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Plan your trip to Santa Clara for the biggest sporting events. Find hotels, tickets, and things to do.
Santa Clara is the Bay Area's big-game address — a Silicon Valley city whose Levi's Stadium has staged Super Bowl 50, Super Bowl LX in February 2026, and FIFA World Cup matches within a single decade. The San Francisco 49ers play their home schedule here from September through January, and the stadium's location puts San Jose's airport ten minutes away and downtown hotels a short light-rail ride from the gates. Between events, the city layers Mission-era history at Santa Clara University with the restaurants of neighboring San Jose and the tech campuses of the South Bay. This guide covers stadium logistics, transit, and the hotel zones that make a Santa Clara sports trip run smoothly.
Levi's Stadium, opened in 2014, anchors Santa Clara's sporting identity — the 49ers' home since the team left Candlestick, with five Super Bowl titles celebrated in the 49ers Museum built into the venue. The stadium has since staged Super Bowl 50 in 2016, Super Bowl LX in February 2026, and FIFA World Cup matches that summer, plus annual college football and the biggest tours in music. Next door in San Jose, the Sharks' SAP Center and the Earthquakes' PayPal Park fill the winter and spring calendars, while Santa Clara University fields competitive West Coast Conference teams. For travelers, the draw is a modern stadium with Silicon Valley ease: light rail to the gates, San Jose's airport minutes away, and none of San Francisco's fog or bridge traffic.
SJC is the closest airport to Levi's Stadium — about three miles and ten minutes by car from the gates. Taxis, rideshares, and VTA buses cover the short hop, and downtown San Jose hotels are ten minutes further east. For 49ers games and stadium events, it beats SFO for convenience every time.
SFO, 35-45 minutes north up US-101, offers far more international and transcontinental flights. BART and Caltrain combinations cover the route car-free with a transfer, but allow an hour at peak times. On stadium event days, expect heavy traffic on the 101 corridor.
VTA light rail stops at Great America station, directly across Tasman Drive from Levi's Stadium — trains connect from Mountain View and downtown San Jose, with expanded service on major event days. It's the easiest way to skip stadium parking entirely.
ACE and Capitol Corridor trains stop at the Great America station a ten-minute walk from the gates, linking Santa Clara with San Jose, Oakland, and the Central Valley. Check event-day timetables — services thin out after evening games end.
Santa Clara is flat and temperate year-round, and hotels around the convention center and Tasman Drive walk to the stadium in 15-20 minutes. VTA buses and rideshares cover the rest; only rent a car if you're touring Silicon Valley or the coast.
Hotels around the Santa Clara Convention Center and along Tasman Drive sit within a 15-20 minute walk of Levi's Stadium — the closest beds to the gates and the first to sell out for big events. Chain hotels dominate, and rates spike sharply on 49ers and concert weekends.
Search HotelsTen minutes east by light rail or car, downtown San Jose adds the San Pedro Square food scene, the SAP Center, and a wider hotel range from boutiques to full-service towers. The sensible pick when Santa Clara sells out or rates surge.
Search HotelsCaltrain-linked suburbs 20-30 minutes north offer quieter, often cheaper rooms and easy light-rail access to the stadium via Mountain View. Stanford, downtown Palo Alto, and Castro Street's restaurants fill the non-game days.
Search HotelsFly into San Jose International (SJC), ten minutes from the stadium gates, and check into a Tasman Drive hotel — most walk to Levi's Stadium in under twenty minutes. Spend the afternoon on the 49ers Museum and stadium tour, then head for dinner on San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose, the South Bay's best run of restaurants and bars.
Ride VTA light rail to Great America station — it drops you across Tasman Drive from the gates — and arrive two hours early to soak up the tailgating scene that fills the parking lots before kickoff. Inside, the sunken design keeps sightlines tight from anywhere in the bowl. Post-game, let the exit crowds thin over a slow dinner before the light rail back.
If the calendar allows an extra day, ride Caltrain from Mountain View or San Jose up the Peninsula to San Francisco for a city afternoon — the train skips stadium-weekend traffic entirely. Closer options include the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose or a Sharks game at SAP Center during the NHL season, before an easy ten-minute taxi back to SJC.
Explore tours, attractions, and experiences for travelers visiting Santa Clara.
Explore Santa Clara ExperiencesThe 49ers' NFL season runs September to January at Levi's Stadium, which also stages college football openers and major concerts through the rest of the year. Super Bowl LX packed the Bay Area in February 2026 and FIFA World Cup matches followed that June — the venue's biggest year yet. San Jose's Sharks and Earthquakes fill the calendar across town from autumn through spring.
Super Bowl LX wrapped at Levi's Stadium on Feb 8. Review ticket prices from $3,000 and Bay Area hotel tips, then start planning your LA 2027 Super Bowl trip.
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