AIBU to ask for California travel top tips?

[QueenArnica]

Have posted in travel and had some great replies but feeling a but overwhelmed with where to start hence posting for traffic.

We are doing a road trip of Californina in August, me dh, dd (14) and ds (11).

Car and accommodation are booked, just want to make sure that we see the best sights, eat at the best places so any top tips or suggestions gratefully received.

We are in San Francisco for 4 days and will do the obvious (Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, trams maybe cycle across Golden Gate Bridge)

We then drive to Yosemite for 3 days, then on to Monterey/Carmel for 2 days (maybe whale watching), then on to Santa Barbara for 4 days, Hollywood for 3 days (booked VIP tour of Universal) and then last stop Newport Beach for some R and R.

Thanks in advance!

We did a very similar trip for our honeymoon last year and had the best time!

San Francisco:
As others have said, make sure you book Alcatraz way before you go as it gets booked up months in advance. The audio tour of the prison, narrated by forner guards and prisoners, is excellent. We hired bikes and road over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, then on to Tiburon where we got the ferry back from. The second part of the ride was much less busy as most people go back to the city from Sausalito, and you can do a detour to see the redwood trees in Old Mill Park, which is incredible. We also did a self-guided walking tour (I think from the Lonely Planet guide), which took in Chinatown, the Coit Tower and the beautiful Filbert Street steps. If you can, take the streetcar to Golden Gate Park and see the bison herd that lives there, and walk to Ocean Beach.

Trip Advisor really helped us with planning Yosemite and you can read people's recommendations for the different trails. We hiked the Four Mile Trail up to Glacier Point (very manageable if you're reasonably fit and incredible views) then took the Panorama Trail back to the valley, which takes in three waterfalls and is very quiet. (We were there in August and it was very busy in the valley and at the viewpoints but so peaceful on the trails as apparently most people don't venture far from their cars!) We saw a bear and it was the best place we've ever been! Leave your car in one of the car parks and use the free shuttle bus to travel between the trailheads and the villages.

We were only in Monterey for a day but enjoyed the aquarium, especially the sea otters and the 17 Mile Drive to Carmel. A whale-watching trip is a must - we saw humpbacks, fin whales, dolphins and even two blue whales! If you walk down to the harbour where the boats go from, you can see loads of sea lions, seals and sea otters.

Hope that helps. You will have a fantastic holiday!

While in San Francisco I strongly recommend taking time out to go a drive North - up the coast road. You go up through Marin County... Redwoods, if you have time you can even get as far north as the Russian River which is gorgeous. So many people don't explore north of San Francisco and really miss out in my opinion. I used to live there and never got bored of that drive. I used to do that drive on a weekend just for the pure driving pleasure of it. Scenery, fresh air, the scent of eucalyptus, it's lovely.

This is all incredible, thank you everyone!

Definitely try to cycle the golden gate, but take lots of water as there’s very little shade on the route. Visit Tiberon and Salcelito if you get time while in SF for a day trip. Take a tram somewhere, go to Ghiradelli (chocolate factory).

Carmel itself I enjoyed more than Monterey. There’s a wonderful Greek restaurant but I can’t remember the name. Of course visit the aquarium in Monterey though!! And Seventeen Mile Drive, Pebble Beach etc.

Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz all beautiful, Big Sur is so worth a stop off!!

I’ve never been anywhere quite like Yosemite, it’s fantastic but be prepared for the heat, it was 40 degrees + which I was in no way prepared for!

Wouldn’t bother with LA.

Take into account driving anywhere takes bloody hours! We were staying near Disney in Anaheim and tried to drive to Yosemite. We gave up at Pasadena went there for lunch and turned back. We were in a permanent traffic jam trip would have taken 9 hours plus.

Go to a local baseball game we saw the New York yankees at the Anaheim stadium 5 mins drive from us.

We found one day enough for universal and each Disney park. Get to universal early and race round the high profile rides we didn't need the extortionate fast pass.

We had a few nights in the desert - Palm Springs - loved it.

Downtown LA worth a visit lunch in an amazing genuine diner, then to the Getty then Santa Monica beach that was our la day ( coffee and breakfast by the hall of fame the Starbucks has a view of the Hollywood sign). Seals on the beach were amazing. Great trip we still talk about it. Weather perfect.

Isn't the flight from the UK very long?
That's what puts me off going (that and not being able to actually afford it!)

We got cheap flights SAS via Stockholm and house swapped house and car. So not that expensive

Teen Dd loves the Warner Bros studio tour in LA . And she enjoyed seeing the Hollywood sign and stars, and Beverly Hills (she watches the new version of 90210.)

We stayed in Santa Monica which we loved - hired bikes to cycle to and down the front, and to Venice Beach. Saw Tom Felton aka Draco Malloy whilst there which made DD's day! Also discovered that we should have explained more to dd when we drive via Muscle Beach - having only heard is mentioned and seen it written down she was expecting to see a beach full of mussels 😂

Be warned - the coastal road can be very very busy. It can take a long time to make very much progress! Lovely scenery though. .

We also went to Universal Studios - didn't do a set tour as been to the Florida one a few times and it wasn't actually that busy. We also went to Disney.

This summer we are doing the first half of your tour - San Francisco, then were are going to Six Flags, Napa and Sacramento. The. We go to Yosemite and then Monterey.

We plan to get tickets in the first day they're available for Alcatraz and will plan too cycle the Golden Gate Bridge. And we want to go whale watching in Monterey, and dh wants to drive round Pebble Beach.

The traffic jam at the beginning of la la land is exactly what it was like road wise. Traffic jams were mental. Though sadly without the singing and dancing