1st Trip to Central California
 

My boyfriend and I are planning our first trip to California for the first week in July. We will be there from the 2nd to the 6th. We are trying to do this the budget friendly way and want to squeeze in the best things to do for those few days.

Does anyone have advice on the best 4th of July events? The best attractions to visit, or things that are unique to the area- the must sees? What about the best day trips? Northern California seems to have a lot to offer- as does Monterey.

We're not sure where to start. Also, we are looking to keep hotel prices down and are thinking of getting something with a kitchenette and free meals. We were thinking of staying outside of SF- any suggestions?

Thanks,

Kimlyr

You'll need to book really soon if you expect to find anything affordable along or near the coast in July, especially that holiday week. In Monterey, the Howard Johnson on Munras is good value for the area and a decent location. Outside of San Francisco, the airport area is inexpensive on weekends and since the Bart subway extends out that way now, it's not real inconvenient to stay there if you're on a budget. Inside San Fran, if you can get a good price at the Columbus Motor Inn or the Chelsea Motor Inn they're fine, and parking is included (a $30 savings per night in SF).

First of all, what do you consider "Central California" (the coast, the valley, the Sierra's)? Secondly, why did you pick this area if you have no idea of what to do or where to go?

California is a very large state.

Curious

You started out talking about central California, and then mentioned San Francisco (which is considered northern CA).

So we need some clarification. Are you flying into SF and then want to travel down to the central coast?

The 4th of July weekend will be a very busy time in the Monterey/Carmel area. Less so in SF. So you might want to do the Monterey/Carmel area first - staying the nights of July 2 and 3 (but book pretty soon). Then drive up to SF on the 4th and spend Fri-Sun in the city. You may even get discounted hotel rates that weekend. Just hope there isn't fog so you can see the fireworks.

we are looking to keep hotel prices down and are thinking of getting something with a kitchenette and free meals"

I'd be interested in finding those free meals too so please let us know more about them.

Seriously though, if you could provide more specific information about where you want to go, we would be able to help a little more.

My favorite 4th of July celebration is up at Lake Tahoe where they have an awesome fireworks display. Now, that may be in Northern California, not Central but I'm not sure where the dividing line is. That would be a good topic for discussion.

I agree with Janisj on the date selection. The 4th thru 6th in Carmel/ Monterey will not be budget friendly at all. Those July/ August weekends on the central coast, especially a holiday one, will be very pricey. Now the 4th in SF may not be cheap either, but should give you more moderate options.

The San Francisco area and the Central California areas are too large and have too much to see in the time you have alloted. I suggest you get a travel book on California in the bookstore and pick one specific area that you want to visit in the few days you have. Then plan several more future trips to CA to see other areas.

Have fun!

We are either flying in to San Francisco or San Jose- and please bear with me- I am from another part of the world- not sure where the line is between Northern and Central California.

Far northern CA looks beautiful as well as wine country and Monterey-
pretty large area I am covering here- I know.

We are very open to suggestions-

Also- as far as the free meals- we have found some hotels in the Silicon Valley- Redwood City area that advertise full breakfast and light dinners- is anyone familiar with these?

The suggestion about concentrating on one area is probably a good one considering our limited time.

If you were coming to Ca for the first time-what would be the one thing you would want to do>????

Thanks,

Kimlyr

You really need to go to the bookstore or library and do some homework and narrow down your options.

There is no "line" between Northern and Central California, but you can roughly figure Central California from about Monterey south to say Santa Maria or Santa Barbara. Both San Francisco and San Jose are considered Northern Ca.

As I said, you really need to do some homework and come up with a rough plan. Then come back here for details.

Curious

There is so much to see that it is hard to give specific suggestions. Here are some general ones though:

Being a holiday weekend, for routes near the coast or going to the coast, it will take you twice as long as you think (or longer) to get where you want to go because of the traffic. So, I would try and stay as close to the things you want to see as possible rather than planning to drive much.

You mentioned hotel deals in Silicon Valley and Redwood City - neither of these places is anywhere scenic or particularly interesting for tourists, so you would have to drive up to SF or over to the coast each day. It would be a shame to come all the way from wherever you are to this area that has so much to offer and then stay in uninteresting areas and spend half your trip sitting in traffic.

With only 5 days, I would choose 1 or 2 locations - perhaps SF and Monterey. Santa Cruz is fun too - more of a hippy, surfer, university town than Monterey which is more scenic and subdued, esspecially Carmel.

All along Monterey Bay, people set off fireworks, which is fun to watch. We go to Aptos usually when we are down that way. The only place they are legal is Watsonville, but people set off illegal ones all along the beach.

If your budget is really tight, consider staying in a hostel. There are several good ones in San Francisco and down the coast. Take a look at http://www.hihostels.com/ for more information.

Lee Ann

The free meals you're talking about are at "Residence Inn" type places where they have a free hot breakfast and a light snack...maybe chili & cornbread at night. But usually the dinner-hour food is only on weekdays. Also, the price to stay here is probably $40 more per night than a Comfort Inn or Best Western so I wouldn't plan a "budget" trip around free meals...you won't want to stop your sightseeing at 5pm daily just to get back to your hotel for a free snack anyway.

Where are you flying in from? Sometimes you can fly into one city and out of another, to save on backtracking. You'd need to find a decent one-way car rental however, which could be tough around 4th of July.

We live in this area.

Fly into San Jose if you are going to drive to the Monterey Peninsula first. This will knock 1 hour off your drive. Fly out of SFO if you end your trip in San Francisco.

If you are simply looking for cheap tickets also check Oakland airport for deals.

I would limit my trip to Monterey Peninsula and San Francisco only. That is more than enough to see during your short trip.

You can check out www.pacificgrove.org for nice places to stay in Pacific Grove, California. It is on Monterey Peninsula, has great Bed and Breakfast places and more coast line than Carmel or Monterey.

If you or boyfriend has military experience the best bet for a place to stay in SF is the Marine Memorial Hotel. It is for vets and active military, offers free breakfast and free happy hour with a fantastic location and very nice rooms.