San Jose History and Innovation Self Guided Audio Tour

San Jose, USA
Duration2h 31m
Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away
TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted
LanguagesGerman, English
Group sizeUp to 99 travelers

Overview

Walk the streets where the world's greatest fruit empire became the capital of Silicon Valley. From an eighteenth-century mud-brick adobe to glass skyscrapers, explore how aggressive civic engineering, forgotten labor struggles, and experimental laboratories transformed San Jose. Discover where early radio voices took flight, where IBM engineered the first commercial hard drive, and how a city manager's annexation blitz paved eight million fruit trees for tract housing and tech offices.

- A 4.1 km self-guided tour with 8 stops over 151 min
- Ideal for travelers interested in Urbanism, Infrastructure & Innovation and History & Memory
- Immersively told in a podcast style by experts and locals
- Matching audio content, AI guide and navigation through the app

What's included

  • Verified facts woven into an engaging story
  • Interactive in-app guide for questions about the story and surroundings
  • Precise navigation between the stops
  • Immersive podcast-style audio featuring experts and locals

What to expect

  1. 10m
    The oldest standing building in San Jose, illustrating civilian frontier life alongside a Victorian mansion.
  2. 10m
    A 1930 commercial landmark that anchored the county’s powerful agricultural cooperative movement.
  3. 10m
    The historic heart of California’s oldest public campus and the practical engineering engine of the valley.
  4. 10m
    Richard Meier’s glass civic complex, framing the post-war annexation blitz that urbanized Santa Clara County.
  5. 10m
    The historic civic heart of San Jose, honoring agricultural labor while facing modern debates over public memory.
  6. 10m
    Ricardo Legorreta’s colorful museum, built over the erased blocks of the Park Center urban renewal project.
  7. 10m
    A 1936 New Deal auditorium where counterculture music, youth energy, and early personal computing collided. The story continues to Adobe World Headquarters at 345 Park Avenue, whose four downtown towers mark tech’s return to the urban core and are crowned by the Semaphore art installation.

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

Begin your self-guided tour at this address. Open the app here and start when you are ready.

End point

The self-guided tour ends at this address. You can continue exploring the area independently afterward.

Additional information

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
From
€5.99 €4.79 per person
Check availability & book
  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts
  • Instant confirmation
  • You'll choose your date and travelers and pay on viator.com. Prices vary by date, group size and option.
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