Coastal California

This is the Central Coast chapter from Lonely Planet’s Coastal California guide-book.

Too often forgotten or dismissed as ‘flyover’ country between San Francisco and LA, this fairy-tale stretch of California coast is packed with wild beaches, misty redwood forests where hot springs hide, and rolling golden hills of fertile vineyards and farm fields.

• learn to surf, and scare yourself silly on the Giant Dipper along the famed beach boardwalk in Santa Cruz
• maps
• cruise Hwy 1, where the sky touches the sea along the rocky coastline of mystical Big Sur
• transportation
• be mesmerized by aquatic denizens of the ‘indoor ocean’ at the superb aquarium in Mon-terey
• restaurants & accommodations

Coverage includes: Along Highway 1, Santa Cruz & Around, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur, Point Piedras Blancas, Mission San Antonio De Padua, San Simeon, Hearst Castle, Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay, Montaña de Oro State Park, Along Highway 101, San Juan Bautista, Gilroy, Salinas, Pinnacles National Park, San Miguel, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach.

This is the Disneyland & Orange County chapter from Lonely Planet’s Coastal Califor-nia guidebook.

Tourism is dominated by Disneyland in Anaheim in northern OC, and beach communities promising endless summer – and very different lifestyles as you progress down the coast from Seal Beach to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach to Laguna Beach.

• scream your head off on Space Mountain before catching the fireworks show at Disney-land Resort
• maps
• fight outrageous bed hair inside the eye of a hurricane in Santa Ana’s Discovery Cube
• transportation
• shop for vintage treasures and slurp milkshakes in Old Towne Orange
• restaurants & accommodations

Coverage includes: Disneyland & Around, Anaheim, Knott’s Berry Farm, Discovery Cube, Bowers Museum & Kidseum, Old Towne Orange, Orange County Beaches, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach & Around, Laguna Beach & Around, Dana Point.

This is the Los Angeles chapter from Lonely Planet’s Coastal California guide-book.

LA is best defined by simple life-affirming moments. A cracked-ice, jazz-age cocktail on Bev-erly Blvd, a hike high into the Hollywood Hills sagebrush, a pink-washed sunset over a thunder-ing Venice Beach drum circle, the perfect taco.

• check out LA’s oldest buildings, its most glorious movie palaces and many of its hottest restaurants, bars and boutiques downtown
• maps
• strut your stuff on Venice Boardwalk – one long, eclectic runway flanked by soaring palms, street artists and bulging Schwarzenegger wannabes
• transportation
• feel your spirits soar surrounded by art, architecture, views and gardens at the Getty Cen-ter
• restaurants & accommodations

Coverage includes: Sights & Activities, Tours, Festivals & Events, Sleep-ing, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Around Los Angeles.

This is the Marin County & the Bay Area chapter from Lonely Planet’s Coastal Califor-nia guidebook.

The San Francisco Bay Area encompasses a bonanza of natural vistas and wildlife. Visit an-cient redwoods and herds of elegant tule elk in Marin, gray whales swim off the cape of Point Reyes and hawks fly in the Marin Headlands.

• gaze up at a majestic redwood canopy at Muir Woods National Monument
• maps
• spot gray whales from the lighthouse at Point Reyes National Seashore
• transport
• ferry over from San Francisco to bohemian Sausalito houseboats bobbing in the bay
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Marin County, Marin Headlands, Sausalito, Tiburon, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard & Around, San Rafael, Mill Valley, Mt Tamalpais State Park, Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, Bolinas, Olema & Nicasio, Point Reyes Station, Inverness, Point Reyes National Seashore, East Bay, Oakland, Berkeley, Mt Diablo State Park, John Muir National Historic Site, The Peninsula, San Jose & Around, Pacifica & Around, Devil’s Slide, Half Moon Bay & Around, Pescadero, An?o Nuevo State Park.

This is the Napa & Sonoma Wine Country chapter from Lonely Planet’s Coastal Califor-nia guidebook.

America’s premier viticulture region has earned its reputation among the world’s best. Despite hype about Wine Country style, all Wine Country lore springs from the land. Plan to get lost in back roads, rolling hills and lush redwood forests.

• taste California’s biggest and boldest red wines and fall under their intoxicating spell in the Napa Valley, then grab snacks downtown at Napa’s Oxbow Public Market
• maps
• feast in Northern California’s greatest food town, Healdsburg. Then, wallet permitting, hit up exciting new restaurant, SingleThread
• transport
• submerge yourself in a volcanic-ash mud bath at a fabulous Calistoga hot-springs resort, then sleep in a yurt in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Napa Valley, Napa Valley Wineries, Napa, Yountville, Oakville & Rutherford, St Helena, Calistoga & Around, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Valley Wineries, Sonoma & Around, Glen Ellen & Kenwood, Russian River Area, Russian River Wineries, Se-bastopol, Occidental & Around, Guerneville & Around, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg & Around.

This is the North Coast & Redwoods chapter from Lonely Planet’s Coastal Califor-nia guidebook.

