525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose, CA 95128

If you want to take a ride into the eccentric, take your rental car through San Jose toward the historic Winchester Mystery House. There’s parking for guests in the front lot, so getting there is a breeze.

With a guided tour, you can get a look at the 100+ rooms of this bizarre mansion, designed by Sarah Winchester, of Winchester Repeating Arms fame, in 1886. It’s a quintessential spooky mansion, with hidden doors, ornate rooms, and dark passageways. They don’t make them like this anymore. 

201 South Second Street #120, San Jose, CA 95113

Eos & Nyx – named after the Greek Goddesses of Dawn and Night – is a sophisticated eatery that specializes in Californian fare, with dishes designed to reflect the duality of its namesake Goddesses. Enjoy dishes made with California’s freshest seasonal ingredients with a Mediterranean flair.

Eos & Nyx is open dawn till dusk, with an elaborate brunch menu featuring ribs, mussels, crab, steak, and French toast, and a delicious dinner menu with everything from oysters and crudo to bruschetta, pork chops, and chicken.

If you’re visiting Cali, then a restaurant like Eos & Nyx is the best way to get a taste of the state. Located in downtown San Jose, the venue offers plentiful and easy parking, so you can travel in your Hertz rental car to start and end the night on your own timeline. 

355 Santana Row, San Jose, CA 95128

Hotel Valencia is a striking and chic boutique hotel that is instantly recognizable, even amongst the charming buildings of Santana Row that it nestles between. Only minutes from Santa Clara, and in the heart of the Santana Row entertainment district, the Mediterranean Façade of this luxury hotel is immediately enticing.

With attractive lighting, a warm interior highlighted by textured walls and wooden furniture, you’ll feel as though you’ve been transported to the elegant villas of Old-World Spain. Dining delivers the same experience, with an ornate rooftop bar serving vistas of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Oveja Negra (Black Sheep) – a restaurant that delivers a modern twist on classic tapas.

Rooms deliver timeless chic, with stylish Mediterranean-style architecture, custom-designed beds, marble bathrooms, and 50” HDTVs. Parking is also available, so you can have your San Jose rental car on hand for all your adventures, near or far.

50 miles & 1 hour

Fancy a scenic coastal drive from San Jose in your rental car? San Francisco is next door – drive north along the I-280 and enjoy a ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, visit Fisherman’s Wharf, and enjoy a day out in San Francisco – best of all, you can still make it back to San Jose in time for dinner. 

160 miles & 3.5 hours

The city has its appeal, but if you’re in San Jose for a long time, you might find yourself longing for the outdoors. Take your Hertz rental car from San Jose, east along the CA-140, and into the Sierra Nevada mountains.  Say goodbye to the concrete buildings and palm-lined roads of San Jose and lose yourself in wonder at the soaring granite cliffs and waterfalls of Yosemite National Park.

528 miles & 9 hours

Want to see another American jewel? Leave the Spanish colonial architecture and Silicon Valley vibe behind as you head for the glitz, glamour, and neon-backed sparkle of Sin City – Las Vegas itself. The CA-120 takes you through the Scenic Sierra route, through Yosemite National Park, across the Tioga Pass, along the Eastern Sierra, and onto Death Valley – with a few more vistas in between. This route is only recommended during Summer or Fall, but year-round, you can head south on the CA-99 for a quicker, slightly less scenic route.