College Visit Guides

Drive guide · 2 days, 3 campuses

San José State, Stanford and USF in 2 Days: A San Jose, Stanford and San Francisco College Trip

A parent-first plan for seeing three Bay Area universities in two days from one Palo Alto base: a San José State University tour on the morning of day 1, Stanford University that afternoon, then the University of San Francisco on day 2 before flying home from SFO. Official visit sign-ups, where to park, three hotels from budget to upscale, drive times and seasonal weather, every fact sourced.

The mosaic-covered sandstone facade of Stanford Memorial Church, with arched entrances, seen from the Main Quad under a clear blue sky
Memorial Church on Stanford's Main Quad (Jun 2025). Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).

The short version

Trip at a glance

Schools
San José State University (San Jose, CA) · Stanford University (Stanford, CA) · University of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
Days
2 weekdays: San José State and Stanford on day 1, USF on day 2. Arrive the evening before.
Fly into
San José Mineta (SJC), about 27 minutes from our Palo Alto pick with no traffic. Fly home from San Francisco (SFO), about 26 minutes from USF.
Best base
Sheraton Palo Alto on El Camino Real, about 3 minutes by car from Stanford's Visitor Center, 30 minutes from San José State and 51 minutes from USF.
Car or transit
Rent a car for day 1. San José State to Stanford is about 31 minutes and 20 miles with no traffic. In San Francisco, USF suggests transit or rideshare if you can.
Registration
All three schools take visit sign-ups online. Stanford's tours fill quickly, so wait for its confirmation email before booking flights.

1. Who this guide is for

This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to compare three very different Bay Area campuses in one trip: San José State University in downtown San Jose, Stanford University on its 8,180-acre campus, and the University of San Francisco on its 55-acre Hilltop campus.

Stanford sits 35 miles south of San Francisco and 20 miles north of San Jose, so the plan bases both nights in Palo Alto, drives to San José State on the morning of day 1, comes back for Stanford that afternoon, and saves USF for day 2 on the way to SFO.

Why this order

  • Day 1 morning: San José State's one-hour Individual and Family Campus Tour is led by student ambassadors and covers campus facilities, academic programs, student life and support services.
  • Day 1 afternoon: Stanford's combined program is 2.5 hours, a 45-minute admission information session followed by a 90-minute student-led tour over a flat and accessible 2-mile path.
  • Day 2: USF's campus visit includes a brief information session, a 1-hour tour of the Hilltop campus, and an optional one-on-one meeting with a current student or an admission counselor.
Three campuses, three places to park
  • San José State: the tour office directs visitors to the North Parking garage (use 60 S. 9th St. in your GPS). Buy a visitor permit with the ParkMobile app or at the paystation on the 1st floor by the elevators.
  • Stanford: visitor parking is paid through ParkMobile, using the zone number posted on green signs in your parking area. The Visitor Center is at 295 Galvez St. on the northeast side of campus.
  • USF: tour visitors park mainly on Lone Mountain. Enter the ramp from Turk St., between Parker Ave. and Temescal Terrace; the visitor kiosk is halfway up.
Tour availability varies by season.
  • Stanford's Visitor Center offers only self-guided tours during Thanksgiving week (Nov. 23–27, 2026) and closes for the campuswide winter closure from Dec. 18, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027, with reduced programming during finals weeks.
  • San José State's campus is closed on Nov. 11, Nov. 26 and 27, and Dec. 25, 2026, so pick a different day for that tour.
  • Stanford's guided tours run most weekdays and on selected Saturdays during the fall and spring quarters, and there are no tours during the late-summer interim; the public can still walk the campus on its own then.

2. The suggested 2-day plan

  • Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, using addresses geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Bay Area traffic is heavy at rush hour, so add a generous cushion on US-101 and I-280.

Arrival evening: fly into San Jose and check in in Palo Alto

  1. San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) → Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel (625 El Camino Real, Palo Alto)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~27 min, 16.9 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Rent a car at SJC

  2. The Cardinal Hotel (235 Hamilton Ave.) → Sheraton Palo Alto

    Driving (no traffic)
    Walk
    Driving
    ~9 min walk, 0.4 mi
  • San José State calls SJC the closest airport to its campus, a 10- to 15-minute drive. Stanford is about 20 miles north of San Jose, so Palo Alto puts you between all three schools.
  • Downtown Palo Alto is a short walk from Stanford, with many shops and restaurants.

