First Trip To LA and Tips For Days Out Needed

Natasha1987

Wow! Thank you so much guys for all your help and advice. It really has been fascinating to hear all your experiences.
Ok to add some more info then:

1. We have already booked our hotel as it came with the holiday and it is located in the Anaheim area.
2. I guess the things we really want to do is see the main attractions (Hollywood homes tour, the Hollywood sign, Hollywood walk of fame.) Like to dine in some nice restuarants (I've always wanted to go to a rooftop restaurant - so that would be amazing if I could locate one).
3. If we go to San Fran we definitely want to take the coast road for the view. We haven't booked anywhere to stay that way yet as we haven't decided between San Fran or Vegas... if poss we wanted to do both with short flying visits to both. But from reading all of your comments... it sounds like this wouldn't work? And better to pick one maybe?

We really want to see Alcatraz for its history and interest and of course the Golden Gate bridge for its iconicness... In Vegas we wouldn't really be interested in gambling too much just seeing the strip and enjoying the view. Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam are both key sights we wanted to see but as you guys have mentioned they are quite far away... is there a preference by anyone as to which is more fun and interesting?

Is the drive from LA to San Fran or LA to Vegas safer.... As in nicer, wider roads etc...

A massive thank you to all whom have commented and lent their advice. It's so helpful.

Also, If anyone has any gems of places to stop that would be great. In particular we would love to see a GORGEOUS beach..I know there are a lot but are there any that are the best?

Many Thanks x

PeacefulWaters

Is the drive from LA to San Fran or LA to Vegas safer.... As in nicer, wider roads etc

The coast road to SF is single lane and can be bendy each way.

More dual carriageway to Vegas.

But I'd rather drive to and see the former.

wazza99

We did a trip last year, flew to LA drove in a big circle up the coast, across Tioga pass down death valley into Vegas then flew home, in 2 weeks.

In LA we went to Venice beach, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Rodeo drive, Griffiths Obv, Beverly Hills, down to the warships, Tar pits and the to see the Space shuttle ! all by self driving was great. Highly recommend any of the above, we liked LA. Park at Venice and walk the beach path to Santa Monica pier the sights sounds and beach are all great !

Loved Death Valley, Vegas was great so was Yosemite, 4 nights in Vegas too short for us.

You wont do that whole route with justice the Canyon (south rim) is too far.

The coast road to San Fran is , partly closed anyway, very slow in places and very windy, plus theres a lot to see along its route, we drove it and turned at Monteray as we just decided San Fran was un-doable, same with the canyon, you could fly to the west rim/plane/copter but most say leave it until you have time for the south rim.

The drive from LA to LV is renowned for being dull.

photome

you can do all of what you want to in LA in 3 days ( 4 at most)

I would also do ( and have done) a circular tour taking in SF, Yosemite, Death Valley, Vegas, Grand Canyon.

there many many more places you could add but not in 2 weeks

LA to Vegas is about 5 hours drive and then a further 5 hours to the south rim

John259

There are several routes between Los Angeles and San Francisco:

The coast road, California State Highway 1. Partially closed the moment. Extremely scenic. Fairly slow, two-lane. Needs at least two days, preferably three to stop and see places on the way.

US101. Mainly inland, not so scenic. Faster. Goes through towns. Could just about be done in one day from northern Los Angeles (Santa Monica, etc) but probably not from Anaheim.

I-5 (with a diversion in the north to San Francisco). The fastest option but also by far the least interesting. Very little scenery and very few towns.

California State Highway 99: furthest east. Good for visiting Sequoia National Park but otherwise probably not the best option.

Los Angeles to Las Vegas is interstate all the way and therefore fast. From Victorville onwards it's across the huge empty expanse of the Mojave Desert which some people find boring and other people find awe inspiring.

If you're tied to Anaheim for the entire holiday then your options are extremely limited. You won't be able to visit San Francisco or Las Vegas because they are too far away. If that's the case then you might want to consider visiting Big Bear Lake up in the San Bernardino Mountains which is scenic and a huge contrast from the urban sprawl of the city.

