Hotels near Caltrain

Caltrain is the backbone of a car-free trip to Palo Alto. Electric trains have run the full line since 2024 and the stations sit right next to downtown Palo Alto, California Avenue, Menlo Park and Mountain View. Pick a hotel within a few minutes' walk of one of them and you can reach San Francisco, San Jose and Stanford without renting a car or paying for hotel parking.

This guide groups hotels by station. Distances are straight-line estimates from our own mapping of hotel and station addresses, rounded to the nearest tenth of a mile. Real walking routes run a little longer, so we add a rough walking time. We list only hotels with their own profiles on this site. For live prices, search hotels near Palo Alto station and sort by distance.

The four stations at a glance

All four stations are in Caltrain's Zone 3, so riding between any two of them is a one-zone trip. In October 2026 that cost $4.00 for an adult. San Francisco is Zone 1, so a ride from Palo Alto to the city is a three-zone fare. Caltrain raises fares on January 1, 2027. Check the current price on Caltrain's site before you ride.

Palo Alto station

Palo Alto station at the west end of University Avenue is the busiest stop in town and the one most worth staying near. Express trains stop here. The Palo Alto Transit Center next door is where Stanford's free Marguerite shuttle and VTA buses start. Hotels cluster on both sides of the tracks.

Hotel Keen is on the downtown side of the tracks in Downtown North and includes breakfast and loaner bikes. The Sheraton and the Westin face Stanford land on El Camino Real, on the campus side of the station. Both have pools and take dogs. Nobu and the Graduate put University Avenue's restaurants at the door. The Graduate is valet only, which is another reason to arrive by train. Several other small downtown hotels sit within a 10 to 15 minute walk, as our downtown guide explains.

California Avenue station

California Avenue is Palo Alto's second station, one stop south of downtown. Local and limited trains stop here. Express trains pass through. The station sits at the east end of California Avenue's restaurant street, a pleasant and more local base.

• Coronet Motel, 2455 El Camino Real. A family-run 20-unit motel about three blocks west of the station, around a third of a mile. It offers free parking and a seasonal pool. The motel's walking directions are simple: head west on California Avenue to El Camino Real and turn left.
• Creekside Inn, 3400 El Camino Real. About 0.7 mile in a straight line, roughly a 20-minute walk or a short rideshare. The hotel has a heated year-round pool and lists several EV chargers.

Stanford's Marguerite shuttle also stops near California Avenue on weekdays, which links this area to campus and the hospital.

Menlo Park station

Menlo Park station is one stop north of Palo Alto, with a depot that dates to 1867. Local and limited trains stop there. The Park James at 1400 El Camino Real is about a third of a mile away, a walk of a few blocks. It is a small independent hotel with the Oak + Violet restaurant, valet parking with EV charging and a one-pet policy. Santa Cruz Avenue, downtown Menlo Park's main street, is a few minutes away on foot. Palo Alto station is the next stop south.

Mountain View station

Mountain View station is a strong alternative when Palo Alto is full. Express trains stop here and it is the end of the VTA Orange Line light rail. Castro Street's long run of restaurants starts at the station.

• Hampton Inn and Suites Mountain View, 390 Moffett Blvd. About 0.3 mile from the station, just across Central Expressway. Hilton lists free hot breakfast and free self-parking, which is rare this close to Palo Alto.
• The Ameswell Hotel, 800 Moffett Blvd. About a mile north of the station, so most guests ride the hotel's free guest bikes or take a short rideshare. It has a heated saltwater pool.

From Mountain View, Palo Alto station is a short ride north on any train and California Avenue is two local stops away.

Farther north: Redwood City station

If the four stations above are booked up, Redwood City station is worth a look. Express trains stop there. It sits outside Zone 3, so the ride to Palo Alto is a two-zone fare. The Kasa Niche Hotel Redwood City at 868 Main Street in downtown Redwood City is about 0.3 mile from the station, a walk of several minutes. It runs without a front desk, using self check-in and 24/7 support by text, chat or phone. It has no parking of its own, which matters less when you arrive by train.

What about south El Camino Real?

The hotel strip at the Los Altos and Mountain View line uses San Antonio station, which sits under a mile from most of those hotels. Weekday express trains skip San Antonio. Walks there cross busy roads, so many guests take a short rideshare. If you want to walk out the door to a train, the hotels in the sections above are the better choice.

Tips for a car-free stay

1. Check which trains stop. If your hotel is near California Avenue or Menlo Park, pick a local or limited train. Express trains will not stop.
2. Use Clipper or the Caltrain app. Tap a Clipper card or buy a mobile ticket before you board.
3. Plan weekend trips to Stanford. The Marguerite main lines run Monday to Friday only. On weekends, walk Palm Drive or use a rideshare.
4. Bring a bike if you can. Palo Alto has no bike share program, but trains carry bikes and some hotels lend them.
5. Skip the parking fee. Most downtown hotels charge for valet or garage parking. Arriving by train can save a lot over a week.

Getting to these hotels from the airports

From SFO, take BART to Millbrae and change to a southbound Caltrain. From San Jose's airport, ride the free VTA Route 60 bus to Santa Clara Transit Center and take Caltrain north. Either way, a hotel near a station turns the last leg into a short walk. If Palo Alto is booked solid, compare Mountain View hotels on Expedia and look for one near the station. Downtown rates swing with Stanford's calendar, so you can also compare downtown Palo Alto hotels on Hotels.com for your dates.

Frequently asked questions