Featured Itineraries - 4 Day 3 Night Coastal Tour Los Angeles to San Francisco
First Day
The group will arrive mid-afternoon to the Los Angeles area and will be met at the Baggage Claim area at LAX.
After Check-in at their designated Hotel or Inn, the group will drive to Old Los Angeles for a California Welcome Dinner on Olvera Street. The magic of Spanish influence will be heard in the conversations, smelt in the aromas of tantalizing foods, heard in the toe-tapping music of Mariachi bands, and seen in the myriad of colors in the costumes, weavings and artwork in the neighborhood. After dinner the group will have time for some shopping there before returning to their hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Second Day
After breakfast the group will be met in the lobby by their CTC Tour Director, who will take them via deluxe motorcoach on an all-day sightseeing tour of Los Angeles, the unchallenged leader in the motion picture and television industry. After a driving tour of Century City, home of the ABC Entertainment Center and the Avenue of the Stars, the group will drive through the UCLA campus and fashionable Westwood. Posh Beverly Hills and Bel Air lies just beyond, with their meticulously manicured landscapes and spectacular homes. A stop will then be made at Rodeo Drive, an exclusive shopping district in the heart of Beverly Hills that caters to the "stars" and "international jet-set." This is the West Coast home of high fashion and the birthplace of that internationally sought-after "California look."
Next is Hollywood, a symbol of fame, fortune, and fantasy. Here the group will visit Grauman's Chinese Theater (now called Mann's), billed as the "King of Theaters" when it opened in 1927. Whenever a movie premiered here, the stars embedded their hand and footprints in cement in the courtyard in front of this celebrated theater. Here tour members Here tour members will have a chance to view the signatures of their favorite celebrities from past to present imprinted in the cement and to take the Hollywood Walk of Fame where bronze medallions studding the sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard commemorate immortals of film, television, recording and radio.
Walking over to the KODAK Theater, home of the Academy Awards, the group will have a perfect vantage point of the famous HOLLYWOOD sign. The group will then take a driving tour of the downtown area with its financial district, the new Frank Gehry designed Disney Music Hall, Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the home of the Los Angeles Opera. For lunch the group will be taken to the famous Farmer’s Market with time for lunch on their own.
The tour continues westward to the Santa Monica Pier for a stroll along the Pacific Ocean and Third Street Promenade. Dinner will be enjoyed while looking at the beautiful sunset.
Third Day
Following checkout, the group will board a deluxe motorcoach for the trip north from Los Angeles to San Simeon via Santa Barbara. Driving through canyons, valleys and along the coast, the group will be able to see some of the spectacular vistas which California is famous for. There will be a short stop in Santa Barbara for coffee and time to stretch your legs. It is a spectacular Southern California coastal community known as the American Riviera. The drive north will continue to awe nature lovers.
Upon arrival the group will have time for lunch on their own and time to see the movie about Hearst Castle.
In the early afternoon the group will tour the magnificent Hearst Castle. Built by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, its 123 acres of gardens, terraces, pools, and luxurious guest houses provide an ornate setting for the hundred-room mansion where heads of state, motion picture stars, and other international celebrities were entertained. A national historic landmark, 'The Enchanted Hill' contains a priceless art collection, a magnificent palatial estate, and beautiful views of the Santa Lucia Mountains and the majestic Pacific Ocean.
After dinner along the Central Coast, the group will continue their trip north to San Francisco. The group will then check in to their hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Fourth Day
After Breakfast, the group will start a full day of sightseeing in San Francisco. The morning will offer a bus tour of this fantastic city built on over 22 hills with magnificent views from around every other corner. The tour begins with a drive to Twin Peaks, a 65 acre park overlooking the city that is known for its breathtaking views of the entire Bay area. Next is Golden Gate Park, certainly one of the largest and most spectacular metropolitan parks in the country.
The group will then drive to that venerable city landmark, the Cliff House, which overlooks the majestic Pacific Ocean and offshore Sea Rocks. Following the drive through the wooded Presidio, once an active military base, the group will make a stop at the famed Golden Gate Bridge, one of the most awesome man-made structures in the world. Enroute into the heart of the city the group will pass the restored Victorians along fashionable Union Street and the hotels atop exclusive Nob Hill. The group will then drive along the Embarcadero and pass Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, the Cannery, Aquatic Park, and Ghirardelli Square.
There will be photo stops made at the Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks and in Golden Gate Park’s Japanese Tea Garden to name but a few. There will be time for lunch on your own at the beautifully restored Ferry Building filled with numerous cafes, restaurants and gourmet shops. In the early afternoon, the group will board the ferry to Alcatraz. for a two-hour tour. Upon return to Pier 33, the group will make the short walk to Pier 39 for dinner at one of the many restaurants overlooking the San Francisco Bay.
There will be time after dinner for shopping on this colorful, vibrant pier before returning to the hotel for a good night’s sleep, before their early morning transfer to SFO and their flight home.