Best time to travel in San Jose?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with 2015-2024 averages
Best time: April to June and September to October
Best avoided if possible: December to February (less pleasant weather or big crowds).
Temperatures and rainfall: 1991-2020 normals from the San Jose station, NOAA data (public domain).
Mediterranean, warmer and drier than San Francisco: 29°C in July and August, 15 to 16°C in January, about 380 mm of rain falling from November to March, and almost never any fog. The best time to visit San Jose is April, May, June, September and October, with temperatures reaching 28-29°C (July-August). By contrast, January, February, March, July, August, November and December are generally less favourable (less pleasant weather or big crowds, depending on the destination), though a trip is still possible with a bit of planning. In high season, book early: prices and visitor numbers climb fast.
Go against the flow. To avoid the crowds without sacrificing too much on the weather, aim for March and November: the crowds thin out, prices drop too, and the climate stays pleasant.
Do these months appeal to you? See what's best elsewhere too: where to go in April · where to go in May · where to go in June · where to go in September · where to go in October.
At a glance
Why go to San Jose?
Silicon Valley has no spectacular centre and no single monument: it is a 70 km plain between San Francisco Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains, covered in campuses, suburban homes and motorways, where a handful of companies changed life on the planet. That is precisely what makes it intriguing. People come to see where it all began: the Palo Alto garage where Hewlett and Packard assembled their first oscillator in 1939, the Stanford labs, Apple's former headquarters in Cupertino, the Googleplex in Mountain View.
San Jose, at the southern end of the valley, is the region's big city, founded in 1777 as the first civilian settlement of Spanish California. Its centre brings together a cathedral, museums, a covered market and one of the last three historic Japantowns in the United States. Its curiosities are unexpected: Sarah Winchester's labyrinth of a house, an Egyptian museum run by an esoteric order, an interactive science museum for families.
Finally, the valley is a convenient gateway. It lies an hour from San Francisco, with a warmer, drier climate and cheaper hotels at weekends, once the business travellers have gone. Behind the mountains, 45 minutes away, begin the redwood forests of Big Basin and the Santa Cruz coast, then Monterey and Big Sur. A car and three or four days are enough to combine technology, forest and ocean.
Tourist map of San Jose: what's where?
The map below pinpoints the 6 places covered in this guide: a handy way to picture the distances between each stop and plan your route in San Jose.
- Downtown San Jose
- Winchester Mystery House
- Computer History Museum
- Stanford and the HP Garage
- Big Basin
- Santa Cruz
How much does a trip to San Jose cost in 2026? Budget calculator
Estimate your budget for San Jose based on your travel style: accommodation, meals, activities and local transport included (flights excluded). Adjust the length and the number of travellers, and the totals update.
Totals for all travellers over the chosen length; the daily amount is per person. Flights extra, indicative amounts to adjust depending on the season.
Cards, contactless included, are accepted everywhere, including on public transport with Clipper or the card itself. Prices are shown before tax: 10% on purchases in San Jose, slightly less in some neighbouring towns, plus occupancy taxes on rooms. A tip of 18 to 22% is expected in restaurants, and $1-2 per drink at the bar.
Safety in San Jose: should you be worried?
San Jose and the towns of Silicon Valley are safe for visitors. As throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, thefts from cars are common: leave nothing on view, including in the car parks of museums, parks and Santa Cruz. Homelessness is visible along some of San Jose's rivers and motorways, with no particular danger to tourists. The region is in an earthquake zone: check the hotel's safety instructions. In summer and autumn, wildfires threaten the Santa Cruz Mountains: follow the alerts and road closures. On Route 17, drive carefully, as it is one of the most accident-prone roads in California. In Santa Cruz, the ocean is cold and the currents strong. Medical care is excellent but very expensive, so health insurance covering the United States is essential.
Things to see and do in San Jose
Our first-hand favourites, and the great classics:
- Winchester Mystery House
- Computer History Museum
- Stanford University
- Apple Park Visitor Center
- The Tech Interactive
- Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
- Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
What to book before you go to San Jose →
🧭 Discover the San Jose itinerary, day by dayMap, timings, budget and where to stay: free to access, to fit your dates. Create my tailor-made itinerary →Downtown San Jose
Around Plaza de César Chávez, downtown brings together the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, the San José Museum of Art, The Tech Interactive and the Hotel De Anza, an Art Deco building from 1931. San Pedro Square Market, a hall of restaurants and bars open late, and the SoFA district, south of First Street, with its music venues and galleries, come alive in the evening. The area stays quiet on weekdays after office hours. Diridon station, to the west, is served by Caltrain, Amtrak and the VTA light rail.
