California Travel Guide

California, United States — Destinations

San Francisco

The most attractive of American cities and regularly voted the best city in the USA, San Francisco is adored because of its colorful history, dramatic setting and its laissez-faire atmosphere, a quality missing from synthetic Los Angeles. It is a regular trendsetter in everything alternative, from flower-power to 'free love' and gay liberation; it prides itself on being individualistic, down-to-earth and cultured.

Streets rollercoaster up and down the hills, and when not swathed in the city's trademark fog, there are superb vistas of San Francisco Bay, spanned by one of the world's most famous sights, the Golden Gate Bridge. Surrounded by hills and urban development, traversed by bridges, dotted with sails and 14 small islands, including the notorious Alcatraz, the bay is the largest inlet on the Californian Coast. Fisherman's Wharf at the edge of the bay is a popular place to eat, stroll and shop, with its resident seals a favorite photographic subject.

Within the surprisingly compact city are distinct neighborhoods that reflect the cultural background of diverse communities that were attracted to San Francisco by the discovery of gold in 1848, and the promise of a new life for those desperate to escape their harsh circumstances. Most of San Francisco's residents were born outside the city and this mix of cultures is reflected in the dragon-studded temples of colorful Chinatown and Japantown, the characteristic bohemian flavor of the Italian pasta restaurants and cappuccino cafes in North Beach, the old Spanish-speaking Mission District that blends with the nightlife of SoMa, the modern Financial District, the gay center of Castro and The Haight, characterized by the memory of the hippie movement of the 1960s.

Los Angeles

Millions of visitors arrive each year in Los Angeles eager to experience for themselves the epitome of the American Dream; to find the self-indulgent living soap-opera lifestyles, to experience firsthand the images that are strangely-familiar thanks to the 'big screen', and to walk in the footsteps of the stars. The fantasy worlds of Disneyland and Hollywood, the famed extravagance of Beverley Hills and Malibu, and the sun-soaked beach culture are just some of the attractions within this 'City of Angels'.

Los Angeles is not really a city but rather a sprawling metropolis constituting more than 80 smaller city areas woven together by a daunting network of traffic-congested freeways without a clearly defined center. LA is just one of these cities with Downtown at its heart, and lying outside the city limits is the surrounding conglomeration of cities that comprises LA County.

Los Angeles offers a dazzling variety of attractions and world-famous amusements. Downtown is a mixture of cultures and local communities: the traditional herbalists of Chinatown's Bamboo Lane; Little Tokyo with its sushi bars and Japanese gardens; and the narrow Latino-influenced Olvera Street. Los Angeles County is endowed with a rich diversity of backgrounds and is a mix-and-match of people from 140 countries speaking 96 different languages, of those who have left home to seek acceptance for ideas or unconventional lifestyles not tolerated in the more conservative parts of the country, and would-be stars with dreams of fame and fortune. West Hollywood is the focal point of gay and lesbian culture, and the posh beachside resort of Santa Monica and body-builders at Muscle Beach, as well as the childhood fantasy of Disneyland are all a part of the diversity, although not always a harmonious one. There are exciting museums, cinemas featuring every conceivable production, swanky boutiques with the latest fashions, comedy clubs, poetry readings and coffee house recitals, and music of every kind played in various venues throughout the city.

Underneath the huge 'Hollywood' sign on the crest of the Hollywood Hills, the high energy and pleasure-seeking atmosphere, bold billboards, sexy sun-bronzed people, bright lights and fancy cars are images of a city that everyone loves to hate; but whether one likes what one finds or not, Los Angeles must be experienced at least once in a lifetime.

San Diego

San Diego characterizes a typical Southern Californian beach city: with year-round sunshine and surf; a superb coastline with miles of sandy-white beaches; easygoing inhabitants, and a wide variety of world-class family attractions that draws tourists, long-time vacationers and would-be residents to 'America's finest city'.

Although California's second biggest city with an ever-increasing population of more than a million, San Diego prides itself on its conservative small-town ambience, with very little of the pollution, highway congestion and raciness of Los Angeles. In 1769 a Spanish missionary by the name of Father Junipero Serra established a Catholic mission and fortified settlement in what was later to become San Diego; it was the first permanent European settlement on the West Coast of the United States. It remained a village backwater until, with the bombing of Pearl Harbour during World War II, the US Naval Fleet Headquarters was relocated to San Diego Bay and the booming of wartime activity transformed it into a thriving city.

The city is a vibrant collection of colorful neighborhoods and communities. It has award-winning restaurants, trendy shopping districts, attractions such as the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld, and a dynamic downtown district that includes the city's historic Gaslamp Quarter. There are numerous indications of its Mexican and Spanish heritage: in the architecture, the typical Mexican cuisine, and the strong links with the town of Tijuana just across the Mexican border.

