Should I try to see San Francisco and Los Angeles?

[AdamEfimoff]

My sister lives in San Francisco should I just see that and ignore Los Angeles. And see the Northern California or do the whole state.
Not Seeing San Francisco is not an option?

 

[StageTek]

You leave out one, very important part;

How much time do you have?

Two weeks? You might enjoy seeing both.
Two days? Stay in San Francisco.
Three weeks? You might be able to see the whole state.
Three days? You'll never see the whole state.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

3 weeks

 

[StageTek]

In that case do not ignore Los Angeles if it holds any interest to you. See a bit of Northern california and then take a trip south to see a bit of Southern California.

 

[ExcitedMama]

I can’t fathom spending 3 weeks in SF or Nor Cal alone, but then it probably depends on how much time you want to spend with your sister and whether she can travel with you. I’m from the Bay Area and still live here but I’d vote for seeing more. There’s nothing like traveling the CA coast, especially if you can enjoy it at a leisurely pace. Plan ahead for alternate routes because of closures, 101 is closed in Santa Barbara and 1 always seems to be closed in Big Sur. Monterey is beautiful, especially Pacific Grove and 17 mi drive in Pebble Beach. Big Sur is breathtaking. Hearst Castle is a great stop with wonderful little beach towns. Great beach stops around San Louis Obispo. Santa Barbara is bigger and great but might depend on how they are recovering from the mudslides in Montecito. If 101 to LA is closed then you’d definitely want to consider your options. So much to do in LA of course and then you could consider going onto San Diego.

 

[oakleycat]

Yes, with three weeks do the whole coast!

 

[AdamEfimoff]

okay
as everyone knows its been really hard
to plan a trip to california
its a lot of distance to cover and I have been trying to streamline everything
but have been having problems
and as such I believe when I feel everything is not right
in delaying
and this case have decided to delay for another year
thanks for all your help

 

[Toolulu22]

I can’t fathom spending 3 weeks in SF or Nor Cal alone, but then it probably depends on how much time you want to spend with your sister and whether she can travel with you. I’m from the Bay Area and still live here but I’d vote for seeing more. There’s nothing like traveling the CA coast, especially if you can enjoy it at a leisurely pace. Plan ahead for alternate routes because of closures, 101 is closed in Santa Barbara and 1 always seems to be closed in Big Sur. Monterey is beautiful, especially Pacific Grove and 17 mi drive in Pebble Beach. Big Sur is breathtaking. Hearst Castle is a great stop with wonderful little beach towns. Great beach stops around San Louis Obispo. Santa Barbara is bigger and great but might depend on how they are recovering from the mudslides in Montecito. If 101 to LA is closed then you’d definitely want to consider your options. So much to do in LA of course and then you could consider going onto San Diego.

Thank you - this is helpful for us. We are debating if we can do SF and LA in one trip and if so, what to expect on the route(s) down.

 

[bcla]

Thank you - this is helpful for us. We are debating if we can do SF and LA in one trip and if so, what to expect on the route(s) down.

The Central Coast is of course spectacular, but so is the Sierra Nevada. There's Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Sequoia/Kings Canyon. Also if you're thinking of redwoods, the North Coast (Humboldt, Mendocino, Del Norte Counties) has the most spectacular examples.

 

[Toolulu22]

The Central Coast is of course spectacular, but so is the Sierra Nevada. There's Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Sequoia/Kings Canyon. Also if you're thinking of redwoods, the North Coast (Humboldt, Mendocino, Del Norte Counties) has the most spectacular examples.

I think we'd enjoy the Sierra Nevada options more, if we had to choose between the two. My husband wants to see San Francisco, we always go to baseball games in new cities (so it'll be easy to fit that in with the number of teams in SF and LA areas), we want to see Disneyland, try to get into a talk show/game show audience, and see the big trees., I don't know if we can truly do it all in two weeks (that includes travel to and from NY). I have the summer off, but hubby has to take off from work and summer is busy, so two weeks is max. We are efficient travelers, and have traveled through Utah, Wyoming and Colorado in 9 days.

 

[bcla]

I think we'd enjoy the Sierra Nevada options more, if we had to choose between the two. My husband wants to see San Francisco, we always go to baseball games in new cities (so it'll be easy to fit that in with the number of teams in SF and LA areas), we want to see Disneyland, try to get into a talk show/game show audience, and see the big trees., I don't know if we can truly do it all in two weeks (that includes travel to and from NY). I have the summer off, but hubby has to take off from work and summer is busy, so two weeks is max. We are efficient travelers, and have traveled through Utah, Wyoming and Colorado in 9 days.

If you're interested in baseball there are a several teams in Northern California. Of course the Giants and A's are the most obvious, but there's also minor league. The Sacramento River Cats (Giants) and the Fresno Grizzlies (Astros) are AAA. There are several A-ball teams like the San Jose Giants, Modesto Nuts (Mariners), and Stockton Ports (A's).

I mention the North Coast because I've frankly never been there other than maybe the upper part of Sonoma County. I've lived in California nearly all my life but haven't been up there. And these days it's somewhat known for marijuana tourism, but also for the biggest redwoods. There are redwoods further south that are still spectacular, but not quite the same. I also watch a bit of local cable TV, and for some reason I see a lot of San Diego and Humboldt County tourism ads. They don't have them online, but there's this Alice in Wonderland style ad campaign for Humboldt. This isn't the ads I see most of the time, but it's part of the series.

