Las Vegas to California - Which route and which cities???
 

Hi!

We are going on our Honeymoon from October 20th (arriving late in Las Vegas) through November 2nd. October 20th-October 29th/30th is allocated for Las Vegas and California. Then we are flying to Hawaii for the remaining few days....preferably from LAX so it would be best if Los Angeles is the last city we visit.

We are planning to stay in Vegas until probably the 24th. Then, we need advice on what to do. I have never been to any of the places we are going. From Vegas, should we rent a car or fly and where should we go first, 2nd, 3rd, etc? And for how long? I realize our time is limited.

We were thinking about renting a car and driving up to Yosemite from LV and then to San Fransisco and drive down the coast but we don't know if this is the best use of our time given how many things there are in CA to do and see. Is Yosemite worth it?

FYI, I am 33 and my fiance is 39. We both like outdoors and active things, but we also like the nightlife (to an extent) and dining. We like fun things and are adventurous! For instance, we are going to dress up and go on Let's Make a Deal the last day in Los Angeles.

I'm just giving you an idea of our personalities so it can better fit the advice.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give to help us out! Nothing is set in stone right now so please any suggestions on where to visit and how long would be much appreciated.

Thanks!!!
Kim

You are flying to Hawaii for just the last few days? I would skip that part and just do Vegas and CA. There's plenty to do there without going to HI; save that for when you can spend a week.

I would like to do the Yosemite/SF/coast trip , but wonder if you have thought about lodging if it is this year that you plan to travel. You will have plenty of the things you like to do on that route, but get on the lodging asap.

I would toss one of the three destinations out. Either go to Vegas for a few nights and fly to Hawaii, Do Vegas and CA, or do a few days in CA and go to HI. Toss the dice, but one must go.

You don't have enough time to see much of CA and HI and Vegas. there are just too many places and too few nights.

You should look at a good mapping sight to see not only distances, but driving times. And do realize that for Yosemite you are in the mountains - and may run into cold weather and slow driving.

Well, I appreciate all of your input. People do 3-4 day trips to Vegas, CA and Hawaii all the time. I understand that we can see and do way more if we are in 1 or 2 places, but that is not necessarily OUR objective. Our objective is to be able to say we have experienced a little bit of each considering we never get to travel to the west coast.

I still ask, IF you were visiting all 3, what route would you take? Should we skip Yosemite to give more us more time in CA and just fly to San Fran after Vegas? Then, rent a car and drive down the coast???

Or we could always limit our Vegas trip to 1 or 2 nights. That would give us more time in CA. It is nothing to hop a plane to CA from Vegas. Still wondering about what cities to see. San Francisco and LAX?

What, just the Los Angeles International Airport...? ;)

Just kidding.

I fear that Yosemite has to go. You just won't have time to be traipsing there and back.

Two days in Vegas should be enough (I am one of the few who loves Vegas, but I can see the benefit of short doses). Then head to San Francisco and actually SPEND A FEW DAYS THERE. It's a fantastic city.

The CA coast drive is debated over and over and over and over and over and over and over AND OVER on this forum. I know people just love it, but I just don't get the attraction of Several Days in a Car Almost Constantly Looking to One's Right (or Left, depending on the travel direction). I'm going to be a contrarian (and incur the wrath of the pro-Coast Drive crowd) and suggest the following:

From San Francisco, fly to San Diego. Rent a car (this will be one dropped off in LA, so look for companies that won't ream you on the drop-off fee), spend a couple of nights at the Hotel del Coronado or one of the nice hotels in La Jolla, see a few sites in the area such as the world-famous San Diego Zoo.

Upon checking out, head north on I-5 and hop the Coast Highway in San Juan Capistrano. You will start seeing some lovely views pretty soon; Laguna Beach is notably gorgeous.

As soon as you hit the LA county line, find your way to I-405 north ("the 405 heading to LA"), as the PCH views pretty much stop right there until Santa Monica. I would plan on looking for hotels in Santa Monica (you might as well stay somewhere nice on the coast), and factor in the drive to where Let's Make a Deal is taped (Sunset Bronson Studios, 5800 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood). There's a lot to see in the greater LA area (which essentially surrounds Santa Monica on three sides); if you really want to check out something special you could take the Catalina Express for a day trip to Catalina Island (which is pretty neat).

I don't know; this is what I'd do. But I hate driving more than 150 miles in a day, so.... YMMV.

"People do 3-4 day trips to Vegas, CA and Hawaii all the time."

