Photography Tour in UC Berkeley

Free Photography Tour in UC Berkeley with Roamee Pro

Roamee Pro, also known as Roamee, offers a free photography tour route in UC Berkeley. The audio walking tour can include stops such as Sather Tower (The Campanile) — Completed in 1914 and designed by John Galen Howard, this 307-foot clock and bell tower is modeled after St. Mark's Campanile in Venice and remains the tallest bell and clock tower on any university campus in the world. An elevator takes visitors to the observation deck at 200 feet, where panoramic views stretch from the Golden Gate Bridge and Mount Tamalpais to the west, across the Bay to San Francisco's skyline, and east to Mount Diablo. The tower's 61-bell carillon plays three times daily during the academic year., Lawrence Hall of Science — Perched on a ridge 1,000 feet above campus in the Berkeley Hills, this public science center (named for Ernest O. Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron and Berkeley's first Nobel laureate) offers hands-on science exhibits, planetarium shows, and the most spectacular panoramic Bay views accessible from the university. The concrete terrace out front is a renowned viewing platform, and the plaza features a full-scale model of a whale skeleton and outdoor science installations., plus hidden gems like UC Botanical Garden — Located in Strawberry Canyon above the main campus, this 34-acre garden contains over 10,000 plant species organized by geographic region — California, Mediterranean, Asian, African, South American, and more. Founded in 1890, it is one of the most diverse botanical collections in the Western Hemisphere. The Garden of Old Roses features heritage varieties dating to the 1800s, and the carnivorous plant collection is among the finest in North America. On clear days, the canyon setting offers filtered views of the Bay through eucalyptus and redwood groves..

Use this page as a starting point for a UC Berkeley walking tour, a free route, or the Roamee app for UC Berkeley. Roamee Pro keeps the route flexible so you can follow the stops, skip ahead, or explore nearby streets at your own pace.

• •Sather Tower (The Campanile) — Completed in 1914 and designed by John Galen Howard, this 307-foot clock and bell tower is modeled after St. Mark's Campanile in Venice and remains the tallest bell and clock tower on any university campus in the world. An elevator takes visitors to the observation deck at 200 feet, where panoramic views stretch from the Golden Gate Bridge and Mount Tamalpais to the west, across the Bay to San Francisco's skyline, and east to Mount Diablo. The tower's 61-bell carillon plays three times daily during the academic year.
• •Lawrence Hall of Science — Perched on a ridge 1,000 feet above campus in the Berkeley Hills, this public science center (named for Ernest O. Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron and Berkeley's first Nobel laureate) offers hands-on science exhibits, planetarium shows, and the most spectacular panoramic Bay views accessible from the university. The concrete terrace out front is a renowned viewing platform, and the plaza features a full-scale model of a whale skeleton and outdoor science installations.

• •UC Botanical Garden — Located in Strawberry Canyon above the main campus, this 34-acre garden contains over 10,000 plant species organized by geographic region — California, Mediterranean, Asian, African, South American, and more. Founded in 1890, it is one of the most diverse botanical collections in the Western Hemisphere. The Garden of Old Roses features heritage varieties dating to the 1800s, and the carnivorous plant collection is among the finest in North America. On clear days, the canyon setting offers filtered views of the Bay through eucalyptus and redwood groves.

• ›Work the edges of the day. The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset (plus the blue hour just after) give warm, low, directional light that flat midday can't.
• ›Shoot Sather Tower (The Campanile) wide for the establishing frame, then hunt the details — a doorway, a sign, a texture — that tell the same story up close.
• ›Chase reflections after rain: puddles, wet cobbles, and glass turn an ordinary street into a symmetrical frame.
• ›Turn around. The best shot is often behind you — and quieter spots like UC Botanical Garden give you angles no one else is posting.
• ›Photograph people with respect: a nod or a smile first, and skip anyone who clearly doesn't want the lens. Better photos, fewer problems.