To see the best (and worst) times to visit, please read our reviews of our recommended places to stay
To search flights across all airlines, we recommend using Skyscanner
CALIFORNIA: BY AIR
To San Francisco Bay area: carriers include Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Singapore Airlines, JetBlue Airways and US Airways.
To LA: try Qantas, Lufthansa, Mexicana and United Airlines.
To San Diego: Southwest Airlines, Delta Airlines and American Airlines.
To Palm Springs: Delta Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.
To Santa Barbara: Alaska Air, US Airways, Delta and United Airlines.
To Sonoma County: Alaska Air.
BY CAR: One of the great pleasures is driving the Pacific Coast Highway (often called Highway 1). The scenery is best from Los Angeles to San Francisco (Big Sur). We recommend hiring a car. See our car rental recommendations.
BY TRAIN: Amtrak operates trains along the California coast, connecting San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and all points in between. The daily Starlight (also operated by Amtrak) offers spectacular views. The coastal portion of the route from Oakland (in the San Francisco Bay Area) to Los Angeles (with a stop in Santa Barbara) takes about 12 hours. Southern California Metrolink trains leave from the same station.