I am arriving in SanFrancisco late on 8/31 and leaving on 9/9/02 which gives me 8 full days to explore the area. I am hoping to visit the city, Napa Valley, Yosemite, SanSimeon, and Monterey/Carmel. Is it possible to do all of this? I'll be there over Labor Day weekend and am trying to figure out the best tour route with the least amount of traffic and crowds. Is the city "alive" on Sundays and Labor Day? I assume I can stay in the SanFrancisco area for most of the trip and would love some advise on where to stay. In the city or outside? Would outside be alot less expensive or would it be too much of a hassle to get in the city? I have never been to the area and would love any advise you can give. THANK YOU!!!

We did a Yosemite-Monterey trip with two or three nights in Yosemite and one in Monterey, the hotel was yulky and the weather was cold there so we stayed only briefly. You will proabably have to cut out San Simeon if you have a prayer of seeing SF and the wine country. This is a lot to do in 8 days!
Stay in SF for Labor Day Weekend. Then head out to Napa or Sonoma during the week. Then to Yosemite and off to Monterey if yo can fit it in before returning to SF. You may have to choose between Monterey and Wine Country unless you prefer whirlwind traveling and I know some travelers do.

I would not stay in sf, particularly when visiting monterey or yosemite--don't know what your budget is--but i would stay in sf and try to get weekend rates and then stay close to your next stoop. it's a 2+ hour drive from sf to monterey even without bad traffic--and a longer haul to yosemite--4 hrs?--i also would bag san simeon--another couple hours of driving from montery

First of all Labor Day weekend is the 2nd most crowded time of the year in Yosemite (July 4 beats it by a whisker) so you most likely will not be able to stay in the park - or possibly not even get in for just a day visit.

Monterey and the Napa Valley are also both VERY crowded over that weekend - especially Napa.

In Fact, San Francisco is the only place on your itinerary not totally packed over Labor day.

Most places near Napa and Yosemite (and to a lesser extent in Monterey) will have a 2 or 3 night minimum so you probably couldn't squeeze everything in to your 8 days even IF you could drive that far.

I would stick to two places -- SF and one other. AND make your reservations NOW!

Yosemite is over 4 hours from San Francisco so I would suggest spending at least one night in Yosemite.

Since you will be in the area after Labor Day weekend, I would plan on going to Yosemite on a weekday after the holiday. It shouldn't be to hard to get a room in Yosemite Valley if you make reservations now.

Utahtea

Sue, almost anywhere you go Labor Day weekend it will be crowded. I would probably concentrate on Monterey,(www.monterey.com) Carmel, San Simeon, and Yosemite(www.yosemitepark.com)
These areas will have more than enough to fill 8 days. Do make reservations early, especially at Yosemite. Also, for Hearst Castle(www.hearst-castle.org) I would recommend buying tickets for the tour(s) ahead and time. The Central Coast of California is so breathtaking. The drive down Highway 1 to Big Sur is amazing.