Maybe to Vegas and CA, but you're going to be hard pressed to find a lot of people taking 3-4 day trips to Hawaii. As it stands, you are looking at only 3 days for Hawaii - and that's not even 3 full days since it looks like you're committed to being in CA through the 30th, meaning you'd fly to Hawaii on the 31st. So that's fly there on the 31st, and back on the 2nd which gives you one full day plus part of 2 other days.

If you both like the outdoors and active things, then cut back on Vegas and give yourself more time in Hawaii. Yeah, there's nightlife and shows in Vegas but there are far more outdoor activities in Hawaii - I would leave Vegas on the 22nd on the 23rd, spend a few days in CA and then give yourself the rest of the time in Hawaii.

You could drive from Vegas to Yosemite (and go through Death Valley on the way). That will be a long day if you do all that. The mountain roads should still be open by then.
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

Flying to San Francisco and driving to Yosemite will take just as long if not longer than just driving Las Vegas to Yosemite.

Personally I think you're best off flying to SF early on the 23rd, spend the day/night in SF then drive down the coast to LA and fly to Hawaii on the 27th. Skip Yosemite because you're already trying to pack in a lot and you'd do little more than a drive through of Yosemite which isn't worth the time IMO.

Oh, if you do stay in Santa Monica, I would think of splurging to stay at Shutters on the Beach. Because it's, you know, on the beach. And lovely. Honeymoon and all that....

Just a thought. We spent our "first honeymoon" in DC (a business trip), but our REAL honeymoon was a week in San Francisco. In a B&B in the Castro, because we wanted to get a true "Tales of the City" experience; and we did, in spades. You two will probably want to find a nice place over on Nob Hill, which is great as well. So many options...!

Thanks for the last 2 responses. Now, we have some things to consider. I'm thinking Yosemite has to go just b/c of the time frame. I REALLY want to see Vegas and Hawaii and my fiance always raves about how beautiful CA is and that I have to see it. Sooo, maybe we can do Vegas Oct. 20th-23rd. Catch an early flight to San Francisco on the 23rd. We can spend the 23rd-27th in CA and either take a late flight on the 27th or early flight on the 28th to Hawaii. So, it appears the coast is a big debate. I guess you either love it or you don't? I guess the decision now is where to go from San Franciso. Oh, and do we need a car while we are in San Francisco? Thanks for all of your input. I love hearing different people's take on everything! :)

If you're going to SF, I would consider heading north to Sonoma / Napa and the Redwoods.

SFO is actually closer to Hawaii than LAX. There's not much about La LA land that I'd want to see.

Love the coast! I just don't see wasting time on the Coast Drive when there's little time and a lot to see.

DO NOT GET A CAR IN SAN FRANCISCO. You will NOT need a car to get around that fantastic city. It is, in fact, a liability.

In LA, a car is an absolute necessity for your purposes. Period.

If you had more time and were sticking to California only, I'd suggest things like the Central Coast, the Wine Country, some of the incredible natural beauty in northern CA closer to Oregon, etc., etc., etc. Think of California as the whole world in one state, but also like nowhere else on earth. It's delicious contradictions, the best and the worst and everything in-between, Hell from day to day but Heaven on Earth all the time. It's impossible to get your arms around in less than a lifetime's time.

I'm scared I'm going to love CA so much I will want to move there! I'm so excited!!!!!!!

Got it...no car in San Francisco. So, what does everybody else think about LA...worth it or not? The only flight I have scheduled right now is to Vegas, so if we need to fly out of another city that is fine. I just would rather keep it around the 5.5 hr flight time if possible. It looks like flight times are the same from San Francisco as they are from LAX, just a little more expensive from San Fran....which is doable.

That's nothing. Wait till you see Hawai'i...! :)

Southern CA is so much more than LA.... There is a lot to see, and not all of it has to do with that nebulous concept called "Hollywood". There are many great things here to be found among the dreck (and there's a lot of dreck here, let's be honest).

But, given limited time, I'd be more inclined to stay up north and really explore San Francisco, the Wine Country, the Redwoods, etc. I'm a huge fan of the City, and the SF specialists here on this forum can clue you in to its endless treasures.

Barring a big quake, southern CA will still be around for your next visit.

I agree with rjw. Fly into Vegas and have fun for a couple of days, then fly up to San Francisco/Oakland area. You could from there rent a car for a day and drive out to Yosemite if you really want to do that. It would be a long day but I personally believe that Yosemite is worth it (and yes, I have done day trips to Yosemite many times from Berkeley and Oakland, so it is very do-able). Figure out how much time you want to spend in the Bay Area and then the balance is in Hawaii. It sounds like a glorious trip to me:)

Oh, and I live in LA now. Hands down, the Bay Area is better!

