San Rafael is Marin County’s lively, walkable hub — a small city with great restaurants, breweries, theaters, farmers’ markets and direct access to outdoor gems like Mount Tamalpais, the Marin Headlands and Point Reyes, so multiweek stays feel active rather than stuck.
Commuter-friendly to San Francisco (about 20 miles) and within easy reach of Sonoma and Napa wine country, you can mix city nights, coastal hikes and vineyard weekends to keep longer assignments interesting.