Surrounded by rolling hills in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose is one of the most important tech hubs in the United States. Its historic centre features charismatic 19th-century Italianate landmarks and Spanish Colonial Revival buildings, as well as palm-lined public squares.

Things to do

One of the world’s most comprehensive collections of West Coast artists is on display at the San Jose Museum of Art, which lies adjacent to the Circle of Palms Plaza. It is set within a building designed as the San Jose Post Office in 1892, with the striking New Wing housing most of its 2,500 works of modern and contemporary art.

San Jose is home to the oldest parish in California at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph. It features beautiful stained-glass windows and a 19th-century Odell pipe organ, the only one in its original condition in the United States.

Witness the largest collection of Ancient Egyptian antiquities in the western United States at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. The buildings are designed in an Egyptian Revival style and exhibit decorated rock-cut tombs and ancient mummies.

Want to cool off during the summer heat? Visit Ragin Waters, the largest water park in Northern California. There are plenty of swimming pools and water slides for all ages, as well as lazy river rides and fountains.

Getting around

San Jose is served by the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, which is a few minutes’ drive north-west of the Downtown area. Trains and buses connect San Jose with San Francisco and other Californian cities, while light rail and buses service the city centre.