Japantown and North San Jose
North of downtown, Japantown is one of the three historic Japantowns that survive in the United States, with ramen and sushi restaurants, Japanese bakeries, a Buddhist temple and a farmers' market on Sunday mornings. Further north, along First Street, stretch the headquarters of Cisco, PayPal and Samsung, and San Jose International Airport. In Santa Clara, the Mission Santa Clara de Asís, founded in 1777, can be visited on the university campus, and Levi's Stadium is home to the 49ers.
Palo Alto and Stanford
To the north-west, Palo Alto is the most pleasant town in the valley for walking, around University Avenue and its cafés where funding rounds are negotiated. The Stanford campus, its arcades and its Rodin collection take up half a day. The HP garage at 367 Addison Avenue, a California Historical Landmark as the birthplace of Silicon Valley, can be seen from the pavement, as the house is private. Neighbouring Menlo Park is home to Meta's headquarters and the venture capital firms of Sand Hill Road.
Mountain View, Cupertino and Los Gatos
Mountain View brings together the Computer History Museum and the Google campus, whose multicoloured bikes ride between the buildings, as well as a lively shopping street, Castro Street. Cupertino is home to Apple Park and Apple's former headquarters and, up in the hills, Santa Cruz Mountains wineries such as Ridge. Further south, Los Gatos and Saratoga are residential towns with shady streets, at the foot of the mountain trails and the Hakone Japanese gardens, created in 1917.
The Santa Cruz Mountains
A wooded range that separates the valley from the ocean, crossed by Route 17, winding and busy, and by Routes 9 and 35, slower and more scenic. The parks of Big Basin, Castle Rock and Henry Cowell protect coast redwood forests and trails down to the sea. Wineries, former logging villages such as Boulder Creek and Felton, and the Roaring Camp steam train, which has run through the redwoods since 1963, round off the day.
Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay
On the other side of the mountains, Santa Cruz is a university and surfing town, with its boardwalk of 1907, its wharf inhabited by sea lions and the point at Steamer Lane. To the north, Highway 1 runs along cliffs and wild beaches as far as Año Nuevo, where elephant seals breed in winter. To the south, Monterey Bay, its aquarium and the Big Sur road are an hour and a half from San Jose, a day trip or the start of a road trip along the coast.
How many days, and which itinerary in San Jose?
Two days are enough for San Jose, the Winchester house, the Computer History Museum and Stanford. Four days add the redwoods of Big Basin and Santa Cruz. Silicon Valley is often combined with San Francisco, an hour's drive away, and with the Monterey and Big Sur coast.
🗺️ Day-by-day San Jose itinerary · 📓 Printable San Jose travel guide (PDF) · 🌍 Discover all of the American West
Silicon Valley (2 days)
Day 1: the Winchester Mystery House in the morning, lunch at Santana Row, just opposite, then the Apple Park Visitor Center and the former Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino, dinner in Japantown. Day 2: the Computer History Museum at opening time, on a Wednesday or later in the week, lunch on Castro Street in Mountain View, then Stanford, the Cantor Arts Center and the HP garage in Palo Alto in the late afternoon.
Technology, redwoods and ocean (4 days)
The two Silicon Valley days, then a day at Big Basin via Saratoga and Route 9, with a walk under the redwoods and a picnic, returning via Boulder Creek. On the fourth day, Santa Cruz via Route 17: the Boardwalk, the wharf and its sea lions, the surfers of Steamer Lane, sunset at Natural Bridges. On a Friday, add the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and The Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose.
San Francisco Bay and the coast (8 days)
Three days in San Francisco, then down Route 280 to Stanford and Silicon Valley, two nights in San Jose or Palo Alto. Then cross the mountains to Santa Cruz and Big Basin, one night, before Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur for two days. Allow about 450 km. Check the state of Highway 1 at Big Sur, which is regularly cut by landslides.
How to get to San Jose and get around?
From Europe, the gateway is San Francisco, with non-stop flights including Air France, United and French bee from Paris in 11 h to 11 h 45. San Francisco airport is 55 km (35 miles) from San Jose, 45 minutes to 1 h 15 by road depending on traffic. San Jose airport, 3 km from downtown, is reached with a connection and is served from most major American cities.
A car is the best way to explore the valley: the sights are spread over 70 km, along Highways 101 and 280, the latter being far more pleasant. Allow €45-70 a day for hire. Rush hours, from 7 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm, double journey times, and Route 17 to Santa Cruz is often jammed in summer.
