trip to California
Aug 6th, 2003, 07:55 AM
#1
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trip to California
My husband and I (middle-aged, living in South America) are visiting California by mid-September for the first time. We have three weeks and would like to visit everything that is worth seeing. (San Francisco, the wineries, Yosemite, Monterrey, Carmel, etc. up to San Diego, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.) 1st question: Should we fly to San Francisco, rent a car and start the trip there or start in Los Angeles and go up north?
2nd q: Should we fly from LA to Las Vegas or is it worth going by car?
What itinerary should we have? How many days in each place? What kind of hotels would anyone recommend (clean, well located, private bath but nothing expensive, may be hostels)?
Sorry for doing so many questions, but any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.
2nd q: Should we fly from LA to Las Vegas or is it worth going by car?
What itinerary should we have? How many days in each place? What kind of hotels would anyone recommend (clean, well located, private bath but nothing expensive, may be hostels)?
Sorry for doing so many questions, but any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.
Aug 6th, 2003, 08:17 AM
#2
You have many questions, and you're going to get more answers than you know what to do with.
First of all, invest in a guidebook and find what interests you. "Everything worth seeing" will take more than three weeks. I'm a 52-year-old California native and still haven't seen everything. California is huge and driving distances are long. Don't plan a trip that just has you driving, driving, driving.
No one can give hotel recommendations without knowing your budget. "Nothing expensive" is too vague. Look at websites for some of the hotel chains (Best Western, Holiday Inn, Marriott) for a start. Guidebooks will also have recommendations.
If your visit is mid-September this year, you'll probably not obtain accommodations at any price in Yosemite Valley. These are often booked several months to a year in advance.
I would start your trip in Northern California and work south. Mid-September can be very warm.
Do not drive to Las Vegas. There's nothing much to see on the way and air fares are very low.
First of all, invest in a guidebook and find what interests you. "Everything worth seeing" will take more than three weeks. I'm a 52-year-old California native and still haven't seen everything. California is huge and driving distances are long. Don't plan a trip that just has you driving, driving, driving.
No one can give hotel recommendations without knowing your budget. "Nothing expensive" is too vague. Look at websites for some of the hotel chains (Best Western, Holiday Inn, Marriott) for a start. Guidebooks will also have recommendations.
If your visit is mid-September this year, you'll probably not obtain accommodations at any price in Yosemite Valley. These are often booked several months to a year in advance.
I would start your trip in Northern California and work south. Mid-September can be very warm.
Do not drive to Las Vegas. There's nothing much to see on the way and air fares are very low.
Aug 6th, 2003, 08:26 AM
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Given the locations on your list - here is the order I would choose.
SF
Wine Country
Yosemite
Monterey/Carmel
LA
San Diego
Las Vegas
Grand Canyon
You can see the wine country either as a day trip from SF or you can spend a night there - it will be harvest season, so lodging in the wine country could be hard to come by. Or, if you decide your itinerery is too crowded and would like to cut something out, there are also wineries in the Sierra foothills and central valley which are close to your route to Yosemite and in the Carmel Valley area.
I would definitely fly from LA or San Diego to Las Vegas. Southwest has a ton of cheap flights and I believe the flight takes less than an hour, whereas driving would take many many hours without much to see along the way.
SF
Wine Country
Yosemite
Monterey/Carmel
LA
San Diego
Las Vegas
Grand Canyon
You can see the wine country either as a day trip from SF or you can spend a night there - it will be harvest season, so lodging in the wine country could be hard to come by. Or, if you decide your itinerery is too crowded and would like to cut something out, there are also wineries in the Sierra foothills and central valley which are close to your route to Yosemite and in the Carmel Valley area.
I would definitely fly from LA or San Diego to Las Vegas. Southwest has a ton of cheap flights and I believe the flight takes less than an hour, whereas driving would take many many hours without much to see along the way.
Aug 6th, 2003, 09:23 AM
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I'm with Jean. Get some books and do a little homework. California is a big place, with lots of different things to see. And the prices vary greatly.
Also, do a search on this site; there have been many, many, many posts discussing your questions.
