THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY

Sara BensonAndrew Bender, Alison Bing, Nate Cavalieri,

Bridget Gleeson, Beth Kohn, John A Vlahides

RedwoodsCoast &

(p421)San Diego

Wine Country (p159)Napa & Sonoma

(p212)

North

(p393)Orange CountyDisneyland &

the Bay AreaMarin County &

(p100)

(p341)Los Angeles

CoastCentral

(p267)

(p48)San Francisco

YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE

In-depth reviews, detailed listings

and insider tips

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Directory A–Z ................. 504Transportation ............... 513Index ................................ 526Map Legend .................... 534

VITAL PRACTICAL INFORMATION TO

HELP YOU HAVE A SMOOTH TRIP

ON THE ROAD

y seats ry (reserve

en booking), costing $10 per day (or $50

r rental).

Fox, Hert eets of h

biofueled rental cars, cient mode

are in short supply. Reserve well in advance and expect to

ROAD DISTANCES (miles)

415190200310415300200465335

260485160285480460345375400505

3953520537025095360350145610120

290430310265145200405365120505225

58521549050120380570530285280405

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s

lley

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Sth Lake Tahoe

Santa Barbara

San Luis Obispo

San Francisco

San Diego

Sacramento

Redding

Palm Springs

Napa

Monterey

Los Angeles

Las Vegas

Death Valley

Bakersfield

Arcata

PAGE

46

PAGE

503

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to CoastalCalifornia ...................... 2

25 Top Experiences ....... 6Need to Know ................. 18If You Like... ..................... 20Month by Month ............. 24Itineraries ........................ 26Beaches & Outdoors...... 30Travel with Children ....... 40Regions at a Glance ....... 44

YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT

Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions

to help you put together your perfect trip

UNDERSTAND COASTAL CALIFORNIA

Coastal CaliforniaToday ............................ 466

History ............................. 468California Flavor ............. 475The People &

Way of Life .................... 482Music & the Arts ............. 488Redwoods &

Wild Things ................... 494Earthquakes &

the Land ........................ 497Sustainable California ... 501

CoastalCalifornia Today People & Politics Even if you’ve seen it in the movies, coastal California may still be a shock.Venice Beach skateboarders, Humboldt hippies, Marin County wildmushroom hunters, ‘Bezerkely’ professors and Silicon Valley millionairesaren’t on di erent channels. They all live here, where tolerance for other’sbeliefs, be they conservative, liberal or wacky, is the social glue.

Today, the most divisive political hot potato may be same-sex mar-riage, and the roposed voter-approved constitutional amendment toban it which remains tied up in legal battles Medical marijuana is old

3

Los AngelesCalifornia San Francisco

population per sq mile

≈ 240 people

1927 The Jazz Singer pre-

mieres in Los Angeles as the world’s rst

feature-length ‘talkie’ movie, signaling the decline of the silent-

lm era. Worldwide movie demand kicks

o Hollywood’s Golden Age.

1934 A longshoremen’s

strike in San Francis-co ends with dozens

of labor activists shot or beaten by police. After mass funeral processions and a

citywide strike, ship-ping magnates meet

union demands.

attacon Deente

ary 19Ord

1Am

ment

Chinese laborers – no longer nee e for rai roa constmining – ooded the labor market, es ecia y in San Fraof anti-foreign discrimination and unrest ensue , whichfederal legislation banning Chinese immigration outrigh

Much of the land granted to railroads was i e anto speculators who also acquired, with the help of corrubureaucrats, much of the farmland intended for new sshare of California’s agricultural land was consolidated a few city-based landlords, establishing the still-existindustrial ‘agribusiness’ rather than small family farms, anongoing need for large-scale irrigation projects and chealabor.

BLU

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» Hollywood Walk of Fame

Beaches & Outdoors In all of your California daydreaming, palm trees, golden sands and Paci c sun-sets beckon, right? Here’s the good news: in coastal California, those cinematic fan-tasies really can come true. You can learn to surf, drink a cocktail with your feet in the sand, play a game of pickup volleyball or join a drum circle. Beach towns from Santa Cruz south to San Diego, each with its own idiosyncratic personality, give you perfect excuses to hit the road. Heading north of San Francisco, dramatically wind-swept beaches have inspired generations of poets and painters, o ering miles of oceanfront for beachcombing and tramp-ing in solitude. If you can tear yourself

away from the ocean, myriad adventures await on land. When that infamous San Andreas Fault shakes, rattles and rolls, think of it as a reminder of just how wild the coastal California experience can be.

