Okay.. I've really been reading all the posts trying to figure out how to plan our itinerary for our summer vacation to these areas. We are planning on getting to San Fran around noon on Saturday, June 29th and leaving around 10pm on Saturday, July 6th. We are thinking of doing 4 nights in San Fran, 2 in Napa area, and 1 in Monterey area. We would also like to squeeze in a trip to Yosemite, but I'm afraid everything is too spread out and we'll spend most of our time in the car. Also, in what order would you recommend our cities? I'm thinking Monterey, Napa, then San Fran? Is one night in Monterey too short? So many questions... could anyone give me some advice? Also, if we want to stay in a wine valley, is there really any difference b/w Napa and Sonoma? And if we stay in Napa, do we have to stay in Napa itself? Thanks so much!

I would say to spend at least one night in the Monterey/Carmel area when you first arrive (assuming you are flying into SFO). Next I would maybe stay in SF a couple of nights than to Napa for a couple of nights and finish in SF for the reminder of your vacation. This way you are closer to the airport and you might want to stay in 2 different areas of the City. If you go to Monterey from SFO get a map and cross over to 280 and back to 101. 280 is a nicer drive.

Have you been to San Francisco before? How set on Monterey are you? You could easily spend 5 nights in San Francisco doing short day trips and the to Napa for a few days.

i would not stay in napa, but in one of the more picturesque towns like calistoga, or st. helena. lots of very very cute B & Bs there. check out napavalley.com for more info on them and the whole area.

I'd suggest you stay in the town of Sonoma since it is closest to San Francisco, in order to cut down on long days of driving, plus it is a really charming town with great restaurants and good wineries nearby. Do a search here on Sonoma for more suggestions.

You will be here for the 4th of July. That's going to be really crowded up in the wine country. I think I might plan to be in the city for that holiday. Agree with not staying in Napa--one wonderful small town in Sonoma is Healdsburg.

Erica,

I think that 1 night in Monterey(www.monterey.com)is not enough. I would stay at least 2 nights to be able to see the area. Some of the highlights would be the Monterey Bay Aquarium, 17 Mile Drive, and Fisherman's Wharf. A visit to Carmel by the Sea should also be on your list. In order to really appreciate the Central Coast, you should drive south of Monterey along Highway 1 to Big Sur and south to Cambria. Just outside of Cambria I would recommend a tour of Hearst Castle.
(www.hearst-castle.org) Squeezing in a trip to Yosemite (www.yosemitepark.com)would be possible if you were not going to the San Francisco and Napa areas. You may want to consider saving these two areas for another trip if possible. If you decide to see Yosemite, you should make your reservations ASAP. You may also want to consider flying into San Jose International instead of San Francisco. For one thing San Francisco does have a problem with delays, and also San Jose (www.sanjose.org)is the most centrally located major city to all of your destinations (SF and Napa up north and Monterey to the southwest). Going to San Francisco from the city is convenient with Cal Train (www.caltrain.org)if you prefer not to drive. It takes about 1.5 hours. Of course, you will need a car in Napa. There are a number of interesting museums in San Jose/Silicon Valley. The Tech Museum is a great way to get a sense of what the city and the surrounding Silicon Valley is about. The Rosicrucian Museum has the most extensive collection of Egyptian artifacts that I have seen on the west coast. If you are in to antiques, there are many interesting shops on West San Carlos Street.

Have a great trip.

Here we go again with the visit San Jose crowd. Erica has such limited time here, don't send here to San Jose.

Here we go again with the visit San Jose crowd. Erica has such limited time here, don't send her to San Jose.

Erica,

With the amount of time you have, experiencing all of these places will be difficult. Yosemite is the most out of the way destination. If you want to see Yosemite, doing SF and Napa on another trip would make the most sense. The suggestion about San Jose is not a bad one since you could plan day trips from there to Monterey and SF/Napa. That might make the most sense in order to split your time more evenly between each of the places you want to see.

Erica's got a week. Neither Yellowstone or San Jose should be on the short list.

Well, certainly not Yellowstone! ;-)

I recently returned from a similar trip. We started in San Jose because I had a conference. There wasn't much to see in San Jose compared with everywhere else we went, but the Winchester Mystery House was wonderful. We drove up the Pacific Coastal Highway from San Jose to SF - wonderful!

We spent 3 days in San Fransisco which we found to be more than sufficient to do everything we wanted. We then drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, stopping at Muir Woods to see the redwoods on our way to Sonoma. We spent 2 days in Sonoma at a b&b right off Sonoma Plaza. We could ride bikes to the different wineries and there was more than enough to see. If we had more time, we would have driven up to Napa for the day, but we were more than pleased with Sonoma. I would recommend staying in Sonoma since it's closer to SF.

Erica, my workmate Dan didn't really give you a clear enough picture. Did you know that SFO has rats the size of Elephants in it? Use San Jose airport instead. We have gold plated walk ways, and automatic lasers that destroy all homeless people. We also have an enthnic arch to keep the rif-raff out, if you get my drift. Dan also speaks of the wonderous Museums in San Jose. ALL TRUE. The Louvre, Getty Meseum, Sistine Chapel, all bow down to the magnificence of the TWO Museums you'll find in San Jose. I'd recommend cutting out San Francisco completely from your itinerary, and just insert San Jose. Same thing. Honest

I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice. Yosemite isn't really big on our list, so I think what we will probably do is 2 nights in Monterey, then 2 in Napa or Sonoma, and 4 in San Francisco. Now that we have the places picked out, the hard part is picking the "perfect" place to stay!
Once again, I appreciate all of your help!

Hi Erica,
My hubby and I are doing a week in Frisco, Napa and Sonoma early April. I will post my trip repoert Apr. 10 and share travel ides.

Pacific Coastal Highway from San Jose to San Francisco???

Frisco???

Erica,

Please note that Jimbo, AKA Susan Spike, has this deep seated contempt for San Jose, and that any comments from such a biased individual should be disregarded.

Erica,

Since you will be in Northern California for the 4th of July, if you happen to be in San Jose, you should check out the fireworks display Downtown at the San Jose America Festival. It is one of the largest displays in Northern California. Go to www.americafestival.com for more information.

Jason Buddy, I'm not Susan/AKA Spike. I'm your buddy, your bro, your compatriate! Why the hate? I LOVE SAN JOSE! Don't you? oh, please visit www.sanjoserules.com for more info.