This is not the Beach Boys’ California – there are no palm-flanked beaches and few surf-boards. Instead, explore hidden coves with a blanket and a bottle of local wine, scan the horizon for migrating whales and retreat at night to fire-warmed Victorians.

• hike along meandering trails of Redwood National Park, flanked by virgin redwood forests that will give you a crick in your neck
• maps
• climb to the top of historic Point Arena Lighthouse for sweeping views over the extraordi-nary coastline
• transportation
• admire the dazzle of plants and flowers at the coast-side Mendocino Coast Botanical Gar-dens
• restaurants & accommodations

Coverage includes: Coastal Highway 1, Bodega Bay, Sonoma Coast State Beach, Jenner, Fort Ross State Historic Park, Salt Point State Park, Sea Ranch, Gualala & An-chor Bay, Point Arena, Manchester, Elk, Van Damme State Park, Mendocino, Jug Handle State Reserve, Fort Bragg, MacKerricher State Park, Westport, Along Highway 101, Hopland, Clear Lake, Anderson Valley, Ukiah & Around, Willits, Southern Redwood Coast, Leggett, Richardson Grove State Park, Garberville, Lost Coast, Humboldt Redwoods State Park & Avenue of the Gi-ants, Scotia, Ferndale, Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Eureka, Samoa Peninsula, Arca-ta, Northern Redwood Coast, Trinidad, Patrick’s Point State Park, Humboldt Lagoons State Park, Redwood National & State Parks, Klamath, Crescent City, Tolowa Dunes State Park & Lake Earl Wildlife Area, Pelican State Beach.

This is the San Diego & Around chapter from Lonely Planet’s Coastal California guidebook.

What’s not to love? San Diego bursts with world-famous attractions for the entire family, in-cluding the zoo, Legoland and the museums of Balboa Park, plus a bubbling Downtown, beau-tiful hikes for all, more than 60 beaches and America’s most perfect weather.

• coo at koalas and pandering to pandas at San Diego Zoo
• maps
• museum hop in Balboa Park, then sample fish tacos or the next great taste in Hillcrest and North Park
• transportation
• sun and skate on the Pacific Beach boardwalk and catch an epic sunset on the pier
• restaurants & accommodations

Coverage includes: Central & Coastal San Diego, La Jolla & Around, North County Coast, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside.

This chapter contains the Welcome to Coastal California, Coastal California’s Top 25, Need to Know, If You Like…, Month by Month, Itineraries, Beaches, Swimming & Surfing California Camping & Outdoors Eat & Drink Like a Local Travel with Children, and Regions at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet’s Coastal California guidebook.

Your journey to Coastal California starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on the Pacific Coast Highway, travelling with kids, and California cuisine.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about beaches, swimming, surfing and camping
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to Coastal California, Coastal California’s Top 25, Need to Know, If You Like: Wine, National Parks & Nature Reserves, Hot Springs & Spas, Small Towns, Scenic Drives, Aquariums & Zoos, Film & TV locations, Museums, Month by Month, Itineraries, Beaches, Swimming & Surfing, California Camping & Outdoors, Eat & Drink Like a Local, Travel with Children, and Regions at a Glance.

This is the San Francisco chapter from Lonely Planet’s Coastal California guide-book.

San Francisco’s morning fog erases the boundaries between land and ocean, reality and in-finite possibility. Rules are never strictly followed here, but bliss is. Pursue inspiration through Golden Gate Park, past flamboyantly painted Victorian homes and through Mission galleries.

• follow your bliss through SF’s mile-wide wild streak: Golden Gate Park
• maps
• see how real life is cooler than science fiction at the Exploratorium
• transportation
• watch fog dance atop the deco towers of the Golden Gate Bridge
• restaurants & accommodations

Coverage includes: Sights, Activities, Tours & Courses, Festivals & Events, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping.

This chapter contains the Coastal California Today, History, The Way of Life, On Location: Film & TV, Music & the Arts, By the Book, The Land & Wildlife, Directory A–Z, and Transportation chapters from Lonely Planet’s Coastal California guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, music and earthquakes, to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and les-bian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids.

• a rundown on history, people and cultural events
• info on California’s natural beauty, including the amazing redwoods
• full coverage for foodies
• details on music and the arts

Coverage includes: Coastal California Today, History, The Way of Life, On Location: Film & TV, Music & the Arts, By the Book, The Land & Wildlife, Directory A–Z, and Transportation.

This is the Santa Barbara County chapter from Lonely Planet’s Coastal California guidebook.

Frankly put, this area is damn pleasant to putter around. Low-slung between lofty mountains and the shimmering Pacific, chic Santa Barbara’s red-tiled roofs, white stucco buildings and Mediterranean vibe give credence to its claim of being the ‘American Riviera.’

• eye panoramic views atop the Vertigo–esque clock tower of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse
• maps
• follow the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail to taste top-rated Pinot Noir
• transport
• kayak sea caves, hike windswept cliffs and watch for whales in Channel Islands National Park
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Santa Barbara & Around, Santa Barbara Wine Coun-try, Solvang, Buellton, Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria, Ojai, Ventura, Channel Islands Na-tional Park.