Big Cities, Small Towns No less astoundingly diverse than the landscape are all of the people who have staked their fortunes on coastal California. Start out exploring San Francisco’s eclectic neighborhoods, from beatnik North Beach and historic Chinatown to arty SoMa and the hipsterville Mission. Then join the star-crossed paparazzi as they chase TV and silver-screen celebrities with their glam entourages in LA. Hang with radical

Welcome to Coastal California

“All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!”TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET

PAGE

2

PAGE

465GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP

Learn about the big picture, so you

can make sense of what you see

Coastal California’s cities have more flavors than a jar of jellybeans. Start in San Francisco, equal parts earth-mother and geek-chic, or Los Angeles, where nearly 90 independent cities are rolled into one multicultural mosaic. Later, kick back in surf-style San Diego.

But don’t skip the features away from California’s urban jungles: misty redwood forests along the North Coast, country lanes winding past vineyards in Napa and Sonoma wine country, the Central Coast’s oceanfront vistas or Orange County’s cinematic beaches.

On sunny days, when the coastal fog lifts, more than 1100 miles of Pacific beaches await.

San Francisco Food Culture Museums

California’s ‘Left Coast’ rep-utation rests on SF, where DIY self-expression, sustain-ability and spontaneity rank among the highest virtues. Free thinkers, edgy neigh-borhoods, top-tier museums and ground-breaking arts scenes all thrive.

Marin County & the Bay Area Outdoor Sports Ecotourism Food

Outdoors nuts adore Marin County and Hwy 1 south of San Francisco for their beaches, wildlife-watching, kayaking, and hiking and mountain-biking trails. Taste and tour organic farms that inspire chefs all around the Bay, too.

Napa & Sonoma Wine Country Wineries Food Cycling & Canoeing

Amid fruit orchards and ranch lands, sunny val-leys kissed by cool coastal fog have made the Napa, Sonoma and Russian River Valleys into California’s premier wine-growing region and a showcase for rule-breaking cuisine.

regions at a glance

44

San Francisco’s Neighborhoods

1 As anyone who has clung to the side of a cable car can tell you, this city (p 48 )

gives you a heck of a ride, from the Marina’s chic waterfront to the edgy Mission district. And just when you think you have a grasp on the ‘Paris of the West,’ you turn another corner to nd a brightly painted alleyway mural, a ligreed Victorian roo ine or a hid-den stairway with bay-view panoramas that will entirely change your outlook. Renovated Victorian terrace houses, San Francisco

Big Sur

2 Nestled up against mossy, mysterious redwood forests, the rocky Big Sur

coast (p 291 ) is a secretive place. Get to know it like the locals do, especially if you’re seeking hidden hot springs and beaches where the sand is tinged purple or where gigantic jade chunks have been claimed. Time your bohemian escape for May, when waterfalls peak, or October, after summer-vacation crowds have left but sunny skies still rule. Don’t forget to look skyward to catch sight of endangered California con-dors taking wing above Big Sur’s dizzying sea cli s. Bixby Bridge (p293), Big Sur

25 TOP EXPERIENCES

Top Events

Tournament of Roses

Miramar Air Show & FWeek, September & Oc

Pride Month, June

Festival of Arts & Pagthe Masters, July & Au Kinetic Grand ChampMay

January Typically the wettest and coldest month in California, January is also the slowest season for coastal travel, except during the Martin Luther King Jr Day holiday weekend.

spring break (exact dates vary, depending on school schedules and the Easter holiday).

�zMendocino Coast Whale

Festivals As the northbound winter migration of gray whales peaks, Mendocino and Fort

�2 Bay to Br On the third

in May, costumed jmake the annual pfrom San Franciscbarcadero to OceaWatch out for the pants dressed as sawho run ‘upstreamthe nish line!

2 Ki ti G

Month by Month

24

I SBN 978 -1 -74179 -981 -1

9 781741 799811

99915

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SAN FRANCISCO . . . .48

MARIN COUNTY & THE BAY AREA . . . . .100MARIN COUNTY . . . . . . . . . 101Marin Headlands . . . . . . . . 101Sausalito . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104Tiburon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109Mill Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Sir Francis Drake Blvd & Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112San Rafael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Mt Tamalpais State Park . . 114Muir Woods National Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115The Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116EAST BAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Oakland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Berkeley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129Mt Diablo State Park . . . . .139John Muir National Historic Site . . . . . . . . . . . .139Vallejo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139THE PENINSULA . . . . . . . . 140San Francisco to San Jose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140San Jose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140San Francisco to Half Moon Bay . . . . . . . . . .145Half Moon Bay . . . . . . . . . . 147Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

