Commuting from Palo Alto to San Jose

San Jose is the largest city in the Bay Area and a big employer of Palo Alto residents, from downtown offices near Diridon station to the campuses of North San Jose. The commute is shorter than the run to San Francisco. A Caltrain express covers it in 21 minutes, a rapid bus follows El Camino Real and two freeways carry the cars. This guide compares those options for someone living in Palo Alto and ends with notes for San Jose residents who work here.

Train times come from the weekday timetable on Caltrain's schedules page in early November 2026. Bus times come from VTA's published route schedules. Drive times are approximate. For more on tickets and train types, see our Caltrain guide.

Caltrain to San Jose Diridon

San Jose Diridon is the main station downtown, on Cahill Street west of SAP Center. Every Caltrain stops there. Express trains from Palo Alto stop only at Mountain View and Sunnyvale on the way.

In the morning, southbound express trains left Palo Alto at 6:59, 7:59 and 8:59 a.m. and reached Diridon at 7:20, 8:20 and 9:20 a.m. Evening express trains left Diridon at 3:22, 4:22, 5:22 and 6:22 p.m. Locals and limiteds fill in the rest, with four trains an hour in each peak and two an hour midday.

For North San Jose and Santa Clara jobs, other stations may be closer. Lawrence station was 16 to 17 minutes from Palo Alto and Santa Clara station 21 to 22 minutes, on local and limited trains only.

Fares for 2026 and 2027

Palo Alto is in Zone 3 and Diridon is in Zone 4, so the trip is two zones. These adult fares are from the Caltrain fares page:

From January 1, 2027, monthly pass holders must tap on and off for every ride. Caltrain says that customers with a two zone or larger monthly pass get free local rides or credits on SamTrans. Our Clipper and fares guide explains passes and the transfer credit between agencies.

Construction at Diridon

Caltrain posted a notice about construction at San Jose Diridon from October 19 into December 2026. Trains may use different tracks than usual, so follow the platform signs and monitors. Caltrain also warns that SAP Center events bring higher parking rates at Diridon. Its daily and monthly permits are not valid while the arena manages the lots.

VTA buses and light rail

VTA runs buses on El Camino Real the whole way. Rapid 522 makes limited stops between the Palo Alto Transit Center and Eastridge Transit Center. On VTA's weekday timetable a 7:16 a.m. bus from Palo Alto reached Santa Clara Street at Second Street downtown at 8:27 a.m., about 71 minutes. Buses ran roughly every 15 minutes at peak times and the route runs seven days a week. Route 22 follows the same road with many more stops. The train is far faster, but the 522 is useful for trips along El Camino to Santa Clara and the Valley Fair area.

From Diridon, VTA light rail and buses reach most of the city. The VTA adult fare is $2.50 a ride with two hours of transfers on Clipper. Daily spending caps at $7.50. Our page on VTA buses and shuttles covers routes inside Palo Alto.

Bikes

Riding all 20 miles is possible but long. Most bike commuters ride to the station and bring the bike on the train instead. Each electric Caltrain train has two bike cars with room for 36 bikes each, at no extra charge. Board the bike car first, stack by destination and show a destination tag. Folding bikes no wider than 32 inches can go in any car if folded. Conductors may limit bikes on crowded trains. Diridon's bike car stops shift with the construction, so watch for track changes.

If you leave the bike in Palo Alto instead, Caltrain eLockers cost 5 cents an hour, or 2 cents nights and weekends. See our bike parking guide.

Driving to San Jose

US 101 and Interstate 280 both connect Palo Alto with downtown San Jose in about 20 miles. With light traffic either takes roughly 25 to 30 minutes. At peak times 45 minutes to an hour or more is common.

• US 101 passes Mountain View, Sunnyvale and the airport. It is the better choice for North San Jose and the 237 tech corridor, but it is the more congested road.
• Interstate 280 runs through Los Altos and Cupertino and enters downtown San Jose from the west. It is usually calmer and works well for Diridon, Willow Glen and the Santana Row area.
• Central Expressway and El Camino Real are signal-heavy alternatives when a freeway jams.

Traffic runs heavily in both directions, because Palo Alto is a job center too. Our traffic and rush hour guide explains the daily pattern.

Express lanes

VTA's US 101 express lanes run only six miles, between State Route 237 and Embarcadero Road, plus one mile on State Route 85. Tolls apply Monday to Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Solo drivers pay the posted toll, two-person carpools get 50 percent off and carpools of three or more ride free with a FasTrak Flex tag. South of 237, 101 has regular carpool lanes instead. In June 2025 VTA began converting the carpool lanes on State Route 85 between US 101 and State Route 87 in South San Jose to express lanes. It has not posted an opening date. There are no bridge tolls on this commute. Our express lanes guide has the details.

Parking in San Jose

Downtown San Jose has more public parking than Palo Alto. The city says it runs eight garages and nine surface lots with about 7,500 public spaces, mainly downtown, with monthly permits at many of them and discounted monthly rates for some groups. The city's parking operator publishes rates on its downtown parking site. Most office campuses in North San Jose provide parking for their employees. At Diridon, Caltrain's lot costs $5.50 a day except during SAP Center events.

Driving only some days? You can compare rental car prices at San Jose Mineta airport, a short ride from downtown.

Company and public shuttles

Caltrain's list of station shuttles includes none at Diridon or the other San Jose stations in late 2026. Some large South Bay employers run private shuttles for their own staff between Caltrain stations and their campuses. Routes are not public, so ask your employer. Many companies also buy Caltrain GoPass for workers or offer pretax transit benefits.

The reverse commute: San Jose to Palo Alto

San Jose residents who work in Palo Alto have good choices. Northbound express trains left Diridon at 6:22, 7:22 and 8:22 a.m. and reached Palo Alto 21 minutes later. From Palo Alto station, the free Stanford Marguerite shuttle serves campus, the medical center and Stanford Research Park on weekdays.

VTA also runs weekday express buses straight to Stanford Research Park. Express 102 starts in South San Jose at Santa Teresa, Snell and Ohlone-Chynoweth stations. Express 103 starts at Eastridge Transit Center. Express 104 starts at Milpitas BART and also serves Page Mill Road at El Camino Real and the Palo Alto VA Hospital. They run toward Palo Alto in the morning and back in the afternoon. The adult express fare is $5.00. See our guide to getting here from San Jose for visitors.

Frequently asked questions