Hi people,

We are taking a 8-day tour of California. Arrival and daprtures from SFO airport. We are 2 adults and a child about 3 years old.

visiting san francisco(day tour of the city + also SF zoo if possible) ---->>>>.would like to visit napa valley( preferably day tour alongwith geyser visit...can stay a day if needed) -------->>>>>>>lake tahoe area( preferably stay 1 or 2 days on south side?{ where to stay and eat and what can be see/do with kid})------->>>>then do yosemite( 1-2 days...need help here with where to stay and what to see).

Any other ideas? Redwoods....Driving curs....

Can someone help us set an itinerary? we are totally in california for about 8 days. Also need help with what kind of passes can we buy for BART/MUNI in SF. We need BART/muni travel only getting to hotels from airport...to airport, and SF city travel.

Thanks for your help.
Borivlikar.

Wow, are you going to take all your luggage on Bart & Muni? Sounds like a big hassle! I'd recommend a taxi.

In my opinion, you are trying to cover too much geography in 8 days. Most of your time will be in the car driving. And if you hit traffic, it will add to the unpleasantness. For 8 days I would do just SF and the wine country. Or just SF and Yosemite. Also, skip the geyser, it's very tiny and not worth driving to.

Have fun!

First, how much luggage WILL you have? And where are you staying (near a BART station?)? If you have backpacks, and your toddler will be in a stroller, then maybe BART is okay, but it'll be impossible if you have "extra" baggage.

Second, I agree that it will be very hard to cover that much ground in 8 days. I would suggest 1-2 days in San Francisco, and a drive out of the city (you could go north - Muir Woods? Healdsburg? Calistoga?, or south (my recommendation - Monterey, with its excellent aquarium/Carmel).

As for the SF Zoo, do you not have a decent zoo at home? I'm not big on recommending zoo visits to anyone unless they have no alternative or the zoo is world class. Yes, I'd recommend the San Diego Zoo, but no, I wouldn't recommend the SF Zoo (among other things, it's a hike to get there, and the weather is often awful, much worse than the rest of the city).

When are you planning this for? You will need to be midful of summer holidays and will need reservations for busy places like Yosemite.

Ok you are rt sf7307. no zoos. can cut out napa valley if needed.( no clue about driving distances and travel times.) will probably have 1 bag and 2 handbags plus just maybe 1 backpack. staying at parc55 hotel when we land. and staying at hyatt regency at sfo when departing. travel dates are may1st to may 9th. how much is taxi from sfo to parc 55 hotel if anyone knows? maybe i can just rent a car...though parking is a small fortune seems like.

any recommended cheap eats in san francisco around downtown area? we are vegetarian which is always the issue.

still seeing reservations available in yosemite at awhanee lodge which is where we intend to stay hopefully.

wanted to go to napa to stomp some grapes in a winery and show our son what t is like....considering grapes are his favourite food and would be a change from dry florida. It can be cut out if needed..

please let me know travel times if possible....and best times of the day to drive...

We just came back from San Francisco, Napa and Sonoma. We liked both Sonoma Town and Sonoma Valley a lot more than Napa Valley. Almost everything speaks for Sonoma: Sonoma is a charming historical towns with lots to see and explore (the Mission, a historical hotel, the General's home, historic barracks...), Sonoma Valley is less industrialized, much more scenic, less crowded - and less expensive.

The geysir is quite impressive. Last Monday, it erupted every five minutes. It is located in Calistoga at the northern end of Napa Valley - a scenic 30min-drive through the mountains from Kenwood in Sonoma Valley. On the way, there is petrified forest and nearby a historic gristmill.

There will be no grapes to stomp in May. Grape harvest begins in August thru October.

Travel times: SF to Sonoma/Napa about 45min - 1hour
SF to Yosemite - 4 hours
SF to Monterey/Carmel - 2 hours

If you can grab a reservation at the Awahnee, try to work that in.

MY

You guys are going to stay at the Ahwanhee and are worried about the cost of cab fare from SFO to your downtown hotel? Cabs are quicker, more comfortable, and easier on the back. Bite the bullet!

There are wineries near Yosemite if you want to skip Napa and spend some time in the Sierra Foothills which will be lovely in May. This is also called the Gold Country and there are some interesting sites pertaining to California history plus some interesting caverns or caves to visit.

However, if you have a deep interest in wine, you should visit the Napa Valley. Most of the Napa Valley is an agricultural preserve so I don't know why someone would consider it more "industrialized" than Sonoma. It does get more tourists but there is a reason for that. The Napa Valley has many of the best wineries in California and is world renowned for its Cabernet.

As MichelleY says, there will not be any "grape stomping" going on (if there ever is any) in May. In fact, most of the vines will be flowering so they will not even have grapes yet. But, May is often a beautiful time to visit. However, the grapes your son likes are not grown in Napa (or Sonoma). They are a different variety and come from vineyards further south in the Imperial and Central Valleys.

The geyser might be a disappointment if you've been to Yellowstone but if you haven't you might find it interesting. If you do want to see the geyser in Calistoga, you might consider staying there. Calistoga is a fun town and has some affordable lodging options (some with natural thermal spas). If you do go, you can print out a 1$ savings coupon from the Old Faithful Geyser website.

http://www.oldfaithfulgeyser.com/visiting.html

Wineries to consider for a tour would include Robert Mondavi or Beringer. They offer excellent tours for first time visitors. Domaine Chandon would be another good tour to learn about how sparkling wines are made. All three of these wineries are on Hwy 29 and are easy to find.

Lake Tahoe is a winter and summer resort area. In early May, it will be very quiet there especially mid-week. If you like to gamble then stay at South Shore. If not, North Shore is less crowded and less hectic. I can't think of anything a 3 year old would like to do there then since most lake activities won't be open yet. I guess a ride on the MS Dixie might be memorable. They have a daily sightseeing cruise at 1pm.

Before doing any more planning, you should get a good map and check out the driving distances and also get hold of a good guide book. Fodors has one and AAA does too.

We are not high on the wine thing just the experience. Hell we dont even drink alcohol including wine. never seen one. But the wineries near yosmite might be a good idea. We are booking the awhanee cuz that is the only real lodging in the park with the amenities that we need for our son. Hopefully it is still available when we are ready to book.

We dont really want to gamble since we will be doing vegas in september. So the north shore might just work. any water sports we can take in? or any views.

MichelleY....is the drive into ysomite or even lake tahoe fairly easy? we drove to the smoky mountains and we had drive real slowly just because of a little height sickness and the curvy roads. we can conquer it but just need to drive slowly. so any advice...please let us know.

i will take the cab from sfo to our hotel. I just was asking because i had heard traffic was bad...and dint want to pay for sitting in traffic.