California Highlights: 3-Day West Coast Tour

85 Ratings

Culver City

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Embark on a 3-day California coast tour and explore iconic destinations like Santa Barbara, Solvang, Carmel, San Francisco, and Yosemite National Park. Join us in creating a better planet by planting trees for every passenger!

Duration: 3 days

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

LOS ANGELES – SANTA BARBARA – 17 MILE DRIVE – CARMEL

Old Mission Santa Barbara - SUMMER ROUTE: Head north along the breathtaking California Coast to our first stop in Santa Barbara. Explore a Spanish Mission and discover how these religious outposts played a crucial role in the region’s development.
Solvang Visitor Center - (SUMMER) Proceed…

LOS ANGELES – SANTA BARBARA – 17 MILE DRIVE – CARMEL

Solvang Visitor Center - (SUMMER) Proceed to Solvang, a charming Danish village, and browse the local shops.

Cannery Row - (SUMMER) After our visit, we head to Carmel, the town where actor Clint Eastwood resides.

17-Mile Drive - (SUMMER) Travel north on the world-renowned Route #1 to experience the stunning California coastline up close. (Small vehicles will travel on Route 1 only, while full-size coaches will exclusively use 17-Mile Drive.)

Enjoy some free time to explore the town before heading to our hotel for the night.

Stearns Wharf - WINTER ROUTE: Head north along the stunning California Coast to our first stop in Santa Barbara. Explore the heart of downtown at the “State Street Promenade.” After admiring the architectural beauty, visit the beaches and Stearns Wharf for a beautiful ocean view.

Old Mission Santa Barbara - (WINTER) Conclude our Santa Barbara visit at the Spanish Mission and learn about the role of these religious outposts in the region’s development.

Solvang - (WINTER) Continue to Solvang, known as the “Danish capital of America.” Enjoy the Danish-style architecture while browsing local shops and restaurants.

Silicon Valley - (WINTER) After lunch, travel north through Silicon Valley before heading to our hotel for the evening.

SAN FRANCISCO – BAY CRUISE – GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE – CHINATOWN

San Francisco City Hall - Discover why San Francisco is considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Start the tour with a walk on Lombard Street, then head to Fisherman’s Wharf for a cruise in the famous bay, passing under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island.

Downtown Sausalito - Stroll along the waterfront shops on cobbled sidewalks and soak in the sunshine, sea air, and ambiance.

Twin Peaks - Ascend to the top of Twin Peaks, two hills that rise nearly 1000 feet above the city and are located near its geographical center. This spot offers the best view of San Francisco.

Chinatown - Visit San Francisco’s Chinatown, the oldest in North America, spanning 24 city blocks. This neighborhood is one of the city’s most popular attractions.

SAN FRANCISCO – YOSEMITE – LOS ANGELES

Yosemite Valley - SUMMER ROUTE: Travel east through the farmlands of the Joaquin Valley to Yosemite National Park. This 1,200-square mile wonderland of forests, lakes, and waterfalls is situated in the Sierra Nevada. Stop at El Capitan, Bridal-Veil Falls, and Half Dome.

Yosemite Falls - (SUMMER) Continue with a walk from the Yosemite Visitor Center to one of North America’s highest waterfalls (730 meters), Yosemite Falls.

Cannery Row - WINTER ROUTE: Begin the day with a tour of Monterey, including the wharf and Cannery Row. Once a row of sardine factories, it is now a picturesque area for leisurely exploration and rich history.

Carmel - (WINTER) Continue the tour along the beautiful California coast with a visit to Carmel-by-the-Sea, home to actor/director/mayor Clint Eastwood.

17-Mile Drive - (WINTER) Travel south back to Los Angeles. On the way, either travel along the scenic Route #1 (small vehicles only) or take the acclaimed 17-Mile Drive (full-size buses only) for stunning coastal views.

What's Included

Bay cruise in San Francisco
Transportation by 15-passenger van or full-sized bus
Sightseeing in Santa Barbara, Carmel, and San Francisco
Breakfast
Entrance to Yosemite Park in Summer (April-October)
Professional tour guide
Wifi on bus only
2-night hotel accommodation including tax and Continental Breakfast

What's Not Included

Gratuities
Other meals
Tips

Additional Information

Want to discover the best of the West Coast over three memorable days? This unique tour by van or motorcoach will take you from Los Angeles to the must-see destinations of central and northern California: Santa Barbara, Solvang, Carmel, San Francisco, and Yosemite National Park or Monterrey. Sit back and relax as you are transported from one fabulous…

Location

Four Points Sheraton, 5990 Green Valley Cir

Green Valley Circle

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.1

(85 Ratings)

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K2780tfrhondam

Oct 14, 2024

Tremendous! So much quality experience in 3 days time! - The 3-Day California Coast Tour was absolutely wonderful & exceeded our expectations! Brenda was our guide & she did a super job of keeping everyone informed & creating an experience that was unforgettable and will always have a special place in my heart. I traveled with my 27 year old son & he was every bit as happy & excited about our experience as I .