If you haven't already done so, you might like to look up where all the places are on Google Maps (or a similar system) and plot routes to see how far apart they are. You can also drop into StreetView mode to look at towns and parks and roads, for example:

Route from Anaheim to Big Bear:
https://goo.gl/maps/YtSNV3mKz5P2

Big Bear in StreetView:
https://goo.gl/maps/6KnYk8M6kBK2
(to move along a road click or tap; to turn the camera drag)

I-15 in the Mojave Desert in StreetView:
https://goo.gl/maps/du44HHZRV6z

YouTube is wonderful resource when planning holidays, for example:

Big Sur section of the coastal highway:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypfy7XHjRl4

Yosemite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXiB4wre6xk

Natasha1987

Wow! you guys are simply amazing. Thank you so much for taking so much time and effort to give us this advice. It means a lot to us as we really don't have much idea of what any of these places are like.

Do you have any advice as to where to stay in San Francisco. We don't want to spend too much but don't want to stay in a dive either. I think we're looking for a premier inn USA version of a hotel... any tips? Ideas?

The same for Vegas too... are there any places you'd recommend staying? We'd rather spend more on a nice hotel in Vegas as I know some of them are just breath taking. Any shows you'd recommend?

Also, What would you say is ' Your must see!' in all three locations?

What places are rough and should we stay away from?

Once again a million thank yous :-)

You guys are planning our itinery

stevenhp1987

Natasha1987 wrote: »

Wow! you guys are simply amazing. Thank you so much for taking so much time and effort to give us this advice. It means a lot to us as we really don't have much idea of what any of these places are like.

Do you have any advice as to where to stay in San Francisco. We don't want to spend too much but don't want to stay in a dive either. I think we're looking for a premier inn USA version of a hotel... any tips? Ideas?

The same for Vegas too... are there any places you'd recommend staying? We'd rather spend more on a nice hotel in Vegas as I know some of them are just breath taking. Any shows you'd recommend?

Also, What would you say is ' Your must see!' in all three locations?

What places are rough and should we stay away from?

Once again a million thank yous :-)

You guys are planning our itinery

When we went to San Francisco we stayed here (it offered the best price for the location with free parking): http://www.coventrymotorinn.com/ - We paid $118 per night plus taxes

The top attractions will be the obvious ones (Alcatraz, Golden Gate bridge, pier 39, riding the cable car etc.).

As for Vegas, best check out the Vegas thread.

I've stayed in: Treasure Island (they had a deal of 2 free tickets to Mystere when you stayed 3 nights), Rio, Monte Carlo (refurbishing) and Four Queens (downtown, not on the strip).

I'd recommend them all, but Monte Carlo is currently under refurbishment (to become the MGM Park).

Other than the obviousness of walking the strip (seeing all the sights from the Eiffel Tower, to the Statue of Liberty) and going downtown (possibly doing the zipline) and seeing the light show I'd recommend the following: Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, Neon Museum!

As for shows, it largely depends on what you are interested in!

Anything by cirque du soleil is a winner (we've enjoyed Mystere, Love & Ka). We've also watched Penn & Teller at the Rio - it was great (and they take selfies with the audience after the show!).

Natasha1987

Also, another question I have as a newbie to LA, San Francisco and Las Vegas... is tipping. How much to tip? and when?

Any advice would be much appreciated

stevenhp1987

Natasha1987 wrote: »

Also, another question I have as a newbie to LA, San Francisco and Las Vegas... is tipping. How much to tip? and when?

Any advice would be much appreciated

Tipping & Etiquette on TripAdvisor

I generally do 15% for food and leave $2 for room cleaning on the pillow.

John259

Hoover Dam is roughly 30 miles from Las Vegas and well worth a visit. You can view the outside of the dam fairly quickly, or take a tour which obviously is longer.

Valley of Fire State Park is about 55 miles away. It really needs a whole day, or at least a long half day, so for that reason you might not regard it as a priority. It's good, but personally I'd allocate the time to Yosemite instead.

A drive down the Las Vegas Strip in the evening to see the lights is a superb experience not to be missed.

The subject of the US budget motel chains is often a very emotive one with opinions differing considerably. I'd suggest trying one or two and seeing what you think but some other people wouldn't ever use them. (It's a bit like attitudes to Aldi and Lidl.) You can search for motels in Google Maps, for example:
https://goo.gl/maps/ydtS3dTUBa12