California statewide visitor guide
California Guide
Choose a coast, wine-country stay or mountain break. Start with your time and transport, then compare the regions and places that fit.
- Regions
- 13
- Planning guides
- 4
- Checked places
- 35
Image: Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur | Photo by Diliff on Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0
Guide search
Find the right California page
Search California regions, guides, and places.
Plan your stay
Choose the California trip you have time for
Use these filters to find a starting guide. The guide explains the practical limits and alternatives.
California in pictures
Visitor map
Read the California map before choosing a base
California is easier to plan as coast, wine-country, island, mountain, and desert decisions before it becomes a list of individual places.
Loading the visitor map…You can also choose an area from the list below.
California regions
1SausalitoGolden Gate ferry day-trip town with a Bridgeway waterfront, Fort Baker, and the Army Corps Bay Model.2YountvilleDestination-dining base in the Napa Valley, home to The French Laundry and Domaine Chandon.3St. Helena / CalistogaUpvalley wine-country towns with historic wineries, a castle, spas, and the Old Faithful geyser.4South Lake TahoeTwo-season lake and ski base on the California shore, with Emerald Bay and Heavenly Mountain Resort.5MendocinoNorth Coast bucket-list village wrapped by headlands, with a lighthouse and redwood-canyon parks.6Cannery RowAquarium and Steinbeck waterfront corridor along Monterey Bay, from Cannery Row to Fisherman's Wharf.7CarmelTiny coastal town of galleries and inns beside Carmel Beach, the Carmel Mission, and Point Lobos.8Big SurThe cliff-hugging Highway 1 drive past McWay Falls, redwood state parks, and Nepenthe.9Santa BarbaraDowntown State Street and the waterfront, with the Old Mission, Stearns Wharf, and the courthouse.10Santa Monica / VeniceLA coastal neighborhoods from the Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park to the Venice boardwalk.11AvalonFerry-and-island escape to Avalon, with the Casino landmark, Wrigley Garden, and Descanso Beach.12La Jolla CoveSan Diego coastal cove for snorkeling and sea lions, near Birch Aquarium and Torrey Pines.13Palm SpringsMid-century desert-resort core with the Aerial Tramway, Art Museum, and design shopping.
Planning guides
Start with the trip constraint
Region decisionNorthern vs Southern California: which coast to plan your first trip aroundCalifornia is too big to see in one trip, so pick a region and base, not a statewide loop.
Checked visitor places
Places worth considering
ExperiencesBeringer VineyardsNapa Valley's oldest continuously operating winery, founded in 1876 in St. Helena, known for its Rhine House mansion, hillside wine caves, and estate tastings.ExperiencesBirch Aquarium at ScrippsThe public aquarium of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, on a bluff above La Jolla Shores.ExperiencesCarmel BeachA wide white-sand beach at the foot of Ocean Avenue, backed by cypress trees and the Scenic Road bluff walk, known for sunsets.
Search above for more checked places.
Regions
Choose a California region for your trip
Show 7 more
