Starting to piece together a California trip

[lovethesun12]

Hello! I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip to California.

The places I'm really wanting to visit so far are 1) the Alcatraz, 2) Universal Studios, and
3) Disneyland.

The question I'm asking is in terms of driving/transportation, does anyone have a suggested best order to visit these 3, including the best airports to fly into/out of?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Well, geographically, it goes San Francisco -> Universal Studios -> Disneyland from north to south, so I would imagine starting from one end and going to the other would be easiest.

San Francisco your airport options are SFO, Oakland, or San Jose. All three have public transportation that go to the city (BART or Caltrain), but you may need to check the schedule. Or you can uber/taxi.

Universal studios closest airports are Burbank or LAX.

Disneyland, your airport options are Orange County (John Wayne), LAX or Long Beach.

Going from SF to Universal to DL (or opposite), probably easiest to rent a car, though you could fly also.

 

[lovethesun12]

Well, geographically, it goes San Francisco -> Universal Studios -> Disneyland from north to south, so I would imagine starting from one end and going to the other would be easiest.

San Francisco your airport options are SFO, Oakland, or San Jose. All three have public transportation that go to the city (BART or Caltrain), but you may need to check the schedule. Or you can uber/taxi.

Universal studios closest airports are Burbank or LAX.

Disneyland, your airport options are Orange County (John Wayne), LAX or Long Beach.

Going from SF to Universal to DL (or opposite), probably easiest to rent a car, though you could fly also.

Thanks. That's really helpful.

 

[PirateBrigade]

It depends, what's your time budget, and would you rather start your trip in So-Cal, or end your trip there? Hotel costs might play a role (like, it will be cheaper at the end of your trip vs. beginning, or vice versa). In general, it's probably going to be more hectic in So-Cal with all of the driving & theme park logistics, I personally would start there.

What airport should I fly into/out of?
Depends where you are coming from, and what your budget. LAX is probably going to be your cheapest option, but most of us hate this airport and its antiquated rental car system and the traffic. Lower volume airports like SNA (closest to Disneyland), BUR (closest to Universal Studios), and LGB (kind of in between) offer a better user experience (like a quick walk to the rental counter), but are often more expensive and/or require a stopover in PHX, LAS, or SMF depending on where in the US you are coming from.

For the north, same thing with SFO (the big airport with better transcon schedules), vs OAK and SJC being the smaller airports.

Getting from North to South, or South to North.
If the bulk of your trip is in So-Cal, it might be better to rent a car for use in So-Cal, return it, then immediately rent another car with the intent of driving it from So-Cal to Nor-Cal (i.e. dropping it off at another location).

Flights are also cheap going between both sides of the state, so consider that. But most people who visit do want to drive US-101 (and maybe CA-1) along the coast as it is one of the most scenic drives in the United States (and lots of little towns to explore/pop into).

If you don't care about view/experience, and don't want to fly, I-5 will get you between north and south the fastest. It's just boring, dusty, crowded with trucks, and smells like cow fart.

Other Misc
Alcatraz is on your list for SF, but consider the Walt Disney Family Museum if you're a Disney fan. It's an extremely dense museum (probably not for little little kids) that covers his life and is, to me, a must visit for any Disneyland historical buff.

Make sure you use the official Alcatraz site for ferry tickets. Some companies sell "Alcatraz" trips that never actually go on the island. That link is this: https://www.cityexperiences.com/san-francisco/city-cruises/alcatraz/ and it is linked from the National Park Service's website for Alcatraz https://www.nps.gov/alca/planyourvisit/fees.htm NOTE: BOOK YOUR ALCATRAZ TICKETS THE MOMENT YOU FINALIZE YOUR DATES. Tours sell out frequently, and in advance.

If you have the time in So-Cal, consider an actual studio tour with Warner Bros. or Paramount. The Universal backlot tour is... what it is, but touring the Warners or Paramount lot gets you a lot closer to actual TV/movie production, if that's your thing.

