Peninsula (Bay Area)

The Bay Area has three major commercial airports:

• The San Francisco International Airport (SFO ^IATA) is on the Peninsula near Millbrae and San Bruno.
• The Oakland International Airport (OAK ^IATA) is across the bay near Alameda and southern Oakland.
• The San Jose International Airport (SJC ^IATA) is at the bay's southern end between Santa Clara and northern San Jose.

All three airports are served by public transportation. The regional metro-rail service BART runs directly to SFO and connects to the commuter rail line Caltrain, as does the San Mateo County bus service SamTrans. The East Bay bus service AC Transit and a connecting bus to BART, AirBART, run to OAK. Santa Clara County's Valley Transportation Authority runs a bus (Line 10) connecting SJC with Caltrain and that county's light rail and bus system.

Motorists can reach the Peninsula from OAK by crossing the bay on the Bay Bridge (Interstate 80, to the north), the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge (Highway 92, to the south), or the Dumbarton Bridge (Highway 84, farther to the south). These are all toll bridges, and most of them cost $7 as of 2022. From SJC, drivers can take Highway 87 to US-101 northward, although avoiding 101's rush-hour traffic is often recommended. (For longer trips northward, try the scenic, parallel Interstate 280.)

This commuter railroad runs up and down the peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, stopping at most major towns and serving the San Jose International Airport (via a short transit bus at Santa Clara station). Some trains continue further south to Gilroy. It runs 7 days a week until about 1AM (10PM on Sundays). If you've missed the last Caltrain, local bus service is available all night.

BART serves a small portion of the peninsula, with some trains terminating at either San Francisco Airport or Millbrae. Caltrain and BART connect at Millbrae.

The San Mateo County Transit District runs extensive bus service throughout San Mateo county, plus overlaps in Palo Alto and San Francisco. Some bus routes run all night. Normal bus fare for local routes and routes to San Francisco is $2.25; fares on SamTrans routes from San San Francisco are $4.00; and Clipper card users get an approximate 10% discount ($2.05 and $3.60 respectively). Useful bus routes include:

• ECR - Palo Alto Caltrain to Daly City BART, along El Camino Real. Stops at Millbrae
• 397 - Late night service between San Francisco and Palo Alto Caltrain. Stops at most Caltrain stations - useful for when Caltrain has stopped running.
• 292 - Downtown San Francisco to San Francisco Airport

The San Jose VTA runs buses throughout Santa Clara County, starting in Palo Alto. Normal bus fare is $2.00, express is $4.00, and Clipper is accepted. Routes that serve the Peninsula include:

• 22 - Palo Alto Caltrain to Downtown San Jose, along El Camino.
• 522 - Limited stop version of route 22 (still $2)

The two main highways running down the peninsula are U.S. 101 and I-280. If you are driving from San Francisco to Palo Alto or San Jose, take I-280. It is a beautiful drive, free of advertising, well above the wilderness area. If you must drive on 101, avoid rush hour - it will be slow in both directions. The drive along the coast on State Route 1 (the Cabrillo Highway) is a beautiful, yet slow drive.

Many streets throughout the Peninsula have designated bike lanes, helping make cycling on the peninsula safer and easier. Key north-south bike routes include Alameda de las Pulgas, Middlefield Avenue, and Cañada Road.

About 30% of the Peninsula is nature preserve, parkland, or otherwise undeveloped. There are many opportunities for hiking and mountain biking, all a short drive away. The transition from the crowded town along the eastern coast to empty wilderness is a rapid one! Most parks are managed by the Mid-Peninsula Open Space District, while some are part of local towns or counties. Almost every park permits mountain biking, and most allow horseback riding.

Some excellent destinations for hiking include:

• 🌍 Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. Features open rolling grasslands and deep, cool river valleys. The views from atop Black Mountain can be excellent. Free. 
• 🌍 Purisima Creek Redwoods. A densely forested park, with large redwoods. Free. 
• 🌍 Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. Sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and Silicon Valley. Excellent in late winter and early spring when the wildflowers are in full bloom. Great place to watch the sunset. Free. 
• 🌍 Sam McDonald Park. This park combines dense redwood groves adjacent to wide-open grasslands. A good choice if you can't make it to Muir Woods. $5.00. 
• San Mateo County Parks.