Attractions

 • Central Park is located off of El Camino Real between 5th Ave and 9th Ave. Inside the park is a beautiful Japanese Tea Garden.
 • Bay Meadows is the only horse racing track on the San Francisco Peninsula. Take the Delaware Street exit off of Highway 92 and head south. The parking lot entrance is at the end of Delaware Street at East 25th Avenue.
 • Coyote Point is a park located in the North-East corner of San Mateo off of Highway 101 at Peninsula Avenue. A small boat harbor is there as well as a natural history museum. Poplar Creek golf course, a municipal course, is located there as well. A hiking trail allows easy access to San Francisco Bay.
 • Crystal Springs Reservoir is located in the watershed area off of Highway 280 on the western edge of San Mateo. Crystal Springs dam is located just south of Crystal Springs off of Skyline Boulevard.

Shopping

 • M is for Mystery, 86 East Third Avenue, (650) 401-8077 An excellent mystery bookstore, with knowledgeable staff. Holds many readings.
 • Hillsdale Mall. A large enclosed mall with mid- to high-end shops. Features Macy's, Nordstrom, Sears, and Mervyn's.

Dining

 • Thai Satay, 173 E 4th Avenue, (650) 342-3617 Decently priced, with an extensive menu, this Thai restaurant serves authentic dishes that could fulfill any kind of mood you're in. They also allow you to choose your level of spiciness!
 • Sinbad, 150 East 4th Avenue, (650) 347-6060. Your first impression of the place will be: It's a Turkish grocery store. Your second impression will be: It's a Turkish grocery store with some pre-cooked food available. Your final impression should be: It's a Turkish grocery store with impressively good, inexpensive Turkish food. Although their kebob plates are good, get the stew of the day -- whatever it is, it will be tasty.
 • Taquer' Pancho Villa, 365 South B Street, (650) 343-4123. The line out the door should give a clue to the quality inside. Well-roasted meats, tacos and real Mexican food made to order, and inexpensive. Their horchata is good, but their smoothies are better (and made with fresh fruit.)
 • Apollo Restaurant, 2450 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo This restaurant used to be called Penang Garden and serves Malaysian/Singaporean cuisine. The food is very tasty, the decor is modern and clean. I've been there many time for their lunch specials and the food quality is consistently good. The wait staff is very friendly and helpful with food selection. They don't have a parking lot, but finding parking spaces in nearby streets has not been a problem.

Drink

 • Ray's Tea Time, 138 E. Third Avenue, (650) 348-7233. The original Taiwanese Tapioca Tea house in San Mateo, and still one of the nicest. Although it doesn't have as many flavors as the Q-Cup next door or the other tapioca place three doors down, Ray's Tea Time is among the most relaxing, welcoming tea houses in the Bay Area. The place also holds classes and sells Chinese goods. Free wireless hotspot.

Lodging

 • Best Western San Mateo, 2940 S Norfolk Street, (650) 341-3300, Fax: (650) 341-9999
 • Holiday Inn, 330 Bayshore Boulevard, (650) 344-3219
 • Residence Inn San Francisco Airport/San Mateo, 2000 Winward Way, (650) 574-4700, Fax: (650) 572-9084
 • San Mateo Marriott San Francisco Airport, 1770 South Amphlett Blvd, (650) 653-6000, Fax: (650) 573-0533 - Located at the corner of two major freeways, great if you're staying in San Mateo to get somewhere else. Nice lobby for hanging out and a 7-11 convenience store just 1 block away for those late night alcohol runs. Interesting pool and exercise room setup as well. Abundant parking, but you have to pay for it (and it's controlled with gates).

Get in

By air, San Mateo is conveniently located right next to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). OAK and SJC are reasonable alternatives, though not preferable.

By rail, use CalTrain or BART from Millbrae.

By car, US-101 and I-280 run through the city. It is also connected to the East Bay via the San Mateo-Hayward Bay Bridge.

Get around

Most convenient way is by car. If you're using public transit, check out the trip planner on .

Get out

 • If you're trying to go north to San Francisco, head to the Millbrae BART station nearby.
 • If you've already visited San Francisco, you can drive east to the East Bay via the San Mateo-Hayward Bay Bridge or further south down US-101 to Silicon Valley.

Links

 • San Mateo County Visitor's Bureau