Grand Tour of California & the Golden West

With its myriad hills and spectacular bay, San Francisco beguiles with natural beauty, vibrant neighborhoods, and contagious energy. From the hipster Mission District to the sassy Castro, from bustling Union Square to enduring Chinatown, this dynamic town thrives on variety. The city makes it wonderfully easy to tap into the good life, too: between San Francisco’s hot arts scene, tempting boutiques, parks perfect for jogging or biking, and all those stellar locavore restaurants and cocktail bars, it’s the ultimate destination for relaxed self-indulgence.

With its myriad hills and spectacular bay, San Francisco beguiles with natural beauty, vibrant neighborhoods, and contagious energy. From the hipster Mission District to the sassy Castro, from bustling Union Square to enduring Chinatown, this dynamic town thrives on variety. The city makes it wonderfully easy to tap into the good life, too: between San Francisco’s hot arts scene, tempting boutiques, parks perfect for jogging or biking, and all those stellar locavore restaurants and cocktail bars, it’s the ultimate destination for relaxed self-indulgence.

Napa Valley and Sonoma – We’ll spend the day indulging our inner oenophile (or ‘wine lover’) with visits to the wine areas of Napa Valley and Sonoma.

We’ll adventure through the beautiful countryside of California’s most famous wine-producing regions, where there are hundreds of wineries to explore. Together we’ll uncover a few hidden gems among Napa’s gentle slopes and visit a local winery for a tasting of their delicious wine.

The reigning grape in Napa is a Cabernet Sauvignon, which often shows dark red and black fruits, tobacco, mocha, and hints of spice. With its medium to full body and great structure, it’s become a signature for Napa Valley. And the bottles are highly sought after. The most expensive wine ever sold here was a Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992, which sold for $500,000. (A very expensive exception to the dated rule of rare wines, as it wasn’t even a decade old at the time of purchase.)

Sonoma, while less well-known, is much more expansive – it’s almost double the size of Napa – and much more laid back. It’s considered the birthplace of California’s modern wine industry and boasts the state’s oldest premium winery and the longest continually operating family winery. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are some of the most popular grapes on offer here but the towering peaks, miles of Pacific coastline, oak-studded hills and sun-kissed valleys create the perfect growing conditions for over 60+ grape varieties. We couldn’t possibly taste every variety, so we’ll just take our pick of the best during a wine-tasting in a local winery.

Sonora – As we head east from the coast towards Sonora this morning, we’ll stop to admire the views in Calaveras National Park.

You can look out for the Stanislaus River, Beaver Creek, ancient volcanic formations and natural meadows as we travel through that park, but the main attraction here is the trees. The park is home to some of the world’s largest trees, giant sequoias. Many sequoias stretch 250 – 300 feet into the air – the tallest recorded sequoia is 325 feet high (that’s taller than a 26-story building). While their height is impressive, it’s their girth that is the real wonder. Many of the giant trees have diameters over 30 feet near the ground (that’s wider than 5 park benches side by side).

We’ll continue onto Sonora in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Foothills, arriving early evening. Founded during the California Gold Rush of the mid-1800s and known as the ‘Queen of the Southern Mines’, Sonora still holds on to its historic downtown charm and is the perfect base to explore nearby Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite – We’ll drive through the epic scenery of Yosemite Valley as we enter the park this morning. The sight of mighty granite peaks and cliffs, carpeted by fragrant forests of oaks, firs and pines, and the distant rumble of falling water excites the senses. The valley is home to some of Yosemite’s most famous landmarks – Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Cathedral Rocks as well as the most famous view of Yosemite, Tunnel View. From this viewpoint, you can see El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall rising from Yosemite Valley, with Half Dome in the background. These are some of the most staggering views in the USA.

Continuing deeper into the lush, forested valley floor, enclosed by cliffs on either side, we’ll enjoy views of some of the highest waterfalls in North America. We’ll also see El Capitan up close with a straight-up view of the granite monolith from El Capitan Meadow as well as the Half Dome. You won’t soon forget the undeniable natural grandeur of Yosemite National Park.

Monterey – Today, we’ll head back towards the California Coast to Monterey. It’s a city of California’s firsts, including the first theatre, brick house, publicly funded school, public building, public library and printing press, which printed The Californian, California’s first newspaper. We also wouldn’t blame you for thinking this is the birthplace of Monterey Jack Cheese, but you’d be wrong. The hard cheese actually originated in nearby Carmel Valley (which we’ll pass through tomorrow) and is named after a ruthlessly corrupt businessman, David Jack.

On arrival we’ll tour the city, walking in the footsteps of figures like author John Steinbeck – who spent years living in and writing about the area – and enjoying the entertaining mix of wildlife, coastal views and important history. Included in our tour will be a visit to the historic Fisherman’s Wharf. Once a wholesale fish market in the 1960s, it has now become a tourist attraction. Vendors selling chowder and candy compete with the adorable but noisy locals – a herd of seals that spend their days lounging on the rocky beach below the pier, alongside other marine life, like pelicans and sea otters.

Carmel-by-the-Sea – This morning, we’ll drive along one of the world’s most scenic motorways, 17-Mile Drive. With sweeping views of the Pacific Coast, we travel through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula to Carmel. On our journey, you can spot the legendary Lone Cypress, the giant trees of Crocker Grove and its dramatic coastal cliffs with other scenic attractions, like Bird Rock, Point Joe and Seal Point. There is also an abundance of wildlife, so keep an eye out for pelicans, deer and sea lions!

Arriving at Carmel, we’ll enjoy time at leisure to explore its charming courtyards and secret passageways lined with shops, art studios and antique stores. There are discoveries to be made around every corner. Alternatively, find one of the many wine-tasting rooms and sip some of the Californian Central Coast’s best varietals while enjoying sandy coastal views. The fairytale-like architecture, designed in the 1920s, is styled after an English village complete with rolling eaves, rounded doors and wonky stone chimneys – so we’ll feel right at home!