Aug 9th, 2003, 09:05 PM
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I don't think that you want to fly into San Jose...there will be No fog in September to close the airports!!! San Jose is not a base for visiting SF or the wine country, it is just too far away. I think that the Grand Canyon is spectacular and if you want to do some hiking I would drive out there from Las Vegas(about 3 hours) and at least spend one or two nights. If you just want to see it, by all means take the sightseening flight. I think that 3 weeks is a long time and you should be able to see everything that you want.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Aug 9th, 2003, 09:11 PM
#7
I think some people might enjoy driving from L.A. to Las Vegas.
The drive is long and can be congested.
If you like the desert or have never seen one before, the drive is interesting.
Just don't drive out on Friday night.
The drive is long and can be congested.
If you like the desert or have never seen one before, the drive is interesting.
Just don't drive out on Friday night.
Aug 9th, 2003, 09:12 PM
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California is about the size of Italy.
Or maybe Argentina. It's long and somewhat wide and with a few North South good highways, but East West, mosly local regional ones. Plan accordingly. You are dealing with lots of driving time, especially near cities.
Or maybe Argentina. It's long and somewhat wide and with a few North South good highways, but East West, mosly local regional ones. Plan accordingly. You are dealing with lots of driving time, especially near cities.
Aug 10th, 2003, 09:00 PM
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Baxter...your same advice given yesterday under a different name has been deleated...trying again to steer folks away from Sf? Sounds like good advice to me, going to SJ instead, because it is so quaint and beautiful and there are tons of things to see and do...NOT! It is not centrally located...it is 60 miles from SF and on a good day with no traffic, which is never, it would take 1 1/2 hours to get into the city.It's also a good hour from Monterey. The wineries are few and far between, nothing like Napa/Sonoma. Besides the science museum, and a new shopping upscale shopping mall, what would one see in the Silicon Valley, software businesses? Stop with your good advice.
Aug 11th, 2003, 08:15 AM
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Susanna - Although I wouldn't recommend the original poster stay in SJ rather than SF, I do think it is an exageration to say that it would take 1 1/2 hours to get into SF from SJ on a good day. I live in San Jose and have driven up to SF many times and it has rarely taken me that long, even on a bad day. A couple weeks ago I left my house in San Jose at 5:30 on a weekday evenning. I was parking near Pier 39 at 6:40.
Aug 11th, 2003, 09:20 AM
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Sofia-Ahhh you will love this trip.
I did this for my honeymoon 2 years ago in May and we started in SF and ended in Las Vegas, with stopovers in Disneyland,Beverly Hills, and Palm Springs (once is enough). We also did a similar trip 3 years ago, but started in Arizona, and ended in LA, with stopoffs in Sedona, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Diego, and LA area. Not sure if you're a fan of ARIZONA, but you might get some great room rates in off season. The choices for this trip are endless, but if I had 3 weeks (and lots of energy), this is how I'd do it...
1. Fly to Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ-rent a car
2. Sedona, AZ
3. Grand Canyon, AZ
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. Fly to LA-rent a car
6. Santa Barbara
7. San Simeon (Hearst Castle)
8. Carmel
9. Napa/Sonoma
10. Yosemite or Lake Tahoe
11. San Francisco-fly home
Have a great time!
I did this for my honeymoon 2 years ago in May and we started in SF and ended in Las Vegas, with stopovers in Disneyland,Beverly Hills, and Palm Springs (once is enough). We also did a similar trip 3 years ago, but started in Arizona, and ended in LA, with stopoffs in Sedona, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Diego, and LA area. Not sure if you're a fan of ARIZONA, but you might get some great room rates in off season. The choices for this trip are endless, but if I had 3 weeks (and lots of energy), this is how I'd do it...
1. Fly to Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ-rent a car
2. Sedona, AZ
3. Grand Canyon, AZ
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. Fly to LA-rent a car
6. Santa Barbara
7. San Simeon (Hearst Castle)
8. Carmel
9. Napa/Sonoma
10. Yosemite or Lake Tahoe
11. San Francisco-fly home
Have a great time!
Aug 11th, 2003, 06:34 PM
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If I were planning this trip I would fly the cheapest airfare from my home airport to either San Diego, San Francisco, or Las Vegas.
I would definitely fly Southwest from Las Vegas to San Diego or vice versa, but I have taken that road (15) many times and don't care to take it again, plus they are working on the road (15) between Barstow and Vegas.
