MAP KEY
California | San Francisco
Experience the rich cultural life of San Francisco, one of the world’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities. The many hills of the city afford visitors plenty of perfect views over San Francisco Bay. The entrance to the Bay is spanned by the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Take a walk across it - well over a mile - and enjoy a gull’s eye view of the shipping traffic passing far below. Visit Golden Gate Park, over 1000 acres of lawns, lakes and a riot of flora. No visit to San Francisco can be complete if it doesn’t include Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square.
San Francisco
California's Pacific Coast
15 DAYS/14 NIGHTS
Begins San Francisco and ends San Diego.
DEPARTURES
Year round.
YOUR FLY DRIVE INCLUDES:
• Round trip scheduled flights
• Fully-inclusive Intermediate 4 door car hire
• Accommodations as stated
• Route maps and detailed itinerary
DAY 1 ARRIVE SAN FRANCISCO
Depart the UK on your chosen scheduled flight to San Francisco. Upon arrival, transfer independently to your hotel in Union Square.
Hotel: Grand Hyatt San Francisco
DAYS 2 & 3 SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco is perhaps one of the most enchanting cities in the United States. From the crooked street in the world, Lombard Street, to Alcatraz and Fisherman’s Wharf; Union Square to the Cable Cars; Chinatown to the Golden Gate Bridge – the city is packed with things to see and do to suit everyone. Enjoy two days exploring the city.
Hotel: Grand Hyatt San Francisco
DAY 4 CARMEL
Driving distance: 85Mi/143Km
This morning collect your rental car in downtown before you head south to the beautiful coastal town of Carmel. Browse the charming tree lined streets and its quaint shops, galleries and restaurants.
Hotel: Carmel Valley Ranch
DAY 5 CARMEL
Enjoy a relaxing day in the Carmel area. Travel the ‘17 Mile Drive’ through Del Monte Forest to Cypress Point or sit and soak up the scenery from the beautiful grounds of your hotel.
Hotel: Carmel Valley Ranch
DAY 6 PISMO BEACH
Driving distance: 115Mi/185Km
The Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most spectacularly scenic drives you’ll find, so today’s journey is guaranteed to create a lasting memory for you. En route, visit Hearst Castle at San Simeon, the grandiose estate of publisher William Randolph Hearst. Your hotel this evening is in the pretty seaside town of Pismo Beach.
Hotel: Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa
DAY 7 SANTA BARBARA
Driving distance: 80Mi/128Km
After a leisurely morning, continue south along Highway 1, to Santa Barbara, silhouetted against the Santa Ynez Mountains.
Hotel: Hyatt Santa Barbara
DAY 8 SANTA BARBARA
You are sure to enjoy today. Relax in the surroundings of your beautiful hotel, explore the shops and restaurants of Santa Barbara, or enjoy a walk along the beach or the Santa Barbara Pier.
Hotel: Hyatt Santa Barbara
DAY 9 LOS ANGELES
Driving distance: 84Mi/135Km
En route to Los Angeles, include a visit to the J Paul Getty Museum, featuring an extensive collection of art and sculpture. Your accommodation for the next two nights will be in the Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles.
Hotel: Mr C Beverly Hills
DAY 10 LOS ANGELES
From your hotel you are a short drive from world-famous Rodeo Drive, so take some time to ‘window shop’ where the rich and famous do their shopping. Include a visit to the new Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
Hotel: Mr C Beverly Hills
DAY 11 HUNTINGTON BEACH
Driving distance: 35Mi/56Km
Now it’s time to relax by the beach. From Los Angeles, a short drive will take you to ‘Surf City – California’, Huntington Beach. Your hotel is ideally located across the road from some of the best surfing California has to offer and a short stroll from its quaint Main Street.
Hotel: Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach
DAY 12 HUNTINGTON BEACH
Take a day to pamper yourself in the hotel’s wonderful spa or relax by the pool. Wander along the beach and watch with amazement as the surfers ‘ride the waves’.
Hotel: Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach
DAY 13 SAN DIEGO
Driving distance: 85Mi/137Km
Allow plenty of time today to include stops at Newport Beach and Laguna as you journey south to San Diego, sitting at the southern tip of California.
Hotel: US Grant
DAY 14 SAN DIEGO
San Diego has much to offer all visitors, young and old. Sea World and the San Diego Zoo are certainly worth a visit, or you may prefer to explore the Mission Bay or Coronado Bay area of the city, both offering fabulous beaches.
Hotel: US Grant
DAY 15 JOURNEY HOME
Time for some last minute shopping, sightseeing or relaxing before you return your rental car and check-in for your flight to the UK.
PRICES
From £2145 per person based on twin occupancy of Standard rooms in low season.
Other prices available on request.
Some Other San Francisco Escorted Tours
All escorted tours starting in California
Majestic California: The Pacific, Redwoods & Yosemite
San Francisco
8 Days/7 Nights
Begins in San Francisco, and ends in Monterey.
