Your honest guide to California
Where to see the coast, the parks, and the cities without losing days to traffic. Which regions are worth your time, when to go, and how to plan the drives across a state that runs 800 miles top to bottom.
Ten ways to do California
San Francisco Bay Area
The northern hub: San Francisco itself, the Marin Headlands and Muir Woods, Berkeley and Oakland, the Silicon Valley cities, and the coast down to Half Moon Bay.
Central Coast
Highway 1's best stretch: Santa Cruz, Monterey and Carmel, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara, with Channel Islands and Pinnacles inland.
Greater Los Angeles
Los Angeles and its coast: Hollywood, Santa Monica and Venice, Malibu, Pasadena, and the day trip out to Catalina Island.
San Diego
Southern California's easygoing corner: San Diego's beaches and Balboa Park, La Jolla coves, Coronado, and the surf towns up to Carlsbad.
Orange County
The theme-park and beach belt between LA and San Diego: Disneyland in Anaheim, Newport and Laguna Beach, and the Huntington Beach surf.
Wine Country
Napa and Sonoma north of the Bay: valley-floor cabernet estates, the Russian River, Healdsburg, and the drives over the Mayacamas.
High Sierra
The mountain spine: Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Mammoth Lakes and the Eastern Sierra, and the passes that only open in summer.
The Deserts
Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and Anza-Borrego: warm-winter resort towns and stark desert parks.
North Coast
Redwood country north of the Bay: Mendocino, the Avenue of the Giants, Humboldt and Eureka, and the remote Lost Coast.
Shasta Cascade
The far north: Mount Shasta, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lake Shasta, Redding, and Burney Falls.
Plan your days
First time in California?
Start with the basics: when to visit, which airport to fly into, how to get around a state that runs 800 miles top to bottom, and where to base yourself.
Plan your trip