About 90 miles, plan on a drive of almost 2 hours or more depending on rush hour traffic.

San Jose International Airport (SJC)

San Jose, CA
(408)-501-7600

www.sjc.org

This route goes through the center of San Francisco.

From the airport parking lot, drive onto Airport Parkway and continue toward the Airport Exit. Look for signs that will direct you toward Highway 101 North. If you see no such signs, turn left onto Guadalupe Parkway and look again for the signs for Highway 101 North on ramp toward San Francisco. Once you're on Highway 101 North, continue for about 35 miles. In this urban stretch you'll see dozens of Bay Area Peninsula cities and town. You'll pass South San Francisco and the San Francisco International Airport.

After another 9 miles, Highway 101 North flows directly into the city of San Francisco via the Duboce/Mission Street exit. Take this exit and keep right at the fork in the ramp.

Highway 101 North flows directly into the city of San Francisco via the Duboce/Mission Street exit. Take this exit and keep right at the fork in the ramp.

Keep an eye out for the signs along the way reminding you that you are still on Highway 101 North. They will guide you along your way through the city.

The Highway 101 North signs will now lead you to turn right onto Mission Street. Follow Mission for just a block or two and take a left onto South Van Ness Avenue and the rest of Van Ness. You'll see the financial district downtown.

With all the "No Left Turn" signs, it's nearly impossible to turn left off of Van Ness, so if you ever want to, make three rights around the block instead.

After about 2 miles, Van Ness approaches Fisherman's Wharf. Keep following the Highway 101 North signs and turn left onto Lombard Street. Highway 101 North wends around and along the Marina, then straightens out as it becomes Richardson Avenue, and continues on to the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge.

As you approach the bridge's toll gate, passage to the North is free, but be sure to slow down to 25 MPH while going through it, because this is a double fine zone! Once you're on the bridge, you can to up to 45 MPH The outside, right-hand lane is the safest, and the best view. On the other side is Vista Point where you can pull into the free parking lot to admire Alcatraz, the cityscape, and breathe in the cool sea breezes.

Back on 101 North you'll go through the "rainbow" tunnel and down the hill into Marin County. After about 20 minutes, after you pass San Rafael, on the right you'll see the huge pink Marin Civic Center with the blue roofs, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

After another several miles through the rolling hills of Marin County, the highway will flatten out as you enter Novato. Look for the signs for Highway 37 East toward Napa and Vallejo. Highway 37 also goes toward Sonoma. Pass by the Ignacio exit and take the Highway 37 East exit. For the 6 miles you'll be on it, Highway 37 is pretty much a straight-away with one bridge over the Petaluma River and two sets of stoplights further on.

After the bridge, the first set of traffic lights is at a four-way stop in the middle of flat, hayfield farmland. (Just for your information, the road on the right is Reclamation Road, and on the left is Lakeville Highway [Highway 116] to the city of Petaluma).

Keep going straight past these lights on Highway 37 East.

Now up the rising slope to Highway 121 to Sonoma and the second set of traffic lights. Stay in the left-hand turn lanes and turn left. You'll pass Sears Point Raceway, then in another few miles, three south Sonoma Valley wineries.

Soon after you pass the Sonoma Valley Airport, on the right you'll see some eclectic metal sculptures at ArtForms.

As you approach the gas station and the deli on the left, and the stop sign just ahead, the road forks. The right-hand fork bends to the right, and the left-hand one leads to a stop sign. Be sure to follow the road as it bends to the right. You'll still be on Highway 121.

(Just for your information, if you didn't go right, and continued through the stop sign, you'd be on Highway 116 which goes to the city of Petaluma, or with another obscure option, Glen Ellen).

If you miss the turn to the right, don't worry. Just continue on to the stop sign and turn right.

Continue for another half mile. You'll see a huge billboard on the right advertising a local winery. Look for the sign that tells you Highway 12 to Sonoma (downtown) is just ahead and look for the left-hand
turn lane. Turn left onto Highway 12 and follow it all the way into the town of Sonoma.

This section of Highway 12 is called Broadway by Sonoma locals. About a half-mile after the 30 MPH turn, you'll pass a plant nursery on the left, then in the next mile, a set of stoplights and a palm-tree studded hotel. Further on is Sonoma Valley High School on the right. The historic Sonoma Plaza is just four blocks ahead at the T-intersection and the end of Broadway.

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