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Directions and Maps
Santa Cruz County is located on California's Central Coast, approximately 65 miles south of San Francisco, 30 miles south of San Jose, 35 miles north of Monterey and 375 miles north of Los Angeles.
Airports
The nearest airport served by major airlines is Mineta San Jose International Airport, just 45 minutes north of Santa Cruz. Other nearby airports served by major airlines include Monterey Peninsula Airport (1 hour), San Francisco International Airport (1 hour, 15 minutes) and Oakland International Airport (1 hour, 20 minutes). Watsonville Municipal Airport is located in southern Santa Cruz County and serves corporate and private aircraft only.
Driving Directions
From San Jose and the East Bay:
Take Interstate 880 south. Interstate 880 turns into Highway 17. Follow Highway 17 to Santa Cruz.
From San Francisco:
Take Interstate 101 south to San Jose and exit onto Interstate 880 south. Interstate 880 turns into Highway 17. Follow Highway 17 to Santa Cruz.
From Monterey:
Take Highway 1 north to Santa Cruz.
From Los Angeles:
Take Interstate 5 north to Highway 152 west. Follow 152 west to Gilroy. In Gilroy, trucks will need to take the alternate route of Highway 129 west to Watsonville. Passenger vehicles can continue on Highway 152 into Watsonville. From Highway 129 or Highway 152, take Highway 1 north to Santa Cruz.
