Driving to Palo Alto

Palo Alto is a driving town for many residents, even with its trains and bike boulevards. It sits where the Peninsula's two freeways run closest together, with El Camino Real between them. That gives drivers plenty of choice. It also means the same roads carry heavy commute traffic between San Francisco and San Jose, so timing matters as much as route.

This page explains the freeways, the exits for each part of town, the tolls and the traffic. When you arrive, our guide to parking in Palo Alto picks up the story. If you are coming from a specific city, see the guides from San Francisco, San Jose or the East Bay.

The three main roads

Two cross routes tie them together. Sand Hill Road links Interstate 280 with El Camino Real at Stanford Shopping Center. Page Mill Road runs from Interstate 280 past Stanford Research Park to El Camino Real, where it becomes Oregon Expressway and continues to US 101.

US 101 exits

US 101, the Bayshore Freeway, is the most direct road from San Francisco, SFO and San Jose. These are the exits that serve Palo Alto, from north to south:

1. University Avenue. The exit for downtown. University Avenue heads west through East Palo Alto, crosses Middlefield Road and becomes the downtown main street. It continues under the railroad as Palm Drive into Stanford.
2. Embarcadero Road. East leads to the Baylands, the airport and the golf course. West leads past Palo Alto High School to El Camino Real, Town and Country Village and Stanford Shopping Center. Stanford Shopping Center lists this as exit 402 for northbound drivers.
3. Oregon Expressway. The exit for Midtown and California Avenue. It runs west across town and becomes Page Mill Road after El Camino Real.
4. San Antonio Road. The exit for south Palo Alto and the Mountain View border, near the Hertz office and the hotels on San Antonio Road.

Express lanes

US 101 has express lanes through the area. The 101 San Mateo Express Lanes run between the Santa Clara County line and the I-380 interchange. VTA's express lanes on 101 and State Route 85 adjoin them to the south. The two systems bill separately. In San Mateo County, tolls apply Monday to Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. All vehicles in the lanes then need a FasTrak tag. Two-person carpools get 50% off with a FasTrak Flex tag. Carpools of three or more ride free with the tag set to 3+. Our express lanes guide has more. Official details are on the FasTrak express lanes page.

Interstate 280 exits

Interstate 280 runs through the open foothills west of town. It is usually less congested than 101 and much more scenic. The exits for Palo Alto and Stanford:

• Sand Hill Road (exit 24, per Stanford Shopping Center). Heads east past the venture capital offices to the Stanford campus, the medical center and Stanford Shopping Center.
• Alpine Road (exit 22). Northbound drivers can turn right on Alpine and then right on Sand Hill Road, the route the shopping center recommends.
• Page Mill Road. Heads east through Stanford Research Park to El Camino Real and the California Avenue district. West leads up into the hills toward the Midpeninsula preserves.

Stanford Shopping Center's directions page gives turn-by-turn routes from each freeway in both directions.

Which exit for which place

For campus visits, read our Stanford parking and transit page first. Campus parking is paid by zone and the rules differ from the city's.

Tolls and bridges

You will only pay a bridge toll if you cross the bay. The Dumbarton Bridge (State Route 84) and the San Mateo Bridge (State Route 92) both charge westbound, toward Palo Alto. The toll for a two-axle car rose to $8.50 on January 1, 2026. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission reports that from January 1, 2027 the state bridge tolls are $9.00 with FasTrak, $9.25 with a license plate account and $10.00 by invoice. No booth takes cash. Our bridges and tolls guide covers each crossing.

Rental companies handle tolls in different ways. Some add a service fee. Ask at the counter before you drive onto a bridge or into an express lane.

Traffic patterns

Palo Alto sits in the middle of the Peninsula commute. Traffic moves in both directions at peak times because both San Francisco and the South Bay pull workers in.

• Weekday peaks run roughly 7 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. on both freeways.
• Exits back up. The University Avenue and Embarcadero Road exits off 101 can queue at rush hour. So can Page Mill Road and Sand Hill Road off 280.
• Stanford events such as home football games and commencement in June jam the roads around campus. Our Stanford sports guide lists game days.
• December weekends bring heavy traffic around Stanford Shopping Center.
• Sunday mornings are usually the quietest time of the week on every road.

Sunny weekends bring a different kind of traffic. The roads over the hills toward the coast, such as State Route 84 through Woodside, fill with beachgoers, motorcyclists and cyclists. Drive them slowly and pass bikes with care.

Check live conditions on 511.org or Caltrans QuickMap before you set off. QuickMap also shows lane closures for overnight roadwork.

Road rules to know

• Since January 1, 2025, California bans stopping or parking within 20 feet of the approach side of a crosswalk, even without red paint.
• Do not leave a car in the same spot on a public street for more than 72 hours.
• Watch for cyclists. Palo Alto has a network of bike boulevards. Bryant Street is the best known.
• California Avenue between El Camino Real and Birch Street is closed to cars. Park nearby and walk in.

Parking and EV charging

Short visits are free in the city's downtown and California Avenue lots and garages. The limit is two hours on the street and in surface lots and three hours in garages outside permit areas. Our guides to downtown garages and California Avenue parking list each one.

Driving electric? The city runs 121 public charging ports at 10 sites, mostly in its garages. Stanford Shopping Center adds fast chargers in its garage. Tesla runs a Supercharger in the Bryant and Lytton garage downtown. See our EV charging guide for locations and rates.

Frequently asked questions