DOWN ROUTES FactFile
And the Grand Canyon are part of a fantastic US road trip
surfing town with a wooden pier stretching out towards the sunset.
Back on Route 1 to Monterey Bay we took a scenic 17-mile drive on the toll road which takes in forests, Pebble Beach and Lone Cypress Tree.
Monterey Bay also has the Point Lobos Nature Reserve, shopping and nightlife at Cannery Row, plus great whale-watching trips, inset.
Our final stop was San Francisco, where we picked up some hybrid bikes. Touring the city at a slower pace along the National Park Bike Path gave us time to take in the waterfront at Fisherman’s Wharf and Presidio National Park before riding over the Golden Gate Bridge.
It’s a fair challenge but the views are amazing and, when you get to the other side, you can head for Sausalito for food, drinks and shopping, before getting the ferry back.
We also visited Alcatraz, home to America’s most notorious criminals. Visitors get to walk the eerie corridors and even step inside a cell, two of the many extraordinary moments etched in the memory bank from our classic US road trip. SEVEN nights in the US with Virgin Holidays, including flights from Gatwick to Las Vegas on January 26, 2017, returning from San Francisco to Heathrow, costs from £1,599pp.
Includes room-only accommodation at The Cosmopolitan with car hire. Based on two adults travelling and sharing a standard room.
You can start your holiday early in the V-room at Gatwick or Manchester – adults £24.50 (kids from £14). Book at virginholidays. co.uk, on 0344 557 3859 or visit Virgin Holidays branches in selected Debenhams and House of Fraser stores.
A two-day Disneyland California Hopper ticket, which includes Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure Park costs from £179 per adult. See attractiontickets-direct.co.uk.
A one-day ticket to Universal Studios Hollywood costs from £77 per adult and £72 per child at attraction-ticketsdirect.co.uk or Universal StudiosHollywood.com. San Francisco on a Bike, the Bay tour over Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, is from £48 (£34 child).
Pre-booking Alcatraz is essential. Attraction Tickets Direct combines Alcatraz tour with All Loop Double-Decker bus tour from £90 per adult (£69 child). Book at attractiontickets-direct.co.uk.