San Jose (California)

Introduction

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

San Jose International Airport (SJC) is about 4 kilometres from downtown San Jose. It mainly has domestic flights and some international connections to Mexican places like Guadalajara and San Jose del Cabo.

Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) operates the Airport Flyer which makes a continuous loop between the Metro Light Rail Station, the Santa Clara Caltrain Station and the Airport Terminals. A new shuttle departs each designated stopping point approximately every 10-15 minutes from 4:30am to 11:30pm.
There are also several buses a day with connections to Santa Cruz, San Francisco International Airport and Monterey.
Taxis, rental cars, limousine services and shuttles are available as well.

By Train

Two Amtrak trains travel to and from San Jose:

• The Coast Starlight between Los Angeles and Seattle.
• The Capitol Corridor between Auburn and San Jose.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The US Postal Service is very good and well priced mail system. There are post offices in every small and large town for sending packages internationally or domestically. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS and DHL.