NAPA & SONOMA WINE COUNTRY . . . . 159Napa Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Napa Valley Wineries . . . . .163Napa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168Yountville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Oakville & Rutherford . . . . 174St Helena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Calistoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Around Calistoga . . . . . . . . 181SONOMA VALLEY . . . . . . . . 182Sonoma Valley Wineries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182Sonoma & Around . . . . . . .184Glen Ellen & Around. . . . . . 191Jack London StateHistoric Park . . . . . . . . . . . .193RUSSIAN RIVER AREA . . . . 193Russian River Area Wineries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193Sebastopol . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Occidental . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199Guerneville & Around . . . .201Santa Rosa . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Healdsburg . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

NORTH COAST & REDWOODS . . . . . . . . 212COASTAL HIGHWAY 1. . . . . 213Bodega Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . .215Sonoma Coast State Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Jenner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218Fort Ross State Historic Park . . . . . . . . . . . .218Salt Point State Park . . . . .219Sea Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219Gualala & Anchor Bay . . . 220Point Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . .221

Manchester . . . . . . . . . . . . 222Elk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Van Damme State Park . . 223Mendocino . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Jug Handle State Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Fort Bragg . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229Mackerricher State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232Westport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232ALONG HIGHWAY 101 . . . . 233Hopland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Clear Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Anderson Valley . . . . . . . . 236Ukiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237Around Ukiah . . . . . . . . . . 239Willits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240SOUTHERN REDWOOD COAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242Leggett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242Richardson Grove State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Benbow Lake . . . . . . . . . . . 243Garberville . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244Lost Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245Humboldt Redwoods State Park & Avenue of the Giants . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247Scotia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Ferndale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge . . . . . . . . . 250Eureka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251Samoa Peninsula . . . . . . . 254Arcata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254NORTHERN REDWOOD COAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

On the Road

See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.

Trinidad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257Patrick’s Point State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259Humboldt Lagoons State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260Redwood National & State Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . 260Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park . . . .261Klamath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park . . . 262Crescent City . . . . . . . . . . 263Tolowa Dunes State Park & Lake Earl Wildlife Area . . . . . . . . . . . 264Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park . . . 265Pelican Beach State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

CENTRAL COAST . . . 267ALONG HIGHWAY 1 . . . . . . 269Santa Cruz. . . . . . . . . . . . . 269Around Santa Cruz . . . . . .277Monterey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278Pacific Grove . . . . . . . . . . . 287Carmel-by-the-Sea. . . . . . 288Big Sur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291Point Piedras Blancas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299Hearst Castle . . . . . . . . . . 299San Simeon . . . . . . . . . . . . 300Cambria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301Cayucos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302Morro Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303Montaña de Oro State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

ALONG HIGHWAY 101 . . . .306Gilroy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306San Juan Bautista . . . . . . 306Salinas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307Pinnacles National Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309Mission San Antonio De Padua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309San Miguel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310Paso Robles . . . . . . . . . . . . .310San Luis Obispo . . . . . . . . .312Avila Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317Pismo Beach . . . . . . . . . . . 320La Purísima Mission State Historic Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322Santa Barbara Wine Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322Santa Barbara . . . . . . . . . . .327Channel Islands National Park . . . . . . . . . . 336Ventura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

LOS ANGELES . . . . . . 341AROUND LOS ANGELES . . 389Six Flags Magic Mountain & Hurricane Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389Catalina Island . . . . . . . . . 389Big Bear Lake . . . . . . . . . . 390

DISNEYLAND & ORANGE COUNTY . .393DISNEYLAND & ANAHEIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395AROUND DISNEYLAND . . . 407Buena Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Santa Ana . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407Orange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408Little Saigon . . . . . . . . . . . 408ORANGE COUNTY BEACHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408Seal Beach. . . . . . . . . . . . . 408Huntington Beach . . . . . . 409Newport Beach & Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411Laguna Beach . . . . . . . . . . .415San Juan Capistrano . . . . .419Dana Point & Around . . . . 420

SAN DIEGO . . . . . . . . 421NORTH COUNTY COAST . . 457Del Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457Solana Beach . . . . . . . . . . 460Cardiff-by-the-Sea . . . . . . 460Encinitas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .461Carlsbad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .461Oceanside . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

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Bridget Gleeson Disneyland & Orange County, San Diego Though she travels all over Latin Ameri-ca to write about glaciers, penguins and giant turtles, the sunshine and sailboats of southern California always draw Bridget back to the USA. She covers food, wine, hotels and adventure travel for Afar, Budget Travel, Jetsetter, Mr & Mrs Smith and Delta Sky.

