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Trip from San Jose, CA to Sunnyvale, CA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

17m

Distance

11.4 mi

18 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 16m ★
6 AM
0h 17m
8 AM
0h 20m
10 AM
0h 18m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 18m
5 PM
0h 20m
8 PM
0h 16m ★

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city and county seat of Santa Clara County, California, United States

San Jose, CA

Wikimedia Commons

city in Santa Clara County, California, United States

Sunnyvale, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are looking to travel between San Jose and Sunnyvale, this 11.4-mile trip is a quick and straightforward local commute. You can expect to spend about 17 minutes on the road, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day journey. Because the route is entirely local, you won't need to worry about splitting it into multiple days or securing overnight lodging. With a fuel budget of just $2, this is an incredibly economical way to navigate the Pacific Coast region. It is a practical, no-nonsense drive that gets you from point A to point B without any unnecessary complexity.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Bayshore Freeway 5.2 mi 5m
Guadalupe Freeway 2.8 mi 3m
North Mathilda Avenue 2.2 mi 4m
West Saint James Street 0.1 mi <1m
North San Pedro Street <0.1 mi <1m
West El Camino Real <0.1 mi <1m
Devine Street <0.1 mi <1m
North Market Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Bayshore Freeway — 5.2 mi, about 5m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between San Jose, CA and Sunnyvale, CA.

1

Start on North Market Street

110 ft · 5 sec · North Market Street
2

Turn right onto Devine Street

275 ft · 17 sec · Devine Street
3

Turn left onto North San Pedro Street

306 ft · 17 sec · North San Pedro Street
4

Turn right onto West Saint James Street

0.1 mi · 17 sec · West Saint James Street
5

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 32 sec
Toward CA 87 North Use the right lane.
6

Merge onto CA 87

2.8 mi · 3 min · Guadalupe Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 25 sec
Exit 9B Toward US 101 North: San Francisco Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
8

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 42 sec
Toward US 101 North: San Francisco
9

Merge onto US 101

5.2 mi · 5 min · Bayshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Exit 396A Toward Mathilda Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Turn left onto North Mathilda Avenue

2.2 mi · 4 min · North Mathilda Avenue
Use the left lane.
12

Turn left onto CA 82

287 ft · 16 sec · West El Camino Real
Use the left / uturn lanes.
13

Arrive at destination

CA 82

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 8.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | North San Pedro Street

Turn left onto North San Pedro Street

Navigation decision point

5
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | West Saint James Street

Turn right onto West Saint James Street

Navigation decision point

7
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in

Take the ramp toward CA 87 North

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward CA 87 North
8
3.2 mi into trip | ~4m in

Keep slight left at fork toward US 101 North: San Francisco

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Exit 9B Toward US 101 North: San Francisco
7
8.9 mi into trip | ~11m in

Take the exit toward Mathilda Avenue

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 396A Toward Mathilda Avenue

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.62 one way

$5.24 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $2.70 $5.40
premium $6.18 $2.77 $5.54
diesel $5.61 $2.52 $5.03

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.4 0 $1.20 $0.55
Efficient EV 2.9 0 $1.00 $0.46
EV Truck/SUV 4.6 0 $1.60 $0.73

Gas CO2

4 kg

EV CO2

1 kg (75% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 13, 2026

Origin

San Jose, CA

Late night in San Jose on Tuesday

Local time

5:03 AM

PDT

Current temp

44°F

Areas Of Fog

SSE 2 mph 21% chance Live forecast

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

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

Destination

Sunnyvale, CA

Late night in Sunnyvale on Tuesday

Local time

5:03 AM

PDT

Current temp

67°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

23 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

17m 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 highway cruise. You will primarily navigate via Devine Street, North San Pedro Street, and West Saint James Street to complete your transit. Since the highway share is 0%, you won't be dealing with high-speed interstate traffic or long, uninterrupted stretches. Instead, the route requires your full attention as you maneuver through local streets. This creates a more hands-on driving experience that changes pace significantly from standard freeway travel.

70% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.2 mi on Bayshore Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

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 0.1 miles in near North San Pedro Street.

Driving Effort 9/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 11.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 17m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (North San Pedro Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (West Saint James Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

124 ft 28 ft

Total Climb

122 ft

Total Descent

79 ft

Highest Point

124 ft

~11.4 mi in

Elevation Range

96 ft

About the Cities

Starting 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

Arriving in Sunnyvale, CA

Full guide →

Sunnyvale is a city in the South Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California. Sunnyvale was ranked the 5th safest city in the United States in its size category for 2004.

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 17m. Total distance: 11.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

17m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (70%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 5.2 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 Sunnyvale, 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 0.1 miles (North San Pedro Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (West Saint James Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Sunnyvale, 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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