My personal recommendation
If I lived on the east coast and traveling with small children (like, 2 x under 8), this is how I would do it.

Day 1: Fly into LAX direct (no stop overs) and hire a car service and be driven over to Disneyland. Don't go into the parks on day 1, just relax at the hotel.

Day 2: Disneyland
Day 3: Disneyland
Day 4: Disneyland/California Adventure

Day 5: Check out, go to Universal Studios area hotel (hire an Uber or something), half day at Univ. Studios or other activities (like Griffith Park, go catch a show, Museum of Modern Art, California Science Center with kids and see the space shuttle, etc...)
Day 6: Universal Studios full day

Day 7: Check out early and start driving up to San Francisco via US-101. Start the drive no later than 6-7am. Make stops in Solvang, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, etc... Arrive in SF ~6pm (assuming you've made a few hours worth of stops).

Day 8: Alcatraz in the AM (take 8:40am boat), then spend the afternoon roaming (see other sites: Golden Gate Bridge, Ferry Building for food, Pier 39 aka tourist central, maybe catch a baseball game at Oracle Park if in-season, drive up to Sutro Tower if it's not foggy and you want a view)

Day 9: Walt Disney Family Museum -- get there early, because it's a dense museum, you might spend a lot of time there. Afternoon as you please. If not your thing, consider a day trip to Napa for wine tasting, or other local museums.

Day 10: Fly out of SFO back home

 

[lovethesun12]

It depends, what's your time budget, and would you rather start your trip in So-Cal, or end your trip there? Hotel costs might play a role (like, it will be cheaper at the end of your trip vs. beginning, or vice versa). In general, it's probably going to be more hectic in So-Cal with all of the driving & theme park logistics, I personally would start there.

What airport should I fly into/out of?
Depends where you are coming from, and what your budget. LAX is probably going to be your cheapest option, but most of us hate this airport and its antiquated rental car system and the traffic. Lower volume airports like SNA (closest to Disneyland), BUR (closest to Universal Studios), and LGB (kind of in between) offer a better user experience (like a quick walk to the rental counter), but are often more expensive and/or require a stopover in PHX, LAS, or SMF depending on where in the US you are coming from.

For the north, same thing with SFO (the big airport with better transcon schedules), vs OAK and SJC being the smaller airports.

Getting from North to South, or South to North.
If the bulk of your trip is in So-Cal, it might be better to rent a car for use in So-Cal, return it, then immediately rent another car with the intent of driving it from So-Cal to Nor-Cal (i.e. dropping it off at another location).

Flights are also cheap going between both sides of the state, so consider that. But most people who visit do want to drive US-101 (and maybe CA-1) along the coast as it is one of the most scenic drives in the United States (and lots of little towns to explore/pop into).

If you don't care about view/experience, and don't want to fly, I-5 will get you between north and south the fastest. It's just boring, dusty, crowded with trucks, and smells like cow fart.

Other Misc
Alcatraz is on your list for SF, but consider the Walt Disney Family Museum if you're a Disney fan. It's an extremely dense museum (probably not for little little kids) that covers his life and is, to me, a must visit for any Disneyland historical buff.

Make sure you use the official Alcatraz site for ferry tickets. Some companies sell "Alcatraz" trips that never actually go on the island. That link is this: https://www.cityexperiences.com/san-francisco/city-cruises/alcatraz/ and it is linked from the National Park Service's website for Alcatraz https://www.nps.gov/alca/planyourvisit/fees.htm NOTE: BOOK YOUR ALCATRAZ TICKETS THE MOMENT YOU FINALIZE YOUR DATES. Tours sell out frequently, and in advance.

If you have the time in So-Cal, consider an actual studio tour with Warner Bros. or Paramount. The Universal backlot tour is... what it is, but touring the Warners or Paramount lot gets you a lot closer to actual TV/movie production, if that's your thing.

My personal recommendation
If I lived on the east coast and traveling with small children (like, 2 x under 8), this is how I would do it.