Departures
June, July & August.
Your Tauck Bridges Itinerary includes:
• Round trip scheduled flights
• Accommodation for 7 nights as specified
• 7 breakfasts, 3 lunches & 5 dinners
• Air-conditioned motorcoach transportation
• Services of a Tauck Tour Director
DAY 1 ARRIVE SAN FRANCISCO
Depart the UK on your chosen scheduled flight to San Francisco. Upon arrival transfer to the Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf. You'll enjoy a welcome reception and dinner this evening, with your new fellow travelling companions.
Hotel: Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf
Dinner included
DAY 2 PLANETS, PENGUINS, A CRUISE AND SAN FRANCISCO TREATS
Get a great day of San Francisco exploration started with a private catamaran cruise of San Francisco Bay that takes you under the Golden Gate Bridge and passes Alcatraz Island, the site of the first lighthouse and U.S. Fort on the West Coast and later an infamous fedral prison that held some notorious and dangerous criminals of the time. Return to land for a visit to the California Academy of Sciences, where a world of natural wonders waits; it's the only place on Earth with an aquarium, a planetarium and a natural history museum all under one roof! There's a lot to see and a lot to learn at this terrific place that houses more than 38,000 living things including penguins but maybe one of the coolest things about the Academy is that its roof is alive! This afternoon, your family's California travel continues with a sightseeing drive to view Nob Hill, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Victorian homes and Lombard Street, "the crookedest street in the world" - all world-famous symbols of San Francisco. The rest of the day and evening are free.
Hotel: Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf
Breakfast included
DAY 3 BACK TO THE FUTURE, AND, THE PAST AND A FLASHLIGHT HIKE
As the song says, "run and catch the wind" - and thats just what happend at the Altamont Wind Farm, one of the earliest wind farms in the United States you'll see enroute from San Francisco toward the Sierra Nevada. You can take pictures of the kind of giant windmills - technically, wind turbines - that may look like "alien visitors" but will produce more and more of our electricity as the future unfolds. Continue on to Jamestown for lunch in a historic 1859 hotel. Later, arrive at your mountain resort just outside Yosemite National Park, where dinner is at your leisure this evening. Tonight, see what really goes on in the woods at night during an interpretive hike lit by flashlights - and perhaps by starlight or moonlight, too - in the Sierra National Forest.
Hotel: Tenaya Lodge At Yosemite
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
DAY 4 GIANT TREES & A RIDE ON A MOONLIGHT DINNER TRAIN
Have you ever heard of a drive-through tree? You may see one today, as well as the Grizzly Giant, a humungous sequoia tree thought to be between 1,900 and 2,400 year old! The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park is home to about 500 of such ancient trees - many of them real "celebrities," with their own names and stories - as you'll find out during the Big Trees Tram Tour. After lunch at leisure at Tenaya Lodge, you could spend your free afternoon putting your rock-wall climbing skills to the test on the rock-climbing wall. Tonight, try your luck panning for gold, just like the old prospectors - then get set for a rip-roaring evening on the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad Moonlight Special. Chow down at a great barbecue dinner while the Sugar Pine Singers entertain you with old-fashioned melodies. Then, it's ALL ABOARD The Logger for a narrow-gauge rail excursion powered by a restored vintage Shay steam locomotive through Sierra National Forest...back in time to the days when lumberjacks ruled the woods. Gather round the campfire for a sing-along during a stopover in the canyon, and hear that lonesome whistle blow as you chug home in the moonlight!
Hotel: Tenaya Lodge At Yosemite
Breakfast and dinner included
DAY 5 ALL AROUND YOSEMITE
You'll learn about Yosemite's history, geology, plant and animal life and must-see attractions from park rangers during a two-hour tram tour along the valley floor. Have lunch on your own, then spend the rest of the day with your family exploring this amazing place...or return to your lodge to go for a hike, rent bikes to to programs presented by park rangers...or anything else you choose. Dinner is at your leisure tonight.
