Just east of the city lies Alum Rock Park, a canyon through which Penitencia Creek flows, lined by sulfurous mineral springs and several small waterfalls. Above the park stands Mount Hamilton, one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area at 4,213 feet. The telescopes of Lick Observatory, operated by the University of California, crown the summit and are open to the public for limited star-gazing.

Less than an hour away over the scenic Santa Cruz Mountains, the small coastal city of Santa Cruz is a nice day trip out San Jose or the first stop on a longer coastal drive to Monterey and Santa Barbara in the south or the Lost Coast in the north.

Other places to see near San Jose are Scenic drive in Saratoga hills, numerous hill and mountain parks, Mission Santa Clara at Santa Clara University, Palo Alto and Stanford University, charming Peninsula towns, Fremont's Mission San Jose and Ardenwood Historic Farm, Half Moon Bay, and Downtown Los Gatos. A longer distance away are Capitola Beach, Carmel, the scenic Route 1 (sometimes called the Pacific Coast Highway), San Juan Bautista and its historic mission, and Monterey.

Transportation

By car: San Jose is about an hour from San Francisco and Oakland, but the trip is much longer during rush hour on US-101 and Interstate 880. Take Interstate 280 to San Francisco for a scenic alternative, and consider a detour westward on Highway 92 to Half Moon Bay and the coastal Highway 1, which leads northward to San Francisco and southward to Santa Cruz. For Santa Cruz, take Highway 17 southward over the mountains. For an hour-and-a-half ride to Monterey, either go to Santa Cruz and take Highway 1 southward or take US-101 through Gilroy to Highway 156, which connects to Highway 1.

For other modes, all intercity connections except private lines like Greyhound leave from Diridon Station (Cahill Station on older maps), 65 Cahill Street (near Santa Clara Street and the HP Pavilion).

By train: Commuter rail line Caltrain runs to San Francisco, the interregional Capitol Corridor runs to Oakland and Sacramento, and the rush-hour commuter line Altamont Commuter Express runs to Stockton (Central Valley-bound trips only in late afternoon, with return trips only in morning). The trip is about an hour and a half both to San Francisco on Caltrain and to Oakland on the Capitol Corridor. Caltrain also provides the Baby Bullet, an hour-long run with very limited stops to San Francisco. An alternative mode to both Oakland and San Francisco is Valley Transportation Authority express line 180 to Fremont, where riders can connect to BART, which serves Oakland, San Francisco, and several other San Francisco Bay Area destinations.

By bus: Amtrak California runs a bus with stops in Gilroy, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara. Santa Cruz Metro provides a bus line (Highway 17 Express  ) to and from Santa Cruz. Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) runs a bus line (Route 180  ) to Fremont and its BART station. These services leave from Diridon Station, although VTA Route 180 and Highway 17 Express also serve Downtown San Jose directly. Greyhound runs to several locations, and its station is at Almaden Avenue and Post Street (70 S Almaden Avenue, not to be confused with Almaden Boulevard one block parallel).