Origin
Palo Alto, CA
Late night in Palo Alto on Tuesday
Local time
5:25 AM
PDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Palo Alto, CA to San Jose, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
23m
Distance
16.9 mi
27 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 28m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Palo Alto, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Jose, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Spanning just 16.9 miles, this quick trip from Palo Alto to San Jose is a straightforward connection within the Pacific Coast region. You can expect to complete the journey in roughly 20 minutes, making it an effortless day trip that requires no overnight stops. Budgeting about $2 for fuel should cover your needs for this brief excursion. Because the route is so short, you have total flexibility in your scheduling. Whether you are commuting or heading out for local errands, the transition between these two California cities is highly efficient.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Bayshore Freeway | 11.7 mi | 13m |
| Guadalupe Freeway | 2.5 mi | 2m |
| Embarcadero Road | 1 mi | 3m |
| West Saint James Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Julian Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Market Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Middlefield Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Bayshore Freeway
— 11.7 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Palo Alto, CA and San Jose, CA.
1
Start on Middlefield Road
98 ft
·
11 sec
·
Middlefield Road
2
Turn sharp right onto Embarcadero Road
1.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Embarcadero Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
58 sec
Toward US 101 South: San Jose
4
Merge onto US 101
3.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Bayshore Freeway
Toward US 101 South: San Jose, Los Angeles
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 0 and 16.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Embarcadero Road
Turn sharp right onto Embarcadero Road
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
1.5 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 101 / Bayshore Freeway
Merge onto US 101 / Bayshore Freeway toward US 101 South: San Jose, Los Angeles
Merge point - match speed before joining. 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
8
4.9 mi into trip
|
~8m 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
13.2 mi into trip
|
~17m 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
16.2 mi into trip
|
~21m 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
$3.88 one way
$7.77 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $4.00 | $8.01 |
| premium | $6.18 | $4.11 | $8.22 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.73 | $7.46 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.77 | $0.81 |
| Efficient EV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.48 | $0.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.37 | $1.08 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (67% 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
Late night in San Jose on Tuesday
Local time
5:25 AM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Sunny
NW 6 to 12 mph
4% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 13 at 10:05AM PDT until April 14 at 5:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford CA
Winter Weather Advisory
Winter Weather Advisory issued April 13 at 12:17AM PDT until April 13 at 7:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
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
16 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
23m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
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 haul on this 16.9-mile stretch. You will navigate using Embarcadero Road before connecting to US 101 South and the Bayshore Freeway. While the path utilizes major thoroughfares, the highway share is effectively zero, meaning you will spend the majority of your time on localized roads. The experience is defined by constant adjustments and turns rather than long, uninterrupted highway cruising. Stay alert behind the wheel as you shift through the local infrastructure between these two hubs.
85% 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: 11.7 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 early in the drive near Embarcadero Road.
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 16.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 23m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Embarcadero Road): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles (US 101 / Bayshore Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.9 miles (US 101 / Bayshore Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
81 ft
7 ft
Total Climb
88 ft
Total Descent
34 ft
Highest Point
81 ft
~16.9 mi in
Elevation Range
74 ft
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 Palo Alto, CA to San Jose, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Los Angeles along the way.
Los Angeles
1.5 mi in
|
~4m
|
via US 101
About the Cities
Starting in Palo Alto, CA
Full guide →Founded 1894
Top landmarks
- • HP Garage — founding site of the company Hewlett-Packard, "birthplace of Silicon Valley"
- • Hanna–Honeycomb House — historic house in California, United States
- • Palo Alto station — railway station in Palo Alto, California
Arriving in San Jose, CA
Full guide →Founded 1777
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.
Top landmarks
- • Winchester Mystery House — Mansion in San Jose, California.
- • San Jose Diridon station — railway station complex in San Jose, California
- • Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum — building in San Jose, California, United States
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 23m. Total distance: 16.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (85%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.7 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: near the start (Embarcadero Road): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles (US 101 / Bayshore Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.9 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. 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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