Hotel: Tenaya Lodge At Yosemite
Breakfast and dinner included
DAY 6 FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO MONTEREY BAY
En route from Yosemite to the Pacific Coast, visit the California Mining & Minerals Museum – featuring California’s official mineral collection containing over 13,000 objects from mining artifacts to gems from around the world. See the largest remaining intact mass of crystalline gold from the 19th century and walk back in time through the mine tunnel to see how gold was mined in the 1880s. California travel wouldn't be complete without seeing the "salad bowl to the world." At least 25% of America's agricultural products come from California, many of them from the San Joaquin Valley; you may see vineyards, nuts, citrus fruits and vegetables basking in the sun as you drive along. Stop for lunch at Big Bubba's Bad BBQ; check out the huge indoor tree house or pose for family pix sitting on a big pink pig! Traverse the Coast Mountains to the California coast this afternoon and tour the Monterey Peninsula along the 17-Mile Drive to the renowned Pebble Beach golf course. Spend the next two nights in seaside Monterey at the Portola Hotel & Spa, right on Fisherman's Wharf, near Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Hotel: Portola Hotel & Spa
Breakfast and lunch included
DAY 7 ALL AROUND THE MONTEREY PENINSULA...AND THE AQUARIUM
This morning, your family can choose between three fun options - a bike tour* along the coast, a kayak adventure* in Monterey Bay or a self-guided walking tour of old Monterey, once the capital of California. Did you know that an octopus tastes with its tentacles, - or that corals and jellyfish are cousins? That's just part of what you may learn at a late-afternoon behind-the-scenes visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium located on the former site of a sardine cannery and one of the world's largest aquariums. Its 200 galleries and exhibits introduce you to an amazing underwater world, including giant octupuses, jellyfish, large green sea turtles, barracuda, sharks and coral reefs, as well as natural displays that showcase playful otters and endearing black-footed penguins. Your visit ends with a special farewell reception and dinner right at the Aquarium in seaside Monterey.
Hotel: Portola Hotel & Spa
Breakfast and dinner included
DAY 8 JOURNEY HOME
There may be time for some last minute shopping or sightseeing before you transfer back to the airport for your flight home.
Breakfast included
2013 Prices
From £3040 per adult and £2517 per child, based on 2 adults and 2 children (under 12 year), sharing a standard room in low season. Prices for children over 12 years, alternative party sizes, seperate room for children and other date seasons are all available on request.
California Mini Tours
Yosemite National Park Tour
•Begins and ends in San Francisco.
•Departs daily, May 1st to October 31st 2013, and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday November 1st 2013 to March 31st 2014.
DAY 1
Depart San Francisco for the scenic drive to Yosemite. A short stop will be made en route, before arriving at Yosemite Park Arch Rock entrance. After a brief tour up to Tunnels View and along the south side of Merced River you will arrive at your hotel. You are then invited to take the free shuttle into the valley.
Hotel: Yosemite Lodge or The Ahwahnee
DAY 2
Today you will have an early start for the Glacier Point Tour (May to October, remainder of year itinerary includes a two hour Yosemite Valley Floor tour). This is a picturesque four hour tour which elevates you 8,000 ft for a breathtaking panoramic view of Yosemite Valley. The remainder of the day is free to explore this magnificent national park.
Hotel: Yosemite Lodge or The Ahwahnee
DAY 3
This morning is your last chance to view the splendours of Yosemite before commencing your journey back to San Francisco.
From £335 Yosemite Lodge
Per person based on twin occupancy of Standard rooms in low season. Other prices are available on request.
California Pacific Tour
•Begins in San Francisco and ends in Los Angeles.
•Departs daily, year round.
DAY 1
Depart San Francisco along the San Andreas Fault, through Half Moon Bay and on to Santa Cruz, accompanied by beautiful views of the ocean. Following a stop at Cannery Row, you’ll have time for lunch in Monterey and perhaps a visit to the Aquarium. This afternoon, you’ll tour 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach and Carmel.
Hotel: Bay Park Hotel, Monterey (or similar)
Day 2
Following a leisurely breakfast, you’re transferred to Salinas Train Station, where you board AMTRAK. Your voyage takes you through Salinas Valley, the centre of Monterey County’s agricultural region, where the scenery of winding rivers and lush farming landscapes finally gives way to vineyards and oil fields. You are met on arrival by The Wine Wrangler for some wine tasting. Your afternoon is at leisure in this quintessential small town.
Hotel: Paso Robles Inn, Paso Robles (or similar)
Day 3
The highlight today is a visit to Hearst Castle in San Simeon where a film and tour will leave you spellbound. This afternoon you take your second rail journey, through Pismo Beach, alongside some of the most incredible ocean scenery on the coast as the train winds towards Santa Barbara and Oxnard. As you continue south into the metropolis of Los Angeles, the scenery changes and your journey ends.
From £405
per person based on twin occupancy of standard rooms in low season. Upgraded hotels available on request.
The Wine Country Tour
•Begins and ends in San Francisco.
•Departures year round
California's wine region is a feast for the senses, surrounding you with simply beautiful landscapes and tasting some of the world's best wines. Departing from San Francisco, this nine hour small group tour includes talks by the guide/driver on the art of wine making and tours of both Sonoma and Napa Valleys, Enjoy visits to two famous Sonoma wineries, sampling vintage wines in their tasting rooms, followed by lunch in a cosy restaurant. Relax on a scenic ride through the tumbling vineyards of Napa Valley, before finishing the day at Domaine Chandon to enjoy an informative tour of the wonderful sparkling wine house and, of course, a necessary tasting!
From £78 per person
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