With a prime location between major cities, popular attractions, state parks and sandy beaches, you couldn’t ask for a better base than San Jose for exploring what the Bay Area has to offer.
From local beach towns to wildlife spotting, kelp forests and California’s most famous wine region, these are the best day trips from San Jose, all within a two-hour drive, bus, or train ride from the city.
Half Moon Bay
If you don’t want to deal with the traffic heading to Santa Cruz over Highway 17, Half Moon Bay is another beautiful beach town near San Jose. Visit the four-mile Half Moon Bay State Beach, walk the breezy Coastside Trail, explore the shops along Main Street and indulge in fresh crab cakes from Sam’s Chowder House. If you’re visiting in October, Half Moon Bay goes all in on fall festivities. It’s not only the pumpkin capital of the world with its numerous pumpkin patches, it’s also where the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival takes place each year.
How to get to Half Moon Bay: Take Caltrain from Diridon Station to Hillsdale, then hop on bus 294 which drops you off in downtown Half Moon Bay.
Santa Cruz
From pristine beaches to windswept walks, redwood forests and a classic seaside amusement park, there’s a lot to love about Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is not only an ideal family day trip from San Jose, it’s for anyone who wants to explore one of California’s most scenic beach towns. Spend your day shopping along Pacific Avenue, riding the Big Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, walking West Cliff Drive and visiting one of the city’s many beaches. Before calling it a day, enjoy a sit-down meal from El Palomar and a decadent hot chocolate from Chocolate.
How to get to Santa Cruz: Take the hour-long Highway 17 Express bus from Diridon Station.
San Francisco
San Jose might be the capital of Silicon Valley but San Francisco is the heart of the Bay Area. Located just 50 miles north, San Francisco is one of the easiest and most popular day trips from San Jose and the perfect destination for those looking for a busier atmosphere and more tourist attractions. Although you could spread out your time in San Francisco over a few days, with the city’s compact nature of 47 square miles, it’s easy to see a lot in just a day.
Explore the main sights such as Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and Lombard Street. If you’re looking for something quieter and more nature-focused for the day, head further north to Muir Woods or the Marin Headlands. Before you head back to San Jose, grab dinner at Burma Superstar or La Taqueria and a drink from one of the city’s many tiki bars.
How to get to San Francisco: From Diridon Station, take Caltrain to 4th & King in San Francisco. The journey takes about an hour and a half normally or just an hour on the baby bullet (Caltrain’s express train). Alternatively, you can take BART from Berryessa/North San Jose Station to any of the BART stations in San Francisco for an hour and fifteen-minute trip.
Año Nuevo State Park
It’s not every day you get to see thousands of Northern California Elephant Seals take over a beach in preparation for mating rituals, breeding and molting. Año Nuevo State Park is one of the best places to learn more about these impressive animals and see them in their natural habitat. Visit the park during breeding season from December 15th to March 31st when the seals are at their most active. Guided walks with a docent are required at this time of the year and should be reserved ahead of time.
How to get to Año Nuevo State Park: There aren’t any good public transit options to get to the park, but driving there takes just over an hour.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Known as one of the best and most diverse aquariums in the world, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is the perfect day trip to enjoy with kids or anyone who loves the ocean. The main attraction to not miss is the 28-foot giant kelp forest exhibit where leopard sharks, colorful fish and eels flit in and out of a mesmerizing underwater forest. After finishing up at the aquarium, explore the rest of Monterey with its many aquamarine beaches, seafood restaurants and bayside attractions like Cannery Row and Old Fisherman’s Wharf. If you have more time and a car, road trip the 17-Mile Drive and end with dinner in charming Carmel-by-the Sea before heading back up north.
How to get to Monterey Bay Aquarium: Take the Monterey Airbus from the San Jose International Airport to Calle Principal and then take bus 1, 2, Jazz A or Jazz B to the aquarium.
Napa Valley
Although there’s a lot of quality wine tasting right next to San Jose in the Santa Cruz Mountains, there’s nothing quite like exploring California’s most popular wine region, the Napa Valley. Covering 789 square miles and housing over 375 wineries that are open for tastings, saying there’s more than enough to keep you busy would be an understatement. Plan on visiting 3-4 scenic wineries for the day and grab a nice lunch from Oxbow Public Market in between tastings.
How to get to Napa Valley: The easiest way to get up to the Napa Valley is to drive. The journey takes around an hour and a half, just make sure you have a designated driver if you plan to be drinking. Alternatively, there are limited wine bus tours to Napa that leave from San Jose.
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