Will be flying into SF in late May with 9 days to spend. Want to spend enough time in SF to explore it and the closely surrounding area (4-5 days?) and then spend the remainder wherever the best itinerary would take me, departing from LA. Some time in wine country, but not too much. If you had this time avaialble and were first time visitors to California, what would your itinerary be? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I would spend some time in Yosemite OR drive down from SF to LA along 101 and spend a few nights along the way.


In May, there are a number of roads still closed in Yosemite sot hat could limit your time there.

If you take the 2nd choice:
With 9 days, you have time to spend a few days in SF, 1 or 2 nights in Napa and/or Sonoma and then head down, 1 night in Carmel, 1 night near Hearst Castle, and 1 in Santa Barbara or LA.

You can structure your time differently as it suits you.

So many possibilities...spend time in the city of course, great exploring, good eats, etc. Consider Alcatraz vist, eat at the great places in North Beach. Drive over Golden Gate bridge to Marin county, visit Sausilito, go to Muir Woods. Time in Napa and Sonoma valley for the wineries is well spent. Drive down to Monterery and Carmel, visit the aquariam in Monterey, drive on down along Big Sur, stop and eat lunch in any of the neat senic eateries along there. Consider driving on down coast to LA, some time in LA (not much time should be spent there), head on down south of LA to Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Nigel...all great. Visit some of the famous missions along the coast...most famous Mission San Capistrano south of LA. Maybe on down to La Jolla and San Diego before heading back to LA to leave.

I would concentrate on San Francisco area, then Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur and the areas south of LA....LA itself would not require much of my time at all except as a departure point...a big ugly sprawling city of not redeeming value....

DEFINITELY include the White Swan Inn on any trip to San Francisco. It has the intimacy of a B&B and the anonymity and amenities of a small hotel. Best of all you're extremely close to the heart of downtown (Bush Street) and because of the neighborhood feel of its location, you'll feel like a local.

Four days in SF then Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur area for two nights, then Santa Barbara/Santa Inez Valley area for two nights (this is another less congested wine area of CA and very pretty) and then into L.A. to catch your return flight. You can't possibly do it all with 9 days, you'll just have to come back.

You said you would spend some time in the wine country.... Don't go to Napa... it is way too commercial! Charges and waits for wine tastes. Rude personnel.... Go next door to Sonoma County, Healdsburg or almost any place south to Sonoma proper. Great wine, friendly people, less crowds and it is cheaper too.

In SF--any website will fill you in with the places to go according to preference, of course. Lots there...

Tahoe is not a place to miss especially in may when it is the slow season. . . even a weekend would be reasonable. If you are not into gambling go to the north shore (tahoe city to carnelian bay not incline). If you have kids--or if you just love jelly bellies--stop by at the Jelly Belly Visitors center (ironically, near the Budwiser visitors center) on the way up from SF (somewhere midvalley off highway 80-check their website). Of course Disneyland is waiting... and so is the new California Adventure in Anehiem (a little below LA) you don't need kids to enjoy this. Best bet is getting rooms at one of the disney hotels (through a discount web site rather than from disney--save lots!!!) Check google.com for some of the hotel discounters.... You can take the monorail from disneyland to the hotel, have a swim and a mai tai and return in an hour or less. Otherwise it is a long affair getting in and out of disneyland.
There isn't much between Carmel (really nice BTW) and Santa Barbara. If you take I-5 there is nothing between Santa Cruz and LA except a cool hotel at Harris Ranch (you know - - the best beef west of Texas......). It is really only a stop over if you hate to drive and you want a swim. Otherwise drive straight through.

If you have time take the coast. Beautiful drive and a lot less HOT. The drive on 5 or 99 is boring and full of semi trucks.......

have fun!

The drive along the coast from SF south to Big Sur is a LIFE EXPERINCE> So many vistas and amazing places. Point Lobos just So. of Carmel is a wonder. Hike and picnic there. Continue So to Big Sur and cross it off your life list...parks, hikes, vistas...don't miss it! 2-3 days in the area at least--we spent seven and are ready to return. Carmel Valley has tasting rooms which are nice, but we found only one winery open to the public for tasting /tours--the others are difficult to access. OK if you want to taste vs tour--several tasting rooms within a short distance of each other, not far from Carmel. Favorite restaurant in the Valley was Cafe Rustica. Moderatly priced, good service and food. Went twice, and not because we didn't have alternatives!

3 days SF
1 day wine country (could stay over in a cute B&B but frankly you can do it as a day trip from SF
2-3 days Lake Tahoe
drive coast to Montery/Carmel/Big Sur
If you can splurge stay in Carmel/Big Sur
2-3 days
Yosemite is awesome but quite a schlep over there & back; *either* that *or* Tahoe; of the two I'd try Tahoe

I'm clearly a northern Cal. chauvinist!

I would suggest spending your entire 9 days in The City and points north...Lake Tahoe, Mendocino, etc... it is beautiful country... breathtakingly so... and is too often overlooked.

Lake Tahoe, Mendocino, overlooked?

You should try booking a hotel room or at an inn in those places during holiday weekends and you'll see how definitely NOT overlooked these choice destinations are.

Er, Adam went on this trip and returned nearly five years ago...!