Origin
South San Francisco, CA
Morning in South San Francisco on Saturday
Local time
11:35 AM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from South San Francisco, CA to San Jose, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
47m
Distance
38.5 mi
62 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 43m
★
6 AM
0h 47m
8 AM
0h 55m
10 AM
0h 50m
12 PM
0h 49m
3 PM
0h 50m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
South San Francisco, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Jose, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Spanning 38.5 miles along the Pacific Coast, this trip from South San Francisco to San Jose is a straightforward, highway-focused drive that typically takes around 47 minutes. Since the entire journey is located within the same coastal region, it functions perfectly as a single-day excursion, requiring no overnight stops. With a fuel budget of approximately $9, the route is both efficient and budget-friendly for those commuting between these two California hubs. You will spend the vast majority of your time on major freeways, making this an ideal choice if you prioritize speed and directness over scenic detours. Whether you are heading south for business or leisure, the logistics are simple enough to manage in a quick morning or afternoon window.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Bayshore Freeway | 33.8 mi | 38m |
| Guadalupe Freeway | 2.5 mi | 2m |
| Airport Boulevard | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Produce Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West Saint James Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Julian Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Market Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Cypress Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Bayshore Freeway
— 33.8 mi, about 38m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between South San Francisco, CA and San Jose, CA.
1
Start on Airport Boulevard
366 ft
·
16 sec
·
Airport Boulevard
Use the straight / left lanes.
2
Turn left onto Miller Avenue
244 ft
·
11 sec
·
Miller Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
3
Turn right onto Cypress Avenue
364 ft
·
17 sec
·
Cypress Avenue
4
Turn right onto Lux Avenue
212 ft
·
12 sec
·
Lux Avenue
5
Turn right onto Airport Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
·
Airport Boulevard
Use the straight / left lanes.
6
Continue on Produce Avenue
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
·
Produce Avenue
7
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward US 101 South: San Jose
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Merge onto US 101
0.4 mi
·
29 sec
·
Bayshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork onto US 101
25 mi
·
28 min
·
Bayshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork onto US 101
8.4 mi
·
9 min
·
Bayshore Freeway
Toward US 101 South: San Jose, Los Angeles
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
Exit 390
Toward CA 87 South: Guadalupe Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on CA 87
2.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Guadalupe Freeway
Use the straight lane.
13
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
Exit 6B
Toward Julian Street, Saint James Street
Use the slight right lane.
14
Turn left onto West Julian Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
West Julian Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
15
Continue on West Saint James Street
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
West Saint James Street
Use the straight lane.
16
Turn left onto North Market Street
416 ft
·
8 sec
·
North Market Street
17
Arrive at destination
North Market Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
19 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 38.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 19.3 miles from South San Francisco, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 37.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Miller Avenue
Turn left onto Miller Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Airport Boulevard
Turn right onto Airport Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
8
26.6 mi into trip
|
~32m in
|
US 101 / Bayshore Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto US 101 / Bayshore Freeway toward US 101 South: San Jose, Los Angeles
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 101 South: San Jose, Los Angeles
7
34.9 mi into trip
|
~41m in
Take the exit toward CA 87 South: Guadalupe Parkway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 390
Toward CA 87 South: Guadalupe Parkway
8
37.9 mi into trip
|
~45m in
Take the exit toward Julian Street, Saint James Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 6B
Toward Julian Street, Saint James Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.85 one way
$17.70 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $9.12 | $18.24 |
| premium | $6.18 | $9.36 | $18.73 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.50 | $17.00 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 62% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.5 | 0 | $4.04 | $1.85 |
| Efficient EV | 9.6 | 0 | $3.37 | $1.54 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.4 | 0 | $5.39 | $2.46 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (62% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
San Jose, CA
Morning in San Jose on Saturday
Local time
11:35 AM
PDT
Current temp
42°F
Clear
NW 5 to 14 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
24 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
47m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a high-speed experience, as 94% of this route consists of highway driving. You will spend the bulk of your time on the Bayshore Freeway, which accounts for a 33.8-mile stretch of the trip. The transition into the area is finalized via the Guadalupe Freeway and Airport Boulevard, providing a consistent, fast-paced environment for the duration of your travel. Because the road is almost entirely freeway-based, you won't encounter technical local roads or winding scenic bypasses. It is a functional, no-nonsense drive that keeps you moving steadily from start to finish.
94% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 33.8 mi on Bayshore Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Bayshore Freeway and Guadalupe Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Miller Avenue.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 38.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 47m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Miller Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (Airport Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 26.6 miles (US 101 / Bayshore Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
81 ft
7 ft
Total Climb
101 ft
Total Descent
38 ft
Highest Point
81 ft
~38.5 mi in
Elevation Range
75 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from South San Francisco, CA to San Jose, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Los Angeles along the way.
Los Angeles
26.6 mi in
|
~32m
|
via US 101
About the Cities
Arriving in San Jose, CA
Full guide →Often called "the capital of Silicon Valley", San Jose is the largest city in the Bay Area, 3rd largest in California, and the 12th largest city in the United States, with a population of over 997,000 residents as of 2024. It was named the 6th safest big city in the U.S. in 2015. This clean, sprawling metropolis has sports, beautiful vistas, and ethnic enclaves and bleeds into the greater Bay Area for travelers who want to take their time in Northern California.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 47m. Total distance: 38.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
47m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (94%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 33.8 miles on Bayshore Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at San Jose, CA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Miller Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (Airport Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 26.6 miles (US 101 / Bayshore Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park (4 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at San Jose, CA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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