Visit San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Sequoia NP, Kings Canyon NP, Yosemite NP, Lake Tahoe & Napa Valley.
This diverse road trip around Northern California is short in mileage, but it’s packed with awe-inspiring natural beauty at every turn. Begin your Northern California road trip with at least three days enjoying the sights and culture of hip San Francisco, and then hit the road to experience the stunning scenery of Northern California’s coastline, Sierra Nevada Mountains and Wine Region.
Key road trip highlights:
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We’ll suggest properties to match your preferred budget, be it low-cost, mid-range or high-end luxury that you’re looking for. We can also mix it up so you’ll experience a range of standards and experiences along your road trip.
All of our road trips can be tailored to meet your exact requirements. Do you have more or less than 14 days for your road trip? No problem, we can bolt on extra nights to allow more time to explore or shorten the number of destinations as required.
Fly directly to San Francisco, and after you’ve settled into your first hotel, why not step out onto the streets of San Francisco and enjoy a meal at one of the city’s excellent restaurants.
After the famous San Francisco fog has lifted, one of America’s favourite cities will be revealed. Ride a cable car, climb the steep streets and get into the vibe that only this city can offer. Full of Victorian charm, famous movie locations and wealthy tech companies, San Francisco has it all.
Alcatraz, Lombard Street, Coit Tower, Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown are just some of the incredible must-see destinations available to you today. Your personalised Road Trip Pack will help you prioritise all of San Francisco’s visitor attractions whilst giving you all the information you’ll require to enjoy them.
Collect your rental car, and cruise south to Monterey Bay. Once California’s capital and a major whaling town, today, Monterey is best known for the world-class Monterey Bay Aquarium that presides on Cannery Row, which focuses instead on marine education and preservation. Want to experience the waters of Monterey Bay first-hand? Then take a whale watching trip; there is no better place to enjoy this life-changing experience.
Connecting Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea is the 17-Mile Drive; this scenic toll road takes you on a little tour past rugged beaches, millionaire homes and wind-blown cypress trees. Seals bask in the sun on offshore rocks and sea otters bob up and down in the waves. At the other end of this short drive is lovely Carmel-by-the-Sea, with its world-class beaches, charming homes and classy restaurants.
The classic All-American drive down California’s Highway 1 becomes even more dramatic when it passes through the 90 miles of coastal road that is the Big Sur. Twisting roads curve around the cliff faces, occasionally passing gorgeous State Parks and spectacular vista lay-bys that look out over the vast Pacific Ocean. At the end of Big Sur lies Hearst Castle, this mansion is perched on “The Enchanted Hill” and overlooks the Pacific Ocean in the distance.
Sequoia National Park and the adjacent Kings Canyon National Park are located in California’s southern Sierra Nevada mountains. Whilst in Sequoia National Park, be sure to drive through Tunnel Tree and give “General Sherman” a hug from us. General Sherman is the world’s largest tree, affectionately named after the American Civil War leader from 1879; it stands at 84m tall, and it’s believed to be around 2500 years old.
The colossal redwood trees live in harmony between deep canyons and massive mountains, making this area of Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park a land of giants. Spend the morning hiking through the Redwoods and then cruise along CA-180 to explore neighbouring Kings Canyon National Park, home to bears and mountain lions.
Continue north to majestic Yosemite, entering the National Park from the South gate where the Mariposa Grove of redwood trees can be found. Continue north until you reach two of the best vista points you’ll ever witness; the views from both Glacier Point and Tunnel View will never leave you.
Yosemite National Park is over 1,000 square kilometres of nature at its most sublime. The most popular area of this National Park is the Valley area, where you’ll find vast rock faces, abundant wildlife, staggering views and spectacular waterfalls. Whilst Hetch Hetchy and the Tioga Pass are two lesser-visited areas to consider if you want to avoid any crowds.
Split in half by the California/Nevada state line and entirely surrounded by alpine mountains, Lake Tahoe is a wonder to behold. During the winter months, classy ski resorts can be enjoyed all around whilst casinos welcome you to the Nevada portions of the shoreline. In the summer, you can kayak on the crystal clear waters or relax on one of the many beaches.
We suggest you experience some or all of the super scenic 71-mile shoreline drive which surrounds Lake Tahoe. One essential spot is Emerald Bay; it’s easy to see why Mark Twain called Lake Tahoe the ” fairest picture the whole world affords”.
You don’t have to like wine to enjoy the pretty Napa and Sonoma Valley area. These two neighbouring valleys offer gorgeous scenery made up of perfectly manicured vineyards stretched across endless rolling hills. Explore by car, bicycle, or even a hot air balloon or steam train.
Napa and Sonoma Valleys also offer food heaven, with establishments like Thomas Keller’s French Laundry and the cheaper Gott’s Roadside burger joint. Additionally, you can take a drive along one of our favourite roads in California. The Silverado Trail parallels the St. Helena Highway, passing through particularly scenic wine country. The hotels in this area are also great places to relax if you just want to rest up before your flight home the following day.
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You’ll find answers to most of your questions right here. If you still need assistance, Feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be sure to get back to you promptly!
Not a problem. If you are lucky enough to have extra time to explore more places or add more rest days, then just let us know and we’ll adjust your trip to match your preferred timescale.
We strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance for your holiday to cover you against medical expenses, theft and other financial costs. Should you need to cancel before travelling, some insurance policies may pay out for any loss of funds that have been paid to us and which cannot be refunded under our cancellation policy.
Many of our trips have a different end destination than the starting point, so this is not a problem. Please note a fee sometimes applies for one-way rentals between other regions or states, which will be paid to the supplier directly when collecting the vehicle. We’ll endeavour to inform you of this charge within your quote.
No, far from it. We work with a range of properties from 3* to 5*, so we can adapt the trip to match most budgets. We have access to rooms in more than 800 hotels, motels, lodges and B&Bs across North America.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 in the United States or Canada, although, in addition, any drivers under 25 years of age will generally incur a surcharge.
Please use the form below to request a quote from our team. Fields marked with an * are mandatory. Please note that we currently only serve customers based in the UK & The EU.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Get in touch to discuss your Bespoke Road Trip plans, or check out these similar road trip itineraries…
ARTCo customers can be confident that we only work with the very best service providers, such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Alamo. Any payments made to us are fully protected via the government’s ATOL scheme (Flight packages) or Financial Failure Insurance (Non-Flight Packages).
