Scenic California

Day 1: UK/Los Angeles
Depart on your scheduled flight to the exciting city of Los Angeles. On arrival, transfer to your hotel where an overnight stay has been arranged.

Day 2: San Luis Obispo
After an included sightseeing tour of Los Angeles this morning, we drive along the famous Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Barbara where we stop for lunch.

This afternoon we continue north to San Luis Obispo where you’ll check into your hotel for an overnight stay

Day 3: Santa Cruz
This morning, join your Tour Manager for a tour of Hearst Castle, a huge hilltop mansion built for former newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Your journey continues along the 17-Mile Drive – a scenic road on the Monterey Peninsula. You’ll pass through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, where a photo stop will be made at the famous Lone Cypress, a 250-year-old tree that is a landmark of the area.

This afternoon explore Cannery Row, Monterey’s famous waterfront street named after the sardine canning factories that were once situated here. Now you’ll find shops, restaurants and bars. It’s also a marine sanctuary so, if you’re lucky you might see sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks. Your journey ends today in Santa Cruz, where you will stay tonight.

Day 4: San Francisco
Enjoy free time in Santa Cruz this morning – you might head to the Boardwalk, a fabulous oceanfront amusement park. Your journey then continues north, past Half Moon Bay to San Francisco, where you will stay for two nights.

Day 5: San Francisco
San Francisco is one of the world’s most beautiful cities, with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge among its many attractions. See its highlights such as the hairpin turns of Lombard Street, the Golden Gate Bridge and Chinatown on our included morning tour. The afternoon is free for you to explore more at your own pace.

Day 6: Santa Rosa
Today you’ll head over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sonoma, where you will stop at a local winery to enjoy a tour and tasting. This afternoon we stop for lunch in Sonoma and explore its historical Square. Later you arrive at Santa Rosa, where you’ll stay tonight.

Day 7: Sacramento
Sacramento is today’s destination – a city founded in 1848 that became a major distribution point during the Gold Rush. Explore the old town with an included visit to the California State Railroad Museum before enjoying free time this afternoon. You’ll stay in downtown Sacramento tonight.

Day 8: Lake Tahoe
A drive via Emerald Bay State Park takes you to beautiful Lake Tahoe today. The largest alpine lake in the US, it was formed some two million years ago and is surrounded on all sides by towering mountains. You’ll spend the night at South Lake Tahoe, where you can enjoy an optional sunset dinner cruise this evening.

Days 9 – 10: Yosemite National Park
Leaving Lake Tahoe, your next stop will be Yosemite. We’ll stop en route in Sonora, a charming city in the heart of California’s ‘gold country’ named after the miners from Sonora, Mexico, who settled here in 1848.

You’ll stay for two nights in the mountain resort of Mammoth Lakes and we include a full-day tour of Yosemite National Park during your stay. An area of astounding natural beauty, you’ll see soaring mountains, towering trees, crystal-clear waters and miles of hiking trails as you explore.

Day 11: Bakersfield
You’ll experience more scenic beauty on today’s visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, which lie side by side in the southern Sierra Nevada. The sight of deep canyons, vast caverns, rugged footpaths and huge mountains, as well as the world’s largest trees, will certainly leave an impression.

Continue to Bakersfield for an overnight stay.

Day 12: Los Angeles
Today you’ll travel back to Los Angeles, where you’ll visit the beachfront city of Santa Monica and Venice Beach, a three-mile stretch of golden sand. Enjoy a further overnight stay in Los Angeles.

Day 13: Los Angeles/UK
After some free time in Los Angeles you’ll head to the airport for your return flight to the UK.

Day 14: UK
Arrive in the UK.

Please note
To maximize your enjoyment of this holiday a certain amount of walking is essential.

Accommodation throughout is in hotels of a comfortable standard. The hotels you will stay in are:

Hilton in Woodland Hills/Los Angeles
La Cuesta Inn in San Luis Obispo
Comfort Inn Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz
Radisson Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco
Best Western Inn, Rohnert Park in Santa Rosa
Best Western Plus Sutter House in Sacramento
Beach Retreat & Lodge Tahoe in Tahoe
Sierra Lodge in Yosemite
Holiday Inn Express in Bakersfield
Hilton in Woodland Hills/Los Angeles
All guest rooms have en suite facilities and most hotels feature a restaurant, bar and swimming pool.

Hotels will be confirmed in your final documentation.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Included excursions and visits

Los Angeles sightseeing tour
Hearst Castle (half day)
San Francisco sightseeing tour (half day)
Winery visit in Sonoma
Yosemite National Park (full day)
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento

Optional excursions

Sunset dinner cruise on Lake Tahoe

Your holiday includes

Scheduled flights
Overseas transfers and other transportation
12 nights’ accommodation on a room-only basis
The services of a Travelsphere Tour Manager and Local Guides
Hotel porterage (one bag per person)
All airport taxes and security charges
UK Airline Passenger Duty
All state and local taxes

With 50 years’ experience in arranging escorted tours to exciting destinations across the globe, Travelsphere have built an excellent reputation founded on quality and value.

By choosing a Travelsphere escorted holiday you can travel with confidence, knowing that every aspect of your holiday has been carefully planned and arranged from start to finish. Further to this they are ATOL bonded and members of ABTA.

Travelsphere’s thorough planning of travel arrangements, itineraries and accommodation combined with the unique insight of their knowledgeable Tour Managers and Local Guides will enable you to experience the culture, traditions and hidden away places less accessible to other travellers.

Our Opinion
“Travelsphere are one of the biggest names in the Escorted Tour market. Finely tuned over the last 50 years their tours have been tried, tested and refined by thousands of customers.”