Los Angeles
Visit Los Angeles and gaze at the infamous Hollywood sign high up in the Hollywood Hills. Then visit San Francisco for the shimmering Golden Gate Bridge and a poignant tour around the island of Alcatraz. View the golden coastline of fine sandy beaches and fabulous sunshine. Visit the Beverley Hills mansions and learn about famous movies stars. Look at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the three Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with its Celebrity handprints, footprints and autographs.
Griffith Observatory
A famous landmark offering panoramic views of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign. It also houses a planetarium and exhibits on astronomy and space science.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Stretching along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, this sidewalk features more than 2,600 stars embedded with the names of celebrities from the entertainment industry.
Universal Studios Hollywood
A renowned film studio and theme park where you can experience movie-themed rides, shows, and attractions based on popular films and TV shows.
Getty Centre
A sprawling art museum and research institute showcasing a vast collection of European paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and photography. The architecture and gardens are also highlights.
Santa Monica Pier
An iconic pier with an amusement park, Pacific Park, featuring a Ferris wheel and roller coaster. It offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and is a popular spot for dining and entertainment.
Venice Beach
Known for its vibrant boardwalk lined with street performers, vendors, and outdoor gym facilities (“Muscle Beach”). It’s a hub of artistic expression and beach culture.
The Getty Villa
A museum modelled after an ancient Roman villa, showcasing Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. It’s located in Pacific Palisades and offers insights into classical art and culture.
Rodeo Drive
A famous shopping street in Beverly Hills known for its luxury boutiques, designer stores, and upscale dining options. It’s a prime spot for celebrity sightings and high-end shopping.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
A museum showcasing exhibits on natural history, including dinosaur fossils, gemstones, minerals, and cultural artefacts from Native American and Latin American cultures.
Las Vegas
North East of Los Angeles is Las Vegas, an Oasis in the middle of the Desert, it has Grand hotels and plenty of shops. Visit the amazing Hoover Dam, a massive hydroelectric power station. Enjoy aerial views over the Hoover dam and fly around Red Rock Canyon and land on the river edge for lunch. Badwater basin with its salt flat is the lowest point in North America.
Palm Springs
Just East of Los Angeles is Palm Springs, surrounded by the Coachella Valley this desert resort city has hot springs, golf courses and spas.
San Diego
South of Los Angeles is San Diego, you can visit the Gas lamp Quarter and Old Town San Diego of this Spanish influenced city, where in 1769 Father Junipero Serra established the first of twenty one missions that became the foundations of California. At Navy pier there is the maritime museum, home to the USS Midway, the Star of India iron hull sailing ship and the Soviet submarine B-39.
Santa Barbara
North West of Los Angeles is Santa Barbara, enjoy olive tasting on a local vineyard and a visit to historic sites. The old mission town is famous for its Spanish look, tour round the Ragan Ranch Centre.
Tehachapi
North of Los Angeles is Tehachapi, in the mountains of South California you will see the Tehachapi loop, a long spiral section of railway track through the Tehachapi pass. The loop gains elevation by keeping the gradient to around 2% through the pass. The single track line runs from San Francisco to Los Angeles and is still in use today 122 years after completion.
North East of Los Angeles is Waterpocket fold, Capitol Reef, with its big deserts, red-rock mesas, searing blue skies and blazing-fire sunsets that only America’s wild, Wild West can deliver.
Capitol Reef National park has 9 staggering geological marvels, this Park is a geologist’s dream, centring on the Waterpocket Fold, a near – 160km (100 mile) wrinkle on the earth formed by the same forces that lifted the Colorado plateau 65 million years ago. As the land buckled, it gave rise to a rocky spine of canyons, bridges, white-tipped domes, rust-red cliffs, fossils and skinny slot canyons, whittled into form over many millennia.
Contemplate the foundations of the earth and the unstoppable force of nature as you gaze in quiet wonder at this tidal wave of rock, a monocline that is 2134m (7000ft) higher in the west than in the east. Laid bare to time and the elements, it forms the backbone of Capitol reefs extraordinary rockscapes.
As day melts into fiery twilight and the ringtails and racoons come out to play, peer up to the glitter of planets and the Milky Way in this international dark sky park which offers some of the clearest night skies in the west.
