USA, California, San Jose, Silicon Valley, Plaza de Cesar Chavez

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San Jose

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.


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Best Neighborhoods

San Jose is an exciting Bay Area metropolis that offers a lot more to travelers than what first meets the eye. 

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Day 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.  

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Transportation

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.

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Free 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.

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Activities

The best things to do in San Jose to make your California dreams come true

Jan 3, 2022 • 7 min read

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