Hotels in Palo Alto

Palo Alto grew up around Stanford University, founded in 1891 by Leland and Jane Stanford in memory of their son, and its campus of sandstone quadrangles and the Hoover Tower still anchors the town. Nearby Stanford Research Park, opened in 1951 as the world's first university research park, helped launch Silicon Valley and has counted Hewlett-Packard, Tesla and Xerox PARC among its tenants.

University Avenue downtown mixes bookshops and coffee houses with tech offices tucked behind hedges. It is an expensive, low-key college town rather than a nightlife destination, so evenings are quiet outside a handful of restaurant streets. Stay near University Avenue for walkable restaurants and the closest rooms to the Stanford campus.