Welcome to Silicon Valley — a place where ideas don’t just change industries… they change the world. Over the next few hours, you’re going to drive through the most concentrated ecosystem of innovation on the planet. Within just a few miles, you’ll see where trillion-dollar companies were born, where venture capital reshaped global business, where microchips powered the digital age, and where artificial intelligence is being built in real time. This isn’t just a tour of office buildings. It’s the story of bold risk-takers working out of garages… of Stanford professors who blurred the line between academia and industry… of engineers who nearly went bankrupt before building global empires… and of founders who believed technology could reinvent everything — from how we communicate to how we shop, design, travel, and even explore space. You’ll visit the legendary HP Garage, the birthplace of Apple, the campuses of Google, Meta, NVIDIA, Intel, and more. You’ll pass Sand Hill Road, where billion-dollar decisions are made over coffee. You’ll see how hardware, software, networking, design, entertainment, and AI all connect into one powerful ecosystem. For the best experience, please follow the route as it appears on your map. Traffic can be busy, especially during commute hours, so take your time and drive safely. Silicon Valley may look like quiet suburbs and low-rise office parks — but behind these doors, the modern world was engineered. Let’s begin.
Explore San Jose with self-guided GPS audio tours designed to help you discover famous landmarks, hidden gems, and local stories at your own pace. With our tour app, enjoy guided walking tours, driving routes, and biking experiences that turn your phone into a personal travel guide. Whether it’s your first visit to San Jose or a return trip, self-guided city tours make self travel easy, flexible, and unforgettable.
Welcome to San José, the heart of Silicon Valley — and one of the oldest cities in California. I’m glad you’re joining us for this tour, where we’ll explore how a little farming pueblo grew into a diverse, innovative city of more than a million people. We’ll start here in Old San José, at the Peralta Adobe and Fallon House Historic Site, the city’s oldest surviving buildings, right across from the lively restaurants and cafés of San Pedro Square. From there, we’ll make our way through downtown, past landmarks like the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, the San José Museum of Art, and Plaza de César Chávez. Along the way, you’ll also see the modern side of the city — places like San José State University, The Tech Interactive, and the SAP Center, home of the San José Sharks. We’ll mix in cultural highlights too, like the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, the Municipal Rose Garden, and the quirky, world-famous Winchester Mystery House. Finally, we’ll wrap things up at History Park, where you can stroll through historic buildings, hop on a trolley, and see how San José’s story has been shaped by its people, its orchards, and now its role as the capital of Silicon Valley. As always, please drive slow and safe. For the best experience, enjoy the ride and follow the navigation instructions carefully so you don’t miss a turn — or a story. Alright, let’s get started and step back in time to where San José began.