The state of California, the Golden State, is the American dream incarnate. The wealthy, sun-drenched state is an empire of family tourism at Disneyland, high-tech in Silicon Valley, movies and celebrities in Hollywood, and everything good and advanced in the United States. The state has iconic giant cities led by Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, glamorous tourist cities with a vast array of urban attractions. In California, there's a wealth of tourist activities such as skiing in Lake Tahoe or developed wine tourism in the vine-clad Napa Valley. The state boasts stunning nature and an impressive array of national parks. Also, mountain parks in the lofty Sierra Nevada range with the magnificent Yosemite Park at their peak or desert parks like Joshua Tree and Death Valley.

The trip to California mainly splits into two:

Urban trip – in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Barbara and more.
Road trip – driving to nine national parks and the stunning coastline between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Guides and Information for Traveling in California

Everything About Planning a Trip to California

How much time is needed for a trip to California?

For San Francisco and Los Angeles, you need at least four days (plus a day or two at Disneyland in Anaheim), two days for San Diego, and one day each for Santa Barbara and Monterey. The drive between San Francisco and Los Angeles requires three full days, two days for Napa Valley, and also for Yosemite Park.

What must you see and do in California?

City tours in Los Angeles (Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Disneyland), San Francisco, San Diego, Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Barbara and more.

National parks tour Death Valley, Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, and more.

Legendary road trip along the Big Sur coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

When is it best to visit California?

California's weather is exceptionally inviting almost all year round. Southern California – in Los Angeles and San Diego, are perfect destinations for trips both in winter and summer with very moderate temperatures. Winter in the north, also in San Francisco, in Yosemite and Napa Valley is colder, yet still accessible. Death Valley must be visited in winter (as summer is extremely hot), and the Sierra Nevada range is best visited in summer.

How do you plan a travel itinerary in California?

The main route in California is to drive the coastal line from San Francisco south to Los Angeles and San Diego through the Big Sur. Additional itineraries include Napa Valley, Yosemite National Park, and driving the Sierra Nevada range both north to Lake Tahoe and south to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.