San José (California)
San José is the third largest city in California after Los Angeles and San Diego, with more than 900,000 inhabitants.
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| San José | ||
| state | California | |
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| resident | 1,025,350 (2016) | |
| height | 25 m | |
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arrival
By plane
San José is one of the three airports in the Bay Area with the 1 San Jose International Airport (IATA code: SJC). It has become very important because of its proximity to Silicon Valley, but it is only served by British Airways from London Heathrow in Europe. In any case, a change of train is required at the D/A/CH or at one of the North American hubs.
The airport is only a few kilometers north of the center and is easily accessible by public transport, taxi, shuttle or car hire. Bus 60 connects the airport to Santa Clara Station (Cracow on Caltrain, ACE commuter rail, Amtrak and other bus lines; Metro/Airport Light Rail Station of VTA light rail trains and the Milpitas station of BART. Buses run every 20 minutes and cost USD 2.50 (VTA-Light Rail transfer). Taxi costs at least USD 15, which includes the first three miles and airport charge, after which the fare is calculated by taximeter.
Oakland Airport (IATA code: OAK; 55 km north) and San Francisco (IATA code: SFO; 60 km northwest). It takes about 2 hours to get to San José by public transport. SFO offers by far the most intercontinental connections.
by train
The Amtrak railway station serves the 2 San José-Diridon train station once a day on the line Coast Starlight from Los Angeles (10 hours), Santa Barbara (7½ hours), Oakland Sacred (1 hour), (3:20 h), Eugene (16:45 h) and Seattle (24 h).
Sacramento and the East Bay Area (Oakland) also have the Capitol Corridor, which runs seven times a day and is a link between long-distance and regional transport.
In local and commuter traffic, San José is connected to the Caltrain, which runs through the Silicon Valley to San José on the Peninsula between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific. It runs at least once an hour during the day, and even more frequently during peak hours. Some trains stop everywhere on the way, some only at the larger stations. From San Francisco, it takes 25-35 minutes between 1:05 hrs ("Baby Bullet", which leaves many stations out) and 1:35 hrs ("Local", which stops everywhere). The single ticket from San Francisco costs $9.75, from Palo Alto $5.75. In the morning there are also three trains from Gilroy (return in the evening), a journey of 55 minutes. (as at May 2017)
There is also the Altamont Commuter Express, which runs four times in the morning from Stockton (2:10 hours), Livermore and Pleasanton (about an hour) to San José and Santa Clara Valley and returns in the afternoon to the opposite direction.
By bus
Greyhound, the largest bus provider in the USA, provides direct bus services from Los Angeles to San José via Avenal several times a day. The journey takes about seven hours and costs only $22 on cheap days. Alternatively, you can take the coastal route via Santa Barbara and Salinas. The journey from Los Angeles takes 10 hours, from Santa Barbara 7 hours, from Salinas 2 hours. From Fresno there is a daily bus, journey time 3:20 hours. From the north (e.g. Sacramento, Eureka) you have to change to Oakland. 3 San Jose bus stop is located on Cahil Street, in front of the station Diridon.
An alternative on the route from Los Angeles to San José is Boltbus. It runs three times a day and takes between 6½ and 7 hours for the journey. Tickets are available when booked in time from $22.
On the street
San José is connected to San Francisco via highways US-101 and Interstate 280. From Los Angeles, take the I-5 northward, CA-152 west and then the US-101 northward. From the East Bay Area you can choose either the I-880 or the I-680, both leading south.
By ship
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mobility
By bicycle
In addition to the usual bicycle rental possibilities, San José (California) with Bay Area Bike Share offers a rental system with fixed locations for everyone (similar to the Call-a-Bike system in Germany). Here you need a credit card to make your reservation at the machines, you pay 9 USD for 24 hours or 22 USD for 72 hours and can use a bike for a maximum of 30 minutes anywhere within this time and return to each station. For longer usage at the piece, additional charges are added. This makes renting several hours (i.e. for bicycle tours outside the station area) unattractive. From 2 minutes after a successful return the next bike can be rented. Note: When used, a deposit of USD 101 per bicycle is blocked on the credit card! The station density is relatively low and the area served includes several stations in the city center. At each station there is a road map with bike paths and all the stops so that you can plan longer tours of the city, including bike changes.
A credit card allows you to rent a maximum of two bicycles. So groups should have multiple credit cards.
Note: when returning at the station, make sure that the bike clicks correctly (first yellow, then green light and confirmatory tone), otherwise the bike is considered not to have been returned and it can be quite expensive. Sometimes it helps to lift the bicycle at the back.
sights
- 1 History Park at Kelley Park, 1650 Senter Road, San Jose, CA 95112. Tel: +1 408 287 2290. The entrance to the park is at 635 Phelan Avenue. A few meters away you will find the paying car park. This 14-acre museum celebrates life in the Santa Clara Valley during the Victorian period. Twenty-seven original and reconstructed buildings from various parts of San José were moved to the museum site and rebuilt. The complex contains a stable, an office of the doctor, a blacksmith, a piazza area, Victorian houses from the period between 1860 and 1870, a firefighter's house, a reconstruction of the bank of Italy and a functioning tramway. Opened: Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 17:00, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00. Price: Admission is free, additional program on weekends partly with admission. youtube URL used
- 2 Winchester Mystery House, 525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose, CA 95128. Tel: +1 408-247-2000, e-mail: [email protected]. The property was once owned by Sarah Winchester, the widow of the gun manufacturer William Winchester. The property has 160 rooms, which can be visited during various motor tours during a guided tour. The building has some special features. There are doors behind which there is a wall or which lead into a room, but the floor of the next room is several meters below one. There are stairs that go to the ceiling without going any further and stairs that just end in the middle of the room. At the end of the tours you can still enjoy yourself in the Sarah's Attic Shooting Gallery, an electronic shooting range or in the museum shop or in the cafe time. Opened: Daily from 09:00 to 17:00. Price: The building can only be visited during a guided tour. Entry from 20,- US$.
activities
purchase
- 1 San Jose Flea Market, 1590 Berryessa Road, San Jose, CA 95133-1096. The San Jose Flea Market was founded in 1960. With 120 acres, it is California's largest design market. There are over 2,000 sellers in eight miles of avenues selling comics, art, crafts and jewelry. There are 25 restaurants. Opened: Mon + Di closed, Mi - So 5:00 - 17:00. Price: Admission free. Parking fees $3.00 at weekends and $1.00 from Wednesday to Friday. wheelchair rental.