Hi all.
I will be landing in SFO then will be spending 14 days in US then depart via LAX in June.
I would like to get some advice on my itinerary.
Some brief information regarding my family:
1) This is our first trip to US.
2) There will be 6 pax, including an infant who will be 10 months old in June.
3) I will be the only driver.
Right now my basic plan is:
4 days in San Francisco
2 days in Yosemite (Should I spend a night here?)
4 days on Pacific Highway roadtrip
4 days in Los Angeles/San Diego
Initially we wanted to also visit Grand Canyon, but it seems too out of the way considering the limited time we have.
Yeah, save it for a trip back when you have a bit more time to dedicate to Vegas and Utah. If you had more time and a smaller crew, I'd absolutely say you should drive from SF to Yosemite to Vegas, because it's an AMAZING drive, but save it for the next trip.
I have a few questions:
1) Should I only start renting a car on the 5th day when we set off to Yosemite or start from the very first day? Do I need a car to get around in downtown San Francisco?
2) Considering the pax and I am the only driver, is it recommended to rent a large SUV or other types of vehicle? Any recommended car rental company?
3) For the last leg of my trip, my priority will be outlet shopping and Disneyland/Universal Studios. Should I also go to San Diego as well or should I just stay put in LA?
4) Do I have time for Death Valley or should I even be heading there in June considering the heat?
5) Am i spending too much time in any of the locations? If so any other recommendations on where to go?
Thanks in advance for any advice given.
One thing to note is that Highway 1, the famous highway that runs along the Pacific Coast,
is still closed due to last winter's gargantuan mudslides. If you want to drive from north to south, you'll need to take highway 101, which is not quite as nice but still pretty darn good. (Don't take Interstate 5, which is fast but famously boring and awful.)
1) Oh god no, don't rent a car in San Francisco, you'll hate yourself for it. Driving in SF sucks, and parking is horrifically expensive.
2) Yes, for six people plus luggage you're going to need an SUV. I personally like Hertz and Avis.
3) I wouldn't bother. San Diego's a bit of a schlep.
4) As much as I love Death Valley: a) I don't think you have time, and b) yeah, DVNP in summer is going to be hot as balls. It's much nicer in the winter and early spring.
5) Mmm... I'm a little biased here, but I don't like LA that much! And you might have a little bit too long on the road trip - it doesn't take that long to get from SF to LA. I'd do something like:
- 4 nights SF
- Drive to Yosemite, do one night in or near Yosemite
- Drive back to the coast; do one night in Monterey or Salinas, maybe even two nights
- Head down the 101; stop in at Pinnacles National Park; do one night in Atascadero if you like wine, or Pismo Beach if you like the beach
- Keep going down the 101. Stop in Ventura for a night, and do a day trip to the Channel Islands!
- Steel yourself and drive into LA. Traffic in LA is disastrous, and LA is huge, so you'll want to split your time between the west side (where Universal Studios and the beach are) and the east side (where Disneyland and the outlet malls are).
- Spend two nights on the west side: stay in West Hollywood if you can, because that's closest to Universal; Santa Monica is a bit further away but it's OK too.
- Drive over to Anaheim, where Disneyland is; spend two nights there.
And that gives you a night left over to add in somewhere! A second night in Monterey would be nice, or an extra night on the west side of LA.