We are two finnish "girls" (37 and 40+) who are planning a visit to California.
We would like some advice, pleace!
We are staying in LA for 3 days, where, we don´t know. Do you have any suggestions?
Then we are thinking of taking the Grayhound bus up the Highway 1. What about that??
3 days in San Francisco and then we will visit a friend in Napa.
We have also planned to stay 5-6 days in Carmel, but after reading this site, I think it is better to stay in Pacific Grove, or...???
Please help us with some good tips........we really need them.
This is not our first visit in these areas, but it was not yesterday, if you know what I mean?!
Some areas have changed a lot I think. Mostly San Fran.
Thank you!!!

I'd suggest that you take the Amtrak train over the Greyhound Bus when heading up the coast. The train tracks are actually closer to the ocean in many parts and you'll get a better view (not to mention more comfortable seats and better food).

Thank you xxx!
Do you have any other helpful hints?
If we take the Amtrak, will we be able to stop where ever we like? You know, we see a nice place and would like to stay there for a cupple of days.

By all means heed the advice to take the train and not the bus. I've traveled by both means in California as well as on the east coast - train is the way to go. Amtrak offers a number of railpass options - one is targeted at International travelers (must live outside the US or Canada to purchase it). It's available in 15 day or 30 day passes, offers unlimited stopovers and there are different ones availabel depending on region in which you'll travel. See details and prices at

http://www.amtrak.com/savings/usarail.html

It just occurred to me when re-reading this post... the train does go up the coast but if I recall correctly the most scenic portions of Highway 1 are NOT visible from the train. The train does go near the ocean on some routes closer to LA, Santa Barbara and San Diego. I'd look into getting on some sort of charter tour that goes up highway 1. The buses will be far more comfortable than Greyhound, will have better visibility and will stop for scenic areas. Despite any negative things you may have read about San Francisco, it's still a great destination and as safe as any other major US city if you use common sense. I was there quite recently and can attest to this fact.

Thank you, Owen!
So, these rumours about San Fran are not true? I´m glad.
Last time we stayed there, we stayed at the Powell hotel. Now we are thinking about Cow Hollow. Is that a good choice?
Is it near "everything"?
We are, foolishly enough, thinking about travelling without having to rent a car. So is Cow Hollow in walkingdistance to all the good stuff?
And then about Grey Hound, are the buses old or something? Not safe??
Thanks again.

Wow Mona, I have not heard about the Cow Hollow Inn in about twenty years. My husband I stayed there 20yrs ago and at that time if was a very nice place. Not a 4 star place. No frills at all. Unless they have remodeled (which I am sure they have). There is no lobby to speak of. If my memory is correct, the rooms were clean and BIG. Was not really a convient spot for our needs, but the price was awesome. Any other Fodorites who have been at the Cow Hollow, I would like to know how the new century version is. Thanx.-Carol

I think there have been some positive comments about the Cow Hollow Inn recently. If you do a search here they might pop up.

Mona, the Greyhound is probably safe, but not the best way to travel compared to the train. Most bus stations are in the worst part of a town, so you won't want to get off the bus and explore. My niece, a college student, has to take the bus to get home sometimes and she detests it. If there's not a big price difference you should opt for the train.

Thank you Carol and Susan!
Can you give me some more tips?
Where to stop between LA and San Fran?
Santa Barbara or?
At the end of our 3 weeks stay we will be in Pasific Grove, I think, and the areas near by (Carmel and Monterey).

Santa Barbara should be on your list of places to stop. I'd also recommend San Luis Obispo. Both of these are college towns and lots going on. You might also really enjoy the town of Cambria.

Cow Hollow has become a nice section of San Francisco. There are lots of shops and restaurants. But it's not in walking distance to other attractions.

I disagree slightly - I think you can walk anywhere in the city from Cow Hollow if you are in decent shape. It would generally be my ideal place to base out of.

There is a backpackers bus called green tortoise that you might look into as an alternative. It runs up the coast I understand and will be fairly social as well.

Mona, there's a great deal of info here on great places to stop up and down the California coastline. Try and do a search to see what tickles your fancy. Santa Barbara is absolutely lovely and deserving of a stop. Also, Hearst Castle would be great to see, I'm just not sure where the train stops are in relation to it. Perhaps have a look at the amtrak website to see where the train will stop on your journey.

I'll try and pull up a few recent threads to get you started. Enjoy!

Mona,

I would say definitely the train is a better alternative to the bus. The Amtrak Coast Starlight http://www.amtrak.com/trains/coaststarlight.html
is your best bet. It starts in LA and hits all the major cities including San Jose, Oakland, and Sacramento. There is also a stop in Santa Barbara if you were planning to spend some time there. Unfortunately the train does not stop in San Francisco. Your options would include getting off at San Jose and transferring to the Caltrain which also stops at the same station as the Amtrak train. The ride from San Jose to San Francisco is 1.5 hours. The other option would be to get off the Amtrak train in Emeryville and I believe that there is a bus that goes into San Francisco from there. Being that there is no train service to Monterey and Carmel, you might be better off stopping in San Jose and taking a Greyhound bus to Monterey and Carmel. The ride to Monterey is about 2 hours. The San Jose Greyhound Station is located at 70 South Almaden Avenue: Phone408) 295-4151
Monterey(www.monterey.com) and Carmel do have alot to offer. Don't miss the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Fisherman's Wharf. If you decide to stop in San Jose and Silicon Valley (www.sanjose.org), the train station is located downtown near most of the major points of interest (museums, restaurants, performing arts, etc).

You can get off the train in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. I normally have my bike with me, so I ride into both towns from the stations and atleast enjoy lunch or dinner in these towns.

Thank you all!!
We are most greatful for all the help we can get.
Lodging ideas for: LA, Pacific Grove (or Carmel), Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo???

You really should rent a car so you can stop when you want. taking the train or a bus will be a pain and you won't see much from the freeway. Santa Barbara will be difficult to see w/o a car as will the Central Coast.

Really--it will likely be cheaper to rent a car for a week if you split the cost.

I agree. Rent a car. We've done the trip from San Diego to Napa twice. You'll see a lot more. Follow the Pacific Coast Highway from San Luis Obispo to Carmel. They'll be spots where you'll see seals & sea lions sunning themselves or swimming around. There are many beautiful scenes where the mountains meet the ocean. Absolutely breath-taking. I wouldn't want to feel like I was on a schedule or rushed from site to site just to catch a bus or train.

In between LA & SF, we have stayed in Solvang, San Simeon (Hearst Castle area), and Carmel/Monterey. Solvang is an old-style Danish village. It's a neat stop-over to do a littel shopping, enjoy some Danish pastry. There are some nice, quaint inn in the area as well. I think the name of the place we stayed at was the Petersen Inn.