In the far south of California is the sunny city of San Diego, a place that embraces beach-life like no other. Also famous for the huge San Diego Zoo and a large number of museums and galleries, many of which are found at Balboa Park, the city's beautiful cultural green space.
A 2-hour drive north from San Diego, along a route which takes in the stunning coastal sights of Orange County, and you will find yourself in Los Angeles, known as the most glamorous place in the world. Be sure to allow plenty of time to take in this vast, sprawling city. Top attractions include Universal Studios, Hollywood Boulevard, Madame Tussauds, shopping along Rodeo Drive, bohemian beach life on Venice Beach and, of course, a trip to Disneyland.
The drive to San Jose from Los Angeles will allow you to take in the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park which includes one of the most spectacular coastal drives in California, which runs from Big Sur to Monterey. San Jose is the capital of the Silicon Valley region, a place where residents enjoy a high standard of living and where visitors can enjoy the low crime rate, clean streets and a multitude of world-class museums.
Just a 90-minute drive north from San Jose, San Francisco is famous world over for its inclusive and welcoming character, hilly streets and historic trams. Once in downtown San Francisco take in the best of this seriously hip city, home of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Prison and the largest, oldest Chinatown in the US.
The perfect place to head after the bustle of San Francisco, Yosemite is just a 3-hour drive away. A vast wilderness of 750,000 acres, the park is home to the world's largest sequoia trees and a number of majestic granite formations, such as the famous El Capitan.