• Campus Dining: Stanford offers over 30 dining options, including California cuisine, sandwich shops, and coffee houses
• Local Dining:  Use Yelp’s guide to find the best restaurants in Palo Alto
• Visitor Guide: Expecting guests while you're here? Review Stanford's lodging guide, public transportation details, and check out other vistor information
• Events Guide: Plan for scheduled campus activities 
• You'll discover students sometimes seem to speak another language (known as Stanford Speak)
• Stanford has over 600 student organizations that enrich the social, cultural, and educational experiences of our students
• The historic Main Quad is the oldest part of campus where you will find the interdenominational Memorial Church, featuring Richardsonian Romanesque and California Mission Revival architecture 
• Art enthusiasts will enjoy touring the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford Art Gallery, Coulter Art Gallery and strolling through the Rodin Sculpture Garden
• Sports aficionados should visit the Avery Aquatic Center and Cobb Track and Angell Field
• Have a picnic in the Oval; take a self-guided Outdoor Sculpture Walk, Tree Walk, or visit the Mausoleum and Angel of Grief or Arizona (Cactus) Garden
• History buffs may enjoy the Historic Red Barn, constructed in 1878-79
• Explore the Stanford Foothills with a hike to The Dish; walk, bike or run on miles of scenic paths
• Listen to the smooth stylings of student DJs at Stanford’s KSZU radio station
• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory offers public tours
• Trying to figure out where everything is?  Search the Campus Map

On the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, the North Bay is all about nature. Gas up, bring along a jacket, water, and something to eat!  Cities included in the North Bay are San Rafael, Sausalito, Mill Valley, Corte Madera, and Stinson Beach.

• Mount Tamalpais State Park and Muir Woods National Monument (heavily visited by tourists) offer hiking through deep canyons, sweeping hillsides, oak woodlands, and cool redwood forests.
• Point Reyes Lighthouse (along Point Reyes National Seashore) is a great place for hiking and viewing scenery along the Pacific Coast. Stop in at one of the informative Visitor Centers to learn about the area.
• Vista Point, near Sausalito, and the Marin Headlands offer incredible vistas of the City and Pacific Ocean. Take a drive along Conzelman Road from the northern foot of the Golden Gate Bridge to Point Bonita.

Even on the warmest of days throughout the year, always bring a jacket when visiting the City. Someone once said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

• For a grand overview, consider taking the scenic 49-Mile Drive.  
• The Cliff House and Ocean Beach can be the starting point for incredible hiking along Baker Beach. Perhaps you’ll find your way to the Land’s End Labyrinth or the Camera Obscura.
  
• Feeling adventurous?  Try a sail on San Francisco Bay or a leasurely bay cruise.
• Historic Angel Island State Park was the western immigration station from 1910 to 1940. The island now offers day hiking and incredible views.
• Retail therapy abounds in Union Square and nearby Westfield Shopping Center.  Catch a world famous cable car nearby on Powell Street.
• Chinatown and Japantown offer asian influenced faire.
• Clustered in a tourist-friendly area, visit Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Musée Méchanique, and perhaps catch a boat to tour Alcatraz.
• Ride a vintage streetcar along the Embarcadero and stop along the way for some sight seeing, including the SF Giants Baseball Stadium and Ferry Building.
• The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) supports 19 distinct ecosystems. Go for a hike, enjoy a vista, and learn about California history. 
• On a clear day, plan to visit Coit Tower (to which you can drive, or walk up hidden stairs) and Twin Peaks. There’s also the Mount Sutro Cloud Forest. If you enjoy hikes with staircases, you’ll find plenty in the City.
• Looking for a bit of culture? Museums and galleries abound: Asian Art Museum, Exploratorium, Legion of Honor Museum,  Museum of the African Diaspora, Contemporary Jewish Museum, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA, near the Yerba Buena Gardens). There’s also the Clarion Alley Mural Project (a great neighborhood to grab a bite) and the Minnesota Street Project art collective.
  
• Golden Gate Park is home to the the deYoung Museum, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco Botanical Gardens, Japanese Tea Garden, and Strybing Arboretum.
• Check out another medical school by vising the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
• In the vicinity of The Presidio, you’ll find the Walt Disney Family Museum, the Star Wars Lucasfilm campus (and Yoda), and what's left of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition, the Palace of Fine Arts.
• City Hall, SFJazz Center, Symphony Hall, and the War Memorial Opera House are all within easy walking distance of each other.

Including Stanford, the Peninsula has Silicon Valley and the beautiful San Mateo County coastline to offer.  CalTrain travels the length of the eastern side of the peninsula.  It stops in many of the cities in the region, Burlingame, San Mateo, San Carlos, Redwood City, and Palo Alto to name a few. 

