Bay Area Weekend Getaways: Santa Cruz, Capitola
Bars, restaurants, activities to do in, around Capitola: free things to do, unique activities for couples, adults; day trip /weekend trip to Santa Cruz from Bay Area
Last updated: May 9, 2025
Santa Cruz Travel Guide, Visitor Info
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Day Trips, Weekend Getaways To Santa Cruz From Bay Area
Santa Cruz is a great town; most people know it for the beach boardwalk for kids and young adults, but there is much more to it. For those looking to get out of the Bay Area and explore, this is one of the best options out there.
Like San Francisco or other coastal towns, it can be cool and foggy so best to look at temperature, cloud coverage at hourly intervals to optimize your trip for dress and comfort (aka wear layers).
Below are a range of recommendations from hikes, bars, restaurants, cafes, stops and more in/around Santa Cruz and Capitola. Not everything is accessible without a car, or at least not easily but there is enough to do there if you are adventurous and plan ahead.
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Getting To Santa Cruz From Bay Area Without A Car
Santa Cruz can feel so close yet so far, depending on where your journey begins. If you can catch Caltrain, you can exit the San Jose Diridon Station and take the Santa Cruz Metro Bus (Highway 17 Express). It’s about an hour give or take, but has two stops an hour in the mornings and the middle of the day during week, and stops 30-60 minute intervals on weekends.
If you are coming from BART in the East Bay, there is a bus from Berryessa Station to Diridon that leaves every 10-20 minutes or so depending on day and time of the week.
Coming down HWY by car is more scenic while driving down 17 can be a bit nerve-racking as it is two lanes, through the mountains and features lots of speeding and bad drivers (be extra cautious during the rainy season). There is even a local Facebook group shaming drivers on this road. Not ideal if you get car sick easily.
Roads get backed up during the day, so arrive early as many people are passing through toward Monterey, Carmel & Big Sur as well.