Beth Kohn Marin County & the Bay Area A lucky long-time resident of San Francisco, Beth lives to be playing outside or splashing in big puddles of water. For this guide, she hiked and biked Bay Area byways, lugged a bear canister along the John Muir Trail and selfl essly soaked in hot springs – for research purposes, of course. An author of Lonely Planet’s Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks and Mexico guides, you can see more of her work at www.bethkohn.com.

John A Vlahides Napa & Sonoma Wine Country John A Vlahides co-hosts the TV series Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled, screening on National Geographic Channels International. John studied cooking in Paris, with the same chefs who trained Julia Child, and is a former luxury-hotel concierge and member of Les Clefs d’Or, the international union of the world’s elite concierges. He lives in San Francisco, where he sings tenor with the San Francisco Symphony, and spends free time

skiing the Sierra Nevada. For more, see johnvlahides.com and twitter.com/johnvlahides.

Read more about Bridget at:lonelyplanet.com/members/bridgetgleeson

Read more about John at:lonelyplanet.com/members/johnvlahides

OUR STORYA beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their fi rst travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.

Today, Lonely Planet has offi ces in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

Sara Benson Coordinating Author, Central Coast After graduating from college in Chicago, Sara jumped on a plane to California with just one suitcase and $100 in her pocket. She has bounced around the Golden State ever since, including just about everywhere between San Francisco and LA. She paddled, hiked, cycled and drove all along the Central Coast while researching this guide. The author of 50 travel and nonfi ction books, Sara has contributed to Lonely Planet’s USA,

California and Hawaii guides. Follow more of her adventures online at www.indietraveler.blogspot.com and www.indietraveler.net, and follow her on Twitter (@indie_traveler).

Andrew Bender Los Angeles Andy is a true Angeleno, not because he was born in Los Angeles but because he’s made it his own. Two decades ago, this native New Englander packed up the car and drove cross-country to work in fi lm production, and eventually realized the joy was in the journey (and writing about it). His work has since appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, more than two dozen LP titles and on his blog, www.wheres-andy-now.com. Current obsessions: discovering

LA’s next great ethnic enclave, and winter sunsets over the bike path in Santa Monica.

Alison Bing San Francisco Author, arts commentator and adventurous eater Alison was adopted by California 16 years ago. By now she has done everything you’re sup-posed to do here and a few things you’re defi nitely not, including talking up LA bands in San Francisco bars and falling in love on the 7 Haight bus. Alison holds a graduate degree in international diplomacy, which she regularly undermines with opinionated commentary in magazines, newspapers, on public radio and in

more than 20 books.

Nate Cavalieri North Coast & Redwoods A native of central Michigan, Nate lives in Northern California and has crisscrossed the region’s back roads by bicycle, bus and rental car on a quest for the biggest trees, the best camping and the hoppiest pints of beer. In addition to authoring guides on California and Latin America for Lonely Planet, he writes about music and professional cycling. He’s the Jazz Editor at Rhapsody Music Service. Photos from his travels in Northern California

and other writing can be found at www.natecavalieri.com.

Read more about Sara at:lonelyplanet.com/members/sara_benson

Read more about Nate at:lonelyplanet.com/members/natecavalieri

OUR WRITERS

Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason-able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi-mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 9834th edition – April 2012ISBN 978 1 74179 981 1© Lonely Planet 2012 Photographs © as indicated 201210 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Printed in ChinaAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.

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Itiner-aries

Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide a starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet.com/thorntree to connect with other travelers.

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Encinitas

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PacificBeach

San Diego

Coronado

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MissionBeach

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Three DaysSan Diego & North County

The best part about San Diego? It’s usually at least 68°F (20°C) and sunny. Add insanely good Mexican food, beaches of all stripes, historic sites and one of the best zoos in the world (plus a separate safari park). Are you sold yet?

Pearl-like beaches stretch all the way up San Diego’s North County Coast. Before you head northward, drive out to Point Loma for sweeping views, or take a ferry over to old-fashioned Coronado, with its famous ‘Hotel Del.’ Ride the Giant Dipper roller coaster at family-friendly Mission Beach, join the funky surfers at Pacifi c Beach, dive or snorkel in La Jolla, bet on horse races or soar in a hot-air balloon at Del Mar, and get new-agey in Encinitas.

If you have kids, make a beeline to suburban San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where gi-raff es, lions and zebras roam. Otherwise, head back to the city to explore the zoo- and muse-um-loaded Balboa Park and atmospheric Spanish-Mexican Old Town. End your trip with a wild night out in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter or the trendy Hillcrest neighborhood.

