The Comprehensive Guide on Things to Do in South Bay Area [2022]

Researching Yelp and Google overwhelming? No worries. I have either went myself or researched thoroughly on what’s mentioned. I bring my 24 years of travel experience abroad both as a tourist and as a local. I strive to find the best places, to reduce travel costs, and to save on time all to ensure a prepared and comprehensive travel experience. It just so happens that I’m documenting it so you can enjoy as well. If you think there is something that needs to be added, please reach out to me.

Brief Bio

(What is Bay Area? What Should I know?)

I define the South Bay Area as all of the cities between Palo Alto and Gilroy. For local point of reference, everything is close if it is less than 30 min drive. I focus less on the cities of Campbell and Los Gatos as I’m less familiar. South Bay (Area), a.k.a. most of Silicon Valley, is a global center for technological innovation.

It is called Silicon Valley primarily for its material found in computer microprocessors called Silicon. It is home to the largest power-house companies in the world like Google, Apple, Facebook, HP, and Visa – just to name a few. California has always been a Spanish settlement in history; thus, there are still remnants of the Spanish churches like Mission Santa Clara, major roads like El Camino Real, and the city names themselves.

Much has changed in the dynamic area after the legendary Gold Rush and the railroad. These events attracted trade, culture, and eventually immigrants to the area, creating this melting pot of many, many races. A generalization of the land is a suburb vibe with an absurdly high cost of living and exorbitant taxes. Silicon Valley cannot compare to major cities in terms of being a destination of travel, but it does have its unique charm and things to do.

Weather

(What to EXPECT, WEAR, and PREPARE)

You will experience all four seasons here. Sunlight and UVs feel pretty strong here so definitely wear sunscreen to prevent skin harm.

Winter (December – February)

Brr… it’s cold in the early mornings and at night. It rains 4-6 times a month. You might want to consider bringing a rain jacket/coat and anything that keeps you warm overall. Warm weather travelers may struggle here.

Temperature: 64.6°F (18.1°C) and 58.1°F (14.5°C)

Spring (March – May)

Weather feels really good and comfortable around this time. It starts to get warmer in the later months. It would be a great time to be out and about. It is also allergy season. Aside from chilly nights, dress how you please!

Temperature: 76.5°F (24.7°C) and 63.9°F (17.7°C)

Summer (June – August)

Comfortable to hot summers. A busy time to travel as sun will be out, making California the California we all know and love. Only light layers may be needed to cover for cold breezes and occasional chilly nights.

Temperature: It can get in the 90s and on rare occasions achieve 100°F

Fall (September – November)

Sweater Weather for sure. This is when the weather starts to cool down and transition towards winter time. Anticipate rain to happen semi-often.

Temperature: 83.6°F (28.7°C) and 63.5°F (17.5°C)

Places

All
Attractions
Nightlife
Shopping
Food

Apple Visitor Center

Pick up an Apple T-shirt and get informed about the Apple HQ with Augmented reality (Cupertino)

Santana Row

Admire the nightlife, stores, shops, and people

(Santa Clara)

Stanford University

Revel in the campus, museums, architecture, and history (Palo Alto)

Municipal Rose Garden

Check out the blooming roses and latest hybrids of the species (San Jose)

Downtown Streets/Strips

Walk through and Dine at many Downtown Strips (San Mateo, Burlingame, Campbell, and more)

Japanese Friendship Garden

Re-orient yourself and be at peace with yourself (San Jose)

San Pedro Square Market

Walk through an intimate strip of indoor food courts, bars, and restaurants (San Jose)

Lick Observatory

Be higher to the sky and learn about things outside of the Earth (San Jose)

Splash Bar

Dance at a nightclub with 2 levels, rooftop smoking patio, over 20 video screens (San Jose)

Nightlife

(Yes it does exist here…)

The South Bay Area tends to be more mellow, nerdy, semi-hipster, and sometimes ghetto all at the same time. Nightlife used to be non-existent here, but now there are many bars and nightclubs you can drift by. It is nothing compared to bigger cities, but you will feel the effort that these night establishments try to show to make the South Bay Area as lit as possible. Here’s a consolidation of locations based on responses on Reddit and Quora. They are all concentrated in Downtown San Jose.

Food

(For sure a foodie area)

While there is a whole bunch of great restaurants in the Bay Area, a foodie city, I picked a few that are either highly rated many times and/or just has authentic, tasty food in general that I have tried or reviewers have made note of. I have sadly been finding that many reviews seem to lack experience in taste-buds and downplay restaurants solely on customer service alone, instead of evaluating true quality and taste of food.

Please take most reviews and ratings with a grain of salt, even if they are written by elite reviewers and even if it is from me. Some of my go-to restaurants are rated so low because of reviewers calling the food disgusting (not understanding the taste of food) or bashing on the bad customer service. Combined with group-think mindset, this creates a consequence of restaurants with authentic food closing down and gaps in quality of food.

Transportation

(For most purposes, you will need a car)

A car, whether it is your own or rental car. There is public transportation, but it does not work in your favor especially if you are trying to check out many places (inevitably in different cities) within the South Bay Area. Uber/Lyft are comparable to other places in the US. We have a few train systems such as the Cal Train that may work in your favor if you plan on visiting SF. South Bay Area contains many cities that are spread out. For locals, 20-30min drive is not long. Renting a car will save you time, effort, and money. Plan ahead to be away from the catastrophic rush hours on highways and expressways from 6:30AM-9:30AM to 3:30PM-8PM.

Accommodations

(Which areas to stay)

Due to Silicon Valley being so large, it is normal for locals and tourists alike to be driving from place to place. Thus, it only matters that you live close enough and in a safe area. In general, you can’t go wrong on where you pick. A good way to check is to look at the reviews of environment and to skim crime mapping resources. Some areas you might want to avoid are East Palo Alto, Mountain View, DTSJ, East SJ, and pockets of Santa Clara, unless you are at an area with ample lighting and normal foot traffic. I highly recommend San Carlos, Cupertino, and Sunnyvale.

Hotels/B&Bs are plentiful. B&B – I have seen prices as low as $30-50 for a private room and shared bathroom. Hotels seem to be around the $100 range.