Origin
Albany, CA
Late night in Albany on Tuesday
Local time
5:21 AM
PDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Albany, CA to Oakland, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
13m
Distance
7.7 mi
12 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 12m
★
6 AM
0h 14m
8 AM
0h 16m
10 AM
0h 14m
12 PM
0h 14m
3 PM
0h 15m
5 PM
0h 16m
8 PM
0h 13m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Albany, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Oakland, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Albany, CA to Oakland, CA is 7.7 miles and takes about 13m via Eastshore Freeway and San Pablo Avenue, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within the Pacific Coast region, moving from one major Bay Area city to another. It's a straightforward drive, perfect for when you need to get from point A to point B without much fuss. Consider this a quick urban transit rather than a destination drive, ideal for local travel or connecting to longer journeys.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Eastshore Freeway | 3.5 mi | 4m |
| San Pablo Avenue | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Buchanan Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| MacArthur Freeway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Martin Luther King Junior Way | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| 14th Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Interstate Highway 80 | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 35th Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Eastshore Freeway
— 3.5 mi, about 4m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Albany, CA and Oakland, CA.
1
Start on CA 123
368 ft
·
16 sec
·
San Pablo Avenue
2
Turn left onto Buchanan Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Buchanan Street
Use the left lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
Toward I 80 West, I 580 East: Oakland, San Francisco
Use the left / straight lanes.
4
Merge onto I 80; I 580
3.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Eastshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580
0.3 mi
·
21 sec
·
Interstate Highway 80
Toward I 580 East, I 880 South: Downtown Oakland, Hayward, Stockton, Alameda, San Jose
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580
0.5 mi
·
42 sec
·
MacArthur Freeway
Toward I 580: Downtown Oakland, Hayward, Stockton
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
13 sec
Exit 19A
Toward MacArthur Boulevard, San Pablo Avenue, Emery Street
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
8
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
Toward San Pablo Avenue, Emery Street
Use the slight right lane.
9
Turn right onto Watts Street
216 ft
·
11 sec
·
Watts Street
10
Turn right onto Peralta Street
182 ft
·
11 sec
·
Peralta Street
11
Turn left onto 35th Street
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
35th Street
12
Turn right onto San Pablo Avenue
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
San Pablo Avenue
13
Turn slight right onto Martin Luther King Junior Way
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Martin Luther King Junior Way
14
Turn left onto 14th Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
14th Street
15
Arrive at destination
14th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.7 and 5.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
0.7 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward I 80 West, I 580 East: Oakland, San Francisco
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left / straight lanes.
Toward I 80 West, I 580 East: Oakland, San Fran...
8
4.6 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
I 580 / Interstate Highway 80
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580 / Interstate Highway 80 toward I 580 East, I 880 South: Downtown Oakland, Hayward, Stockton, Alameda, San Jose
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 580 East, I 880 South: Downtown Oaklan...
8
4.8 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
I 580 / MacArthur Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580 / MacArthur Freeway toward I 580: Downtown Oakland, Hayward, Stockton
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 580: Downtown Oakland, Hayward, Stockt...
8
5.4 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the exit toward MacArthur Boulevard, San Pablo Avenue, Emery Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Exit 19A
Toward MacArthur Boulevard, San Pablo Avenue, E...
9
5.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight right at fork toward San Pablo Avenue, Emery Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward San Pablo Avenue, Emery Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.77 one way
$3.54 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $1.82 | $3.65 |
| premium | $6.18 | $1.87 | $3.75 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.70 | $3.40 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.3 | 0 | $0.81 | $0.37 |
| Efficient EV | 1.9 | 0 | $0.67 | $0.31 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.08 | $0.49 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Oakland, CA
Late night in Oakland on Tuesday
Local time
5:21 AM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Sunny
WNW 6 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 12:19PM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 12:19PM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
1 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
13m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This route offers a mixed drive experience, with 56% of it on highways. You'll encounter stretches on the Eastshore Freeway, including a continuous 3.5-mile segment, before transitioning to local roads like San Pablo Avenue and Buchanan Street. Expect a blend of faster freeway speeds and more typical urban driving as you navigate through the cityscape. The character of the road shifts from open freeway to more built-up areas, requiring adjustments in speed and attention.
56% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.5 mi on Eastshore Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.7 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 7.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 13m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.6 miles (I 580 / Interstate Highway 80): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.8 miles (I 580 / MacArthur Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Albany, CA and Oakland, CA, road signs point toward San Francisco, Hayward, Stockton, Alameda and San Jose.
San Francisco
0.7 mi in
|
~2m
Hayward
4.6 mi in
|
~7m
|
via I 580
Stockton
4.6 mi in
|
~7m
|
via I 580
Alameda
4.6 mi in
|
~7m
|
via I 580
San Jose
4.6 mi in
|
~7m
|
via I 580
About the Cities
Starting in Albany, CA
Full guide →Albany is a city in the inner East Bay in the Bay Area in California.
Arriving in Oakland, CA
Full guide →Founded 1852
Oakland is a port city in the Bay Area of California in the United States. Once an industrial area overshadowed by San Francisco, its larger neighbor to the west, this city of 440,000 people (2020) has begun to step out from under San Francisco's shadow with its notable natural and architectural features and its rise as the multicultural "hipster" city of the Bay Area.
Top landmarks
- • San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge — suspension bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland, California, USA
- • Lake Merritt — lagoon in Oakland, California, USA
- • Oakland Museum of California — art museum in Oakland, California
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 13m. Total distance: 7.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
13m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (56%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 3.5 miles on Eastshore Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Oakland, CA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.6 miles (I 580 / Interstate Highway 80): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.8 miles (I 580 / MacArthur Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and Muir Woods National Monument (5 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Oakland, CA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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