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Five DaysSan Francisco, Marin County & Wine Country

In the hilly 7-sq-mile peninsula that is dashing, innovative and ever-evolving San Francisco, you can spend a day uncovering the alleyways of Chinatown, wander-ing the mural-adorned Mission District and climbing Coit Tower above beatnik North Beach. Then brave the fog on a cruise over to Alcatraz from Fisherman’s

Wharf, or lose yourself on a sunny day in Golden Gate Park, stopping to smell the fl owers where hippies danced during 1967’s ‘Summer of Love.’ Wherever you roam, eat everything in sight – especially anything being hawked by organic farmers or artisanal cheese and olive-oil makers at the waterfront Ferry Building Marketplace.

Escape the city via the landmark Golden Gate Bridge, which you can trek, cycle or drive across. Safely on the far side of the bay, detour down to the waterfront to photograph the fl oating houseboats of picturesque Sausalito, or go hiking and mountain-biking across the Marin Headlands, stopping to check in on the ‘patient’ seals and sea lions at the Marine Mammal Center’s wildlife hospital. To really get away from it all, hop aboard the ferry from Tiburon over to Angel Island, where you can pitch a tent within view of San Francisco’s city lights.

Meander north along the Marin County coast, passing the tall redwood trees of Muir Woods National Monument, crescent-shaped Stinson Beach and the turnoff to quirky small-town Bolinas, or veer inland to conquer Mt Tamalpais. Make your way to wildly beautiful Point Reyes National Seashore, where end-of-the-world beaches lead to long rambles, and you can spy whales in winter from the historic lighthouse. Save time for sea kayaking and oyster shucking at nearby Tomales Bay.

From Bodega Bay, country roads wind inland to charming Occidental and the vineyards of the Russian River Valley. Paddle a canoe downriver to Guerneville, with its rustic redwood cottages and vibrant summertime festivals by the beach. Truck east across Hwy 101, then turn south to tipple in the heart of Northern California’s wine country, orbiting stylish Napa and its countrifi ed but still-chic cousin Sonoma, or head north to equally posh Healdsburg. Soak your road-weary bones in a volcanic mud bath at a hot-springs spa in Calistoga before looping back to San Francisco.

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» (above) Huntington Beach (p409), Orange County » (left) Hollywood Walk of Fame (p353), Los Angeles

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One WeekLos Angeles, Disneyland & Orange County

Kick things off in Los Angeles, where top-notch attractions, miles of beaches and tasty food form an irresistible trifecta. Traipse along the star-studded sidewalks of clubby Hollywood, dive into the arts and cultural scenes of Downtown, and browse the many museums of Mid-City and West LA’s hilltop Getty Center. Out at

the Pacifi c’s edge, sophisticated Santa Monica beckons with a carnival seaside pier and cre-ative restaurants, while artsy, alternative Venice Beach lives and breathes boho-chic style.

Forty miles inland, make a date with Mickey at perfectly ‘imagineered’ Disneyland and next-door Disney’s California Adventure, celebrating the Golden State. Both parks are in Anaheim, not far from Knott’s Berry Farm, America’s oldest theme park, which pairs Old Western cowboy themes with futuristic roller coasters. If it’s too darn hot, cool off at Knott’s Soak City USA.

Just so you don’t think Orange County is all about theme-park thrills, head to Santa Ana and drop by the interactive Discovery Science Center, where the whole family can virtually experience a 6.9-magnitude earthquake, or peruse the art galleries of the Bowers Museum. Catch your breath in time-warped Old Town Orange, clustered with vintage and antiques stores, before cruising west toward the Pacifi c. Little Saigon is not far away, where you can trade theme-park hot dogs and funnel cakes for a steaming bowl of pho.

In Huntington Beach, aka ‘Surf City USA,’ rent a board, play beach volleyball, build a bonfi re after sunset – whatever, just kick back and chill, dude. Hit Newport Beach for soap opera–worthy people-watching by the piers and lazily pedaling a beach cruiser along the oceanfront bike path. Make a quick stop for power shopping and eclectic eats in Costa Mesa, then roll south to Laguna Beach, a former artists’ colony with more than two dozen public beaches to spoil you, plus a fashionable downtown boutique shopping, gallery and cafe scene.

Slingshot back toward the I-5, stopping off at Mission San Juan Capistrano for a taste of Spanish colonial and Mexican rancho history. Or keep up the beach-bum attitude by slacking south to Dana Point, with its yacht-fi lled harbor and kid-friendly beach, and retro San Clemente, near Trestles, a year-round surf break.

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