California
5
Day Itinerary •
USA
Five days in California lets you explore the full extraordinary breadth of the Golden State, from the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and vibrant food culture of San Francisco to the ancient redwood groves of Yosemite, the extraordinary Big Sur coastline and the Joshua tree forests of the Mojave Desert. This route covers the complete California experience. The extraordinary Mission District and Ferry Building of San Francisco, the magnificent Yosemite Valley with El Capitan and Half Dome, the extraordinary Highway One through Big Sur, the finest Napa Valley wine country and the extraordinary Joshua Tree National Park.
Best Time To Visit
September to November for clearest skies and ideal conditions
Getting There
Fly into San Francisco (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX)
Getting Around
Rental car essential outside San Francisco
Budget Per Day
Approx $150 to $250 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, some hiking at altitude
DAY 1
SAN FRANCISCO
MORNING
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, MUIR WOODS AND MARIN HEADLANDS
The Golden Gate Bridge is the most extraordinary suspension bridge in the world. Walk the eastern sidewalk at dawn for the most extraordinary experience of the 1.7-mile span. Muir Woods across the bay shelters the most accessible ancient coast redwood grove in California, its Cathedral Grove of 1,000-year-old trees rising 250 feet in extraordinary silence. The Marin Headlands above give the finest elevated view of the bridge and San Francisco Bay. Bridge free, Muir Woods $15. Drive: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE AND THE EMBARCADERO
The Ferry Building Marketplace is the most extraordinary artisan food market in San Francisco, its extraordinary 1898 Beaux-Arts terminal housing the finest cheese, bread, coffee and produce vendors in the Bay Area. Blue Bottle Coffee, Cowgirl Creamery and Acme Bread are all extraordinary. The Embarcadero waterfront with its Bay Bridge views and the extraordinary agricultural history displayed in the building's great hall is free to explore. Market free. Drive: 30 min ferry
AFTERNOON
MISSION DISTRICT MURALS AND TAQUERIAS
The Mission District is the most extraordinary neighborhood in San Francisco, its extraordinary Clarion Alley murals the finest street art in California, its Mission Dolores the oldest building in San Francisco and its taquerias the most celebrated in America. La Taqueria and El Farolito serve the finest burritos in the world. Mission Dolores Park gives the extraordinary downtown panorama with a cold Pacifico from a nearby taqueria. Free to explore.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Lands End trail at the northwestern tip of San Francisco above the Sutro Baths ruins gives the most extraordinary hidden coastal walk in the city, its clifftop mile above the Pacific with Golden Gate Bridge views entirely unknown to visitors staying in Fisherman's Wharf. Free. The finest hidden gem in San Francisco.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Tartine Bakery, Mission The most celebrated bakery in San Francisco. Extraordinary morning buns and country bread. | Lunch: La Taqueria, Mission The most legendary taqueria in San Francisco. Extraordinary carne asada burrito, no rice. | Dinner: Zuni Cafe, Hayes Valley The finest classic San Francisco restaurant. Extraordinary roast chicken and house focaccia.
DAY 2
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
MORNING
YOSEMITE VALLEY AND TUNNEL VIEW
Tunnel View at the eastern end of the Wawona Tunnel gives the most extraordinary panoramic view in California, its sudden revelation of the entire Yosemite Valley from El Capitan on the left to Half Dome on the right and Bridalveil Fall in the center in a single extraordinary composition. The Yosemite Valley floor walk from Valley View past the Merced River to Mirror Lake gives the most extraordinary close-range view of El Capitan's 3,000-foot granite face. Entry $35 per vehicle. Drive: 3.5 hr drive
MIDDAY
EL CAPITAN AND THE VALLEY FLOOR TRAIL
El Capitan is the most extraordinary rock face in the world, its extraordinary 3,000-foot vertical granite monolith the largest exposed rock face on earth and the most coveted climb in the sport of rock climbing. The Valley Floor trail below gives the most extraordinary ground-level perspective of El Capitan, Half Dome and the Royal Arches simultaneously. The extraordinary meadows of Cooks Meadow and El Capitan Meadow are the finest wildlife viewing in the park. Free with entry. Drive: 30 min walk
AFTERNOON
YOSEMITE FALLS AND MIRROR LAKE
Yosemite Falls is the most extraordinary waterfall in North America, its extraordinary 2,425-foot total drop in three tiers making it the tallest waterfall in the United States. At peak flow in May and June the lower falls trail gives extraordinary close-range views of the thundering base. Mirror Lake in the Valley's east end gives the most extraordinary reflection of Half Dome in any accessible location in the park. Both free with park entry.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Glacier Point in Yosemite at sunset gives the most extraordinary view of Half Dome and the entire Yosemite Valley from above, its 7,214-foot viewpoint accessible by car in summer giving a perspective on the valley entirely different from the floor. Best at golden hour when the granite glows. Free with park entry. Road closed in winter.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: The Ahwahnee Dining Room The most extraordinary breakfast setting in California. Coffee overlooking Yosemite Valley. Reservations required. | Lunch: Village Grill, Yosemite Valley Outstanding casual lunch in the valley. Local burger and California craft beer with El Capitan views. | Dinner: The Ahwahnee Dining Room The finest dinner in Yosemite. Extraordinary California cuisine in the most extraordinary lodge dining room.