The hotels I recommend below with the exception of the Ahwahnee are all budget hotels.
In Las Vegas one of the lesser expensive hotels on the strip is The Tropicana. I've stayed for as little as $29/night in the off season and it included a dinner buffet. It's located on a good corner with some of the major "new" hotels within walking distance.
In San Diego I've stayed at La Pensione (http://www.lapensionehotel.com/). It's similar to a hostel but you can get private baths. It's on the street that includes Little Italy and is within walking distance of a trolley station. Right across the street are several italian restaurants that serve good expresso. Visit Old Towne and Balboa Park.
In San Francisco we always stay at the Columbus Motor Inn which runs about $100/night and no parking fees, though you won't need a car in San Francisco. Another place we've heard about which is more of a hostel, and only one room has a private bath is the San Remo Hotel (http://www.sanremohotel.com/). www.sftravel.com has allot of good information on SF.
Though we are not big wine drinkers two of our favorite wineries in Napa are Hess and Coppola. The both have small museums and gift shops. Coppola has beautiful grounds. Napa is doable from SF in a day, but it's a full day. There are 2 main hwys in Napa take one north and the other south.
Yosemite Valley is beautiful and if you have time for it, I wouldn't miss it. Make your reservations now. I'd try to stay at least one night and spend a full day. Rent bikes and take the bike path around the valley. Lay in the meadow across from El Capitan and picnic while watching the climbers climb the face. Drive to Glacier Point. See the Ahwahnee Hotel. Stay there if you can or at the least see the dinning room at night lit only by candle lights
Since I grew up in the Redondo Beach area of Los Angeles I don't have hotels to recommend, it's a non-touristy area of Los Angeles.
I would definitely fly Southwest from Las Vegas to San Diego or vice versa, but I have taken that road (15) many times and don't care to take it again, plus they are working on the road (15) between Barstow and Vegas.
The hotels I recommend below with the exception of the Ahwahnee are all budget hotels.
In Las Vegas one of the lesser expensive hotels on the strip is The Tropicana. I've stayed for as little as $29/night in the off season and it included a dinner buffet. It's located on a good corner with some of the major "new" hotels within walking distance.
In San Diego I've stayed at La Pensione (http://www.lapensionehotel.com/). It's similar to a hostel but you can get private baths. It's on the street that includes Little Italy and is within walking distance of a trolley station. Right across the street are several italian restaurants that serve good expresso. Visit Old Towne and Balboa Park.
In San Francisco we always stay at the Columbus Motor Inn which runs about $100/night and no parking fees, though you won't need a car in San Francisco. Another place we've heard about which is more of a hostel, and only one room has a private bath is the San Remo Hotel (http://www.sanremohotel.com/). www.sftravel.com has allot of good information on SF.
Though we are not big wine drinkers two of our favorite wineries in Napa are Hess and Coppola. The both have small museums and gift shops. Coppola has beautiful grounds. Napa is doable from SF in a day, but it's a full day. There are 2 main hwys in Napa take one north and the other south.
Yosemite Valley is beautiful and if you have time for it, I wouldn't miss it. Make your reservations now. I'd try to stay at least one night and spend a full day. Rent bikes and take the bike path around the valley. Lay in the meadow across from El Capitan and picnic while watching the climbers climb the face. Drive to Glacier Point. See the Ahwahnee Hotel. Stay there if you can or at the least see the dinning room at night lit only by candle lights
Since I grew up in the Redondo Beach area of Los Angeles I don't have hotels to recommend, it's a non-touristy area of Los Angeles.
Aug 13th, 2003, 08:11 AM
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_Sofia_: You have gotten some good advice. Do think about flying Southwest between some of the places on your itinerary. It will save a lot of time and trouble.
Now - about the San Jose controversy. please disregard any suggestions about staying in SJ or using it as a base. There is a poor fellow on this board who changes his screen name frequently (Fodors has banned him under a few of his aliases so he has to keep changing). He often gives advice - especially to overseas visitors - to skip San Francisco, or use San Jose as a base to see Yosemite, or as a stopping point on the way to Carmel. All of this is VERY misleading. SJ is a nice town - but it is NOT a place someone with limited time in our glorious state should give a second thought.
