downtown / waterfront (Georgia St and Mare Island Way)
- Walk to the ferry terminal, farmers market and Empress Theatre; the most useful base without a car.
- Fairgrounds / Six Flags area (Fairgrounds Dr)
- Chain hotels next to the theme park and fairgrounds; needs a car or SolTrans Route 85.
- American Canyon (just north, Napa County)
- Highway 29 strip hotels, 10–15 min from downtown Vallejo and closer to Napa wineries.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the ferry terminal? | 289 Mare Island Way, near Georgia St |
| One ticket to San Francisco, please | San Francisco Bay Ferry, Vallejo Ferry Terminal |
| Is Six Flags open today? | check the park calendar before you drive out |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Parts of the city west of I-80 have a reputation for violent crime; the tourist core, Mare Island and the shopping areas east of I-80 are generally fine but not crime-free.
- Sonoma Blvd (SR 29) between Nebraska and Georgia Streets is a known trafficking area — do not linger, especially at night.
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is usually closed in January and February; check the calendar before booking.
- Mare Island and Hiddenbrooke are cut off from the bus network: without a car you are stuck.
- Bay Area traffic on I-80 can double the drive to San Francisco: add 30 min at peak times.
Vallejo has a real violent-crime reputation in patches west of I-80, including around Sonoma Blvd between Nebraska and Georgia Streets. The ferry terminal, downtown, Mare Island and the shopping areas east of I-80 are generally fine by day; use normal city street sense and drive or rideshare after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Vallejo yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- San Francisco Bay Ferry terminal
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
- Mare Island historic naval shipyard
- Empress Theatre and downtown Georgia Street
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Vallejo: www.cityofvallejo.net/
- San Francisco Bay Ferry: www.sanfranciscobayferry.com/
- SolTrans: soltrans.org/
- VINE Transit: vinetransit.com/
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: www.sixflags.com/discoverykingdom
- Empress Theatre: empresstheatre.org/
- Wikivoyage: Vallejo, revision 5235714 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5235714
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
VallejoVallejo, California
Give the driver the street number and cross street — most roads are named after US states (east–west) and California counties (north–south).
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Vallejo; consulates-general are in San Francisco (most countries) and Sacramento (some).
Sales tax is added at checkout, so posted prices are not what you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/vallejo). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.