Origin
Foster City, CA
Afternoon in Foster City on Sunday
Local time
1:21 PM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Foster City, CA to San Jose, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
28.8 mi
46 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 33m
★
6 AM
0h 36m
8 AM
0h 42m
10 AM
0h 38m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 42m
8 PM
0h 34m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Foster City, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Jose, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Connecting Foster City to San Jose, this 28.8-mile journey is a quick commute across the Pacific Coast region. You can expect to spend about 32 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stops. Navigating primarily via East Hillsdale Boulevard and US 101 South, also known as the Bayshore Freeway, you will find this path straightforward and efficient. With a fuel budget of approximately $4, it is a very economical trip for your schedule. Whether you are heading south for business or leisure, this route provides a direct link between the two cities without unnecessary detours.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Bayshore Freeway | 23.4 mi | 27m |
| Guadalupe Freeway | 2.5 mi | 2m |
| East Hillsdale Boulevard | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| West Saint James Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Julian Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Market Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Shell Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Bayshore Freeway
— 23.4 mi, about 27m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Foster City, CA and San Jose, CA.
1
Start on Shell Boulevard
61 ft
·
3 sec
·
Shell Boulevard
2
Turn left onto East Hillsdale Boulevard
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
East Hillsdale Boulevard
Use the left / uturn lanes.
3
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
Toward US 101 South: San Jose
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Merge onto US 101
15 mi
·
17 min
·
Bayshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork onto US 101
8.4 mi
·
9 min
·
Bayshore Freeway
Toward US 101 South: San Jose, Los Angeles
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
Exit 390
Toward CA 87 South: Guadalupe Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Continue on CA 87
2.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Guadalupe Freeway
Use the straight lane.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
Exit 6B
Toward Julian Street, Saint James Street
Use the slight right lane.
9
Turn left onto West Julian Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
West Julian Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
10
Continue on West Saint James Street
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
West Saint James Street
Use the straight lane.
11
Turn left onto North Market Street
416 ft
·
8 sec
·
North Market Street
12
Arrive at destination
North Market Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 1.4 and 28.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.4 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward US 101 South: San Jose
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Toward US 101 South: San Jose
5
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
US 101 / Bayshore Freeway
Merge onto US 101 / Bayshore Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
16.8 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
US 101 / Bayshore Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto US 101 / Bayshore Freeway toward US 101 South: San Jose, Los Angeles
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 101 South: San Jose, Los Angeles
7
25.2 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Take the exit toward CA 87 South: Guadalupe Parkway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 390
Toward CA 87 South: Guadalupe Parkway
8
28.1 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward Julian Street, Saint James Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 6B
Toward Julian Street, Saint James Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.62 one way
$13.24 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $6.82 | $13.64 |
| premium | $6.18 | $7.00 | $14.01 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.36 | $12.72 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.02 | $1.38 |
| Efficient EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.52 | $1.15 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.5 | 0 | $4.03 | $1.84 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
San Jose, CA
Afternoon in San Jose on Sunday
Local time
1:21 PM
PDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
17 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
36m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a monotonous interstate cruise on this 28.8-mile trek. While you will utilize the Bayshore Freeway, the route demands your attention as you transition between local boulevards and highway segments. The drive maintains a high degree of technical involvement as you navigate the turns inherent in this short, urban-focused journey. Since the highway share is effectively negligible, you should prepare for a constant shift in road conditions. It is a practical, functional drive that gets you from point A to point B with little room for long, uninterrupted stretches.
90% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 23.4 mi on Bayshore Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Bayshore Freeway and Guadalupe Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.4 miles in.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 28.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles (US 101 / Bayshore Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 16.8 miles (US 101 / Bayshore Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Foster City, CA to San Jose, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Los Angeles along the way.
Los Angeles
16.8 mi in
|
~21m
|
via US 101
About the Cities
Starting in Foster City, CA
Full guide →Founded 1971
Foster City is a quiet suburban city on the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Primarily residential and lacking in a downtown, it also has a couple of large office parks and several large employers including Gilead, Visa, and Sony.
Arriving in San Jose, CA
Full guide →Often called "the capital of Silicon Valley", San Jose is the largest city in the Bay Area, 3rd largest in California, and the 12th largest city in the United States, with a population of over 997,000 residents as of 2024. It was named the 6th safest big city in the U.S. in 2015. This clean, sprawling metropolis has sports, beautiful vistas, and ethnic enclaves and bleeds into the greater Bay Area for travelers who want to take their time in Northern California.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 28.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (90%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 23.4 miles on Bayshore Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at San Jose, CA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles (US 101 / Bayshore Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 16.8 miles (US 101 / Bayshore Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area (4 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at San Jose, CA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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