mrswom

My hubby & I are taking our 1st trip to CA in a few weeks and need advice on "must sees" and staying tips. We fly into San Jose and get a rental car. Haven't decided in which direction to go 1st.
San Fran during the weekend or week ? Stay in downtown ( what's safe?) or farther out ? Is it better to take a tour or do our own thing ?
Would love to stay at least 1 night at a B&B along the coast . Any suggestions?
Where's the best place to see the trees that's not more than a 2 hr drive?
Can whales be viewed from the shore or is going on a boat tour better ?
As you can tell we're novices with all this and any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks & Blessings

emalloy

Just north of SF to see big trees is Muir Woods NP and beyond that is Point Reyes NS. We saw whales swimming north from the lighthouse there in April. You would have to go there when they are migrating to see them from shore. South of SF if you take the fantastic coast road, you can also see big trees in Julia Pfifer state park.

emalloy

Check out Stududley for San Francisco information.

SAB

OK this topic is probably one of the most popular on the CA postings, so first I suggest you put the name Carmel, or Big Sur, or Highway I in the search box and take a look at the many postings for the many different ways in which visitors have explored this region.

As I'm a SF resident who visits Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula with some frequency my suggestions may not be the same as a visitor's. However, since you are flying into San Jose I would head for the Monterey Peninsula first. Although the coast north of Monterey is very lovely, it is much more spectacular south of Monterey, so I would drive down highway 1 directly without an overnight stop, but taking the time to explore whatever takes your fancy on the way down. Then in order to get your B&B with an ocean view I would stay in Pacific Grove, which has a number of ocean view B&Bs--Carmel has very few places directly facing the ocean. You could spend 3 days exploring the area, taking a drive down 1 to Big Sur, visiting Point Lobos, even seeing costal redwoods in Big Sur.

Then I would drive back to SF on 101 not 1 and spend 3 days there with a day trip to Point Reyes to see the coast N of SF. I would drop the car off in SF as parking can be expensive unless you stay in one of the places in the Marina that includes parking. (Look at postings about where to stay in SF).

DebitNM

Seven Gables Inn in Pacific Grove is EXCELLENT B&B with wonderful views, rooms and breakfast is delish. They also serve wine & cheese in afternoon, and cookies and milk at night. Great location.

For your first trip to San Francisco, stay in Union Square area. Very convenient location.

Parking in SF is VERY expensive. You may be better off not renting a car except for the times you are headed out of SF. Public transportation is reasonable and easy to use.

We rent a car for a single day - we rent in town from Dollar - it is much cheaper than airport[several locations for most rental cars right in Union Sq area]. We pick up at 8 am and return around 6 pm for under $30 and don't get stuck paying for hotel parking.

For tours, we love San Francisco City Guide tours, run by public library and they are free and cover over 100 different tours.

Last trip we day triped to Muir Beach and north. We stayed in SF and then went down to Pacific Grove for 3 days

Check out Ana Nuevo State Park to see the elephant seals birthing. A good day trip from SF too.

Deb

sf7307

Re Pacific Grove - just so you know, Monterey and Carmel are only about 5 miles apart, and Pacific Grove is contiguous to Monterey (in fact, the Aquarium is in Pacific Grove, at least in part). When in Pacific Grove, consider eating at Passionfish -- really outstanding and moderately priced seafod. Here's a trip report I did of a day-trip we took down that way on Labor Day last year.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...t-part-way.cfm

Regarding Ano Nuevo, you cannot see the elephant seals during breeding season except on a guided walk. "This park is a major gathering area for northern elephant seals, which may be seen year-round. The males battle for mates on the beaches. The females give birth to their young on the dunes. During the breeding season, December 15 through March 31, daily access to the park is available only via guided walks. Advance reservations are recommended for walks."

http://anonuevo.reserveamerica.com/


Debit is not kidding about the cost of parking in San Francisco hotels -- upwards of $50 a night at the major hotels. There are motels in the Marina district that do not charge for parking.

DebitNM

I am sorry to have implied that you could just "see" the elepahnt seals.

The tickets are $7 each and can be ordered online. We are headed there next Tuesday. We went two years in March and we missed the birthing and breeding, but there were still lot of males there and weaners too. A great day trip from either Pacific Grove or SF.

I meant to mention that we got car from Dollar at Fisherman's Wharf for for 1 day, $28 with all tax.

sf7307

Debit, I hope you realize I was just "clarifying" for the OP (not "complaining" about your post). We have reservations in late February (despite having lived here for 37 years this month, we have never seen this before).

