San Jose, California in a day: what to see

San Jose is Silicon Valley's most populous city, the geographical heart of the world's technology industry, yet it remains less known to visitors than nearby San Francisco.

Founded as California's first civilian settlement, it preserves alongside tech campuses a compact historic centre and one of the United States' oldest Japanese neighbourhoods.

The Tech Museum of Innovation is the natural starting point: this interactive museum dedicated to technology, in the heart of Silicon Valley, offers hands-on experiences in robotics, biotechnology, and space exploration.

Just a few steps away stands the Plaza de César Chávez, the city's central plaza, surrounded by museums and home to public events throughout the year.

Continuing on, you'll reach the Winchester Mystery House, the eccentric Victorian mansion endlessly expanded by the widow of the Winchester arms heir, complete with staircases leading nowhere and doors opening onto walls.

For lunch, restaurants in Japantown, one of only three historic Japanese neighborhoods still standing in the United States, serve authentic Japanese cuisine in a welcoming atmosphere.

Santana Row is the quarter of shops and restaurants in European style, a gathering spot for shopping and the city's social life.

The Guadalupe River Park, a linear park following the river through downtown, instead offers cycling paths and gardens for a green respite amid the technological skyscrapers.

By evening, returning toward downtown, the restaurants around Plaza de César Chávez are well-suited for dinner, closing the day in the heart of Silicon Valley.

The Tech Museum, Plaza de César Chávez, and Winchester Mystery House reveal San Jose's eccentric and technological side, while an afternoon choice between Santana Row and Guadalupe River Park adds either commercial polish or natural escape.

Stanford's campus, just down the road, and a tour of Silicon Valley's tech headquarters remain chapters for a second visit. The nonsensical staircases of Winchester Mystery House are what you'll remember most distinctly about San Jose.