Day Trippin' › California › From San Jose › Sundial Bridge
The drive from San Jose to Sundial Bridge takes about 3 hr 43 min (north of San Jose), by real roads from ZIP 95112. Along the way we found 77 stops within a short detour: 21 coffee shops, 3 bakeries, 13 ice cream and treats and 26 places to eat.
The list below is the best few of each kind, in driving order, with how far into the drive you reach each one (counted from San Jose) and the detour it adds. Stops marked Our pick are chosen by us; the rest come from OpenStreetMap listings, so confirm hours before you count on them.
Photo: Chad K, CC BY 2.0
Landmark
A glass-decked footbridge over the Sacramento River in Redding that works as a giant sundial, linked to miles of river trails.
Heads-up: The bridge and trails are always open; summer afternoons are very hot.
First third Middle third Last third Sundial Bridge
About 3 hr 43 min by road, heading north from the middle of ZIP 95112. Traffic and weather change that.
Good ones to start with: Plucked Chicken & Beer (Pleasanton), Bagel Street Cafe (Pleasanton), Mexico Lindo (Pleasanton), Boba Bliss (Dublin) and Loard's Ice Cream (Dublin). The page lists 27 in all, in driving order.
Bagel Street Cafe in Pleasanton, Boba Bliss in Dublin, Milk Tea Lab in Pleasant Hill and Batter 'N Icing in Pleasant Hill. Check hours first; they come from OpenStreetMap listings.
Plucked Chicken & Beer in Pleasanton, Mexico Lindo in Pleasanton, The Royale in Pleasant Hill and Mikuni in Pacheco.
Museum of the San Ramon Valley in Danville, Hurricane Harbor in Concord, American Armory Museum in Chadbourne and Jelly Belly in Chadbourne.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Stops come from our own picks and OpenStreetMap listings; hours and detours change, so check before you go. We do not store anyone's location.