Hiker stands amidst a field of wildflowers on the rolling Carrizo Hills

Nathan Yan / Stocksy United

California

Twinkling cities, misty redwood forests, sun-kissed beaches, a creative local food scene and an adventurous attitude: California is instantly captivating.

Best Time to Visit

Best Places to Visit

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Yosemite National Park
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
Yosemite means "killer" in the Indigenous Miwok language, and in today's parlance it's indeed an impressive, awesome site. Everywhere you look in Yosemite…
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco
When Frederick Law Olmsted, architect of New York's Central Park, gazed in 1865 upon the plot of land San Francisco Mayor Frank McCoppin wanted to turn…
Haight Street
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Was it the fall of 1966 or the winter of ’67? As the Haight saying goes, if you can remember the Summer of Love, you probably weren’t here. The fog was…
Chinatown Alleyways
North Beach & Chinatown
If you look close today at the clinker-brick buildings lining these narrow backstreets, past the temple balconies jutting out over bakeries, acupuncture…
City Lights Books
North Beach & Chinatown
No one could have predicted the cultural force City Lights would become when it first opened in 1953. Sure, it had a proletarian ethos suggested by its…
Coit Tower
North Beach & Chinatown
If you want to really see San Francisco, head to Coit Tower, a 1933 art deco beaut designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. and Henry Howard that sits high up on…
Golden Gate Bridge
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Few cities boast a structure so iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge, commemorated in everything from films like The Maltese Falcon to not one but two emojis…
Dolores Park
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Welcome to San Francisco's sunny side, the land of street ball and Mayan-pyramid playgrounds, semiprofessional tanning and taco picnics. Although the…

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Planning Tools

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip

Things to Know

California's sun-drenched parks, beaches and cities are a huge draw for tourists but where to begin? Here's what you need to know before you go.

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Transportation

California may be besotted with cars but that's not the only way to see the Golden State. Here's everything you need to know about getting around California.

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Money and Costs

California has a lot to offer travelers and unfortunately, the price tag to match. But there are ways to visit on a budget if you know how!

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Best Road Trips

These ultimate California road trips take you from sea to mountains and through desert and redwoods.

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