Golden Gate Bridge ©MlleWanderlust
In July 2018, my friend and I planned a 10-day road trip in California! I’d been wanting to go for so long and I could finally cross the Golden State from my bucket list!
HOW TO GET THERE
Once again, I got our plane tickets for free by redeeming my Aeroplans. The TD Aeroplan Visa infinite Credit Card is a great travel card if you want to get free flights!
Our flights were as follows:
Day 1 – Direct flight from Montreal (YUL) to Los Angeles (LAX).
Day 10 – Direct flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Montreal (YUL).
CAR RENTAL
We hired a midsize SUV at LAX. I had booked it in advance through Expedia with Thrifty. Our rental cost $503,96 CAD for the whole duration of our 10-day trip and we returned it at San Francisco’s Airport (SFO). The price was pretty decent considering the fact that we were splitting the costs in two and that we had the car for 10 days. So it ended up costing us $25 CAD each per day!
Insurance Tip : I never pay extra fees for vehicle insurance as my personal vehicle insurance covers rentals. I asked my insurer to send me a letter in English so I could show the proof to rental companies whenever I need to. I always carry this letter with me when I travel.
DAYS 1 – 4
LOS ANGELES
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed a total of 4 nights in Venice Beach. My #1 tip if you plan on visiting during the summer season, make sure your accommodation has a/c!!! Ours was $1 281,30 ($320,25 per night) CAD and had none…it was incredibly disappointing! I’ve got to admit though, the location was ideal as we were on the beach front of Venice. But we had hired a car and there was no parking included so we had to pay extra. We ended up parking far from our apartment as the parking was cheaper and we rented scooters to move around our neighbourhood, it was so much fun! We stayed at the Air Venice on the beach.
ACTIVITIES
1 – Venice Beach & Santa Monica Pier
Venice is an upscale beach town with a Bohemian-spirited Boardwalk with shops, restaurants and colourful murals. Venice Beach is famous for its Muscle Beach outdoor gym.
A 3km walk or scooter ride will get you to Santa Monica Pier. The Pier contains an amusement park, concession stands and areas for fishing. You can also enjoy the sun by spending some time at the beach.
My favourite restaurants in Venice Beach
Ideal for a great breakfast, Gjusta is an artisanal bakery in a warehouse-like space with an awesome patio located in the backyard.
The Rose is my first pick for dinner. It has a boho-chic decor with two patios and a bar. It serves rustic Californian dishes. We had the gnocchis and it was the best we both ever had in our life!
2 – Mount Hollywood Hike to the Sign
My advice…be prepared! We had the brilliant idea to hike to the sign at noon mid-july at 35℃. We thought it would roughly take us 1h30 to hike up and down and that a few snacks and that one bottle of water each would be sufficient, boy were we wrong! Thank goodness there was a water tank mid-way to refill our bottles. Unfortunately on our way down it was empty. Luckily for us, we met a park ranger who gave us two bottles of water.
All I’m saying is that it took us 3hrs to hike Mount Hollywood and that we were not prepared for it! The hike is worth it and I would recommend anyone visiting L.A. doing it. But know that you need to be relatively fit, that you need a good pair of shoes, a LOT of water and some snacks. The path we took was from the very bottom of the Mount, I recommend you start your hike from Griffith Park as it may take you half the time. The hike is free and will give you great views of Los Angeles. For a good laugh, watch this video of James Corden hiking Mount Hollywood, it’s hilarious!
3. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
I was so excited to visit the Warner Bros. Studios! I’m a huge fan of movies and couldn’t wait to step on iconic sets and see props from great productions such as Gilmore Girls, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Friends, Pretty Little Liars, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Justice League, The Big Bang Theory and so many more! Tour tickets are $69 USD ($92 CAD) per adult, you can get them here.
4. Walk of Fame & TCL Chinese Theatre
The popular tourist destination is a fun and free activity. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is more than 2 500 stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Blvd and three blocks of Vine St in Hollywood.
The TCL Chinese Theatre first opened in 1927 and is located on the Walk of Fame. It was home to many movie premieres such as Star Wars in 1977. The concrete blocks set in the forecourt bear the signatures, footprints and handprints of popular motion picture celebrities.
5. Celebrity Tour & Madame Tussauds Hollywood
Right next to the TCL Chinese Theatre there is a StarLine Tours booth and that’s where we got our tickets for the movie stars homes tour. Our tour lasted 2hrs and the highlights were Celebrity Homes, Mulholland Drive, Rodeo Drive, Bel Air Gates and the Walk of Fame. Plus, our tickets included a free entrance to Madame Tussauds. We got them for $45 USD ($60 CAD). You can also book your tickets in advance online. The tours are daily and depart every 30 minutes from 09h30 until sunset.
6. Public Art
→ Urban Light at LACMA: The installation is composed of 202 street lamps from the 1920s-30s and are arranged in a near grid. It’s a great photo spot!
