California Travel Guide: From Coast to Coast
In the past year I’ve covered the three major cities along the California coast and more. There’s no better escape from the Boston cold than a trip to the west coast, and I’ve rounded up a city by city breakdown of my favorite spots. My recommendation? Start in San Diego and make your way up the coast, ending with San Francisco and Napa Valley. I’ve outlined the best places to visit in California below.
San Francisco
Palm Springs
LA
San Diego
San Francisco
I was lucky enough to have a friend who lives in the Silicon Valley that I stayed with, which gave us a great spot to take in the city and also experience some beautiful outdoor spots close by. In San Francisco, we were crazy enough to walk around for most of the day, which I would not recommend. The city is very hilly and spread out, making it more of a work out than a leisurely walk. Prior to heading downtown, a trip to the Golden Gate Bridge View is not to be missed (location in map below). On a rare day without haziness, you can see land, sea and city for miles. After the scenic outlook we went to Ghiradelli Square and had a sundae, then walked from there. Highlights were Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, a cable car ride, and Alamo Square Park. The latter was a great place to have a picnic while looking at the city and the Painted Ladies.
Outside of the city we went to the Big Basin Redwood Park; while not the biggest one, this was a huge area of redwoods you could walk around in. It was truly amazing to see these tall, natural wonders.
Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a gorgeous desert area, and as a plant lover, there were more succulents and cacti than I could ever dream of. We did a lot in Palm Springs and the surrounding area, and stayed at the Vista Mirage Resort as our home base, a great hotel with pools and apartment style lodging available. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway has great views, but the meal package ticket isn’t worth it. Moorten Botanical Garden has every cactus you can imagine and is an Instagram lover’s dream shoot location. We went hiking in the Indian Canyons, which I highly recommend, but only for a short visit, as it can turn into a massive and sweaty hike. Joshua Tree is about an hour away and worth the trip for a day, or you can take an RV for an incredible overnight experience. I was pleasantly surprised by the Temecula valley; rolling hills filled with vineyards and a fun, western style downtown. We went to Robert Renzoni Vineyards for a tasting where we had great wines and awesome views in a Tuscan style villa.
LA
LA is by far my least favorite place in California, but it’s ocean side towns make it worth the trip. Food highlights were tacos, California Donuts, and Mel’s Drive In. Rooftops like Perch and Upstairs at Ace Hotel have great views and drinks. Finally, no trip to LA is complete without a hike around the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory.
For great views and a workout outside of LA - rent bikes and ride from Huntington to Newport beach and refuel at The American Dream in Huntington after.
Malibu
The first couple of times I went to LA I was never impressed. And then I went to Malibu. Even just for a long weekend stay, this trip was perfect, from the views to the food to the people-watching.
During our first full day, we went to brunch at Malibu Farm, took a hike to Point Dume, drove through Malibu Canyon, and had a drink at The Malibu Cafe at Calimigos Ranch.
At night, we went into LA one night for dinner at Pump (complete with an LVP sighting) and drinks in WeHo. On our second night, we went to the celebrity hot spot Nobu Malibu for another dinner (complete with a Schwarzenegger family sighting).
On our final day, we went for drinks and live music at Rosenthal winery and got tacos from La Chingona.
San Diego
San Diego is probably my top city on the coast of California. This laid back, beachy town is filled with waterfront views, great food, and stunning sunsets.
My first time there, I stayed at Bahia Resort Hotel, which was in a great location and had a pool, cabanas, and its own seal sanctuary. The second time I stayed at this Airbnb in Pacific Beach which was steps away from the ocean, and then went up to Carlsbad for a few nights. I would recommend staying in the La Jolla area - it has more upscale beach vibes, but is still easy to get around.
Top places to visit in San Diego are Balboa Park, Liberty Public Market, and Coronado Island. Beaches to see: Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla and its seals, Sunset Cliffs, meditation garden at Swami Beach, and Torrey Pines. One of the best times of year to visit San Diego is in the spring, during wildflower season. We were fortunate enough to visit during the latest superbloom, and even in the city itself, the colors were stunning. Torrey Pines and Carlsbad were the best spots for wildflower hikes. Pro tip if you visit Carlsbad: don’t pay to visit their curated wildflower fields. Instead, go to the viewing point here, or this natural field here.
There are A LOT of great places to eat and drink in San Diego, so brace yourself for a giant list below. The biggest food highlight? Experiencing the California burrito, where the rice and beans are substituted for crispy fries.
Breakfast burritos at Konos
Mona Lisa Italian Foods for sandwiches to go
Tacos at Oscars
Breakfast at Palmys
Beer: North Park brewery hopping, Ballast Point Brewing, Stone Brewing
Rooftop drinks at El Prez
Fine waterfront dining at Waterbar
DIY ice cream sandwich at The Baked Bear
Any one of these places could take a whole week’s vacation, or a quick long weekend. Year round all of the spots are great to see, but when you live in Boston, a winter getaway to California is a true dream.
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