San Francisco
Alternatively known as the City by the Bay, discover and walk under the Golden Gate Bridge. View Alcatraz Island, visit Fisherman’s Wharf and the Palace of fine arts
Golden Gate Bridge
An iconic suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate Strait. You can walk across the bridge, enjoying spectacular views of San Francisco Bay and the city skyline.
Alcatraz Island
A former federal prison turned National Historic Landmark, known for housing notorious criminals like Al Capone. Tours take you to explore the island and its history.
Fisherman’s Wharf
A lively waterfront area with seafood restaurants, souvenir shops, and attractions such as Pier 39 (home to sea lions) and the historic San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
Lombard Street
Known as the “Crookedest Street in the World,” this steep, winding street in Russian Hill is famous for its picturesque views and tight turns. It’s a popular spot for photos.
Chinatown
The oldest Chinatown in North America, known for its vibrant atmosphere, traditional architecture, markets, restaurants, and cultural events such as the Chinese New Year Parade.
Cable Cars
San Francisco’s historic cable cars, which operate on three routes, are both a mode of transportation and a tourist attraction. They offer scenic rides through the city’s hilly streets.
Coit Tower
A historic landmark atop Telegraph Hill, offering panoramic views of San Francisco and the bay. You can take an elevator to the top and enjoy murals depicting California life in the 1930s.
Golden Gate Park
A large urban park featuring gardens, museums (including the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young Museum), lakes, and recreational facilities. It’s a peaceful retreat in the heart of the city.
Painted Ladies
A row of colourful Victorian and Edwardian houses along Steiner Street, facing Alamo Square. These iconic homes are often photographed with the San Francisco skyline in the background.
Sacramento
North East of San Francisco is Sacramento, the old Sacramento district is a reminder of the Gold rush era with wooden sidewalks and wagon rides. There is the California State Railroad museum detailing the history of the transcontinental railway.
The Lost Sierra
North East of Sacramento is The Lost Sierra, a triangle of 2591m (8500ft) peaks and glacial lakes roughly between the towns of Quincy, Graegle and Downieville. The surroundings include ponderosa pines or red fir trees, blue jays hopping from branch to branch. The region is threaded with trails pioneered by gold miners 170 years ago. The lost Sierra Buttes trail stewardship (SBTS) was founded by Greg Williams, a descendant of the local Miwok people. Towns such as Sierra City retain gold rush-era architecture that is now home to restaurants and other amenities. You can fish for native trout, salmon and sardine lakes are favourites or the north Yuba and middle feather rivers. Explore the gold rush history of lost Sierra towns, for example at the Kentucky mine museum in Sierra city, near where one of California’s largest nuggets was found.
Seattle
Space Needle
An iconic observation tower and symbol of Seattle, offering panoramic views of the city, Puget Sound, and the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. It features a rotating restaurant.
Pike Place Market
A historic public market overlooking Elliott Bay, known for its fresh seafood, local produce, artisan crafts, and the famous flying fish at Pike Place Fish Market.
Chihuly Garden and Glass
An exhibition showcasing the vibrant glass artwork of Dale Chihuly set in a garden environment adjacent to the Space Needle. It features indoor galleries and outdoor installations.
Seattle Waterfront
A bustling area along Elliott Bay, offering attractions like the Seattle Aquarium, waterfront restaurants, shops, and the Great Wheel—a Ferris wheel with stunning views.
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
A museum dedicated to contemporary popular culture, featuring exhibits on music, film, video games, and science fiction. It’s located near the Space Needle in Seattle Centre.
Seattle Art Museum (SAM)
A major art museum featuring collections of Asian, African, Native American, and European art, as well as contemporary and modern artworks. It’s located downtown.
Kerry Park
A small park on Queen Anne Hill offering postcard-perfect views of the Seattle skyline, including the Space Needle and Mount Rainier on clear days. It’s a popular spot for photographers.
Ballard Locks (Hiram M. Chittenden Locks)
A complex of locks connecting Puget Sound to the Lake Washington Ship Canal. You can watch boats pass through the locks and observe migrating salmon at the fish ladder.
Fremont Troll
A public sculpture of a troll under the Aurora Bridge in the Fremont neighbourhood. It’s a quirky and photogenic attraction that reflects Seattle’s artistic and creative spirit.