Now - about the San Jose controversy. please disregard any suggestions about staying in SJ or using it as a base. There is a poor fellow on this board who changes his screen name frequently (Fodors has banned him under a few of his aliases so he has to keep changing). He often gives advice - especially to overseas visitors - to skip San Francisco, or use San Jose as a base to see Yosemite, or as a stopping point on the way to Carmel. All of this is VERY misleading. SJ is a nice town - but it is NOT a place someone with limited time in our glorious state should give a second thought.
Aug 13th, 2003, 09:43 AM
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Hi, Sofia!
I am jason888 and have posted only under this name - mostly to the Europe forum.
I didn't know until today that I suffered from having multiple personalities - but, if so, welcome to my world, other "personalities"!
I live in Silicon Valley (San Jose) and I can remember when this entire valley, the Santa Clara Valley, was a beautiful place to visit, with lots of fruit trees and charming towns. Since the explosion of the "hi tech" revolution, stemming from our proximity to Stanford University, this valley has, unfortunately, become paved over and is now a concrete land of crowded highways and acres of shopping malls. The Greater San Jose area is not a bad place to visit, especially if you have business here with any one of the numerous companies - Hewlett Packard, Apple, Cisco, etc. etc. etc.
However, it is not a tourist place. There are certainly things to do and see here - but they are not of the "can't be missed" variety. For example, I enjoy going to the opera locally, but the quality is not that of the San Francisco Opera. We may aspire to be at that level, but we are not there yet, not by a long shot and we probably never will.
I wouldn't discourage you from coming here if you want to. It's just that in the matter of priorities and with only so many days, there are a few places in California that would be a pity for the average tourist to miss: San Francisco, along the awesome coast, Monterey/Carmel, greater Los Angeles, and possibly San Diego.
I am of two minds about Yosemite and the Napa Valley. The Napa Valley, especially, to my mind can be skipped when you are driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles (and that would be the direction I would recommend to you). There are plenty of wineries in California - some produce wines just as good or perhaps better than Napa Valley. It's just that NP is more famous and more touristy (and more expensive!). You can stop off in numerous wineries along the way southbound. Many.
If I had a choice between the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, I'd choose the Grand Canyon.
Las Vegas, too, is paved over and has a lot of artificial entertainment - which isn't bad if you like that sort of thing. I do enjoy visiting Las Vegas once in a great while.
It just depends on what you want to do and to see. My wife and I are in our early 60's and when we visit Europe we like to walk and walk and walk. We prefer nature to monuments, although we greatly enjoy the monuments too.
Whatever you choose to do and wherever you eventually decide to go, you will have a great trip! Enjoy!
I am jason888 and have posted only under this name - mostly to the Europe forum.
I didn't know until today that I suffered from having multiple personalities - but, if so, welcome to my world, other "personalities"!
I live in Silicon Valley (San Jose) and I can remember when this entire valley, the Santa Clara Valley, was a beautiful place to visit, with lots of fruit trees and charming towns. Since the explosion of the "hi tech" revolution, stemming from our proximity to Stanford University, this valley has, unfortunately, become paved over and is now a concrete land of crowded highways and acres of shopping malls. The Greater San Jose area is not a bad place to visit, especially if you have business here with any one of the numerous companies - Hewlett Packard, Apple, Cisco, etc. etc. etc.
However, it is not a tourist place. There are certainly things to do and see here - but they are not of the "can't be missed" variety. For example, I enjoy going to the opera locally, but the quality is not that of the San Francisco Opera. We may aspire to be at that level, but we are not there yet, not by a long shot and we probably never will.
I wouldn't discourage you from coming here if you want to. It's just that in the matter of priorities and with only so many days, there are a few places in California that would be a pity for the average tourist to miss: San Francisco, along the awesome coast, Monterey/Carmel, greater Los Angeles, and possibly San Diego.
I am of two minds about Yosemite and the Napa Valley. The Napa Valley, especially, to my mind can be skipped when you are driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles (and that would be the direction I would recommend to you). There are plenty of wineries in California - some produce wines just as good or perhaps better than Napa Valley. It's just that NP is more famous and more touristy (and more expensive!). You can stop off in numerous wineries along the way southbound. Many.
If I had a choice between the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, I'd choose the Grand Canyon.