DebitNM

I realized that; sometimes you forget when posting info you have isn't known by the reader.

sf7307, I have always appreciated your advice on my SF and CA trips.

sf7307

I'm glad - and have a great trip this time (by this time, you've probably seen more of San Francisco than I have!!)

mrswom

Thank you everybody for sharing your advice.
emalloy, thanks for the heads up about the whales and Point Reyes.
SAB, I appreciate your idea of searching other spots and especially for the itinerary. Very helpful
DebitNM, I read about the Gables and it looks like being there during the week is more afforable than the weekend. Ano Nuevo SP is a place I had not read about, but will!
sf7307, thanks for answering how far apart Monterey,PG & Carmel are. The Aquarium was already on my 'must see' list. I will check out the the websites for Ano Neuvo.
Thank you everyone for being so helpful. We haven't been on a trip like this in over 15+yrs and am hoping to make it as perfect as I can. Blessings to all.

easytraveler

The best part of the coast for your trip is after Monterey along the Big Sur Coast, all of which should be seen in sunlight to get the best effect. Just gorgeous scenery.

First scenic spot is Point Lobos State Reserve. It's about two miles south of the Carmel Valley Road junction with Highway 1 (there's a light at this junction). Entrance to the park on the right. Plan to spend at least 2-4 hours on the easy/moderate hikes.

http://www.pointlobos.org/

Next you could drive down Highway 1 and stop at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and do the easy hikes among the coastal redwoods. Driveway into the park on your LEFT.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=570

Pfeiffer Big Sur is inland. As you continue down Highway 1, the moment you see the ocean (just a few miles down) you'll go around a big curve and immediately on the right is Nepenthe Restaurant. Stop there for the view or for a sandwich.

http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/

Next stop along Highway 1 is Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see the waterfall that falls into the ocean. Very easy hike. From the parking lot, look for the stairs, go down stairs, and turn to the right, follow path to end.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=578

You could go all the way down to Hearst Castle and catch a tour there. Maybe overnight in Cambria.

http://www.hearstcastle.org/

http://www.cambriachamber.org/

There is another elephant seal rookery at Piedras Blancas beach where viewing is free:

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/piedras.html

As soon as you get to the straight stretch of Highway 1 just before getting to San Simeon (town for Hearst Castle), you'll see signs saying "Beach Access" or turnouts or just a lot of cars parked along the road. Stop here and get out of the car and go onto the beach, you will see hundreds of elephant seals - you'll probably smell them first!

After your Hearst Castle tour, if it's in the daytime, keep going south to San Luis Obispo. Maybe stop for lunch at the Madonna Inn, then catch Highway 101 back to the Bay Area.

Welcome to California!

mrswom

WOW, easy traveler, thank you for such specifics. "Easy" hikes are right up our alley. We were just talking tonite about our adventure down HWY 1. Thanks for taking the time to share

DebitNM

Dollar Car Rental has a compact car at $19 from their Fisherman's Wharf location. I reserved earlier, and kept checking back. Redid the reservation and saved a bit.

easytraveler

mrswom: You're quite welcome!

Take DebitNM's suggestion on the car rental. She's one of the best with her suggestions. If you ever go to New Mexico, she's an invaluable resource.

Stu Dudley wrote an encyclopedia on San Francisco. If you find that thread on here, it's a priceless guide to almost everything you may need for a visit to San Francisco. Just type in his name in the search box above.

If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Fodorites are very helpful. Just be as specific as possible.

Enjoy your visit!

mrswom

Thanks again and you're right about Stu Dudley ! But I can't find a specific answer for what would be better - SF on the weekend & coastal during the week or vise versa?

easytraveler

You didn't say what time of year you're coming.

Summertime along the coast the traffic on weekends would be slow with many cars and sometimes large RVs on two-lane roads.

Also summertime there's fog along the coast, so that travel time is best done after 11am on most days after the fog has cleared.

Otherwise, you'll find more crowds on weekends in San Francisco than during the week when folks are working.

In the wintertime, it doesn't really matter too much which segment you do on the weekend.

Hope this helps a bit.

On the car: were you planning to rent in San Jose and dropping off in San Francisco? Even though the two airports are close, car companies seem always to charge a heft drop-off fee. Is there any way you can pick up and drop off in the same location? Or maybe fly into San Francisco instead of San Jose? Then you can pick up and drop off at San Francisco Airport and then take BART into San Francisco for the carless portion of your trip.

mrswom

We'll be there 2wks from this Fri

DebitNM

Dollar usually doesn't charge a drop off fee, but check to be sure. We picked up a car in SF at O'Farrell st and returned it to SFO with no fee.

Renting a car at one airport or location and returning it to another is considered a one way rental and as easy said, the fees can be hefty.

ronkala

ttt