United States · California · Oakland
Chinatown, Oakland — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Oakland Chinatown dates from 1850, a traditionally Chinese quarter that shares its streets with the Cathedral of Christ the Light.
Find your area →
Where to stay in Chinatown
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Oakland Chinatown puts more inside one walk than most of the city, with the Oakland Museum of California, the Cathedral of Christ the Light and Children's Fairyland all on the same short list of neighbours. Rooms sit close by. A base in the wider Oakland centre keeps the same museums and the Oakland Ballpark in range, which suits anyone treating the quarter as one stop among several.
San Francisco's own Chinatown is a separate place.
Few places to stay in Chinatown — most visitors book in Oakland nearby.
About Chinatown
What are the main landmarks in Chinatown?
Nine listed sites ring the quarter. The Oakland Museum of California and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland cover the collections, while the Cathedral of Christ the Light, the First Unitarian Church of Oakland and the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption cover the congregations. Two houses survive on the list.
The Camron-Stanford House and the Pardee Home stand as domestic entries beside Children's Fairyland and the Oakland Ballpark, which between them draw the crowds the older buildings do not.
What is the history of Chinatown?
Oakland Chinatown traces to 1850, and the record describes it as traditionally Chinese, reflecting a Chinese American and more broadly Asian American community rooted in the same streets. The name itself does work. Writers set Oakland in front of it to keep the quarter distinct from the nearby San Francisco Chinatown, a habit the record notes directly.
The Camron-Stanford House and the Pardee Home are the two dwellings the list preserves.
Where is Chinatown?
Chinatown holds a central patch of Oakland, with the Cathedral of Christ the Light and Children's Fairyland both a walk away.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Chinatown?
Oakland: a wider room choice with the Oakland Ballpark in the same trip.
Good for
More areas in Oakland
Updated September 2026