Things to do in San Jose

Neighborhood · North of downtown

One of only three historic Japantowns remaining in the United States, and the only one that was never redeveloped away — six blocks of pre-war businesses, a Buddhist temple and Sunday's farmers market.

Local tip: Go for the Obon festival in summer, and for Roy's Station or the family-run counters on Jackson Street the rest of the year. It is a working neighbourhood, not a themed district, which is exactly the point.

Food · East San Jose

The commercial heart of one of the largest Vietnamese communities of any city outside Vietnam — Grand Century and Vietnam Town malls, and a dense strip of phở, bánh mì and cà phê sữa đá.

Local tip: Go hungry and go on a weekend morning when the bakeries are turning over. This is the single strongest argument that San Jose's food scene is underrated by people who only visit downtown.

Neighborhood · South-west of downtown

A 1920s streetcar suburb annexed into the city, with the most walkable high street in San Jose along Lincoln Avenue and bungalows on tree-lined grids behind it.

Local tip: The Friday evening and summer street closures on Lincoln are when it is at its best. It is the part of the city that feels least like Silicon Valley and it is priced accordingly.

Nature · East San Jose

California's oldest municipal park, in a canyon of mineral springs and grottoes in the foothills, with trails climbing straight out of a residential neighbourhood.

Local tip: Go in late winter or early spring when the hills are green — by July they are golden and hot. The Penitencia Creek trail links back down into the city if you would rather not drive both ways.

Nightlife · West San Jose, by Winchester Boulevard

A purpose-built European-style street of restaurants, bars and flats facing one of the highest-grossing shopping centres in the United States.

Local tip: It is entirely manufactured and it is also where the South Bay actually goes out midweek. Park at Valley Fair and walk over rather than circling Santana Row's own garages.

Landmark · West San Jose, opposite Santana Row

A Victorian mansion extended continuously for decades by the Winchester rifle heiress, with staircases into ceilings and doors opening onto drops — 160 rooms of it, and no overall plan.

Local tip: The famous version is the ghost story; the genuinely interesting version is what it shows about 1880s building technology and one very wealthy person's improvisation. Book the extended tour or skip it.