Thanks for all of your help!!! Ok. So, we're leaning towards Las Vegas for 2 full days. Then, rent a car early Wednesday, the 23rd and drive through Yosemite and arrive in San Francisco late that evening. I just spoke to my neighbor who is from CA and she said Yosemite is breathtaking and recommends it. Then, we can spend the 24th-28th in San Francisco area. That's 4.5-5 days. On the eve of the 28th, or early morning of the 29th, we can fly to Hawaii from San Francisco. That would give us 4.5-5 days in Hawaii. We can leave fly out early Sunday morning from Hawaii. What do y'all think? Also, if we spend our time in San Francisco area, other than a day in Napa, what other recommendations do you have? Are there any outskirts of the area that are worth visiting or would you stick with just San Francisco city? My fiance lived in Monterey for a year and said it's beautiful there. Are there any other places to visit that are close to San Fran that are just as pretty? We want fun stuff too!!! Tips?

And do y'all still think we need to leave Yosemite out, given the rearranged schedule, or do you think we could swing it?

Well - just so you understand - the driving time from Las Vegas to SF via Yosemite is at least 10 hours. This doesn't include any stops for meals or gas - and certainly not for any sightseeing in the park.

I'm afraid you're still trying to stuff too much into too few days. To see even a little of Yosemite you would need to spend one day getting there, then the next day seeing a little of the park for a couple of hours and then drive on to SF.

Suggest you consult some of the mapping web sites to see what actual travel times would be (without any sort of delays/bad weather) before assuming what you can do in one day.

Has anyone mentioned anything about the ongoing fire in yosemite and how many acres have been destroyed as the flames continue?

Leave Vegas late on the 23rd (fly Virgin America to San Francisco) ,so that you can get a good start in San Fran on the 24th. So, book 23, 24 and 25 in SF. Pick up your rental car in downtown SF and head to Carmel/Monterey for the 26th and half day 27th and then down to Santa Barbara for the night of the 27th and all day 28th, leaving after dinner/after traffic for Santa Monica/LAX. That'll give you just one day in Santa Monica, then off to Hawaii on the 30th I guess.

also that's a really quiet time on the coast of California so you don't have to book ahead and get locked into anything. For instance, if you LOVE San Francisco or just want to stay and explore Napa Valley or the northern coast for a couple more days, cancel your rental car then just fly from SFO (or Oakland) to LAX when you're ready. If not, head south in the rental car and log into fodors when you're a few hours from needing a room for the night/ fodorites to the rescue.

Looking Glass- the Rim Fire is not and issue for travelers any longer.

I was just wondering--which island are you planning to visit on the Hawaiian part of your trip?

The Rim Fire is nearly out, but I think it presents several "issues" for travelers.

The fire burned on both sides of Hwy. 120 west from the park to almost Groveland. It's possible there's road damage that the Park and/or DOT will want to repair before winter. That will mean periodic closures and/or delays on 120. Driving on Hwy. 140 to get out of the park would by-pass 120, but lots of people will have the same bright idea. And the detour would add time to the drive.

There are spot fires continuing on Tioga Pass, and a portion of that part of Hwy. 120 remains closed which means there's presently no access from the eastern side of the Sierra to Yosemite Valley. If there's road damage in this section, it's possible the closed portion may not open again until next spring. If that happens, a driver from Las Vegas would have to approach the park from the south which would add still more time to the drive.

October 20, 21 - fly to Vegas, 2 nights for great dining and fun, one full day of relaxing by the pool, spa trip or rock climbing or both at Canyon Ranch - recommend the Venetian for proximity to Bouchon and Spa.
October 22 - 26 - fly to SF, enjoy 2 nights in city and 2 in Napa/Sonoma (or 4 nights in the city)
October 26 - 29 fly to LA, stay 3 nights at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica (or other nice westside hotel), one full day for beach activities - ride bikes along the beach, hike in Malibu, relax, eat really well, and one full day to explore LA, attend Let's make a deal taping, Hollywood, climb Mt. Hollywood, go dancing or see a band or a play or a movie at one of the cool new theaters with drinks and lounge seating
Oct. 29 - November 2 - fly to Hawaii, enjoy 4 nights on one island. 3 full days of Island fun.

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding and have a great Honeymoon.

I think driving from Las Vegas to San Francisco via Yosemite is doable but not a good idea. You will spend too much time driving and won't be able to really enjoy the park. If you want to make that drive, stay in Yosemite overnight.

And will all due respect to the previous poster, I would not stay 3 nights on the beach in Santa Monica and devote one full day to beach activities - not when you're going to Hawaii for 4-5 days immediately afterwards. If you want to go to LA, then go to LA and save the beach stuff for Hawaii.