Most efficient (least overall cost and time) to get from Downtown SF Mission District to Sunnyvale? (Mountain View: rental car)

[hydreichomp]

Going to be in SF at the end of this month, and we are staying in downtown to checkout all the touristy places. However, there's two restaurants in the Mountain View/Sunnyvale area that I really want to go to and am trying to figure out the best way to get there. I've heard Ubers are very expensive in SF so I was wondering if there are cheaper alternatives.

There will be 3 people total and from what I know so far, I have these options:
Caltrain - cheapest, but apparently will take 1.5 hours. $11 per person
Uber - I've heard this is expensive in SF, but estimates online say ~$60. Is this true? Would be much faster than Caltrain
Rental Car - I imagine this is overall the cheapest, but how is traffic and parking in Silicon Valley on a Sunday afternoon/evening?

Thanks!

[ccm123]

I would take an Uber or rental car. Parking and traffic in Sunnyvale or Mountain View on Sunday will be fine as it’s off business hours.

[HappyinCali]

No way uber from SF to sunnyvale is $60. I would say at least 2x that

Parking in silicon valley on a sunday would be fine. Driving there yourself is best option

[ippi76]

Rental car prices are at an all time high, but renting one if its say $120 for a day is probably still worth it for 3 people.

Also, rent the car at like 9 AM and go down to Santa Cruz or Half Moon Bay or the redwoods and then eat in Sunnyvale- get more for your buck!

[davdaven]

Rent a car for the day and have a proper day out, such as taking Highway 1 down the coast to Half Moon Bay or maybe even all the way to Santa Cruz. Silicon Valley is a huge snoozefest, and I can't imagine wanting to go to Sunnyvale, although I'm sure there are some great Indian restaurants there.

My long-time dentist moved his office to Sunnyvale and I finally gave up on going there, as it is simply not worth the trek on a weekday. Should be fine on a Sunday, though. No parking issues to speak of down there, certainly compared to SF city proper. Be sure to take 280 down there or back, by the way. It's a scenic drive. 101 is an s-show by comparison, even on a Sunday.

I suggest branching out from a traditional rental car. Look into Turo, Getaround, and Zipcar. Even Lyft has a rental car service in SF nowadays. There is a rental car shortage in the U.S. right now, so a traditional agency could be $$$$. Especially on a Sunday, assuming the office is even open then.

[ZeApelido]

Just amazing to me that someone comes to visit SF and wants to go to Sunnyvale

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by hydreichomp

There will be 3 people total and from what I know so far, I have these options:
Caltrain - cheapest, but apparently will take 1.5 hours. $11 per person
Uber - I've heard this is expensive in SF, but estimates online say ~$60. Is this true? Would be much faster than Caltrain
Rental Car - I imagine this is overall the cheapest, but how is traffic and parking in Silicon Valley on a Sunday afternoon/evening?

I do not like the Caltrain option due to the return schedules. If you miss the train back you will have to wait an hour on weekends for another one.

https://www.caltrain.com/Assets/Asse...04-26-2021.pdf

Originally Posted by ZeApelido

Just amazing to me that someone comes to visit SF and wants to go to Sunnyvale

It makes sense to me. There are many awesome ethnic restaurants in that area. For the first few years I lived in SF I drove to Sunnyvale every two weeks for authentic Indian food.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/20431025-post43.html

[evening sun]

Originally Posted by ippi76

Rental car prices are at an all time high, but renting one if its say $120 for a day is probably still worth it for 3 people.

Also, rent the car at like 9 AM and go down to Santa Cruz or Half Moon Bay or the redwoods and then eat in Sunnyvale- get more for your buck!

This Is a good idea, but Highway 1 on the weekend, to get to Half Moon Bay can be parking lot traffic getting through Pacifica. So leave really early if that is what you decide to do. I'd never use the train to go for dinner. The cost for Uber between 3 of you isn't that bad, & less hassle than parking etc.

[Timaea]

Take BART to the end of the line, then Uber the remainder. Also works easily in reverse.

[steve_holt]

Rental car is by far the best option here. Parking and traffic won't be a problem on a weekend. Caltrain also really, really sucks from SF to southbay on the weekend. It won't solve the last mile problem, unless your destinations are on Castro/Murphy in mv/sv.