Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BUS
Greyhound buses to Los Angeles ($22 to $59, seven to 10 hours) leave from the
Grey-
wi-fi, with fares to Los Angeles averaging $10 to $40; departures from Diridon Station.
The VTA Hwy 17 Express bus (route 970) plies a handy daily route between Diridon
Station and Santa Cruz ($5, one hour).
CAR & MOTORCYCLE
San Jose is right at the bottom end of the San Francisco Bay, about 40 miles from Oakland
(via I-880) or San Francisco (via Hwy 101 or I-280). Expect lots of traffic at all times of
the day on Hwy 101. Although I-280 is slightly longer, it's much prettier and usually less
congested. Heading south, Hwy 17 leads over the hill to Santa Cruz.
Many downtown retailers offer two-hour parking validation, and on weekends until 6pm
parking is free in city-owned lots and garages downtown. Check
www.sjdowntownparking.com
for details.
TRAIN
A double-decker commuter rail service that operates up and down the Peninsula between
three dozen trips daily (fewer on weekends); the 60-minute (on the Baby Bullet commuter
trains) to 90-minute journey costs $9 each way and bicycles can be brought on designated
cars. It's definitely your best bet, as traffic can be crazy any day of the week. San Jose's
terminal,
Diridon Station
(off 65 Cahill St)
, is just south of the Alameda.
Diridon Station also serves as the terminal for
Amtrak
( 408-287-7462;
VTA runs a free weekday shuttle (known as the Downtown Area Shuttle or DASH)
from the station to downtown.
Getting Around
VTA buses run all over Silicon Valley. From the airport, free VTA Airport Flyer shuttles
(route 10) run every 10 to 15 minutes to the Metro/Airport Light Rail station, where you
