Overview
Fairfax is a cute little town nestled in the hills of Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Though small, it's surprisingly lively and has kept its historic charm.
1 sights · 1 things to do · 6 places to eat · 3 bars & cafés · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Fairfax
Marin Museum of Bicycling
Fairfax Theater
Plays both first run movies and the occasional art-house flick.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Mar–Nov. Summer highs reach about 72°F; winter lows dip to about 44°F. Wettest: Dec and Jan. (climate data from nearby San Francisco)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- OAK Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, Oakland — 27 mi away (major hub). Directions
- SFO San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco — 28 mi away (major hub). Directions
Fairfax is accessible by bus, automobile, and bicycle.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Typical meal: about $4 per person at listed restaurants.
See the Sleep guide ↓ for places to stay.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Marin Museum of Bicycling
- Lunch Fairfax Scoop
- Afternoon Fairfax Theater
- Dinner Barefoot Cafe
- Evening 19 Broadway
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Get in
Fairfax is accessible by bus, automobile, and bicycle.
If you're coming from the west side (towns like Inverness or Lagunitas), the West Marin Stagecoach runs several times a day.
From the east side (San Anselmo and San Rafael), Marin Transit runs regular bus service, with connections from all over the Bay Area.
Get around
Downtown is small enough, only a few blocks, that you can easily walk end-to-end.
If you're a cycling enthusiast, Fairfax is a gateway to a lot of really great road and off-road biking. From the famed "Repack" mountain bike trail to the single-track at Camp Tamarancho, to the wide-shouldered roads of West Marin County, Fairfax makes a great starting or ending point for two wheeled exercise.
See
Fairfax is a town with a population of only a little over 7400 people, but it has a couple of venues that have live music seven nights a week, and several others that have live music slightly less often. Some of the groups you'll see perform here are up-and-comers that you'll recognize later on the radio, others are older more seasoned bands that performers you've heard of come to listen to. See the Drink section below for the venues.
Do
During the daytime the mountain biking, road biking and hiking are all spectacular. If you get tired out in the woods and trails around the town, sitting and chatting at Fairfax Coffee Roasters or the Fairfix Cafe makes a reasonable interlude.
At night the live music venues or the theater are open.
Buy
Fairfax has an active business district, with several bicycle shops, a book store, a music store, and various other clothing and esoterica vendors. On Wednesday nights in season it also has a farmer's market in the park off Bolinas Avenue.
Shop Fairfax Variety
Various products including Fairfax T-shirts, toys, local books, and other souvenirs. Good for gifts.
Eat
Eat Fairfax Scoop
Local hole-in-the-wall shop for organic ice cream and sorbet, with flavors like vanilla honey lavender.
Eat Lord Fairfix Cafe
Mediterranean
Eat HenHouse Brewing Company West County Pub
Brewery, bar, and grill
Eat Barefoot Cafe
Brunch
Drink
During prohibition, Fairfax was the last town on the commuter rail from San Francisco, and the closest town to Bolinas out on the coast, and the tradition of liquor and nightlife still survives. Fairfax is home to a brew pub and several bars with lots of live music.
Drink 19 Broadway
Full bar with tiki lounge, lots of hard rock (although on some Sunday afternoons Dori & Dave have an open mic with lots of hip jazz favorites).
Drink Peri's
Live music, often ends up being a little more country.
Sleep
Nearby
San Anselmo
City / town · 4 listings · 2 mi away
San Rafael
City / town · 27 listings · 3 mi away
Larkspur and Corte Madera
City / town · 11 listings · 5 mi away
Mill Valley
City / town · 22 listings · 6 mi away
Stinson Beach
City / town · 5 listings · 7 mi away
Bolinas
City / town · 4 listings · 8 mi away
Novato
City / town · 24 listings · 8 mi away
Sausalito
City / town · 33 listings · 10 mi away
My experience
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