Nine days moving up the California coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco with Yosemite in the middle. The Reagan Library and Air Force One in Simi Valley. Santa Barbara's mission and waterfront. Hearst Castle — William Randolph Hearst's 165-room hilltop estate. The 17-Mile Drive and Carmel's art galleries and white sand. Two nights based at Yosemite View Lodge for a full Yosemite National Park day with tram tour. Old Sacramento. Napa Valley winery tour and tasting. Two nights in San Francisco. Home pick-up and airfare included. Hotels: Torrance Marriott or Loews Hollywood, Cliffs Resort or Embassy Suites Pismo Beach, Marriott or Hyatt Monterey, Yosemite View Lodge, Westin or Zephyr San Francisco.
Price includes
Round-trip home pick-up airport service | Round-trip airfare | 11 meals: 8 breakfasts, 3 dinners | Reagan Library and Air Force One exhibit | Santa Barbara mission and waterfront | Hearst Castle guided tour | 17-Mile Drive and Carmel-by-the-Sea | National Steinbeck Center | Yosemite National Park tram tour | Old Sacramento waterfront | Napa Valley winery tour and tasting | San Francisco city tour | Professional tour manager | Hotel transfers and baggage handling
Price excludes
Meals beyond those listed | Optional Big Sur drive | Personal expenses and gratuities | Travel insurance
Hearst Castle — William Randolph Hearst's 165-room hilltop estate with three pools, a theater, and one of the world's great art collections | Yosemite National Park — El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridalveil Fall, and the Yosemite Valley tram | 17-Mile Drive — Pebble Beach, the Lone Cypress, and Carmel Bay | Napa Valley winery tour and tasting | San Francisco city tour — the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and cable cars
California from south to north makes logical sense as a travel sequence — the scenery gets progressively more dramatic as you move north. Santa Barbara is the transition between LA and the serious coast. Hearst Castle is one of those American places that exceeds all expectations — not because of the art or the architecture, but because of the sheer audacity of building it on a California hilltop. Yosemite earns two nights. San Francisco earns two nights.
Tour plan
Day 01
Fly to Los Angeles
Day 02
Reagan Library & to Pismo Beach
Day 03
Hearst Castle & Carmel
Day 04
17-Mile Drive & Steinbeck
Day 05
Yosemite
Day 06
Yosemite — full day
Day 07
Old Sacramento & Napa
Day 08
San Francisco
Day 09
Fly home
Frequently asked questions
We've answered the ones we hear most
How do I get started?
What does it cost to work with you?
Do I really need a travel agent — can't I book this myself?
What kinds of trips do you plan?
What if something unexpected happens while I'm traveling?
