CALIFORNIA COASTING
With national parks, amazing cities, gentle seasides, a world-class coastal drive and internationally acclaimed vineyards, California cries out to be explored
Los Angeles is everything you’ve seen in the movies, but then magnified, stretched and glitzified many times over. Visit Hollywood with its famous Walk of Fame, the homes of the stars in Beverley Hills, funky Venice Beach and seaside Santa Monica, while the exclusive boutiques on Rodeo Drive are definitely worth a browse even if the prices are stratospheric. And if you’re travelling with the family, you can’t miss Universal Studios and Disneyland!
Once you've ticked off La La Land, you could drive the 400 or so miles between there and San Francisco on Interstate 5 in around eight hours. But what’s the rush? You’re on holiday and the slow approach, hugging the voluptuous coast along Pacific Highway 1, is one of the most scenic drives on the planet.
Factor in time for Santa Barbara, the pretty queen of America’s Riviera, complete with red-tiled roofs, loggias, wrought-iron balconies and beautiful flowers. Then stop at San Simeon, to see Randolph Hearst’s Castle, before experiencing Big Sur, the magnificent 90-mile stretch of highway that snakes between the surf and the Santa Lucia mountains. Visit the artsy town of Carmel on your way to Monterey, home to Fisherman’s Wharf, Cannery Row and a superb aquarium.
Bound on three sides by water and with streets lined with pretty pastel Victorian houses, San Francisco is a city of neighbourhoods. They range from Chinatown to Italian North Beach, from student Berkeley to exclusive Pacific Heights, and from Haightashbury, where memories of the Summer of Love linger, to the vibrant community of The Castro. San Francisco has a rich stock of museums, too, with big names on show in the Museum of Modern Art and a living rainforest at the California Academy of Sciences. You should also go to Alcatraz and hop on a cable car or two.
Drive on across a great US icon, the Golden Gate Bridge, then follow route 101 until you reach Sonoma and the Napa Valley, where you’ll find the best-known vineyards in the country. Next stop? The beautifully clear Lake Tahoe, encased in a grand sweep of mountains, and on south to Yosemite, one of the world’s oldest national parks where waterfalls hang from 3,000-foot granite cliffs.
Time to spare before flying home? To the east of LA lies a desert oasis without couscous or camels. Palm Springs has long been a favourite of the Rat Pack and other Hollywood stars. On its doorstep is Joshua Tree, a huge desert wilderness named after distinctive giant yuccas. Palm Springs is also a golfers’ heaven, with around 80 courses in the valley (most are open to visitors).