DAY 3
BIG SUR
MORNING
BIG SUR HIGHWAY ONE, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY COASTAL DRIVE
Highway One through Big Sur is the most extraordinary coastal drive in the world, its extraordinary 90-mile route along cliffs 200 to 1,000 feet above the Pacific past Bixby Creek Bridge, the most photographed concrete arch in California, and through the Santa Lucia Mountains with the Pacific glittering below at every turn. The extraordinary Garrapata State Beach and Rocky Creek Bridge viewpoints are unmissable. Entire drive free. Drive: 1.5 hr drive
MIDDAY
MCWAY FALLS AND PFEIFFER BEACH
McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is the only waterfall in California that falls directly onto a beach, its extraordinary 80-foot cascade of McWay Creek onto the white sand of an inaccessible turquoise cove visible from the 0.7-mile Overlook Trail. Pfeiffer Beach nearby has the extraordinary purple manganese garnet sand and the Keyhole Rock through which the Pacific surf crashes in extraordinary white columns. Entry $12 each. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
NEPENTHE AND THE BIG SUR SUNSET
Nepenthe restaurant at 808 feet above the Pacific is the most extraordinary restaurant setting in California, its extraordinary terrace commanding the full sweep of the Big Sur coast from Point Sur to the south and the Santa Lucia Mountains to the north. The Ambrosia burger is legendary. The Henry Miller Memorial Library nearby contains the finest collection of the writer's work in the world. Nepenthe free to visit, dining from $20.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Ragged Point at the southern end of Big Sur is the finest hidden viewpoint on Highway One, its clifftop giving a view north along the full extraordinary length of the Big Sur coast that most visitors miss entirely by driving south to north. The short trail to the beach below is extraordinary. Free. The most extraordinary hidden viewpoint in Big Sur.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Big Sur Bakery Extraordinary wood-fired pastries and local eggs before the Highway One drive. | Lunch: Nepenthe, Big Sur The most legendary restaurant in Big Sur at 808 feet above the Pacific. Extraordinary Ambrosia burger. | Dinner: The Restaurant at Ventana Outstanding California coastal cuisine in the finest hotel restaurant in Big Sur.
DAY 4
NAPA VALLEY
MORNING
NAPA VALLEY WINE COUNTRY, THE FINEST IN AMERICA
Napa Valley is the most extraordinary wine region in America, its extraordinary 30-mile valley of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot producing the finest wines in the Western Hemisphere outside Burgundy and Bordeaux. The Stags Leap District at the southern end gives the finest Cabernet expression in California. Opus One, produced jointly by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, is the most extraordinary single winery in Napa. Tastings from $50. Drive: 2 hr drive
MIDDAY
OAKVILLE AND RUTHERFORD, THE FINEST VINEYARD COUNTRY
The Oakville and Rutherford benchlands in the heart of Napa Valley produce the most extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon in California, their extraordinary combination of volcanic and alluvial soils giving wines of concentration and elegance that rival the finest in the world. The Robert Mondavi Winery, Inglenook and Caymus Vineyards are the finest in the corridor. The extraordinary Napa Valley Wine Train gives a moving tasting through the valley. Tastings approx $40 to $75. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
CALISTOGA AND THE NORTHERN NAPA VALLEY
Calistoga at the northern end of Napa Valley is the most extraordinary spa town in California, its extraordinary natural geothermal mud baths and hot springs giving a unique wellness experience alongside the finest Cabernet Sauvignon producers in the valley. Castello di Amorosa, a genuine 121,000-square-foot 13th-century Tuscan castle replica with a working winery, is the most extraordinary tasting experience in Napa. Entry approx $40.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Schramsberg Winery above Calistoga is the finest hidden winery experience in Napa, its extraordinary 19th-century caves carved by Chinese laborers producing the finest sparkling wine in America in tunnels that stretch a mile into the hillside. The cave tour and tasting is extraordinary. Approx $75. Almost entirely reserved by wine professionals.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bouchon Bakery, Yountville Thomas Keller's extraordinary French bakery in the finest food town in wine country. | Lunch: Oxbow Public Market, Napa The finest food market in Napa Valley. Extraordinary local cheese, charcuterie and oysters. | Dinner: The French Laundry, Yountville The most extraordinary restaurant in America. Thomas Keller's three-Michelin-star masterpiece. Book months ahead.