• Back a Yard Caribbean Grill is one of the go-to places for Stanford students. Bring your appetite!
• You’re in Silicon Valley, why not visit the Googleplex and Apple Park.
• The Hiller Aviation Museum and Moffett Field Historical Society Museum provide a history of the Bay Area's role in aviation and national defense.
• Half Moon Bay, San Gregorio, and Pescadero State Beaches offer beautiful coastlines, and on a good day, maybe even some sun!
• Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park is one of the tallest lighthouses in America.
• Año Neuvo State Park is home to one of the largest breeding colonies of northern elephant seals. Guided walks are offered from December through March.

From Stanford, the East Bay can be reached by different routes going north east across or around the San Francsico Bay. Cities included in the East Bay area are Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, and Oakland.

• Chabot Space & Science Center is a place for students of all ages to learn and be inspired about the Universe and our Planet Earth.
• Chez Panisse, opened by Alice Waters, inventor of California cuisine, is where foodies go to worship.
• Built in 1928, the Fox Theatre is an architectural masterpiece.
• Widely acclaimed as the East Bay’s best, visit the Oakland Grand Lake Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9:00am-2:00pm.
• Beat Cal! The University of California, Berkeley (UCB) is one of the country’s other oldest and top universities.
• For over 50 years, the Woodminster Theatre has been Oakland’s summer theatre under the stars. The theatre operates from July through September.

The South Bay has a mix of unusual sites and scenery.  Cities included in the region are Mountain View, San Jose, Cupertino, Los Gatos, and Saratoga.

• The Winchester Mystery House is a peculiar mansion wrapped in legend and lore.
• At over 18,000 acres, Big Basin Redwoods State Park offers 80 miles of hiking trails through old-growth redwood forests.
• Los Gatos Creek Trail is an 11.2-mile multi-use recreational trail running through the urban jungles of San Jose, Campbell, and historic Los Gatos.
• Visit the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and the Municipal Rose Garden.
• The Tech (the Tech Museum of Innovation) is an interactive and technology center offering a glimpse of perhaps the most innovative placees on Earth.
• Enjoy views hiking the Fremont Older Preserve.
• Saratoga offers two unique venues for arts and entertainment: Montalvo Arts Center and The Mountain Winery.

• Santa Cruz has more to offer than just spectacular beaches and a boardwalk amuzement park.  
• Stop off in nearby Capitola if traveling down to the Monterey peninsula.
• For a picturesque overview of the Monterey peninsula, take the scenic 17-Mile Drive.  It will take you through Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, arriving at the quaint town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. 
• Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium and stroll through Cannery Row.  Stop in at nearby Old Fisherman's Wharf to catch a boat for whale watching.  
• Check out the Point Lobos State Nature Preserve just south of Carmel.
• In Salinas, learn about John Steinbeck at the National Steinbeck Center.
• Maybe watching racing in Laguna Seca is your preferred pastime.

Skiing in the winter, boating, hiking, and swimming in the summer. Lake Tahoe, around two million years old, offers plenty of recreational activities.

• Lake Tahoe Top Activities
• Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts

• Ride the rides! Disneyland & Disney California Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, LegoLand, and Universal Studios Hollywood
• Too numerous to list, just a few of the museums: California African American Museum, The Getty Villa, the LaBrea Tar Pits & Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Tolerance, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, the Skirball Cultural Center, The J. Paul Getty Museum
• How about horseback riding under the Hollywood sign? You won’t be too far from the Griffith Observatory.
• Hike along the Hollywood Hills at the Lake Hollywood Reservoir Walking Trail
• Enjoy 21 miles of coastline cycling on The Strand (aka the Marvin Braude Bike Trail). While there, enjoy the Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach (aka Muscle Beach).
• Visit yet another world-class school by going to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• Hollywood Boulevard is a cultural icon for tourists! Not only will you find the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but also the Chinese Theater, the Dolby Theatre (where the Academy Awards are held each year), two wax museums (the Hollywood Wax Museum and Madame Tussauds Hollywood), and the Hollywood Museum, along with dining, shopping, and nightlife.
• Do you enjoy eating at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant? While in Hollywood, try the Tamarind Ave Deli. Great sandwiches served with exotic sodas and chips. A local favorite!
• Going to San Diego? Visit the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, Balboa Park, or other attractions in the area.

Ready for an exhilarating road trip?  Take your time and unwind by viewing the stunning scenery along the rugged Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1 / State Route 1).

Heading north toward Oregon:  Highway 1 winds along the Pacific Coast for hundreds of miles.  Going north from the Peninsula means you will see fewer towns (and people) as you wend your way along the coast after getting through the City.  Small towns along the way include Bodega Bay, Jenner, Point Arena, Little River, and Mendocino.  Stop and see the iconic Point Arena and Point Cabrillo lighthouses.

Heading south toward Mexico:  Go "over the hill" to catch Highway 1 in Santa Cruz (see Monterey Bay Area details above), once past Carmel, your next stop should be Big Sur, then stop at San Simeon where you can tour Hearst Castle.  The SoCal "vibe" comes on strong by the time you get to Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Malibu.