Itinerary Highlights
- Take an eerie self-guided tour through the former high-security prison of Alcatraz where notorious criminals such as Mickey Cohen and Al Capone were once detained
- Stroll through the quaint seaside village of Carmel-by-the-Sea with its boutiques, galleries, pavement cafes
- Allocate a full day to enjoy the spectacular Big Sur coastal drive stopping at attractions such as Elephant Seal colony at Piedras Blancas and Hearst Castle at San Simeon
- Enjoy upscale accommodation and facilities at some of our favourite hand-picked Californian hotels
- Best time to travel April - October
What's Included
- Accommodation Throughout
- Car Hire
- GPS Device
- International Flights
Eleanor
Travel Specialist
Explore California's coastline on this flexible fly-drive holiday. Tour San Francisco on the city's Hop On Hop Off bus network taking in most of the major sights of this fascinating and vibrant city. Take the ferry across to Alcatraz for the self-guided tour of the prison cells and dining hall, learning what it was like to work or be a prisoner on 'The Rock'.
Take the road south to the quaint town of Carmel-By-The-Sea, bursting with character and offering a vast range of boutiques, eateries and pubs. Drive along one of America's most scenic coastal highways, the Big Sur, stopping at the many viewpoints and observing elephant seals at Piedras Blancas.
Explore the Mediterranean-style seaside resort of Santa Barbara, Stole along the seafront and the pier, visit the charming shops of State Street. Santa Monica is Los Angeles premier beach destination, famous for Santa Monica Pier where Route 66 ends/starts. Shop til you drop on 3rd Street Promenade and watch fitness fanatics work out at Santa Monica's Original Muscle Beach, a feature of the beach since the 1930's.
Continue south along California's coastline to San Diego, taking time to stop at seaside towns such as Laguna, San Clemente, Carlsbad and La Jolla.
Itinerary
Day 1 San Francisco Arrival
Day 2 Alcatraz & San Francisco Sight-Seeing
Day 3 Explore San Francisco
Day 4 San Francisco to Carmel Valley (120 miles)
Day 5 Carmel
Day 6 Carmel to Santa Barbara (236 miles)
Day 7 Santa Barbara
Day 8 Santa Barbara to Santa Monica (91 miles)
Day 9 Los Angeles
Day 10 Santa Monica to San Diego (135 miles)
Day 11 San Diego
Day 12 San Diego Departure
Eleanor
Travel Specialist
Meet your North America Travel Specialists
We have a full team of Travel Specialists with their own personal knowledge of North America. Give them a call today.
Call our North America team on
Monday - Friday: 9am - 7:30pm
Saturday: 9am - 5pm
Sunday: 10am - 4pm
1/31 - Golden Gate Bridge
2/31 - Ritz-Carlton San Francisco
3/31 - The Presidential Suite Balcony at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, California, USA
4/31 - Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero, San Francisco, USA
5/31 - Deluxe Bay View King, Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero, San Francisco, USA
6/31 - Alcatraz
7/31 - San Francisco Tram
8/31 - Monterey Marina
9/31 - Carmel Valley Ranch
10/31 - Lobby Lounge at Carmel Valley Ranch, California
11/31 - Ventana Big Sur, California
12/31 - Pool at Ventana Big Sur, California
13/31 - carmel
14/31 - Big Sur Coastal Drive
15/31 - Hotel Californian
16/31 - Lobby at Hotel Californian, Santa Barbara
17/31 - four seasons resort the biltmore santa barbara
18/31 - Jungle Pool at Four Seasons Biltmore
19/31 - santa barbara
20/31 - Santa Monica Pier
21/31 - Viceroy Santa Monica
22/31 - Pool Deck, Viceroy Santa Monica, California, USA
23/31 - Exterior of Shutters on the Beach, Santa Monica
24/31 - Lobby at Shutters on the Beach, Santa Monica
25/31 - los angeles
26/31 - birds eye view of carlsbad village and miles of beach in north county san diego california
27/31 - The US Grant
28/31 - Reception area at The US Grant
29/31 - Bedroom at The US Grant
30/31 - san diego california cityscape at the gaslamp quarter.
31/31 - san diego skyline california usa
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