Planning a week+ stay in San Francisco area next year, including Wine Country and Monterey...what are the best months to enjoy site seeing and the beaches? COming from the east coast, and I hear alot about the fog in the summer!!!???

Thanks!

Late spring or early fall would be my suggestion.

Bill, Agree with Wendy. Especially the Fall. Less crowds, too.

If you happened to catch the Yankees @ the A's weekend series from Oakland, you'd know what we mean. Sunny, Mid 80s...been that way almost all of Oct.

It even hit 100 degrees in the Sac Valley.

Don't know about the beaches in SF/Mont even in the summer months! Brrrrrr.

Late spring is your best bet. Remember, California schools do not ususally get out until well after Memorial Day. The Wine Country is greener then, as opposed to the post-summer drought brown. Who can guess the weather in SF?

we were in SF and yosemite last weekend of september - the weather was perfect, 80/sunny all day ... while there were pleanty of people at the beach, only the surfers and the scandinavians were in the water

We have been to S.F. twice, both approximately the end of September and mid-October.. One week we had a heat spell and no a/c..they claim the fog is their a/c. October was fun, because we ran into the Blue Angels practicing and the sonic booms were a riot. Both times we took day trips to Carmel, but Carmel (including the 17 mile drive) really needs an overnight. First trip went to Napa Valley which was really tourist and fun. Second time around went to Sonoma which was charming. The ladies at the tourist bureau sent us to one winery which is still family owned outside of Ellenville I think. Besides wine the biggest new product is locally grown olive oil..we had fun at a few olive oil tastings..wish I had bought more plus the bottles of Sherry were out of this world..Oh yes, each time had one foggy day..

Traveling in northern CA in the fall can not be beat. Typically it's beautiful during the day both at the beach and inland. The high heat of the valley has diminished some so it doesn't pull the fog in as much. When the vally gets really hot it's almost always foggy and cold on the coast. May is pretty unpredictable as far as weather. It can be warm or it can be pretty rainy. It's not as nice overall as the fall. The wine country has the crush going on so there is more activity there during the fall. Make sure you get your reservations there around Feb or Mar.

Bill,

As Mark Twain said, "My summers in San Francisco were some of the coldest winters I have experienced". There's no doubt about that. When the whole country is in the 90-100's, S.F. is about 65, in JULY! I would recommend early spring (March - May) or October. That would give you good climates at all the places you want to visit. Napa Valley gets very hot in the summer and Monterey gets super crowded. S.F. is always crowded so there's no way around that one. Be sure to visit Bodega Bay and Sausalito.

Monterey area is best in September and October. Great weather and hard to beat. Summer months there are cool and can be foggy. You can always tell a tourist in San Francisco in the summer, they are the ones with shorts on and blue knees. The sweatshirt shops love em as the sun goes down.

Bill: I am a native San Franciscan. Late April trough May (not March) or Late September, first three weeks of October are best. Weather will be the same in Monterey and San Francisco almost without exception. Wine country will be nice in those periods as well. Spring has mustard greens within the vinyards; beautiful. October has the vinyards turning beautiful shades of gold, purple, red, etc. October can give you some winery activity: picking, crush; some wineries will let you watch some of it. San Francisco had 90+ weather a little over a week ago. That is unusual, but 70+ is pretty normal in late September, early October and in Monterey too.