I could not explain enough how awesome this California trip was. I am so excited for the chance for you to do it too. We flew into SFO and flew out of LAX. I’ll let you know all the details of where we went along the way and what we did. We went in February and we wore a light jacket or sweater in NorCal in the morning and it warmed up throughout the day. When we were in SoCal, we only needed a sweater at night.

San Francisco

There’s so much to do in SF in the city and in Silicon Valley. I also highly recommend the Apple Park Visitor Centre in Sunnyvale and Googleplex in Mountain View. There are a few MUST SEE activities when you arrive. You’re gonna love it!

Walk along the coast
Fisherman’s Wharf
Ghiradelli Square
Ride a cable car
Golden Gate Bridge - both sides
Twin Peaks - view of the city
Foothills Park
Point Reyes Beach and Lighthouse

Ghirardelli Square, near Fisherman’s Wharf

Napa Valley

If you love checking out wineries, driving along hills overlooking vineyards and sipping on the country’s finest, this is the place for you. Check out this list of every winery in Napa and go visit your favorite ones!!

Yosemite Valley

This was without a doubt one of the highlights of the trip. No matter what month it is, Yosemite is an awesome place to visit. In the winter months though, some of the hikes and driving paths are closed, but there is still plenty to do.

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Drive Down the Coast

This was personally my favourite part of the trip. Driving in a car for hours has never been as awesome as when you’re driving along Highway 1. It’s possible to do the trip south a bit quicker driving down Highway 5, but I’m telling you, you have to drive down the coast. We stopped many, many times (not just for lunch, sometimes for an entire morning), but some of our favourites were:

Monterey (Walk from Lovers Point Park to Asilomar Beach, drive along 17 Mile Drive, and stop at Pebble Beach)
Carmel (walk along the beach and in town)
Bixby Creek Bridge
Big Sur
McWay Falls
Sand Dollar Beach
Solvang (Danish capital of America) - a little bit inland
Santa Barbara (we stayed the night and spent the day here and it was awesome)

Los Angeles

In addition to spending some time on the Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard, there are so many things to do in the LA area. From hiking, to museums, to studio tours and (window) shopping, this city is so cool. If you’re a fan of The OC, then go a bit further south and check out Redondo Beach where they shot all of their scenes at the Pier. If you have the time, driving down to Newport Beach is nice, but not a must. The Crystal Cove Trail is so nice though.

Malibu (walk along Zuma beach, Walk from Point Dume to Big Dume Beach and check out the Sara Wan Trailhead hike)
Santa Monica (Santa Monica State Beach and the Pier)
Venice Beach canals
Walk along Abbot Kinney
Runyon Canyon Park Hike
Hollywood Sign (Lake Hollywood Park, Innsdale Trailhead, Wonderview Trailhead)
Bronson Caves Hike
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Griffith Park
Studio Tours - Universal Studios, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures
Rodeo Drive