Our most recommended things to do in Mountain View

Silicon Valley: Self-Drive Audio Tour

1. Silicon Valley: Self-Drive Audio Tour

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map. Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! NOTE: This 42+ mile-long tour covers the essentials of Silicon Valley in 2-3 hours. Hop in your car and enjoy this self-guided audio tour of the birthplace of tech. Cruise through Silicon Valley while checking out the headquarters of tech giants and learn about the visionaries who’ve shaped the world, from Bill Gates and Steve Jobs to the controversies around Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos and the eccentricities of Elon Musk. Simply hop in your car, get the tour guide app set up on your phone, and get started. Start your tour at Facebook's headquarters and learn about Zuckerberg and his vision. All audios play automatically based on location. As your tour continues, learn about the oldest struggle in tech — idea vs execution. Arrive at the backbone of Amazon, AWS, and learn about Bezos and Amazon's humble beginnings. Next, head to the Android Garden and learn about the fight between Google and Microsoft. Continue down the road to Google’s headquarters, called the Googleplex, and enjoy a stroll through the campus before arriving at Microsoft and the beginnings of the modern world. Learn about Gates, BASIC, and Windows. Stop at a museum to play the first-ever video game and see one of the first-ever computers. From there, continue onto Apple to learn about the feud between Jobs and Gates and even stop by Jobs’ Garage. Finally, switch from smartphones to smart cars and learn about Elon Musk and Tesla as you drive towards the heart of Silicon Valley. Finish your tour at Stanford, the school of choice for tech entrepreneurs.

Silicon Valley: Self-Driven Audio Tour for Technology Lovers

2. Silicon Valley: Self-Driven Audio Tour for Technology Lovers

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map. Purchase one tour per car, not per person. NOTE: This 42+ mile-long tour covers the essentials of Silicon Valley in 2-3 hours. Journey through Silicon Valley with maximum flexibility, safety, and value on a self-driven audio tour. Simply hop in your own car, get the tour guide app set up on your phone, and set off on the ultimate adventure for technology lovers. During the tour, make various stops at tech giants like Apple, Google, Facebook, Tesla, and more. Learn about the visionaries who’ve shaped the world around us on an audio tour developed by local guides, curated by creative writers, and narrated by professional voice artists. Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app that will function as your personal guide, audio tour, and map all in one. Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! Hear about the feud between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, the controversies around Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, the eccentricities of Elon Musk, and more. See Facebook's headquarters, as well as the real backbone of Amazon — Amazon Web Services. Possible stops include Google's Android Garden; a museum where you can play the first-ever video game and see one of the first-ever computers; Steve Jobs's garage; and the Googleplex, Google's headquarters, where you can walk through the campus. All audios play automatically based on location. The tour concludes at Stanford, the university that churns out tech entrepreneurs. You can even visit the true birthplace of tech, the Hewlett-Packard Garage. Not sure you can fit all this into one day? No worries — once booked, the tour is yours forever. Split the drive into two days or come back later for a second round. Travel dates change? Again, not a problem — this Silicon Valley self-guided tour never expires.

From San Francisco: Private Tour to Silicon Valley

3. From San Francisco: Private Tour to Silicon Valley

You will learn the history of San Francisco and the Bay Area, why Silicon Valley is here, and how it started. We will pick you up from your hotel or residence and take you to Silicon Valley. You will see and take pictures in front of the Oracle Campus and Trimaran of Larry Ellison, both Facebook campuses, and the Garage where Hewlett and Packard started Silicon Valley. We will show you the Home of Steve Jobs. You will visit Google and take pictures inside the campus. You will visit GooglePlex Gradient Canopy Building and shop in the new Visitor's Center. You will have an opportunity to visit the Computer History Museum (Closed Mon-Tue) and learn the history of computers. We will pass by the NASA Ames Visitor Center and visit the NASA Gift Shop (Closed Sun-Mon). You will visit the new Apple Park Visitor Center and shop for Apple products and souvenirs. You will eat lunch in one of the restaurants on University Avenue in Palo Alto. (not included) You will take a 2-hour walking tour of the Stanford University Campus. See Rodin Sculptures, Cantor Arts Center, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering buildings, Church of All Religions, Books Store, and Athletic Facilities.

Silicon Valley: 45 minute Flight over tech's Epicenter

4. Silicon Valley: 45 minute Flight over tech's Epicenter

As you ascend into the skies, you'll be greeted by a breathtaking view of the San Francisco Bay Area. The iconic Golden Gate Bridge, a testament to human ingenuity, stands tall in the distance, bidding you farewell as you embark on a different kind of adventure. Your pilot, a seasoned expert in the skies of Silicon Valley, will guide you through this technological wonderland. As you approach Palo Alto, you'll see the lush greenery of Stanford University, where brilliant minds gather to push the boundaries of knowledge. The heart of Silicon Valley soon unfolds beneath you, a dazzling tapestry of innovation, ambition, and creativity. You'll soar above the campuses of tech giants like Apple, Google, and Facebook/Meta where visionary ideas are transformed into reality. Take in sights of Levi's Stadium, where the San Francisco 49er's play and Stanford University before returning home.

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What people are saying about Mountain View

Overall rating

3.5 / 5

based on 23 reviews

Very interesting information, unfortunately the reception is very bad and the information was not automatically played at the right point. It's better to do the Monterey to Pismo Beach tour because you'll be driving on the side of the road that has the best view and is also the best place to stop.

Good tour and a lot of back history. Read instruction first in the app. If you go on side routes, pause the app and turn back on when you get back to original route. Short notice on turns . Look at big picture first since traffic can be heavy. We enjoyed it

Easy to follow, lots of fun information, possible to jump things on the route.

Great tour, was good to hop out and wonder round at the locations.