San Francisco Giants

Of all the big-league teams around the Bay, the Giants are the one Palo Alto can reach with the least effort. Caltrain runs from the Palo Alto and California Avenue stations straight to the 4th and King terminal in San Francisco. From the platform it is a few minutes' walk up King Street to the ballpark gates. No transfer, no stadium parking and on a sunny afternoon one of the best settings in baseball.

This guide covers the team: where things stand in early November 2026, the 2027 schedule, transit and driving tips, tickets, families and a short history. For the ballpark itself, from gates to garlic fries, see our page on Oracle Park.

Where the Giants stand in November 2026

It is the offseason. The 2026 regular season ended on Sunday, September 27, with a 5 to 1 loss to the Dodgers in 10 innings at Oracle Park, which completed a Dodgers sweep. It was a hard year. The Giants lost 97 games in Tony Vitello's first season as manager, finished fourth in the National League West and missed the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years, as MLB.com reported.

Vitello came to the Giants in October 2025 directly from the University of Tennessee with no professional coaching background. President of baseball operations Buster Posey gave him a vote of confidence at the end of the season. The winter will bring roster changes. The club has already posted its 2027 schedule and a holiday ticket offer. Spring training games in Scottsdale, Arizona, start in late February.

The 2027 schedule

The Giants released a tentative 2027 regular season schedule on July 16, 2026. These are the highlights from the club's announcement:

The Giants finish 2027 on the road in Minnesota and Colorado. They are away on Mother's Day, Father's Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day, so holiday plans at the ballpark will have to wait a year. The club calls the schedule tentative, so confirm dates before you book travel. Looking further ahead, Oracle Park is set to host the 2028 MLB All-Star Game, which the club already promotes on its site.

Getting there from Palo Alto

By Caltrain

Ride Caltrain north to San Francisco 4th and King. In the early November 2026 timetable an express train takes about 39 minutes from Palo Alto, a limited train 41 to 43 minutes and a local about 50 minutes. Caltrain's events page says the ballpark is 0.2 miles from the station. Walk northeast on King Street and the brick arcade is in front of you.

1. Pay with Clipper or a contactless card to skip ticket machine lines after the game.
2. For night games, check the last southbound train. On weekdays it leaves San Francisco just after midnight, but trains after a game fill fast.
3. Bring a layer. Summer nights by the bay are cold and windy, even when Palo Alto was 85 degrees at lunch.
4. Give yourself a buffer. A crowded post-game platform can mean waiting for the next train.

Our Caltrain guide covers fares and zones. For a full day in the city before first pitch, see our San Francisco day trip guide.

By car

The drive is about 33 miles up US 101 or Interstate 280. Weekday evening games collide with the commute. Garages and lots around the ballpark charge event rates. The Giants also run a parking marketplace on their site where you can buy a space ahead. Many Palo Alto fans who drive still park at a Caltrain station on the Peninsula and ride the last stretch. See our traffic and rush hour guide for the worst windows.

Tickets and cheaper seats

Giants tickets are sold through the club's site and load into the MLB Ballpark app. The ticket pages also include a SeatGeek section for buying and reselling. Prices use dynamic pricing, so the same seat can cost very different amounts depending on the opponent, the day of the week and how the team is playing. A losing 2026 season may soften demand early in 2027, but treat that as a guess rather than a promise.

• Pick your opponent. Dodgers series and Opening Day are the hardest tickets. A Tuesday night against a non-rival is usually far cheaper.
• Look high and far. View reserved seats in the upper deck and bleacher seats are typically the lowest prices. The upper deck has a fine look at the bay.
• Watch for offers. The Giants list holiday ticket offers and occasional flash sales on their tickets page. Sign up for the team newsletter if you want to catch them.
• Know the policies. Oracle Park uses mobile tickets and has a bag policy, so read the club's permitted items list before you pack.

For an overnight trip with an evening game, a hotel near the ballpark saves the late train. You can compare hotels near Oracle Park and then walk back after the last out.

Tips for families

Oracle Park works well for a first baseball game. Day games on weekends are the gentlest start. Kids can watch boats in McCovey Cove beyond right field, where kayakers wait for home run balls. The giant Coca-Cola bottle and glove sit above the left field bleachers. The Giants post their promotional schedule each winter, with giveaway days that are popular with families.

• Bring sunscreen for day games and warm layers for night games.
• Arrive when gates open to see batting practice and settle in before the crowds.
• A cap and a radio or phone with the broadcast help older kids follow the game.

For a smaller, cheaper and closer version of the same game, the Giants' Single-A team plays in San Jose. See our guide to the San Jose Giants.

Where to watch in and near Palo Alto

From late March to late September, Giants games are on most nights. Three bars near Palo Alto say on their own sites that they show sports:

• The Pro, 541 Ramona Street. The revived Old Pro, open since January 2026, posts a TV schedule on its website.
• The Patio, 412 Emerson Street. A downtown sports bar with 21 flat-screen TVs and a large patio, open daily from 11 a.m. per its site.
• St. Stephen's Green, 223 Castro Street, Mountain View. An Irish pub that calls itself an all-sports bar, per its website.

Our bars and wine guide has more places downtown and on California Avenue.

A short team history

The franchise began in New York in 1883 as the Gothams and soon became the New York Giants. In New York it played at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan and won five World Series titles, the last in 1954. After the 1957 season the Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers moved west together, which is why the rivalry with Los Angeles runs so deep.

In San Francisco the Giants played two seasons at Seals Stadium, then moved to Candlestick Park in 1960. Candlestick was famous for cold, swirling wind. In 2000 the team opened its own privately financed ballpark at China Basin, first called Pacific Bell Park and later AT&T Park before it took the Oracle Park name. Barry Bonds hit his record 756th home run there in 2007.

The San Francisco championships came in a burst: World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014, with Posey behind the plate and Madison Bumgarner on the mound. Those teams made the Giants a regional obsession. Orange and black is still common on Peninsula caps. For college baseball closer to home, Stanford plays at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond, a short ride from downtown.

Frequently asked questions