By Train in San Jose and Silicon Valley

Caltrain runs from 4th and Townsend streets in San Francisco to Palo Alto ($5.25 each way); from there take the free Marguerite shuttle bus to the Stanford campus and the Palo Alto area. Buses run about every 15 minutes from 6 AM to 7:45 PM and are timed to connect with trains and public transit buses. Caltrain service continues south of Palo Alto to Santa Clara's Railroad and Franklin streets stop, near Santa Clara University ($5.50 one way), and to San Jose's Rod Diridon station ($5.50 one way). The trip to Santa Clara takes approximately 1¼ hours; to San Jose, it's about 1½ hours. During weekday rush hours, the Baby Bullet express train makes the trip from San Francisco to San Jose in under an hour.

Valley Transportation Authority buses run efficiently throughout the Santa Clara Valley, although not as frequently as you might like. Operators can help you plan routes.

In San Jose, light-rail trains run 24 hours a day and serve most major attractions, shopping malls, historic sites, and downtown. Trains run every 10 minutes weekdays from 6 AM to 8 PM and vary during weekends and late-night hours from every 15 minutes to once an hour. Tickets are valid for two hours; they cost $1.75 one way or $5.25 for a day pass. Buy tickets at vending machines in any transit station.

Contacts

Caltrain (800/660-4287. www.caltrain.com). Downtown Customer Service Center (Light Rail, 2 N. 1st St., San Jose. 408/321-2300). Marguerite Shuttle (650/723-9362). Valley Transportation Authority (408/321-2300 or 800/894-9908. www.vta.org).