Must-seeCalifornia
Coast roads, granite valleys and two great cities.
This is a first draft of the California list. The full region guide is being written, and tiers may still change.
The short list
Must-see
Must-see
Must-seeSan Francisco
Hills, fog, the Golden Gate and one of the country's best food cities.
Guide coming soon
Must-seeLos Angeles
Hollywood, the Getty, Santa Monica and Venice beaches, and a food scene from every corner of the Pacific.
Guide coming soon
Must-seeBig Sur and the Pacific Coast Highway
Highway 1 clings to cliffs above the Pacific for 90 miles, with redwood groves and coves along the way.
Guide coming soon
Worth a detour
Worth a detourSan Diego
Mild sunny weather all year, Balboa Park and its famous zoo, and a string of laid-back beach towns.
Guide coming soon
Worth a detourLake Tahoe
A deep blue alpine lake ringed by peaks: beaches and hiking in summer, ski resorts in winter.
Guide coming soon
Worth a detourDisneyland
Walt Disney's original park in Anaheim, an hour from central Los Angeles.
Guide coming soon
Worth a detourSequoia National Park
Groves of giant sequoias, including General Sherman, the largest tree on Earth by volume.
Guide coming soon
Worth a detourJoshua Tree National Park
Spiky Joshua trees and giant boulder piles where two deserts meet, near Palm Springs.
Guide coming soon
Worth a detourDeath Valley National Park
Salt flats, dunes and colored canyons in the hottest, lowest place in North America. Go between November and March.
Guide coming soon
Worth a detourCoachella
Two weekends in April
One of the world's best-known music festivals, in the desert near Palm Springs. Passes sell out fast.
Guide coming soon
If you're nearby
If you're nearbySacramento
California's capital, with Gold Rush-era Old Sacramento on the river and Lake Tahoe two hours east.
Guide coming soon
If you're nearbySan Jose and Silicon Valley
The heart of Silicon Valley, with the Computer History Museum, the Winchester Mystery House and Stanford nearby.
Guide coming soon
On the map
Grey pins: guides still being written.