California Trip ideas please

Iwork2shop

Hi

I wonder if someone could help with ideas please?

My OH is 50 next June and we are planning a family trip to celebrate (!!). There will be 4 of us aged from 19 to 50. We have been to Florida many times and although we really enjoy it there I'd like to try something different.

We're thinking of flying to San Francisco, making our way to Las Vegas and flying home from there. We will be there for just over 2 weeks.

Having done a little research I know there are lots of 'must see's' but rather than travel continuously we'd like to stay for a week somewhere before going to Vegas but have no idea where. Can anyone help please?

Thanks a lot

nw_man

Your question is too broad for me !

If I had to narrow it down, looking at your previous Florida trips, I would possibly suggest Anaheim and Las Vegas.

Anaheim is where DisneyLAND and Disneys California Adventures are situated and also within striking distance of Los Angeles with its various tourist areas, including Universal Studios ( VERY different from the Florida one ).

On the other hand, we really enjoyed San Fran too !

But Vegas is a must !!

bfc1912

I shouldn't really suggest other sites but get on the California forum of tripadvisor as there's loads of trip reports and ideas for you. But as a quick suggestion why not drive Highway 1

San Fran 3 nights - Golden Gate, Alcatraz, Pier 52, etc
Drive to Monterey Bay 1 night - Do the Aquarium
Drive to Pismo Beach 1 night - stop off at Hearst Castle on the way (this is an American version of a castle though!)
Drive to LA 2 nights - lots to do
Drive to San Diego 2 nights - Sea Life Centre, Zoo, Harbour
Fly to Las Vegas - flights are very cheap and they aren't stupid on baggage restrictions

It's a packed schedule so you could either miss out San Diego or LA

Iwork2shop

Thanks for the suggestions. It's really hard isn't it! :cool:

I've looked at the forums and they're really helpful too. I fancied the idea of a villa somewhere for a week... but then again I do realise that if we do that we have to miss out on visiting other places.

Decisions, decisions, decisions......! :think:

It's good fun planning though isn't it. :j

CountryGoose

San Fran, Vegas, Yosemite, Napa Valley/Sonoma: All Good
LA - never really floats my boat - but Disneyland is worth a visit.

Drive from SFO to LA down the coast for the experience.

Iwork2shop

Some people say that San Diego is a must and is preferable to LA. Is that right?

CountryGoose

Iwork2shop wrote: »

Some people say that San Diego is a must and is preferable to LA. Is that right?

It's a nice city to visit, and you have the option of hopping into Mexico (not with your hire car!). The aquarium is worth looking at. I would rather be there than LA, but that's my opinion only!

markandkate

As the distances are vast I would suggest some internal flights. If you want to drive highway 1 you are best off driving south from SF as the best views will be on your side rather than trying to see accross a busy road. You could do a one way drive to LA or San Diego then fly to Vegas and then from Vegas to SF and a few days rest before flying home. In Vegas you can hire a car and go to the Grand Canyon or by helicopter

It is worth checking out the flight in to one city and out from another but often you do get the best deals when you return from the same city, much depends on how tight the budget is.

CountryGoose

If you want to do the Grand Canyon from Vegas, have a look a Scenic Airlines - they do packages flying from Las Vegas airport.

If you go to the Canyon, please spend an unreasonable amount of money on a Helicopter trip. It is worth it.

passlady

Has anyone ever taken the train from LA to SFO? Would you be able to see much of the scenery?

neilbond007

Yosemite is awesome. Took my breath away. Enjoyed it more than Grand Canyon.
Santa Barbara is a cool city. Good place to stop off if you drive the coast road from SF to LA