Silicon Valley

Over the last five decades, Silicon Valley has become world famous as the home of Microsoft and Apple, two giants of the technology world. Many other companies have since joined them: Google, Facebook, Uber, Airbnb and Intel, to name a few. The name originated from the silicon chips used in computers, and although pretenders have popped up all over the world (Silicon Roundabout in East London, anyone?), the valley is still the boss.

Boys and their toys

Silicon Valley is home to some 4 million people and 28% of private sector jobs are in high-tech. It also has the most millionaires and billionaires per capital of anywhere in the US. Amusingly, but actually rather damningly, there are 15% more men than women in the area.

The Intel Museum may seem a little dry - you certainly won’t find queues here - but it’s a very interesting place. You can learn all about microprocessors, how our computing devices work (let’s face it: most of us have no idea), and how they took over the world.

Afterwards, grab a bite at Buck’s of Woodside, Silicon Valley’s most well-known meeting place for venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. It’s an unassuming place but mountains are moved on those tables: both Hotmail and Tesla were incorporated here. They serve classic and reasonably-priced diner fare throughout the day.

But if you want to get out and into the wild then you can head to the nearby Santa Cruz mountains. You can drive to Mount Umunhum, the fourth-highest peak in the range, and enjoy a spectacular view from over 3000 metres. Also in Silicon Valley are the Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, and Stanford University, the wonderful campus of which is near Palo Alto.