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The San Francisco Bay Area is made up of 9 different counties across 5 distinct regions, as seen in the image to the right (via Wikipedia CC-SA 4.0): the North Bay, the South Bay, the East Bay, and the Peninsula, all surrounding San Francisco.
We've gathered some information about each region so you can make the most of your trip to California!
In general, you'll find that many big names in tech have their HQs here, so look 'em up on the map and head on over if you are interested. Most allow photos outside and a few offer tours (though not on the weekends).
San Francisco
San Francisco is just awesome. Spend your extra time there. The Legion of Honor Museum is not to be missed. Yerba Buena Gardens (South of Market neighborhood) is also awesome and next door is the Metreon theater, which offers IMAX movies.
The California Academy of Sciences is a great place to explore with a rainforest, huge aquarium, planetarium shows and is inside Golden Gate Park. There is a ferris wheel across from the Academy of Sciences (new addition in 2020). You can also walk over to the de Young Museum and can go inside and take the elevator to the roof (all for free) where you are greeted with a beautiful 360 degree view of San Francisco and the bay. You can also find the Japanese Tea Garden inside the park. Stow Lake is a great little hike where you can even do a paddleboat tour around the little lake (you are the horsepower).
Note: Golden Gate Park is not next to the Golden Gate Bridge. If you want to walk from one to the other it is a good 3 mile walk from the CA Academy of Sciences north through a neighborhood and then through the Presidio. If you have the time, you can walk along Ocean Beach and take the scenic Lands End Trail along the coast then continue walking to the Bridge through neighborhoods and ultimately the beautiful Batteries to Bluff Trail to the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge (this is a 7 mile walk).
It is quite easy to get around on public transportation in San Francisco or a cab/Uber/Lyft ride within the city is rarely more than $30. You can take the Caltrain from San Jose into San Francisco and start your touring of the city by the bay - it’s about a 1.5 hour train ride to the last stop in San Francisco which is a couple of blocks from AT&T Park where our San Francisco Giants (baseball team) play and near our Chase Center where the Golden State Warriors reign (basketball team).
Other cool things to check out in SF:
Alcatraz - reservations needed usually 2-4 weeks in advance
Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito.
Have a car? Muir Woods and Stinson Beach, are cool places to check out. Reservations are required to park in Muir Woods now. You can park just off Hwy 101 and catch a shuttle to Muir Woods. There really is nothing like experiencing our amazing redwoods. Go early to avoid crowds.
XOX Truffles - Stephanie's favorite hot chocolate in San Francisco. Tell Jean Marc (the French chocolatier owner Stephanie sent you. : )) He makes amazing truffles. Open every day except Thursday.
For a very detailed 7 page list of things to do/see in San Francisco that we always shared with our Google Code-in attendees.
South Bay
Santa Clara (near Google MP3 Campus)
Santa Clara (near Google MP3 Campus)
AMC Mercado Movie theatre: If you need a break from reality or the heat, this is a nice place to get away.
Best Buy: Large electronics store; Milpitas location 7 miles from Google MP3 campus.
Mountain View (home of Google headquarters)
Mountain View (home of Google headquarters)
BRAND NEW - opens Thursday, October 12 -- Google Visitor Experience.
Culture and Museums
Computer History Museum: An amazing museum, just down the street from the Google 'main campus', open 10-5 Wed-Sun. They have a Babbage Difference Engine and a PDP-1!
Shopping
Downtown Mountain View: Castro street is a nice place to walk around and stop in restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops.
BookBuyers Bookstore: Great if you like books; they also carry really old software and other media.
Outdoor Activities
Stevens Creek Trail: A lovely trail for walking, biking. rollerblading, etc.
Shoreline Park: The park offers trails for walking, jogging, and biking, a wildlife preserve, sailing, and a cafe.
Miscellaneous
Public Library: This is a good place to visit if for some reason you need a place to sit and do work.
Palo Alto
Palo Alto
Shopping
University Avenue: Good food and lots of selection, near Stanford. Take Caltrain to the University Avenue stop.
Stanford Mall: More expensive shopping. They have an Apple store.
Best hot chocolate in bay area: Timothy Adams Chocolates (just off University Ave at Bryant St) Open Tues-Sat
Tourist Attractions
Stanford: University with very beautiful campus. Rodin Sculpture Garden is free and open 24 hours. Stanford Museum has nice Egyptology collection and the Golden Spike.
San Jose
San Jose
Culture and Museums
Shopping
Santana Row: High end shopping with 60 stores, 25+ restaurants and cafes.
Westfield Valley Fair: one of California’s largest shopping malls, 175 stores (including Apple, Bose, Disney Store, Lego, Macy’s, The North Face) and 34 food outlets.
Outdoor Activities
Tourist Attractions
Winchester Mystery House: $26 entry fee. There is a garden and odd architecture. (It’s worth it to see the Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows, but only once.)
J Lohr Vineyards & Wine: about 1.5 miles from downtown San Jose
Pubs and Breweries
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant - outdoor dining with handcrafted beers
Downtown Britannia Arms - live DJs
Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale
Culture and Museums
Intel Museum: Chip fabrication demos. Love hardware? Go here.
Shopping
Great Mall of the Bay Area - Discount/outlet mall shopping
Physical Activities
Planet Granite Rock Climbing Gym: Nice indoor rock climbing Gym; the routes are marked too easy though; about 25 bucks for a day pass and gear. Their Sunnyvale gym is about 10 minutes by car from Google's Mountain View office.
East Bay
Culture and Museums
UC Berkeley: Gorgeous campus. Has Sather Tower, so a great view. Libraries are amazing. Get lost in the Main Stacks. Smart Alec's down Telegraph Avenue has healthy food. 1/2 Sandwich 1/2 salad combo at Cafe Intermezzo cannot be beat on cost benefit analysis. See Evans Hall, birthplace of vi. Gaze adoringly at the Bancroft Library.
Breweries and Distilleries
The Peninsula
Culture and Museums
Breweries and Wineries
Outdoor Activities
North Bay
This region is best known for its vast expanses of parkland, breweries, and wineries. While public transit does connect the North Bay with the rest of the Bay Area (buses and ferries), much of it is only accessible if you have a car to drive.
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