San Diego is also rich in art and culture and the city boasts the largest urban cultural park in the US, with beautiful gardens and Spanish architecture featuring 15 museums, art galleries and theaters to be found in Balboa Park. More than 70 miles (113km) of beaches around the city offer superb surfing and beach activities and provide the perfect introduction to this accessible and laid-back city.

North Coast Redwoods District

The misty, rugged North Coast lies in stark contrast to the sunny, sandy beaches around the southern cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego that epitomise the Californian beach lifestyle. Stretching north of San Francisco to the Oregon border there are endless miles of rocky coastline, with panoramic views of towering cliffs and crashing waves.

Aside from seascapes the region boasts some of the oldest and tallest trees on earth, magnificent coastal redwoods that are thousands of years old and hundreds of feet high. A huge network of national, state and regional parks have joined together to preserve the acres of remaining old-growth redwood forests threatened by heavy logging. The State Parks of Prairie Creek Redwoods, Del Norte Coast Redwoods and Jedediah Smith Redwoods make up the Redwood National and State Parks.

The redwood forests include giants that grow to more than 300ft (91m) tall. The parks offer miles of hiking trails, camping and picnicking, scenic drives, rivers and an abundance of wildlife including bears, elk and deer. Prairie Creek is the most popular park containing herds of Roosevelt Elk, weighing up to 400 pounds (181kg); trails with spectacular coastal views; Tall Trees Grove sheltering the world's tallest tree at 367ft (112m); and the impressive Cathedral Tree where nine massive trees have grown together from one root.

Further south the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California's largest state park, is the site of the 33-mile (53km) long Avenue of the Giants, a spectacular scenic drive lined by some of the world's tallest trees. Along the route are several 'attractions' such as the hollow Chimney Tree where the Hobbit has his mythical home, and a Drive-Thru Tree that allows tourists to drive through a living hollow redwood. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park boasts the most astounding drive in the Redwoods National Park District, the Howland Hill Road that winds through incredibly magnificent old-growth forest that is considered to be one of the most beautiful areas on earth.

Central Coast

California's central coast comprises some of the most spectacular shoreline including the Monterey Peninsula and the Big Sur coast, with gnarled trees, cliffs, rugged shores and bays.

The Pacific Coast Highway stretches along most of California's coastline and from San Francisco it passes the small bayside city of Santa Cruz with its famous Beach Boardwalk to the Monterey Peninsula. Called the 'jewel of the Central Coast', Monterey's beauty has been immortalized by artists, writers and photographers, appearing in books like John Steinbeck's 'Cannery Row' and the black and white photographs of Ansel Adams. Its diverse cultural heritage is evident in its Spanish architecture and lively harbor and wharf.

Monterey marks the northern edge of the wild and undeveloped Big Sur coast with Highway 1 crawling along the edge of the rocky cliffs that hang precipitously over the crashing surf below. Big Sur refers to the entire 90-mile (145km) stretch of wilderness between Monterey and San Simeon. The often nerve-racking drive, especially when blanketed in thick fog, takes visitors along one of the most dramatic and exhilarating coastlines on earth, hemmed between the mountains of the Santa Lucia Range and the Pacific Ocean. The area provides a peaceful respite from the frantic energy of the cities, with little more to do than enjoy the mountains, cliff-top views and occasionally accessible beach coves.

The highway curves into the wealthy American Riviera town of Santa Barbara, an attractive coastal town with golden beaches, red-tile roofs and outdoor cafes.

National Parks

National parks in the state of California encompass a wide range of ecosystems, from the spectacular desert scenery and vegetation of Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks, and Lassen Volcanic National Park's active volcanic landscape, to the marine life and kelp forests of the island chain lying off the south coast that make up the Channel Islands National Park. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks feature impressive deep canyons and geological formations, while the glacial valley at Yosemite contains mighty granite monoliths, cliffs and waterfalls.

Ski Resorts

California has some of the best skiing in North America with a ski season running from November to June. The two main ski areas are Lake Tahoe, which is around 200 miles (322km) inland from San Francisco, and Mammoth Mountain, 165 miles (266km) from Reno and 325 miles (523km) from Los Angeles. Lake Tahoe straddles the border between Nevada and California and separates the North Shore and South Shore ski regions. The North Shore is the quieter of the two and includes the resorts of Sugar Bowl, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, Homewood Mountain and Diamond Peak. The largest resorts in the South Lake Tahoe Area are Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sierra-at-Tahoe.