Hi there,

I am looking at travelling to the states hopefully at the end of september this will be my first visit and i am really excited.
What me and my partner want to do is fly to LA say for 5 days and see some of the sites then hire a car and drive to the grand canyon but would proberly like to break the journey up.
However i am unsure were would be good to stay for a night?
We would then like to drive and stay at the grand canyon for a night then drive to vegas and have 2 nights there.
From there we was propberly going to fly to san fransico and stay 2 nights then hire another car and drive back to LA stoping along the way.
We have 14 nights to do the trip we did think of driving from vegas to san fransico but decided against it as we felt for us that this would be enough driving for us.
I have had a few quotes from the uk to put a holiday package like this together for us but as they were all so expensive decided to see if i could book everything myself and save the money for our trip.
What i would like to know from people who know what they think to my plans so far.
And if they could add or recommend any places to stay, must things to see, basically any advice that may be helpful.
Thanks alot sally

How are flights from UK between San Francisco and Las Vegas?

I'm wondering because in your plan you drive from LA to Grand Canyon to Vegas, fly to SF, and then drive from SF to LA.

Would this work?--Fly to San Francisco, drive to LA, drive to Grand Canyon, drive to Vegas, fly home. . . . or the reverse, into Vegas, home from SF.

Hi
I will check but the reason i thought of flying to la is i have been told its more expensive flying from and to vegas but i will check that out.
Thanks

Be sure to use the "multi-city" option when checking for flights. Also take into consideration the extra money you would have spent on the flight between Vegas and SF when figuring the flight costs.

There are really cheap flights la to lv. Try kayak.com (check the box for airports nearby for best rates) and Southwest.com. I would fly to SF, stay 3 nts, rent car and drive the beautiful coast for 2 nts, la for 3 nts, drop off car, fly to lv, rent car, drive to Grand Canyon minimum 2 nts, lv for 2 nts (I don't get why it's so popular, but if you must...), fly home from lv or la. You can do this without a travel agent - it's just flights, hotels and car rentals. Get a good California map and check out what might interest you online! Turn on the US Open golf tournament on Sunday. It is one of the most beautiful areas in the world. Don't miss Monterey Peninsula just south of SF.

hi thanks for all your responces so far, been checking and yes it is possible i could fly into san fran and fly back from las vegas works out in total another £300 pounds to do it.
But it could be worth it, i was thinking of staying near the beach in LA anyone have any suggestions but not too expensive.
I have 5 star taste but only 2 star money im afraid also if i were to stay close could i still get to see all the tourist things.

I'd try to fly Open jaw into Las Vegas and out of San Francisco (or into San Francisco and out of LV). The only hiccup is possible increased car drop off fees. Virgin serves LV, LA and SF from London so you have some flexibility of your exact itinerary

Drive the LV > Grand Canyon > LA > SF loop. (Or vice versa)

California native here, and I agree with christabir. I would fly into San Francisco, spend at least 3 or 4 days there, then drive down the coast and spend 2 of your days doing it. You cannot visit California and miss the famous Highway 1 drive through Big Sur. One of the most beautiful drives in the world in my opinion.

Unless you have plans to make a day trip down to Anaheim to see Disneyland, I think you could do a "highlights" of L.A. in 3 or 4 days.

If you want to stay by the beach in L.A., the best area is Santa Monica. Good base of operations and Hollywood, Universal City and Beverly Hills are 15-25 minutes away. Some nice hotels with reasonable prices in Santa Monica include the Seaview Hotel, The Ocean Lodge Hotel, or if you're willing to pay a little more, I've had friends stay at the Ambrose Hotel and say nothing but great things about the place.

While driving down the coast from San Fran to L.A. some places not to be missed: Monterey and Carmel(make sure to visit the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium), Hearst Castle (home of early 20th century media tycoon William Randolph Hearst - absolutely stunning and a study in pure excess), Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery right off Hwy 1 near Hearst Castle, the charming town of Cambria, and perhaps an afternoon renting bicycles and taking in the sights in downtown Santa Barbara. For your first day down the coast you could stay either in or near Monterey (though most of the lodging in the town runs a little pricey.) For your second day, I would find a place to stay in Cambria, or in Santa Barbara if you decide to visit (which is completely optional.)

From L.A. drive to Vegas (depending on when you leave or if you leave on a Friday night or Saturday morning, the drive is between 4-6 hours), spend 2 days in Vegas, drive to Grand Canyon, spend 1 day there, then fly home out of Vegas.

Have a GREAT trip!