Day 1: Fly into LAX direct (no stop overs) and hire a car service and be driven over to Disneyland. Don't go into the parks on day 1, just relax at the hotel.

Day 2: Disneyland
Day 3: Disneyland
Day 4: Disneyland/California Adventure

Day 5: Check out, go to Universal Studios area hotel (hire an Uber or something), half day at Univ. Studios or other activities (like Griffith Park, go catch a show, Museum of Modern Art, California Science Center with kids and see the space shuttle, etc...)
Day 6: Universal Studios full day

Day 7: Check out early and start driving up to San Francisco via US-101. Start the drive no later than 6-7am. Make stops in Solvang, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, etc... Arrive in SF ~6pm (assuming you've made a few hours worth of stops).

Day 8: Alcatraz in the AM (take 8:40am boat), then spend the afternoon roaming (see other sites: Golden Gate Bridge, Ferry Building for food, Pier 39 aka tourist central, maybe catch a baseball game at Oracle Park if in-season, drive up to Sutro Tower if it's not foggy and you want a view)

Day 9: Walt Disney Family Museum -- get there early, because it's a dense museum, you might spend a lot of time there. Afternoon as you please. If not your thing, consider a day trip to Napa for wine tasting, or other local museums.

Day 10: Fly out of SFO back home

Wow, thanks! So much awesome information. To be honest, I didn't even consider flying, that's a really good possibility. It's really expensive where I live to fly short distances but I know the U.S. tends to have much better options. I will definitely look into that as well as all your other suggestions.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Wow, thanks! So much awesome information. To be honest, I didn't even consider flying, that's a really good possibility. It's really expensive where I live to fly short distances but I know the U.S. tends to have much better options. I will definitely look into that as well as all your other suggestions.

To fly from SFO to LAX probably runs between $50 and $200 USD one way depending on the time of year, etc. Southwest Airlines is a good airline to look at, Jet Blue also. Those airlines also go to the smaller airports like San Jose, Long Beach, Orange County/John Wayne.

To drive from SF to LA probably would cost around $75-100 USD in gas, not including the car rental

If you're traveling solo, then moneywise flying could be a reasonable option. If you're a family of 5 then driving will be a lot cheaper.

 

[sjmac42]

Based on your list I’d start at Disneyland and make my way north. Land transport between Anaheim and LA then fly to SF for Alcatraz.
But is that all you want to do? There are many incredible things to see in, near and between LA and SF and within California. So the question is do things like Big Sur, Yosemite NP, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Hwy 395, Joshua Tree NP etc. interest you at all? Or do the hundreds of other things to see within LA and SF interest you of all? And mostly, how long do you have for this trip and would you be prepared to hire a car.

 

[bcla]

If a car is rented between the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California, the cost of a one-way rental should also be factored in.

The San Francisco Bay Area has San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and (amazing enough) Santa Rosa. The latter sometimes has good fares and is a single gate airport, but is served by several major airlines.

Alcatraz has reservations. They're not strictly required (I've only been to Alcatraz by walking up and buying a ferry ticket) but in the busier season it's sold out more often than not. But there's way more to do in San Francisco than just Alcatraz, which is interesting but kind of limited.

 

[lovethesun12]

Based on your list I’d start at Disneyland and make my way north. Land transport between Anaheim and LA then fly to SF for Alcatraz.
But is that all you want to do? There are many incredible things to see in, near and between LA and SF and within California. So the question is do things like Big Sur, Yosemite NP, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Hwy 395, Joshua Tree NP etc. interest you at all? Or do the hundreds of other things to see within LA and SF interest you of all? And mostly, how long do you have for this trip and would you be prepared to hire a car.

Definitely planning to add more. I have some friends that visited that said the Alcatraz tour was amazing, so I added it to my list. I've always wanted to visit Disneyland, and my kids want to try the new nintendoland so I used those as a starting point.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I've heard of some but not all, I will definitely check them out. We have a couple weeks and I would look into hiring a car but I'm thinking DH would rather do a rental.

