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HomeDay Trip
Bodega sits about 65 miles north of San Francisco, roughly an hour and a half by car. On a Sonoma Coast day it is the historic stop: the inland village where Alfred Hitchcock filmed the schoolhouse and church for “The Birds,” a few miles from the beaches and seafood of the coast.
The drive up is about 65 miles and takes roughly an hour and a half: US-101 north to Petaluma, then west on Bodega Avenue and Highway 1 to Bodega Highway. The village is small enough to walk in a morning, which leaves the afternoon for the coast.
Park once near the Bodega Country Store and walk; the historic core is a single small loop. Start at the Potter Schoolhouse, the schoolyard from “The Birds,” which is a private residence today and is photographed from the road only. Cross to St. Teresa of Avila Church, built in 1859, and the cemetery beside it. Have lunch or a drink at the Casino Bar & Grill, family-owned since 1949, and browse the Country Store and the Artisans' Co-op on the way out.
From the village it is about five miles west to Bodega Bay, on the water, and about eight miles to Bodega Head, a coastal headland with ocean overlooks. Bodega Bay is where to stop for lunch on the coast; our visit guide points to its chowder and fresh seafood. At Bodega Head, gray whales pass offshore from roughly January through May. Bodega Bay and Bodega Head sit on the coast and are a separate community from the inland village; the difference is worth knowing, and we lay it out on Bodega vs Bodega Bay.
Late light is good on Bodega Lane, so it is worth passing back through the village before the drive south. From Bodega it is the same route in reverse to San Francisco, about an hour and a half.
Coming mainly for the film? The schoolhouse, church, and Country Store all appear in the movie, and we map them on The Birds. For the full list of village sites, see the attractions. If a single day feels short, the visit guide has a two-day version that stays over on the coast.
If one day feels tight, stay the night. The lodging is on the coast in Bodega Bay, about five miles west, so a weekend lets you take the inland village slowly, catch the light twice, and still spend a full morning at the water. Pick the season on best time to visit and sort out which town is which on Bodega vs Bodega Bay.