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California Highlights Road Trip3
Buckle up – you’re headed south on the Pacific Coast Highway, with a detour to the Wine Country and Yosemite, on a road trip that ticks off everything unmissable in the Golden State
You’ll start in San Francisco and then hit the open road where the driving is part of this all-American experience. Weave through the wine country and check off Yosemite before the coast calls. Mooch around Monterey and get all the Cali-Med vibes in Santa Barbara before La La Land steps forward for the grand finale.
Itinerary overview
San Francisco
Golden Gate City
Vibrant and bustling, with its iconic Golden Gate Bridge and hilly landscape, the city is instant...
Napa
Venture to Wine Country
The trip drive of your trip is comparatively short. Just an hour or so away (you can get there ov...
Yosemite
Monumental wonders
From Napa, drive 200 miles east to Yosemite National Park. Here, thundering waterfalls plummet fr...
Carmel & Monterey
Drive back to the coast
Leave the glory of Yosemite behind and drive 200 miles southwest to the Pacific coast. Some of th...
Santa Barbara
Welcome to the American Riviera
Savour the drive through Big Sur as you head south to Santa Barbara, a town whose reputation exce...
Los Angeles
Prepare to be dazzled
The final leg of your trip brings you to Los Angeles. Sunset-loving, moviemaking, ocean-living LA...
San Francisco
Golden Gate City
Vibrant and bustling, with its iconic Golden Gate Bridge and hilly landscape, the city is instantly recognisable. San Francisco's neighbourhoods come in many forms, from artsy nooks to stylish hubs. Stay a few days before collecting your hire car and starting your road trip. The Hop-On Hop-Off Official City Tour begins at Fisherman’s Wharf. Then, you’ll see the Barbary Coast, Embarcadero, and the Ferry Building before you arrive at Union Square. Pause for some shopping or stay on board to admire the Victorian Painted Ladies, then drive through the bohemian Haight Ashbury, where you can see the murals and art. Golden Gate Park (home of the de Young Museum and California Academy of Sciences) follows before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. Your ticket includes a visit to Alcatraz – the infamous prison island.
Napa
Venture to Wine Country
The trip drive of your trip is comparatively short. Just an hour or so away (you can get there over the Golden Gate Bridge or the Bay Bridge), Napa Valley produces the USA’s most famous wines. There are options for every palette, taste, and budget.Drive Highway 29’s 30 miles and absorb every heady detail of multisensory Napa Valley. There are stunning stops, door-to-door and back-to-back. The hard part is deciding where to stop. Sip fresh-from-the-vineyard wines in castle-like estates, stop at hillside boutiques with spectacular views and dive into high-tech subterranean tasting rooms.
Yosemite
Monumental wonders
From Napa, drive 200 miles east to Yosemite National Park. Here, thundering waterfalls plummet from granite cliffs, soaking too-curious sightseers with misty plumes. Hikers are giddy from witnessing the most extraordinary vistas. Fearless types tackle El Capitan – a sheer monolith of vertiginous granite. And surreally giant trees have you wondering: is it all a dream? There are hundreds of miles of marked hiking trails. Stop at the visitor centre for maps and advice, or ask at your hotel for the best routes on the doorstep. Once you’ve exhausted your legs, take the scenic drive to Glacier Point for the ultimate views of America's most iconic valley.
Carmel & Monterey
Drive back to the coast
Leave the glory of Yosemite behind and drive 200 miles southwest to the Pacific coast. Some of the best chances to spot California’s whales are off the coast of Monterey, with sightseeing trips aplenty depart from Old Fisherman’s Wharf. When you’ve returned with a camera full of shots of breaching whales and frolicking seals, stay for clam chowder at one of the wharf’s restaurants overlooking Monterey Bay and get a second glimpse of the seals playing on the rocks. Dreamy Carmel is the type of place you leisurely drift around, perusing Ocean Avenue's quaint galleries and boutiques and meandering through bamboo-lined passageways. Its restaurant scene includes some authentic Italian trattorias, so feast on pasta before heading to one of the wine-tasting rooms or walk the scenic bluff path above Carmel Beach before making your way down the stairs to the sand in time for sunset.
Santa Barbara
Welcome to the American Riviera
Savour the drive through Big Sur as you head south to Santa Barbara, a town whose reputation exceeds its geographic size. It’s a pretty small town 90 miles north of Los Angeles – close enough for its celebrity citizens to catch their agent in the melee of LA but just far enough away for escapism. You’ll pay a premium to sample the American Riviera lifestyle here, but some may say it’s more than worth it to experience the essence of Californian cool. The heart of Santa Barbara is a palm-lined boulevard where you can admire the Spanish-style buildings that give Santa Barbara its Mediterranean vibe. State Street, the main avenue, is surrounded by stores, bars, and restaurants, eventually leading to the coast. Save the walk for a sunset stroll and try the electric Santa Barbara Trolley that goes along the entire length of State Street.
Los Angeles
Prepare to be dazzled
The final leg of your trip brings you to Los Angeles. Sunset-loving, moviemaking, ocean-living LA brings the gloss, the grunge, and the glam. Come for Hollywood, but stay for every other irresistible horizon. Ferrari-flashing, diamond-dripping Beverly Hills is L.A. at its most lavish. Come here for Rodeo Dive’s constellation of luxury shops and Beverly Wilshire’s gold-flaked drinks. Craving Michelin star dining? You’ve got it. Want to ogle the A-lister’s extravagant pads? A Hollywood Celebrities Homes tour will show you how the other half live.
Other Itineraries
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