Day 1: San José State, then Stanford

  1. Sheraton Palo Alto → SJSU North Parking garage (65 S. 10th St., San Jose)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~30 min, 19.6 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required

  2. North garage → Welcome Center, Diaz Compean Student Union

    Driving (no traffic)
    Walk
    Driving
    ~7 min walk, 0.3 mi

  3. San José State → Stanford Visitor Center (295 Galvez St., Stanford)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~31 min, 20.2 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required

  4. Stanford Visitor Center → Memorial Church and the Main Quad

    Driving (no traffic)
    Walk
    Driving
    ~13 min walk, 0.6 mi

  5. Stanford Visitor Center → Sheraton Palo Alto

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~4 min, 1.1 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required
  • Book an early San José State tour: SJSU says its campus garages fill up daily by 10 a.m. If the North garage is full, the South Campus Garage (1278 S. 10th St.) has a free weekday shuttle to Duncan Hall during the academic year.
  • From the North garage, cross San Fernando St., follow the greenbelt toward the Student Union and take the first right. The tour starts at the Welcome Center on the north side of the Student Union.
  • Pick an afternoon Stanford slot, and give yourself time for the 31-minute drive. Registering for the umbrella Discover Stanford Campus Visit doesn't sign you up for a tour by itself; after you choose your party size, pick each program you want.

Day 2: University of San Francisco, then fly home from SFO

  1. Sheraton Palo Alto → USF Lone Mountain (2800 Turk Blvd., San Francisco)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~51 min, 34.6 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required

  2. USF → San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~26 min, 15.6 mi (no-traffic estimate)
    Driving
    Car required
  • USF's Welcome Center is in Lone Mountain Main 251, 2800 Turk Blvd. If you have a scheduled visit, stop by for a complimentary parking permit.
  • USF suggests flying into or out of SFO or Oakland rather than San Jose, which is about 50 miles away. Returning a car at SJC instead? USF to SJC is about 63 minutes with no traffic.
  • Parking on a hill? USF reminds visitors to curb their wheels, read street signs for time limits, and never leave valuables in the car.

3. Campus by campus

Tower Hall, a tan Mission Revival building with a tall bell tower and red tile roofs, behind a wide green lawn and palm trees
Tower Hall at San José State University (Oct 2018). Photo: Norwich1856 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

San José State University (San Jose, CA)

Where visits start
  • Book the one-hour Individual and Family Campus Tour, led by student ambassadors, on SJSU's tour portal. You can also stop by the Welcome Center on the ground floor of the Diaz Compean Student Union.
  • Can't make a guided tour? SJSU also offers self-guided, video and virtual tours. To cancel or reschedule, use the link in your confirmation email.
Visitor parking
  • Visitors buy a virtual single-day or hourly permit through the ParkMobile app or at a self-service paystation (cards, coins, and $1 and $5 bills, exact change only). Main-campus paystations are in the North Garage (65 S. 10th St.), South Garage (377 S. 7th St.) and West Garage (450 S. 4th St.).
  • Garages fill by 10 a.m. Live garage capacity is posted at sjsuparkingstatus.sjsu.edu, and construction near the North Garage can slow morning entry, so SJSU suggests the West or South garage.
Getting there
  • SJSU is the CSU's only downtown campus, served by more than a dozen bus lines and light rail, and SJC is a 10- to 15-minute drive away.
What to know
  • SJSU runs the Hammer Theatre Center downtown, and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on campus is the nation's largest joint-use library, shared with the City of San José.
  • Northern California weather changes quickly, so SJSU suggests dressing in layers for the tour.
Contact
SJSU Student Outreach and Recruitment, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192; campus tours 408-924-2786, outreach@sjsu.edu. Drop-in counseling at the Welcome Center, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: SJSU: Explore and Visit · SJSU: Preparing for Your Visit · SJSU: Visitor Parking

The mosaic-covered sandstone facade of Stanford Memorial Church, with arched entrances, seen from the Main Quad under a clear blue sky
Memorial Church on Stanford's Main Quad (Jun 2025). Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

Stanford University (Stanford, CA)

Where visits start
  • Visit programs run Monday through Friday and on selected Saturdays. The combined information session and tour is 2.5 hours, and there are also a Student Forum for students and a Parent & Supporters Forum.
  • Tours fill quickly, so Stanford recommends waiting for your confirmation email before booking travel. If a guided tour is full, register for a self-guided visit: registered visitors get priority for any guided-tour spots that open up.
  • Registration is only for planning. Stanford says it does not track demonstrated interest, and visiting is not part of the application review.
Visitor parking
  • Visitor parking is paid through ParkMobile: use the zone number on the green signs, pay by app or website as a guest, or call 877-727-5718. Stanford's searchable campus map has a Visitor Parking layer showing zones and time limits. Payments are non-refundable, so buy only the time you need.
Getting there
  • The Sheraton Palo Alto and The Cardinal Hotel are about 4 minutes by car from the Visitor Center. Palm Drive runs from the Oval straight to University Avenue and downtown Palo Alto.
What to know
  • Memorial Court, the main entrance to the Main Quad from Palm Drive, has several sculptures by Auguste Rodin. The Quad holds Stanford's 12 original classrooms from 1891.
  • Also on Stanford's own list: the Arizona Cactus Garden, Terman Fountain and the Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden.
Contact
Stanford Visitor Center (Office of Undergraduate Admission), 295 Galvez St., Stanford, CA; generally open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed most federal holidays.

