Origin
Santa Clara, CA
Afternoon in Santa Clara on Sunday
Local time
3:52 PM
PDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Santa Clara, CA to San Martin, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
40m
Distance
31.1 mi
50 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 37m
★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 38m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Santa Clara, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Martin, CA
omar Basly
Trip Overview
This 31.1-mile drive from Santa Clara to San Martin is a quick trip, estimated to take around 40 minutes. It's a great option for a single-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. The route is heavily focused on highway travel, with 89% of the journey on freeways, including significant stretches on the Bayshore Freeway and I-880. Budget approximately $7 for fuel for this short hop within the Pacific Coast region of California. The overall feel is that of an efficient, straightforward connection between two points.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Bayshore Freeway | 25.7 mi | 29m |
| I 880 | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| The Alameda | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Lafayette Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| East San Martin Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| El Camino Real | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Market Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Lincoln Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Bayshore Freeway
— 25.7 mi, about 29m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Santa Clara, CA and San Martin, CA.
1
Start on Lincoln Street
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
Lincoln Street
2
Turn left onto CA 82
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
El Camino Real
3
Turn slight right
151 ft
·
6 sec
Use the right lane.
4
Turn slight right onto Lafayette Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Lafayette Street
Use the right lane.
5
Turn left onto Market Street
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
Market Street
6
Continue on The Alameda
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
·
The Alameda
7
Continue on CA 82
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
The Alameda
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Toward I 880 North: Oakland
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Merge onto I 880
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
I 880
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 4B
Toward US 101 South: Los Angeles
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto US 101
26 mi
·
29 min
·
Bayshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward San Martin Avenue
13
Turn right onto East San Martin Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East San Martin Avenue
14
Continue on East San Martin Avenue
109 ft
·
31 sec
·
East San Martin Avenue
15
Arrive at destination
East San Martin Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 2.2 and 30.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
2.2 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the ramp toward I 880 North: Oakland
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Toward I 880 North: Oakland
5
2.4 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
I 880
Merge onto I 880
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
4.2 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the exit toward US 101 South: Los Angeles
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 4B
Toward US 101 South: Los Angeles
5
4.5 mi into trip
|
~8m 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.
4
30.3 mi into trip
|
~37m in
Take the exit toward San Martin Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward San Martin Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.15 one way
$14.30 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $7.37 | $14.73 |
| premium | $6.18 | $7.56 | $15.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.87 | $13.73 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.3 | 0 | $3.27 | $1.49 |
| Efficient EV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.72 | $1.24 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.4 | 0 | $4.35 | $1.99 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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 Martin, CA
Afternoon in San Martin on Sunday
Local time
3:52 PM
PDT
Current temp
45°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
4 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
40m 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 highway-focused experience for the majority of this drive, with 89% of the route utilizing major freeways. You'll cover a longest uninterrupted stretch of 25.7 miles on the Bayshore Freeway, offering a consistent pace. The Alameda also plays a role, providing a brief change of scenery before merging back onto faster roads. This route is designed for efficient travel, prioritizing directness over winding backroads.
89% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 25.7 mi on Bayshore Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Bayshore Freeway and I 880. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.2 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 31.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 40m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.4 miles (I 880): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Santa Clara, CA
Full guide →Santa Clara is a town in the South Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California.
Arriving in San Martin, CA
Full guide →Top landmarks
- • Wings of History Museum
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 40m. Total distance: 31.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (89%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 25.7 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 Martin, 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 2.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.4 miles (I 880): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at San Martin, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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