-Day 1 Hello San Francisco
Meet your tour director
Cable car ride
Dinner
Details: Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is San Francisco’s #1 visitor destination for a reason. Several reasons, actually. Aquatic Park. The Maritime Museum. The famed cable cars. And, of course, Alcatraz. And that’s just for starters. There’s also specialty shopping, world-class dining, and all forms of entertainment—including the area’s most noted performers, the sea lions of Pier 39, whose barks can be heard from blocks away.
Day 2 San Francisco landmarks
Breakfast
Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge
Dinner in Chinatown
Details: Alcatraz visit
The island of Alcatraz has a rich and storied history, and you'll hear about it all on this tour of one of America's most famous (and infamous) islands. Before becoming the prison of popular lore, Alcatraz previously served as a lighthouse and a military base. But you don't want to hear about that...you want to hear about the prison! Check out the previous cells of such notorious prisoners as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the "Birdman of Alcatraz"), and James "Whitey" Bulger. Decide for yourself whether Clarence Anglin, John Anglin, and Frank Morris really drowned in their intricate escape attempt made famous in the film Escape From Alcatraz.
Details: Explore Chinatown
Explore one of the oldest and most established Chinatowns in the U.S. Beyond the iconic Dragon’s Gate, a bustling maze of streets and alleys brims with traditional eateries, herbalists, bakeries, souvenir shops, and the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.
Day 3 San Francisco--Monterey
Breakfast
Travel to Monterey
Dinner
Details: Monterey tour director-led sightseeing
Home to the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium, as well as one of the best-known streets in America, Cannery Row, Monterey offers a rich history and a vibrant future. Enjoy the beauty of both land and sea, as you marvel at the many harbor seals, sea otters and pelicans along the waterfront at Old Fisherman’s Wharf, and the unique shops, stately homes and historic structures sprinkled throughout Historic Monterey.
Details: Monterey Bay Aquarium visit
Containing more than 35,000 plants and animals representing 623 species, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the largest and most spectacular aquariums in the world. See jellyfish, sea otters, stingrays, crabs and many other forms of marine life. And don't miss the aquarium's main exhibit. The Ocean's Edge is a 33 foot tall tank that is home to many native California coastal marine life. See the swaying forest of Giant Kelp, and count the number of different kinds of fish you see swimming through it.
Day 4 Central Coast--Los Angeles
Breakfast
Travel to Los Angeles
Third Street Promenade dinner
Details: Hearst Castle visit
With a palatial estate that includes three castles totalling over 90,000 square feet, the Hearst Castle is as large as a small city. Containing more than 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, indoor & outdoor swimming pools, a full-size movie theater, and even its own private airport, the Hearst Castle estate is truly awe-inspiring. The architecture is a blend of styles that caught William Randolph's fancy, ranging from Spanish cathedral to Roman temple. If you tire of wandering the castle, see if you can spot some of the exotic animals (zebras, giraffes & more) roaming the estates unmanicured acreage.
Details: Santa Monica Beach visit
Witness the apex of outdoor urban sports culture along the beaches of Santa Monica. Santa Monica, an international hub for skateboarding, also hosts a vibrant pier scene, with buildings from a bygone beachfront era providing a whimsical backdrop. You can walk along Palisades Park for spectacular ocean views, and even take a long look through a camera obscura.
Day 5 Los Angeles landmarks
Breakfast
Optional
Universal Studios visit
$150
Dinner
Details: Hollywood Boulevard guided walking tour
Take a stroll down America's most famous boulevard and transport yourself into the world of celluloid splendor. See the handprints of the stars of the past and present along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Gaze at the Hollywood sign perched atop the close-by hills. Get your picture taken with some of the many local 'superheroes' of recent film fame. And stop by one of the famous eateries like Musso & Frank's or the Pig 'n' Whistle and imagine the great (and not-so-great) movie ideas hatched in their opulent booths.
Details: Getty Museum visit
See one of the greatest American museum collections of classical sculpture, European paintings and twentieth century photography. Walk the 134,000 square foot Central Garden designed by renowned artist Robert Irwin, and enjoy a view that stretches to Big Bear mountain on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. And don't forget to view Van Gogh's iconic Irises--one of the ten most expensive paintings in the world.
Day 6 Start extension to San Diego
Breakfast
Dinner
Details: Disneyland visit
Experience the magic of Disney with a day seeing the sights and experiencing the rides that make Disneyland resort a timeless favorite.
Details: Travel to San Diego
Our day begins with an early departure from St. James
Day 7 San Diego landmarks
Breakfast
Seaport Village
San Diego guided sightseeing tour
Dinner
Details: San Diego Zoo visit
Lions, tigers and bears, oh my! See all of those and more at San Diego’s famous zoo, one of the largest in the world. See lions and majestic tigers roam in the Wild Animal Park and watch as polar bears jump and swim in their popular Polar Bear Plunge exhibit.
Details: Old Town visit
Gain a sense of San Diego's history during an Old Town visit.
Tour Includes:
- Round-trip transportation
- 5 overnight stays (7 with extension) in hotels with private bathrooms
- Breakfast daily (except arrival day)
- Dinner daily (except departure day)
- Full-time services of a professional Tour Director
- Guided sightseeing tours and city walks as per itinerary
- Visit to select attractions as per itinerary
- Overnight security chaperone
- Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid Tour Director and multi-day bus driver tipping, among other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.
- Tour Diary™
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