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: Stanford: Engage Stanford · Stanford: Visitor Center · Stanford: Visitor Parking

The twin bell towers and dome of Saint Ignatius Church on the University of San Francisco campus against a blue sky
Saint Ignatius Church on the USF campus (Sep 2021). Photo: Vaishakh1234 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

University of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)

Where visits start
  • Each campus visit has a brief information session, a 1-hour tour of the 55-acre Hilltop campus, and an optional one-on-one meeting with a current student or an admission counselor.
  • Need accessibility accommodations? Contact admission at (415) 422-6563 or admission@usfca.edu at least 10 business days before your visit. USF also offers self-guided and virtual tours.
Visitor parking
  • For tours, park mainly on Lone Mountain: enter the ramp from Turk St., between Parker Ave. and Temescal Terrace, and buy a daily permit at the visitor kiosk halfway up. Scheduled visitors can also get a complimentary parking permit at the Welcome Center.
  • The neighborhood also has free 2- or 4-hour street parking around Parker Ave. and Turk Blvd. Read the signs carefully for limits.
Getting there
  • No car? From SFO or Oakland, take BART to Powell Street, then the 31 Balboa bus toward campus. You'll need a Clipper card for BART and Muni. USF also suggests rideshare.
What to know
  • San Francisco fog is real: USF suggests bringing layers. Its visitor's guide links to a student-made list of things to do, see and eat nearby.
Contact
USF Office of Undergraduate Admission, Welcome Center, Lone Mountain Main 251, 2800 Turk Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94118; (415) 422-6563, admission@usfca.edu; Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Last checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: USF: Visit · USF: Visitor's Guide · USF: Parking

4. Where to stay: Palo Alto for both nights, about 4 minutes from Stanford's Visitor Center

Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Hotel · Our pickMid-range

Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel

625 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA

Why here

  • It's about 3 minutes by car from Stanford's Visitor Center, 27 minutes from SJC, 30 minutes from San José State and 51 minutes from USF, so one base works for the whole trip.
  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 3.5-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Good to know

  • Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateBudget

The Cardinal Hotel

235 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, CA

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's in downtown Palo Alto, a 9-minute walk from our pick and about 4 minutes by car from Stanford's Visitor Center.

Good to know

  • Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateUpscale

Hotel Kabuki, part of JdV by Hyatt

1625 Post St., San Francisco, CA

Why here

  • Staying in the city before your USF visit? Hotel Kabuki is on USF's own list of hotels its visiting families like, about 5 minutes by car from campus and 24 minutes from SFO.
  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 4-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Good to know

  • From Stanford it's about 51 minutes by car, so move here for the second night only if you'd rather be in San Francisco. Confirm parking and amenities on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Stay both nights in Palo Alto: the Sheraton and The Cardinal are a 9-minute walk apart, about 4 minutes from Stanford, and roughly half an hour from both SJC and San José State, so you never have to repack. Switch to Hotel Kabuki for night 2 only if you want an evening in San Francisco.

5. Meals between tours

Hours change, so check before you go.

Downtown Palo Alto

Stanford says downtown Palo Alto, a short walk from campus, has many shops and restaurants, and Palm Drive leads straight there from the Oval.

Downtown San Jose

SJSU's visit page points families to downtown San José's restaurants, including spots featured in the Michelin Guide, and to the San José Downtown Association's dining listings.

6. Things for siblings along the route

With siblings

Stanford Dish trail

Stanford, CA

A 3.5-mile trail with views of campus and the bay. No pets are allowed in the Dish area, except trained service animals.

Official page →

With siblings

Arizona Cactus Garden, Stanford

Stanford, CA

Designed for Jane and Leland Stanford between 1881 and 1883, it's one of the campus destinations on Stanford's own self-guided list.

Official page →

7. Practical tips

Driving and parking

  • San José State: ParkMobile or a garage paystation, and arrive before 10 a.m. Stanford: ParkMobile zone numbers on green signs. USF: the Lone Mountain visitor kiosk off Turk St., or a complimentary permit from the Welcome Center if you're scheduled.
  • Palo Alto to San José State is about 20 miles and 30 minutes, and to USF about 35 miles and 51 minutes, with no traffic.

