San Jose
Getty Images
LONELY PLANET’S RECOMMENDED eSIM
Stay connected in San Jose
with
Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.
Overview
Though culturally diverse and historical, San Jose – awash in Silicon Valley’s suburbia – has always been in San Francisco’s shadow. Founded in 1777 as El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, San Jose is California’s oldest Spanish civilian settlement. Its downtown is small and scarcely used for a city of its size, though it does bustle with twenty-something clubgoers on weekends. Industrial parks, high-tech computer firms and look-alike housing developments are sprawled across the city’s landscape, taking over from where farms, ranches and open spaces once spread between the bay and the surrounding hills.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Save your favorites!
Sign in to save, get inspo & more
San Jose
This ridiculous yet fascinating Victorian mansion is filled with 160 mostly non-utilitarian rooms with dead-end hallways and a staircase that runs up to a…
Save your favorites!
Sign in to save, get inspo & more
San Jose
Opposite Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose's excellent technology museum examines subjects from robotics to space exploration, and genetics to virtual…
Save your favorites!
Sign in to save, get inspo & more
San Jose
West of downtown, this educational Egyptian museum is one of San Jose’s more unusual attractions. Its extensive collection includes statues, household…
Save your favorites!
Sign in to save, get inspo & more
San Jose
Historical buildings from all over San Jose have been brought together in this open-air history museum. The centerpiece is a scaled-down replica of the…
Save your favorites!
Sign in to save, get inspo & more
San Jose
This leafy square in the center of downtown was part of the original plaza of El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, and is the city's oldest public space…
Save your favorites!
Sign in to save, get inspo & more
San Jose
With a permanent collection of 20th-century works and imaginative changing exhibits, the city’s central art museum is worth a quick look. The main…
Save your favorites!
Sign in to save, get inspo & more
San Jose
This science and creativity museum has hands-on displays incorporating art, technology and the environment, with plenty of toys and cool play-and-learn…
Advertisement
Planning Tools
Expert guidance to help you plan your trip
Best Things to Do
From a lively art scene to trendy foodie spots and historic sites, these are the top things to do in San Jose to get to know the city in the best way.
Read articleBest Time to Visit
The heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose has the best weather in the Bay Area, blessed with blue skies from spring to fall. Here are the best times to come.
Read articleTransportation
With the third-largest population in California, and suburbs that sprawl across the South Bay, San Jose is big. Here are the best ways to get around.
Read articleFree Things to Do
Whether you’re interested in the outdoors, art, or history, you can enjoy San Jose, California on a budget with these great free things to do.
Read articleBest Neighborhoods
San Jose is an exciting Bay Area metropolis that offers a lot more to travelers than what first meets the eye.
Read articleDay Trips
From local beach towns to wildlife spotting, these are the best day trips from San Jose, all within a two-hour drive, bus, or train ride from the city.
Read articlein partnership with getyourguide
Book popular activities in San Jose
Advertisement