 

[lovethesun12]

To fly from SFO to LAX probably runs between $50 and $200 USD one way depending on the time of year, etc. Southwest Airlines is a good airline to look at, Jet Blue also. Those airlines also go to the smaller airports like San Jose, Long Beach, Orange County/John Wayne.

To drive from SF to LA probably would cost around $75-100 USD in gas, not including the car rental

If you're traveling solo, then moneywise flying could be a reasonable option. If you're a family of 5 then driving will be a lot cheaper.

Thanks! I think I'll look into both options and see what works best. I wouldn't mind paying extra to fly for the convenience if the price is closer to the $50 - $100 end. I'll be keeping an eye on Southwest/Jet Blue.

 

[sjmac42]

Oh well then if you have a couple of weeks and are prepared to drive, that’s easy.
Fly into SFO
3-4n in SF (I hate the place but I’m in the minority there). No car needed.
Pick up a car the start your drive to LA via Big Sur and the Central Coast.
2-3n on the Monterey Peninsula
All day to drive through Big Sur then
1-2n somewhere between Cambria and Pismo Beach
3-4n in LA for Universal and other stuff
3-4n in Anaheim for Disneyland
Fly out of SNA, LAX or BUR.
You don’t really need a car in Anaheim but it will make things easier getting to the airport for your departure.

 

[bennifer]

We had an amazing trip to California in June. Like you, OP, we only had DL, US and Alcatraz that were on the list. We ended up staying for 17 days! If you have the time, I recommend driving along Highway 1. It's possibly the most beautiful drive I've ever taken. And take your time. We stopped in San Luis Obispo to stay at the Madonna Inn (super kitchy and fun), then a day at Hearst Castle, and a night in Cambria. After that, we drove thru Big Sur to the Monterey Bay area where we stayed for 2 nights before we ended up in SF! There's so much to see and do, we're thinking about another trip to do what we missed! Also, Alcatraz was one of my 13 yr old son's favorite things we did! I don't know if we would go back, but I'm so happy we went. If you have the time, you might want to take the time to go to Yosemite. It was amazing. We definitely didn't have enough time here!

 

[PirateBrigade]

We had an amazing trip to California in June. Like you, OP, we only had DL, US and Alcatraz that were on the list. We ended up staying for 17 days! If you have the time, I recommend driving along Highway 1. It's possibly the most beautiful drive I've ever taken. And take your time. We stopped in San Luis Obispo to stay at the Madonna Inn (super kitchy and fun), then a day at Hearst Castle, and a night in Cambria. After that, we drove thru Big Sur to the Monterey Bay area where we stayed for 2 nights before we ended up in SF! There's so much to see and do, we're thinking about another trip to do what we missed! Also, Alcatraz was one of my 13 yr old son's favorite things we did! I don't know if we would go back, but I'm so happy we went. If you have the time, you might want to take the time to go to Yosemite. It was amazing. We definitely didn't have enough time here!

Double check me, but Alcatraz should have a night tour available, might be a cool option for your son that’s not a straight repeat of the day tour!

 

[bennifer]

Double check me, but Alcatraz should have a night tour available, might be a cool option for your son that’s not a straight repeat of the day tour!

Fantastic! I will check. Thank you!

 

[limace]

Where are you coming from? I’d spend some time on a mapping app just to understand the distances, especially if considering driving-Sam Francisco and Anaheim are a loooong way away if you’re driving.

We just did San Francisco in November with our 12 and 15 year olds. How old are your kids? This was a great age to go-their favorites were the night tour of Alcatraz, riding electric scooters in golden gate park, and for my teen, shopping in unions square and Hait ashbury. They both liked japantown more than Chinatown-less tourist focused in our opinion.

 

[shaycamp21]

We just got back from 2 weeks in California (we did Yosemite, Napa, SF (didn't do Alcatraz sorry), Monterey / Carmel then drove down the coast to Disneyland). We flew into Oakland and rented a car which we dropped off at Long Beach Airport for a small fee. It was a great trip.