DAY 5
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
MORNING
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY DESERT IN CALIFORNIA
Joshua Tree National Park is the most extraordinary desert landscape in California, its extraordinary forest of Joshua trees, the largest members of the yucca family reaching 40 feet tall, covering the high Mojave Desert in formations unlike anywhere else on earth. The Joshua Tree Visitor Center gives the finest introduction to the geology of the two desert ecosystems that meet in the park. The extraordinary Cholla Cactus Garden is unmissable. Entry $35 per vehicle. Drive: 3 hr drive
MIDDAY
SKULL ROCK, ARCH ROCK AND THE GEOLOGY TOUR ROAD
Skull Rock is the most extraordinary natural rock formation in Joshua Tree, its extraordinary wind-eroded monzogranite outcrop resembling a human skull in a formation entirely typical of the extraordinary Wonderland of Rocks in the park's northern section. The Geology Tour Road gives the finest 18-mile drive through the park's interior past dry lake beds, mine shafts and extraordinary rock formations. Arch Rock nearby is extraordinary. Free with park entry. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
KEYS VIEW AND THE COACHELLA VALLEY PANORAMA
Keys View at 5,185 feet above sea level is the most extraordinary panoramic viewpoint in Joshua Tree National Park, its extraordinary 360-degree view over the Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea, the San Andreas Fault and the peaks of the San Jacinto Mountains on clear days extending to Mexico. The view at sunset when the valley below turns golden and the mountains turn purple is the most extraordinary in the California desert. Free with park entry.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Cholla Cactus Garden at Joshua Tree at sunrise is the finest hidden experience in the park, its extraordinary backlit cholla cactus needles glowing orange-gold in the morning light in a five-minute boardwalk experience that is the most extraordinary single photograph in Joshua Tree. Free with park entry. Almost entirely empty at dawn.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Crossroads Cafe, Joshua Tree The finest breakfast in the Joshua Tree gateway town. Extraordinary eggs, local produce and strong coffee. | Lunch: Pappy and Harriet's, Pioneertown The most legendary roadhouse near Joshua Tree. Extraordinary BBQ and live music in a 1940s western film set. | Dinner: Zin American Bistro, Palm Springs The finest restaurant in Palm Springs. Extraordinary California cuisine and Napa wine list.
Where To Stay
San Francisco, Night 1 Hotel Zephyr or The Marker Union Square. Approx $160 to $280 per night. Yosemite Valley or Big Sur, Nights 2 to 3 The Ahwahnee Yosemite or Post Ranch Inn Big Sur. Book a year ahead. Napa or Palm Springs, Nights 4 to 5 Meadowood Napa or Parker Palm Springs. Approx $180 to $450 per night.
Top Tips
1. Yosemite timed entry permits at recreation.gov sell out in minutes when released. Book the instant they open.
2. The Ahwahnee Hotel dining room dinner reservation in Yosemite Valley is the finest hotel experience in California.
3. Tunnel View at Yosemite at sunrise before the parking fills gives the most extraordinary valley panorama in America.
4. Napa Valley harvest in September and October is the finest wine country experience. Opus One and Stag's Leap are extraordinary.
5. Joshua Tree at night for stargazing is the most extraordinary dark sky experience within 3 hours of Los Angeles.
6. Big Sur's McWay Falls is the only waterfall in California falling directly onto a beach. The overlook trail is 0.7 miles.
Total Budget
$150 to $250/day