Home › Day Trips
Day Trips from Palo Alto

Day Trips from Palo Alto

The best excursions and trips you can do in a day

Palo Alto straddles three counties, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and the lip of San Francisco Bay, so you can eat breakfast under redwoods, lunch in a Gold-Rush town, and still make it back to University Avenue for dinner. Caltrain, SamTrans, and a clutch of scenic byways fan out from the station at University & Alma, putting the Santa Cruz mountains, East Bay wine country, and a working lighthouse within 90 minutes. The reward for leaving the Stanford bubble is pure variety: tide-pools that drain at dusk, ghost-steam trains still clawing up the Fremont grade, and farm stands where the strawberries never touch a freeway. Every trip below assumes an 8 a.m. departure from Palo Alto, a loaded Clipper card (or a rental bike from the Caltrain depot), and a plan to beat the last south-bound train at 10:30 p.m.

Full-Day Trips

Worth dedicating a whole day to explore.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

$15 parking + $10 park entry; $18 if using transit day-pass

The only California state park that lets you hike from ocean fog to 300-foot redwoods on a single trail. Dodge weekend crowds by taking the 10-mile Skyline-to-the-Sea bypass: it drops from ridge crest to waterfall in half the time of the standard route.

Distance
65 miles
Travel Time
1 h 15 min drive (Hwy 9 → Hwy 236); 2 h 45 min public transit (Caltrain to San Jose Diridon, Hwy 17 Express to Santa Cruz, SCMTD Route 35)
Total Duration
9-10 hours
Transport
Car (fastest) or Caltrain + bus combo
Berry Creek Falls loop Redwood picnic at Opal Creek Evening fog rolling over the ridge
Best for: Hikers and waterfall chasers
Arrive before 9 a.m.; the 40-car lot is full by 10 even on weekdays. Bring quarters, the iron ranger takes exact change only.

Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail & Mavericks

$10 parking. Bus day-pass $7

A flat 6-mile path links three beaches where pumpkin fields nudge surf breaks. October brings the giant-pumpkin weigh-off; winter brings 30-foot waves at Mavericks. Either season, cap the day with smoked-fish tacos at the harbor.

Distance
28 miles
Travel Time
35 min drive (Hwy 92); 1 h 20 min SamTrans 390 bus from Palo Alto Transit Center
Total Duration
8 hours
Transport
Car or SamTrans bus 390
Mavericks surf lookout (Pillar Point) Pumpkin farms on Hwy 92 Harbor seal pups at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Best for: Coastal walkers and photography buffs
Bus riders: the 390 runs only every 90 min, photograph the timetable at the Palo Alto stop so you don't miss the 4:02 p.m. return.

San Francisco Mission & Ferry Loop

$28 round-trip Caltrain + $6 Muni day-pass + $8 ferry

Ride Caltrain to 4th & King, jump on Muni 33 to the Mission for murals, burritos, and Dolores Park skyline views, then sail back to Palo Alto on the evening ferry from Ferry Building to Oakland (train connects at Jack London Square).

Distance
35 miles
Travel Time
Caltrain 55 min. Total transit under 2 h each way
Total Duration
10-11 hours
Transport
Caltrain + Muni + SF Bay Ferry
Clarion Alley murals Bi-Rite ice-cream line Golden-hour ferry past Alcatraz
Best for: Urban explorers and food-focused travelers
Buy the Caltrain mobile day-pass before 7 a.m. for 15% off; ferry boarding starts 15 min early, queue in the left lane for the open-air upper deck.

Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton

$15 gas + $10 park entry donation

The world's first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory still opens for public afternoons. Drive the 365-turn road (bikers welcomed) for 4 pm telescope viewing and sunset over Silicon Valley.

Distance
42 miles
Travel Time
1 h 20 min drive (Alum Rock Ave → Mt. Hamilton Rd)
Total Duration
7 hours
Transport
Car only, no buses climb the ridge
36-inch Great Refractor demo Valley-wide sunset Roadside tarantula habitat at dusk
Best for: Science buffs and road-trip enthusiasts
Check the observatory calendar, open only Thu-Sun. Bring a jacket even in July. The dome sits at 4200 ft.

Roaring Camp Rail & Santa Cruz Boardwalk

$32 train ride + $6 boardwalk parking; $20 transit day-pass

Morning steam train from Felton redwoods, afternoon beach time at Santa Cruz Main Beach, return via Hwy 17 Express and skip the mountain driving.

Distance
48 miles
Travel Time
1 h drive to Felton; 1 h 55 min transit (Caltrain + Hwy 17 Express + METRO 34)
Total Duration
9 hours
Transport
Car or Caltrain + bus
1890 narrow-gauge steam ascent Santa Cruz Beach Train connection Evening neon rides on the Giant Dipper
Best for: Families and vintage-rail fans
Book the 10:30 a.m. beach train. Seats open 30 min early and sell out on Saturdays.