Caltrain links San Francisco to San Jose in an hour to an hour and a half, stopping at Palo Alto and Mountain View; its electric trains run roughly every half hour. In San Jose, the VTA light rail and buses cost $2.50, about €2, a ride, or $7.50, about €6.50, for the day, with a Clipper card or contactless. BART serves north-east San Jose from Oakland and San Francisco.
Rideshares are plentiful and handy for evenings out and airport runs. Downtown hotels charge $20-40 a night for parking, while those on the outskirts often offer it free.
Where to stay in San Jose?
Hotel prices in Silicon Valley follow the corporate calendar: high from Monday to Thursday, when business travellers fill the rooms, much lower at weekends. A decent room costs €120-200 at weekends, often double that on weekdays and during major trade shows.
Downtown San Jose is the most practical for going out on foot in the evening, with chain hotels and a few historic addresses such as the De Anza. Palo Alto and Menlo Park, more expensive, offer the most pleasant neighbourhoods and direct access to Stanford.
Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Cupertino, in the middle of the valley, are convenient for driving out to all the sights, with recent hotels and free parking. Los Gatos, at the foot of the mountains, suits those who want to combine the valley, the redwoods and Santa Cruz.
Add the occupancy taxes, which vary from one city to another, to the advertised prices, and check parking fees. The large luxury hotels are concentrated in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Los Gatos.
Our picks stop by stop, in three price ranges →
What to eat in San Jose?
The diversity of the population feeds the valley: nearly 40% of the county's residents were born abroad. The Vietnamese food of San Jose, home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside Vietnam, can be sampled around Story Road, as bánh mì for a few dollars or phở for $15-18.
Mexican food is everywhere, from the taquerias of San Jose's Eastside to the trucks in the car parks. Indian food, particularly South Indian, is especially rich in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Fremont, around the engineering communities.
Japantown, in San Jose, serves ramen, sushi and Japanese pastries, and San Pedro Square Market gathers some fifteen counters under one roof. Palo Alto and Los Gatos have the pricier restaurants, where dinner costs $70-150 per person.
Santa Cruz Mountains wines, cabernet and chardonnay from estates such as Ridge, can be tasted 30 minutes from San Jose. Allow $8-10 for a craft beer and $15-18 for a cocktail. Tap water is drinkable.
Which kind of traveller is it for?
San Jose and Silicon Valley lend themselves to a cultural, nature-focused and relaxing trip. Whether you travel with family, as a couple or even solo, everyone finds their own pace. For accommodation, you will mostly find classic hotels and boutique hotels.
Entry requirements & practical info
UK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
Rules change: before you leave, check your country's official travel advice.
Once there, to stay online without paying roaming charges, an San Jose eSIM activates in a few minutes and works as soon as you land (plans from €3.99). Remember suitable travel insurance too.
Frequently asked questions about San Jose
Can you visit the Apple, Google or Meta headquarters?
No, the campuses are closed to the public. You can see Apple Park from the visitor centre in Cupertino, which is free, and the sign with the Meta logo, at the entrance to the Menlo Park campus, from the road. The Computer History Museum and Stanford remain the most informative visits on the history of the valley.
How do you get to San Jose from Europe?
The simplest option is a direct flight to San Francisco, 11 h to 11 h 45 from Paris, then an hour by road or by Caltrain. San Jose airport is reached with a connection in the United States.
Do you need a car in Silicon Valley?
It is strongly recommended: the sights are spread along 70 km and public transport between them is slow. Caltrain is enough to link San Francisco, Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose, but not for Big Basin or Santa Cruz.
How many days do you need in Silicon Valley?
Two days for Silicon Valley itself, four to add the redwoods of Big Basin and Santa Cruz. Most travellers combine it with San Francisco and the Monterey coast in a week.
When is the best time to visit San Jose?
From April to June and in September-October, with 22 to 28°C and little rain. Summer is hot and dry, usually sunny, while San Francisco is in the fog. Winter is mild but rainy, ideal for the redwoods, less so for the beach.
Do you need a visa to visit San Jose?
Not for most European travellers, but an ESTA authorisation is compulsory, to be applied for online on the official US government website. It is valid for two years for stays of up to 90 days, with a biometric passport.
Where can you see the garage where Silicon Valley began?
The Hewlett-Packard garage, at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, is a California Historical Landmark and can be seen from the pavement; the house is private and cannot be visited. The garage of Steve Jobs's childhood home, in Los Altos, is also private.
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