If you don't have the time or inclination to go up that way, there are redwoods along the central coast.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Poor OP so much to choose from. OP maybe you could get more time next year. And look around the areas that everyone has recommended. I would vote for Monterey as well. I love that whole area.

 

[Toolulu22]

If you're interested in baseball there are a several teams in Northern California. Of course the Giants and A's are the most obvious, but there's also minor league. The Sacramento River Cats (Giants) and the Fresno Grizzlies (Astros) are AAA. There are several A-ball teams like the San Jose Giants, Modesto Nuts (Mariners), and Stockton Ports (A's).

I mention the North Coast because I've frankly never been there other than maybe the upper part of Sonoma County. I've lived in California nearly all my life but haven't been up there. And these days it's somewhat known for marijuana tourism, but also for the biggest redwoods. There are redwoods further south that are still spectacular, but not quite the same. I also watch a bit of local cable TV, and for some reason I see a lot of San Diego and Humboldt County tourism ads. They don't have them online, but there's this Alice in Wonderland style ad campaign for Humboldt. This isn't the ads I see most of the time, but it's part of the series.

If you don't have the time or inclination to go up that way, there are redwoods along the central coast.

There is so much to potentially do and see. Narrowing it down to our vacation timespan is overwhelming.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

Has anyone stayed at https://www.fairmont.com/ghirardelli-san-francisco/. Really want a pool and St Regis has one. Four Seasons and Lowes is out because they do not look that great. And the pool at four seasons is a lap pool

 

[AdamEfimoff]

1 Arrive at San Francisco International Airport. Secure rental hire (arranged independently) and drive to hotel. Overnight at Four Seasons San Francisco.
2 Morning at leisure. Afternoon Alcatraz Island Tour. Overnight at Four Seasons San Francisco.
3 Full Day Tour of San Francisco to include Golden Gate Bridge, Disney Museum, Legion of Honor, de Young Museum, and Golden Gate Park. Overnight at Four Seasons San Francisco.
4 Full Day Tour of San Francisco to include MOMA, Exploratorium, Fisherman’s Wharf and Sea Lions, Chinatown, and additional sightseeing stops as requested. Overnight at Four Seasons San Francisco.
5 Morning at leisure. Drive 3 hours to Pebble Beach via Highway One.Stop in Half Moon Bay for lunch. Continue to Pebble Beach. Overnight at Casa Palmero.
6 Morning tour of Point Lobos State Park (flat short walk that can be customized to mum and dad’s needs).
Afternoon Monterey Bay Aquarium Tour. Drive to Big Sur. Overnight Ventana Inn or Post Ranch Inn.
7 Drive 4 hours to Santa Barbara. Stop en route for Hearst Castle Tour. Overnight at Santa Barbara at Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito or Belmond El Encanto.
8 Morning Tour of Old Mission Santa Barbara. Afternoon free to enjoy beach. Overnight at Santa Barbara at Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito or Belmond El Encanto.
9 Drive 2 hours to Los Angeles. Stop en route for a tour of the Regan Presidential Library and Getty Villa. Overnight at Beverly Hills Hotel.
10 Full Day Tour of Los Angeles including Norton Simon Museum and Star Homes. Overnight at Beverly Hills Hotel.
11 Full Day at Universal Studios – VIP Tour. Overnight at Beverly Hills Hotel.
12 Foodie Tour of the Original Farmer’s Market or Warner Bros. Studio Tour. Drive 1 hour to Anaheim. Overnight at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (Club Level)
13 Full Day Admission to Disneyland Resort’s California Adventure Park. Overnight at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (Club Level)
14 Full Day Admission to Disneyland Resort’s Disneyland Park. Overnight at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (Club Level)
15 Drive 40 minutes to Dana Point for a Ferry transfer to Catalina Island. Day on own on Catalina Island.Return Ferry. Overnight at Monarch Beach Resort or Montage Laguna Beach.
16 Morning at leisure. Drive 1.5 hours to San Diego. Overnight at Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
17 Half Day San Diego City Tour. Overnight at Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
18 Full Day at the San Diego Zoo – VIP Tour. Overnight at Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
19 Drive to San Diego Airport. Return rental car. Fly to Las Vegas, NV (airfare arranged independently). Private transfer to hotel. Overnight at MG Grand Skylofts.
20 Half Day Tour of Hoover Dam. Overnight at MG Grand Skylofts.
21 Free Day on own to relax or explore Shark Aquarium, Bellagio Gardens, etc. Overnight at MG Grand Skylofts.
22 Private transfer to airport. Depart Nevada.

thoughts???

 

[DLfan4]

I would suggest driving the PCH highway from San Fran to LA. Lots of neat places to stop along the way.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

Sorry Everyone my dad has had three heart attacks a while back. We think a shorter trip only of 14 days. With San Francisco Monterey and Las Vegas only is they way to go. I am going to LA and NYC with my mum later in the year

 

[cruisehopeful]

Sorry Everyone my dad has had three heart attacks a while back. We think a shorter trip only of 14 days. With San Francisco Monterey and Las Vegas only is they way to go. I am going to LA and NYC with my mum later in the year

That's a good plan. I was going to say that your original plan would be very tiring, even for young healthy people.

 

[bigeyedfish]

I’d personally head North along the coast up to Oregon. I’d also spend some time in the Redwoods if you are outdoorsy! They are just amazing.