Las Vegas, too, is paved over and has a lot of artificial entertainment - which isn't bad if you like that sort of thing. I do enjoy visiting Las Vegas once in a great while.
It just depends on what you want to do and to see. My wife and I are in our early 60's and when we visit Europe we like to walk and walk and walk. We prefer nature to monuments, although we greatly enjoy the monuments too.
Whatever you choose to do and wherever you eventually decide to go, you will have a great trip! Enjoy!
Aug 13th, 2003, 10:37 AM
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I just wanted to join in to say that I do not have "multiple personalities" I have never bashed San Jose (I have never been there) and that I post on this site and others to gain travel advice. I have used the European sites to gain information for my families numberous vacations to Europe and recently I have been posting on this site to gain information on our planned trip to California this summer. You can check out my posts on this and the other sites and see that I have never bashed San Jose and have no interest in the place at all! This is totally ridiculous!
Aug 13th, 2003, 11:19 AM
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I too have never used any other name. I am a Northern Californian who posts here often - about 80-90% on the Europe board.
I have absolutely NOTHING against San Jose (except for the traffic but that is common to a lot of places). I go there often.
HOWEVER - for people to tell travelers from South America (or England, or the East Coast) that they should spend part of their very limited time in this huge state in San Jose is really, REALLY unfortunate.
If you live in Reno NV and have been lots of places in Northern California - then a weekend in SJ could be a good idea. But if you have flown 5,000 miles and have a few days for the whole state -- WHY would anyone advise them to use any of it in San Jose.
Same goes for Fremont, Milpitas, Fresno, Bakersfield, San Bernardino and 100 other places. They are not bad - but they are not vacation hot spots.
I worry about people asking sincere questions and getting mislead by the pro-SJ contingent
I have absolutely NOTHING against San Jose (except for the traffic but that is common to a lot of places). I go there often.
HOWEVER - for people to tell travelers from South America (or England, or the East Coast) that they should spend part of their very limited time in this huge state in San Jose is really, REALLY unfortunate.
If you live in Reno NV and have been lots of places in Northern California - then a weekend in SJ could be a good idea. But if you have flown 5,000 miles and have a few days for the whole state -- WHY would anyone advise them to use any of it in San Jose.
Same goes for Fremont, Milpitas, Fresno, Bakersfield, San Bernardino and 100 other places. They are not bad - but they are not vacation hot spots.
I worry about people asking sincere questions and getting mislead by the pro-SJ contingent
Aug 13th, 2003, 12:36 PM
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Not to risk getting completely flamed (I have no stake in the SF/SJ battle, being a southern CA resident), but that particular statistic set doesn't refer to exclusively leisure-related travel. I would guarantee that a large percentage of those foreign visitors to San José are there on BUSINESS (it being the heart of Silicon Valley). I would also venture a bet that those numbers have fallen off considerably since 2000 (the last year cited)-- a combination of business travel cutbacks and Internet-based teleconferencing.
San José does have historic interest going for it, plus a lively downtown scene (though I'm sure it's a little more subdued than in the late 90s). Might be worth a visit. But no one can argue convincingly (at least to me) that you can SKIP San Francisco on a trip like this (a whirlwind cavalcade tour of the state of California). That is ludicrous.
San José does have historic interest going for it, plus a lively downtown scene (though I'm sure it's a little more subdued than in the late 90s). Might be worth a visit. But no one can argue convincingly (at least to me) that you can SKIP San Francisco on a trip like this (a whirlwind cavalcade tour of the state of California). That is ludicrous.
Aug 13th, 2003, 12:45 PM
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rjw,
I think that your presumption that most of the overseas travel to San Jose on that website is probably not correct. I agree that if we were looking at domestic travel there would be a relatively high proportion of business travellers. Generally most visiors from overseas temnd to be leisure travelers.
Also, you have to realize that many business trips are combined with leisure trips with the family. So for the most part a business trip is also a leisure trip as well.
I think that your presumption that most of the overseas travel to San Jose on that website is probably not correct. I agree that if we were looking at domestic travel there would be a relatively high proportion of business travellers. Generally most visiors from overseas temnd to be leisure travelers.
Also, you have to realize that many business trips are combined with leisure trips with the family. So for the most part a business trip is also a leisure trip as well.
