Fremont

Fremont is the closest East Bay city to Palo Alto, straight across the bay on the Dumbarton Bridge. With about 230,000 residents it is the fourth largest city in the Bay Area, bigger than any city on the Peninsula. It is also an unusual one. Fremont was created in 1956 when five small towns, Mission San José, Centerville, Niles, Irvington and Warm Springs, joined together. Each still keeps its own character.

For a Palo Alto visitor the draws are history and a sense of space. Fremont has one of California's Spanish missions, the old railroad town of Niles where Charlie Chaplin made silent films, a working 1900s farm run by the regional parks and big bay shore preserves. Tesla's car factory, the city's largest employer, is here too. This guide covers getting there, the main sights and how to plan a day.

Where Fremont is and how far

Fremont is in southern Alameda County, between the bay and the East Bay hills. Newark sits inside it like an island on the bay side, Union City is to the north and Milpitas to the south. Interstate 880 runs along the flat bay side and Interstate 680 along the hills. Mission Peak, at about 2,500 feet, rises above the Mission San José district.

Distances depend on which part of Fremont you want. From downtown Palo Alto, Ardenwood and the bay shore are about 15 miles over the Dumbarton Bridge. Niles and Mission San José are about 20 to 25 miles. Outside rush hour, plan on 25 to 35 minutes.

Getting there from Palo Alto

By car

Take University Avenue or Willow Road to Highway 84 and cross the Dumbarton Bridge. Tolls are charged only westbound, on the way back to Palo Alto: $8.50 for a car in 2026, rising to $9.00 with FasTrak on January 1, 2027. There are no cash lanes. For Mission San José you can also skip the bridge and drive around the south end of the bay on Route 237 and Interstate 880 or 680. Our East Bay travel guide covers both bridges and the tolls in detail.

Dumbarton Express on weekdays

The Dumbarton Express runs on weekdays from downtown Palo Alto, the Caltrain station and Stanford across the bridge. Buses stop at the Ardenwood Park and Ride in Fremont and end at Union City BART. The operator says fares changed on July 1, 2026; its fare page showed a $6.50 transbay cash fare. Pay with Clipper or exact cash.

BART

Fremont has two BART stations. Fremont station, in the central district, opened in 1972. Warm Springs/South Fremont opened on March 25, 2017. Both are on the Orange and Green lines. On weekends, when the Dumbarton Express does not run, take Caltrain to Mountain View, the VTA Orange Line light rail to Milpitas and BART north. It takes well over an hour. See our Milpitas guide for that transfer.

Mission San José

Mission San José was founded on June 11, 1797, the 14th of California's 21 Spanish missions. It stood on the site of an Ohlone village and became one of the most productive missions in the chain. Its adobe church was dedicated in 1809 and wrecked by the Hayward Fault earthquake of October 21, 1868. What you see today is a careful reconstruction of the 1809 church, completed in 1985 with a hidden steel frame for earthquake safety. One wing of the original padres' quarters survives and holds the museum. The mission cemetery lies beside the church.

The mission's visit page lists the address as 43300 Mission Boulevard and these hours and prices:

It is an active church. If a service is in progress, visitors sit quietly at the back until it ends. Parking is in the St. Joseph Church lot next door or on the street. Compare it with Mission Santa Clara, the closer mission to Palo Alto.

Niles and its film history

Niles grew up around a Central Pacific railroad junction that opened in 1870, at the mouth of Niles Canyon. In 1912 Gilbert Anderson, the cowboy star known as Broncho Billy, brought the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company here. The studio built cottages for its actors and a long studio building near the tracks. It produced more than 350 films in Niles, most of them short westerns.

In early 1915 Essanay's biggest hire, Charlie Chaplin, came to Niles. He made several comedies here, including The Tramp, whose final shot shows him walking away down a road in Niles Canyon. Chaplin disliked the chilly weather and soon moved his unit to Los Angeles. Essanay closed its Niles studio in 1916.

Today Old Town Niles, along Niles Boulevard, is a few blocks of antique shops, craft stores and cafes under the hills. The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, at 37417 Niles Boulevard, keeps the history alive with exhibits and silent film screenings in its small theater. Event listings have shown screenings on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, but check the museum's site for the current program. Our page on Palo Alto in film and TV picks up the story on this side of the bay.

Niles Canyon Railway

The Pacific Locomotive Association runs the Niles Canyon Railway as a living history museum on the old transcontinental line between Niles and Sunol. Its 2026 regular season ran on the second and third weekends of each month from March through October, with steam and diesel trains departing from Sunol. That season has now ended. Fares were $25 for adults on diesel trains and $30 on steam trains. All 2026 Train of Lights holiday tickets sold out early. Watch the railway's site for 2027 dates, which it expects to start in March. Our kids and trains guide has more rail outings.

Ardenwood Historic Farm

Ardenwood, at 34600 Ardenwood Boulevard near the east end of the Dumbarton Bridge, is the East Bay Regional Park District's working farm. George Patterson, a forty-niner, began farming here in the 1850s and his family stayed for more than a century. The park district has run it as a turn of the century farm since 1985. Staff and volunteers grow and harvest corn, wheat and hay with restored machinery. There are sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits and cows, a hay barn, a blacksmith shop and the Patterson House, a farmhouse from 1857 expanded with a grand Queen Anne addition in 1889.

According to the park district:

• Ardenwood is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Parking is free.
• Admission is cashless. In the historic season (April to mid-November) it is $4 for adults on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and $6 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with lower prices for seniors and children. Winter prices are $4 for adults.
• Train rides and Patterson House tours run Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays in the historic season, which ends the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
• Building work runs from October 12 to November 25, 2026, so some buildings and exhibits may close.
• Dogs, bikes, balls and barbecues are not allowed.

The Dumbarton Express stops at the Ardenwood Park and Ride nearby, which makes this one of the few East Bay sights you can reach by bus from Palo Alto on a weekday.

Bay shore and hills

• Coyote Hills Regional Park: low hills, marsh boardwalks and Ohlone shellmound sites, just north of the bridge.
• Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge: its headquarters and visitor center are on Marshlands Road, with levee trails over the salt marsh.
• Mission Peak: a steep, popular climb in a regional preserve above Mission San José, with big views on clear days.
• Central Park and Lake Elizabeth: the city's main park, with a lake path near the central district.

Food

Fremont's size shows in its food. The Centerville district is the heart of one of the largest Afghan American communities in the country, often nicknamed Little Kabul, with kabob houses, bakeries and grocers. The Mission San José and Warm Springs areas have many Chinese, Taiwanese, Indian and Korean restaurants in shopping centers. Old Town Niles has cafes and casual spots for a walk-around lunch. Restaurants change often, so we name none here.

Why a Palo Alto visitor might go

1. California history. A Spanish mission and a pioneer farm in one day.
2. Film history. Niles is where Chaplin and Broncho Billy worked before Hollywood took over.
3. Families. Ardenwood's animals and train suit young kids.
4. Open space. Coyote Hills and the refuge give the bay a different look from the Baylands.

Frequently asked questions