Point Reyes National Seashore (Tomales Bay)

$20 fuel + free park entry; oysters $16-18 per dozen

Cross to the quiet side of the San Andreas Fault: tule elk herds, oyster shacks, and a 19th-century lighthouse you can enter at low tide. End with sunset over Drake's Estero.

Distance
88 miles
Travel Time
1 h 50 min drive (US-101 → Sir Francis Drake Blvd); 3 h transit (Caltrain to Larkspur Ferry, shuttle #61)
Total Duration
10-11 hours
Transport
Car strongly advised
Tomales Bay oyster picnic Point Reyes Lighthouse staircase Elk rut calls in late August
Best for: Wildlife seekers and slow-food fans
Check lighthouse status, stairs close when wind >40 mph. Hog Island Oyster's outdoor grill shuts at 4 p.m. sharp.

Half-Day Options

Shorter excursions when time is limited.

Stanford Dish Loop & Foothill Bluff

$0-6 (bike rental or rideshare split)

A paved 3.7-mile loop that delivers radio-telescope dishes, rolling grassland, and sweeping Bay views. Best at sunrise before the heat builds.

Duration
2.5-3 hours
Transport
Bike or Uber to Junipero Serra Gate. Pedestrian entry free
Dawn deer grazing on serpentine soil Post-hike croissant at Pampas Ave Prolific Oven

Filoli Historic House & Garden

$25 entry; $5 weekend bus day-pass

Georgian mansion with 16-acre English gardens that change weekly, daffodils in February, heirloom roses in May. Arrive by 9 a.m. to photograph the reflecting pool before the tour groups arrive.

Duration
3-4 hours
Transport
25 min drive (Canada Rd); SamTrans 296 connects from Palo Alto station weekends only
Orchard of 650 heritage apple trees Gentle 1-mile Estate Trail

Byxbee Park & Baylands Paddle

$25 single kayak 2 h + $5 bike locker

Launch a rental kayak from Palo Alto Baylands Sailing Station and drift past salt ponds now a bird refuge. Low tide exposes funky art pylons from the landfill era.

Duration
3 hours
Transport
Bike 10 min from downtown Palo Alto or take Embarcadero shuttle
Black-necked stilts in spring Sunset wind-surf silhouette against Dumbarton Bridge

Computer History Museum (Mountain View)

$18 entry

Ten minutes north of Palo Alto, this houses the planet's largest collection of working super-computers. Try coding on a PDP-1 or climb into a Google Street-view car.

Duration
2-3 hours
Transport
Caltrain to Mountain View + 10 min walk
1960s IBM 1401 demo at 2 p.m. Original SRI Shakey robot

Day Trip Tips

Make the most of your excursions.

  • ✓ Clipper cards work on Caltrain, SamTrans, VTA, and Santa Cruz METRO, load $25 cash the night before to avoid station queues.
  • ✓ Weekend Caltrain has a $10 day-pass good for unlimited rides south of Zone 3; good for stitching together two half-day hops.
  • ✓ Cell coverage dies inside Big Basin's canyons, drop a map pin at the parking lot before you lose signal.
  • ✓ Hwy 17 Express buses fill after 11 a.m. on Fridays in summer. Board at the first stop (Diridon) rather than San Jose State.
  • ✓ Bring quarters for rural Sonoma & Santa Cruz county parks. Iron rangers don't take cards or apps.
  • ✓ If you miss the last SamTrans 390 from Half Moon Bay, Pacifica taxis will haul you to Millbrae BART for a fixed $60, split four ways and it beats a hotel.
  • ✓ Fog season (June-August) can drop coastal temps 20°F by 3 p.m., pack a windbreaker even if Palo Alto is 85°F.
  • ✓ Check the Stanford events calendar before driving to the Dish. The trail closes for home-football security 4 hours before kickoff.

Book These Day Trips

Top-rated excursions you can book now.

From San Francisco: Private Tour to Silicon Valley

From San Francisco: Private Tour to Silicon Valley
★ 4.7 9 reviews from $999

Discover Silicon Valley on a private guided tour. Check out the Oracle, Facebook, Google, and Apple campuses, NASA center, see Steve Jobs' house, HP Garage, and take a walk at Stanford.

Book now on GetYourGuide →

Need a base for your day trips?

Our accommodation guide helps you pick the best area to stay in Palo Alto.

Where to Stay →

Explore Activities in Palo Alto

Didn't see anything interesting yet?

Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in Palo Alto.

See All Palo Alto Tours on Viator

Continue Planning Your Trip

Itineraries

Sample trip routes and plans for Palo Alto

Getting Around

Transport options and tips for Palo Alto

Budget Guide

Trip costs and money tips for Palo Alto

Things to Do

Top attractions and activities for Palo Alto