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Georgyk584

Oct 7, 2024

Fantastic experience - The best tour if you have limited time and want to get as much as possible out of it. Hotels on this tour where we stayed - were simply fabulous (way better, compared to hotels we stayed at in LA and Vegas on our own), one even had a jacuzzi in the room. the main guide Roberto - very experienced and easygoing person, highly recommend him. The tour in total - definitely worth the money. Detailed description and comments below. 1 day. Santa Barbara (not much to see, I would even recommend making a stop not at the mission, but somewhere on the beach or pier). The whole of Santa Barbara as we saw it - literally 2 pictures, that's it. Also, I would recommend making a 5-minute stop at the lake and the dam (even from the bus window this might be an interesting landscape and pics. Monterey, bird rock - fantastic views. 2 day. San Francisco - fabulous day and very interesting, great views. 3 day. Yosemite - awesome, without any comments. The nature and landscapes - simply overwhelming. However, one negative comment I would like to make is about the company, who organized the trip (as far as I understand it's proper name is Amadeo Travel Solutions NY). I specified pickup point during the booking process. They changed it on their own. After that I've called them 3 times within 2 days - and only after the 3rd time they finally changed the reservation to a proper pickup point. Messaging through tripadvisor - they simply don't answer these mails (4 mails - no response at all). The guy who was picking up people from our hotel - we were not on his list, only when we finally located the bus ourselves, we found out that he was also travelling with us (weird but that's just the way it was). So,as a summary - organization and interaction with the company 1 star out of five. And that's, as an example, on the contrary with 1 day LA tour - they were sending messages (even including the color of the bus and where to look for it) at every stage of the tour, well in advance, and messaging in the tripadvisor - i was receiving response within 15 minutes of the request. But all in all - the tour itself is a must, highly recommend it.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

448stevej

Aug 21, 2024

Action packed three days of fun - What an amazing trip through California! We saw so much the only downside was not having more time to enjoy the fantastic sights we saw. Superbly guided by Brenda and thoroughly recommended!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Lisa_a

Jul 18, 2024

Great highlights of Coastal California! - I enjoyed the tour very much with great thanks to Roberto who was an outstanding narrator with an incredible amount of historical knowledge about all of California!..Santa Barbara was a tropical wonderland with a Mediterranean vibe.....I only wish we had more time here...The stop in Solvang was all about an early Danish settlement that had retained its look architecturally with plenty of authentic Danish restaurants and stores to browse through....The next stop was Monterrey also lovely then San Fran with highlighted points of interest including City Hall, Fisherman's Wharf, a couple Golden Gate stops and Chinatown....Yosemite was the last stop before returning to LA....All in all a wonderful trip!

Review provided by Viator

Lawrence_z

Nov 15, 2023

Awesome and Amaaaaziinnng!!!!! ;) - Was a great experience overall. The tour guides Pasquale and driver Jacob)were very nice experienced and knowledgeable. Takes the relief of driving and figuring out where to go and what to see. This tour provides everything and above with great spots to see and take amazing pictures. According to my wife this was a dream come true, so fellas I highly recommend this tour. Will be using this company for now on for any future trips. Five stars across the board!!!

Review provided by Viator

Elaine

Nov 28, 2024

How to see a lot in 3 days - This Is not an A-level tour. But for a moderately priced tour, it was excellent. Note that this was the winter tour—no Yosemite, though Yosemite is in its title. But 3 days LA to San Francisco had an excellent itinerary, very tightly packed with very little free time. Check the website for details. Pasquale was an excellent host and guide and he made adjustments for my husband who has walking difficulties and also schedule adjustments to keep the group mostly dry during a day and a half of rain. Meals were on your own and sometimes fast food (truck stop for “dinner” the last night). The hotel was Oakland Airport Holiday Inn with no outside walking food options—just the dining room (which was more than ample for us) and a more than decent breakfast bar (included). We’d book it again: how else could you see Santa Barbara, Solvang, California agriculture/wine country, City Hall, Chinatown, Lombard St., Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge (in person and by boat) Sausalito, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea, giant redwoods, and 17-Mile Drive in 3 days? Not to mention great sunsets. Not 5 stars because pre-tour interaction by phone with the company was difficult and unsatisfactory. Some people in the group didn’t realize this tour does not visit Yosemite; how about sending the actual itinerary after booking the tour? And the bus made 2 LA stops and a bus transfer before final drop off.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Yogesh_s

Jul 24, 2024

Itenary good but rushed and definitely need better hotels - The tour itself very detailed San Francisco was amazing and well worth it. Tour guides both Brenda and Roberto very good. Only 3 stars because hotel in Modesta terrible very basic and no service. Most of sightseeing rushed. Be prepared for lot of time in coach

Review provided by Viator

Charlotte_k

Jul 11, 2024

Fairly good. - It was a good trip - lots to see and we made lots of restroom stops etc. However, I would have liked it to be taken over 4 days instead of 3, as the final day we did about 6 hours drive in total and some stops were a bit rushed, for example only half a day in San Francisco. Also the bus BROKE DOWN so we were waiting for over 2 hours to leave to start sightseeing, and were in danger of missing out on some sights!! I've read in many reviews for this trip that the buses break down so I don't think they maintain them very well. Overall, it was good. A good idea if you are a solo traveller like me and can't get to too many places as you don't have a car & don't want to spend a fortune on transport.

Review provided by Viator

Caroline_g

Oct 26, 2023

We visited a lot of great... - We visited a lot of great places, however there was just far too much driving spread across 3 days. I think it would be much more comfortable to spread the tour across 4 days. Although I'm glad I did the tour, I wouldn't recommend it as I found it exhausting spending so much time on a bus.

Review provided by Viator

Monique_g

Aug 14, 2024

Big disappointment - We had a lot of problems with our bus, we had to switch bus one time and after that it broke 2 times. The last time we had to wait alongside the highway for 2 hours before a mechanic showed up. There was hardly any communication of the guides or touroperator. We were delayed for 5 hours in total and the guides weren’t willing to adapt or change the program. Which meant that we got in the hotel at 11.30 pm and had to get up at 6 pm. The next morning we were on our way really early and the program started with taking pictures for 30 minutes at City Hall in San Francisco which none of the group members requested. We all wanted to start the day a little later because of our late night. And this went on and one. The guides weren’t organized, we spent most times on (broken) busses and it was a real disappointment.

Review provided by Viator

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From $600

up to 15 guests

1 Adult