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 further, Golden Gate Transit runs regular bus service.

Attractions

Fairfax is a town with a population of only a little over ten thousand people, but it has three 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. Schedules for music should be available at 19 Broadway and Cafe Amsterdam.

Activities

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 Fairfax Cafe makes a reasonable interlude. At night the live music or the theater, which plays both first run movies and the occasional art-house flick, are open.

Dining

Dinner options range from Mediterranean at the Fairfax Cafe to Italian to Thai to Chinese. Don't miss the Fairfax Scoop, organic ice cream with flavors like vanilla honey lavender.

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 liqueur and nightlife still survives. Fairfax is home to a brew pub and several bars with lots of live music.
 • 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).
 • Cafe Amsterdam Less hard liquor, music tends to be a little more towards the folk or rockabilly style.
 • Peri's Live music, often ends up being a little more country.
 • Nave's

Get around

Downtown is small enough, only a few blocks, that you can easily walk end-to-end.

If you're a bicycling 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.

Shopping

Fairfax has an active business district, with several bicycle shops, a book store, a music store, and various other clothing and esoteric vendors. On Wednesday nights in season it also has a farmer's market in the theater parking lot.

Get out

On foot or on a wide-tired bicycle, start at Deer Park or the bottom of Cascade Canyon, and go up.