Flying in and out

  • Fly into SJC, about 27 minutes from Palo Alto, and home from SFO, about 26 minutes from USF. If you rent and return the car at the same airport, SFO is about 31 minutes from the Sheraton.

Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: San Jose and San Francisco Airport)

  • Spring: April averages about 69°F highs and 48°F lows in San Jose, and 66°F/49°F at SFO.
  • Summer: July averages about 81°F/58°F in San Jose but only 73°F/55°F at SFO, with essentially no rain, so pack a layer for San Francisco.
  • Fall: October averages about 76°F/53°F in San Jose and 72°F/53°F at SFO, with under an inch of rain.
  • Winter: January averages about 60°F/42°F in San Jose with 2.8 inches of rain, and 58°F/45°F at SFO with 3.9 inches.

Parent checklist

  • Register for all three visits online: an early San José State tour and an afternoon Stanford program on day 1, and USF on day 2. Wait for Stanford's confirmation email before booking flights.
  • Book two nights in Palo Alto (or night 2 at Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco), plus a rental car from SJC.
  • Set up the ParkMobile app for San José State and Stanford, and stop at USF's Welcome Center for your parking permit.
  • Pack comfortable walking shoes and layers: Stanford's tour covers 2 miles, and San Francisco is cooler and foggier than San Jose.
  • After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.

8. Student-athlete recruiting visits

For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.

Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.

Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.

3 Division I

NCAA basics for parents

  • Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
  • Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
  • Division I (San José State University, Stanford University and University of San Francisco): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
  • Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.

Planning around the season

  • Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
  • Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.

Student-athlete sources

All checked Oct 26, 2026.

  1. NCAA, 2026-27 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (pp. 3, 21–25)
  2. NCAA.org: NCAA Recruiting
  3. NCAA: Division I and II Recruiting Calendars and Guides
  4. NCAA Directory: San Jose State University
  5. San José State University Athletics (official site)
  6. San José State University Athletics: Prospective Athletes
  7. San José State University Athletics: Staff Directory
  8. San José State University Athletics: schedule of events
  9. NCAA Directory: Stanford University
  10. Stanford University Athletics (official site)
  11. Stanford University Athletics: Compliance
  12. Stanford University Athletics: Staff Directory
  13. Stanford University Athletics: schedule of events
  14. NCAA Directory: University of San Francisco
  15. University of San Francisco Athletics (official site)
  16. University of San Francisco Athletics: Compliance and Student-Athlete Affairs
  17. University of San Francisco Athletics: Staff Directory
  18. University of San Francisco Athletics: schedule of events

Trip planner

Plan this trip

Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.

Which schools?
Driving or flying?

Emails aren't active yet. Your plan appears right here on the page, with a preview of the email we'd send. Nothing you type here is sent or saved. Only if you use the route planner in your plan is the starting point you type there sent to our map provider, Geoapify, to plan the drive; we never store it. Privacy

Sources

All checked Oct 28, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.

  1. San José State University, Student Outreach and Recruitment: Explore and Visit
  2. San José State University: Individual and Family Campus Tour (official sign-up)
  3. San José State University, Student Outreach and Recruitment: Preparing for Your Visit
  4. San José State University: Visit Campus
  5. San José State University Parking Services: Daily or Short Term Parking
  6. San José State University Parking Services
  7. Stanford Undergraduate Admission: Engage Stanford
  8. Stanford Undergraduate Admission: Discover Stanford Campus Visit (official sign-up)
  9. Stanford Visitor Information: Visitor Center
  10. Stanford Visitor Information: The Basics
  11. Stanford Transportation: Visitor Parking
  12. Stanford Visitor Information: Explore Campus
  13. University of San Francisco Undergraduate Admission: Visit
  14. University of San Francisco: Campus Visit (official sign-up)
  15. University of San Francisco Undergraduate Admission: Visitor's Guide
  16. University of San Francisco: Parking
  17. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), driving profile
  18. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), foot profile
  19. OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoder
  20. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 Monthly Normals, San Jose, CA (USW00023293)
  21. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 Monthly Normals, San Francisco Intl AP, CA (USW00023234)
  22. Expedia listing: Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Palo-Alto-Hotels-Sheraton-Palo-Alto-Hotel.h8280.Hotel-Information)
  23. Expedia listing: The Cardinal Hotel (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Palo-Alto-Hotels-The-Cardinal-Hotel.h51822324.Hotel-Information)
  24. Expedia listing: Hotel Kabuki, part of JdV by Hyatt (star class, checked 2026-10-28) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/San-Francisco-Hotels-Hotel-Kabuki.h1003.Hotel-Information)
  25. Stanford Visitor Information: Plan Your Visit