As the third-largest city in California, San Jose is a mecca for technology, with companies like Apple, eBay, and Google that call Silicon Valley home. But step outside Hotel Valencia, your Bay Area base camp, and shopping is the main attraction.
Yard House
Walking time: 4 minutes
Try one of the more than 100 brews on tap, or choose from a rotating monthly “chalkboard series” of some of the most unique and complex beers, like an IPA brewed with green tea, a smoked “campfire” porter, and rose-brewed saison. An extensive street food–esque menu, original artwork, and live rock music round out the come-stay-awhile vibe.
Yeganeh Bakery
Walking time: 11 minutes
Go for the namesake homemade wheat flatbread; stay for the fresh juices, like cucumber and watermelon. This traditional Iranian cafe features familiar ingredients composed in unique ways, like beef tongue and chicken jambon, plus savory yet refreshing desserts, like carrot juice floats and saffron ice cream.
Municipal Rose Garden
Walking time: 34 minutes
After a day full of shopping on Santana Row, unwind like a local in this five-and-a-half acre public garden. A natural grass stage offers a raised view of the more than 4,000 rose shrubs and 189 varieties of roses, with something always in bloom so there’s a year-round kaleidoscope of reds, pinks, and purples.
Winchester Mystery House
Walking time: 5 minutes
Like most Queen Anne Victorian mansions, this one features gold-plated chandeliers, imported Tiffany glass windows, and exotic wood floors. But doors that go nowhere, switchback staircases, labyrinth-like hallways, secret passageways, and upside-down columns? It’s all part of the eccentrically bizarre design of a beautiful 160-room former residence that has had visitors scratching their heads for the past eight decades.
Stay with Us: Hotel Valencia Santana Row
