Free things to do in Palo Alto

Palo Alto is one of the most expensive places in the country to live, which makes its free side easy to miss. Two of the best art museums on the Peninsula charge no admission. The trails in the foothills and along the bay cost nothing to walk. The garage where Hewlett-Packard began is a short stroll from downtown and you can see it from the sidewalk. In summer the city even pays the band.

This guide lists the free things worth doing, grouped by type, with notes on parking and the few places that look free but are not. Hours and closures change, so we link to the official pages for each. For a full day out that mixes paid and free sights, start with our things to do guide.

Free museums

Cantor Arts Center

The Cantor Arts Center on the Stanford campus is free and needs no ticket. It began as the Leland Stanford Jr. Museum in 1894 and now has a large collection covering many cultures and periods, plus rotating special exhibitions. It is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Check the museum's visit page for hours on the day.

Anderson Collection

Next door on Lomita Drive, the Anderson Collection shows postwar American painting and sculpture from one family's gift of 121 works. It is free and lists its hours as Thursday through Monday. Pollock's "Lucifer" is away on loan to the Met until January 31, 2027, but the rest of the core collection makes the visit worthwhile.

Museum of American Heritage

Downtown at 351 Homer Avenue, this small museum collects everyday technology: radios, typewriters, kitchen gadgets and the like. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $10. It opens Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and has a restored garden behind the house.

Palo Alto Art Center

The city's art center at 1313 Newell Road runs free exhibitions in the 1953 building that once served as city hall. It sits beside Rinconada Park and the Rinconada Library, so it pairs well with a picnic.

Stanford's outdoor art and gardens

The Stanford campus works as a free open-air museum. Walking it costs nothing and much of the art is outdoors.

• Rodin Sculpture Garden. About 20 bronzes by Auguste Rodin beside the Cantor, open around the clock. The Burghers of Calais stands nearby at the entrance to the Main Quad.
• Stone River. Andy Goldsworthy's long, winding sandstone wall lies in a shallow trough just northeast of the Cantor. The stone came from campus buildings damaged in earthquakes.
• Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden. Carved posts, figures and drums made on site by artists from the Sepik River region, at Santa Teresa Street and Lomita Drive.
• Arizona Cactus Garden. A desert garden planted for Leland and Jane Stanford in the early 1880s, with about 500 cacti and succulents. Free and open to wander.
• The Main Quad. Sandstone arcades and red tile roofs from the university's first years. Memorial Church's maintenance closure was scheduled to end on October 31, 2026, so check Stanford's site for visiting hours.

Our guide to public art on the Stanford campus maps the major pieces. If you would like narration as you walk, try a self-guided audio tour.

Free hikes and nature preserves

The Stanford Dish

The Dish loop is a paved trail of about 3.5 miles through Stanford's foothills, with steep climbs and wide views of the bay. It is free. Stanford sets the hours by month, roughly sunrise to sunset. Dogs and bikes are not allowed. There is no shade, so go early on hot days.

Baylands Nature Preserve

The Baylands cover 1,940 acres of marsh at the east end of Embarcadero Road, with about 15 miles of trails and a boardwalk out over the marsh. Entry is free and the preserve is open from 8 a.m. to sunset. Late fall through early spring brings the most birds. Byxbee Park, a former landfill turned hilltop park inside the preserve, adds more free trails and art.

Pearson-Arastradero Preserve

Pearson-Arastradero has about 10 miles of trails over 622 acres of grassland and oak woodland at 1530 Arastradero Road. It is free and open from 8 a.m. to sunset.

The one that charges

Foothills Nature Preserve is not free. The city charges $6 per vehicle per day for cars with nine or fewer passengers and caps the number of visitors. It is still good value for a picnic at Boronda Lake, but budget for it.

Gardens and landmarks

• Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley Street. A 2.5-acre public garden around a 1902 house, free and open daily during daylight hours. Spring is its showiest season. See our Gamble Garden guide.
• The HP Garage, 367 Addison Avenue. The birthplace of Silicon Valley, California Historical Landmark No. 976. It is a private home, so view the garage and plaque from the sidewalk. Our HP Garage guide tells the story.
• El Palo Alto. The coast redwood that gave the city its name stands in a small free park off Palo Alto Avenue near Alma Street, beside the Caltrain tracks. See El Palo Alto.
• Professorville. Shingled houses from the town's early years stand a few blocks south of University Avenue. A self-guided walk costs nothing.
• Magical Bridge Playground. The all-ability playground at Mitchell Park is free and open from sunrise to sunset.

Free events through the year

The city and its partners put on a steady run of free events. These are the regulars:

Dates change every year, so check our summer events guide and the city's calendar. Both farmers markets are free to browse year-round: downtown on Saturday mornings on Gilman Street and on California Avenue on Sunday mornings. On campus, Stanford's Department of Music presents many free or low-cost student concerts during the academic year.

Libraries and learning

A Palo Alto library card is free for California residents and the five branches are open to everyone. The Mitchell Park branch is the largest and is open seven days a week. Visitors can also get up to seven free day passes a year to Stanford's libraries. Our libraries guide explains how. Library branches also host free story times, talks and workshops, listed on the library's events calendar.

Getting around for free

The Stanford Marguerite shuttle is free, open to the public and needs no ID. Its main lines run Monday to Friday and link the Palo Alto Caltrain station with the campus. On weekends, many central campus parking zones are free, which makes a Saturday museum visit easy by car. Palo Alto has no bike share program, but if you bring a bike, the Bryant Street bike boulevard is a calm free route across town. Check the Marguerite map for routes before you rely on it.

Saving on sights leaves more for a room. For the best rates, stay midweek or a few miles down El Camino Real and compare budget hotels near Palo Alto.

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