San Mateo travel guide
San Mateo Tourism | San Mateo Guide
You're Going to Love San Mateo
With a population of 97,207, San Mateo is a must-see destination in California, United States. We recommend you stay at least 3 days in order to fully appreciate everything San Mateo has to offer.
Where to Eat in San Mateo
If you’re looking for affordable options, Espetus Churrascaria - San Mateo (710 S B St 0) and 231 Ellsworth (231 S Ellsworth Ave) are great picks. For delicious green meals, Rise Woodfire (2 N B St) and Flores - San Mateo (4 Hillsdale Mall) are recommended spots to get vegetarian or vegan food in San Mateo.
When to visit San Mateo
Looking for warm weather? Then head to San Mateo in August, when the average temperature is 64.4 °F, and the highest can go up to 71.6 °F. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 42.8 °F, with an average temperature of 50 °F. You’re likely to see more rain in January, when precipitation is around 4.4″. In contrast, July is usually the driest month of the year in San Mateo, with an average rainfall of 0″.
How to Get to San Mateo
Plane
When flying to San Mateo, you’ll arrive at San Francisco Airport (SFO), which is located 5 miles from the city center. Airlines that fly from the United States to San Mateo include American Airlines, Air France and Aeromexico. The shortest domestic flight to San Mateo departs from Ontario and takes around 1h 20m.
Train
Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to San Mateo. The train journey from San Mateo to Santa Clara takes 1h 02m and costs around $18 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from San Jose, expect to pay about $19 for a 1h 15m trip.
Car
Another option to get to San Mateo is to pick up a car rental from San Francisco, which is about 16 miles from San Mateo. You’ll find branches of Kyte and Sixt, among others, in San Francisco.
Bus
Several bus lines operate bus routes to San Mateo, including Greyhound, FlixBus and CoachRun. From Coral Hills, the bus ride to San Mateo takes 45 miles and will cost you around $18. From Reno, the ticket costs about $52 for a journey of 395 miles.
Airlines serving San Mateo
Where to stay in popular areas of San Mateo
Most booked hotels in San Mateo
Renting a car in San Mateo
Renting a car in San Mateo costs $67 per day, on average, or $201 if you want to rent if for 3 days.
It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 2% cheaper than airport locations in San Mateo.
Expect to pay $3.90 per gallon in San Mateo (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $46.79 and $62.38. The most frequently booked car type in San Mateo is Compact (Kia Niro or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Full-size rental cars (Ford Fusion or similar) are, on average, 71% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.