→ Arts District Murals: Here’s a list of my favourites and where to find them.
- Angel Wings (8401 W. 3rd St.)
- Made in LA (8025 Melrose Ave.)
- Love Is The Only Language I Speak Fluently (8025 Melrose Ave.)
7. The Original’s Farmers Market
We loved the Farmers Market established in 1934. We were very impressed by this historic market as it featured a wide variety of trendy shops and restaurants. We had plenty of great food and did a lot of shopping! The market is open daily.
DAY 5
So after spending 4 days in L.A., we decided to hit the road and head over to Santa Barbara, Solvang and Cambria.
SANTA BARBARA
We made a quick stop in the coastal city of Santa Barbara which is located about 2hrs North of Los Angeles. The city has the Santa Ynez Mountains as a backdrop. We had a stroll down La Arcada Plaza and if your heart desires, you can visit a Salt Cave too.
SOLVANG
Solvang is located 45 mins from Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez Valley and it’s the cutest little town! Solvang was founded in 1911 by a group of Danes who traveled West to establish their community and it’s known for its Danish-style architecture and food. There was such an incredible European vibe, I strongly suggest you make a quick detour to visit. We stopped to have a traditional Danish meal. They even have a smaller version of The Little Mermaid statue. The original is located in Denmark. (Read my blog on Copenhagen here.)
CAMBRIA & SAN SIMEON
We finally drove another 1h45 to get to Cambria, a seaside village located in San Luis Obispo County. It’s midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles along the famous Highway 1.
The main reason why we wanted to visit Cambria and San Simeon was to visit Hearst Castle. It was honestly the highlight of my trip!
Hearst Castle
When we arrived on site, we booked the Grand Rooms Tour for $25 USD ($33 CAD). It also included a movie that thought us a lot of things about the castle. In fact, the castle was built between 1919 and 1947 by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon. As a youth, Hearst travelled all across Europe and was inspired by the many castles he’s had the chance to explore.
Hearst decided to build his own castle on the land where he used to camp with his family. Hearst would always invite famous guests. The list comprised Hollywood stars and politicians such as Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney and Winston Churchill. Hearst was also a voracious collector of art. He filled his breathtaking estate with thousand of works of art from around the world.
You need to check out the Roman pool made out of gold, it is stunning! The outdoor Neptune pool is also a work of art! Fun fact, you’ll see a lot of wildlife on the estate, as Hearst used to have his own private zoo on his 250 000 acre land.
The Hearst Foundation eventually decided to give the estate to the State of California to preserve its beauty and for others to enjoy.
We spent the night at the Motel 8 in San Simeon and it was perfect! Our room was cheap, approximately $100 USD ($133 CAD) for the night and we had the very much needed a/c!
We watched the sunset on the beach and it was amazing!
DAY 6
Unfortunately, when we went to California, there had been a huge Mud Creek slide that had wiped out Highway 1 in Big Sur earlier that year. So we could not drive to McWay Falls, Monterey and Big Sur as we’d planned.
So we decided to head straight to the Napa Valley! We had to take a slight detour so it took us approximately 6hrs to get there. It usually takes 5hrs to get to the Valley. We decided to stay the night and booked a last minute Hotel room. To be honest I can’t give you the details, it was average and was just a bed for the night so we could visit the Valley bright and early the next morning. It cost us about $85 USD ($115 CAD) to stay the night.
DAY 7
NAPA VALLEY
There was one vineyard I really wanted to visit but there were so many to choose from! We decided to tour the Beringer Vineyards established in 1876. Winery hours are from 10h00 to 17h00. We picked the Legacy Cave Tour which was $30 USD ($40 CAD) per person. The tour lasts for 30 minutes and takes you through the Old Winery and historic tunnels. We also got to taste a selection of three wines during the tour. Walk-ins are welcome. I particularly enjoyed the gardens and the beautiful Rhine House.
MUIR WOODS – MILL VALLEY
After our beautiful drive through the Napa Valley, we headed to Muir Woods in the Mill Valley, our final stop before San Francisco. It took us 1h45 to get there.
Very important tip! If you decide to drive there, reservations for parking or seats on the shuttle are required via their website. Note that there is no cell service up there so you’ll need to book in advance! We had to drive back down in order to get service and book…so we lost maybe two hours! Learn from our mistakes! The entrance fee is $15 USD ($20 CAD) per person to access the National Park, children get in for free.
The incredible diversity of flora and fauna at Muir Woods is breathtaking. The redwoods dominate but other plants adapted themselves to low light levels on the forest floor. It is so worth your time, it’s like a big breath of fresh air! You’ll also get a great view of the valley from the top!
DAYS 8-10
SAN FRANCISCO
ACCOMMODATION
We spent out last 3 nights at the Kimpton Sir Francis Drake Hotel. It cost us $820 CAD total so $274 CAD per night. It was perfectly located in Union Square and we also got to enjoy the hotel’s restaurant: Scala’s Bistro. The food was tasty!
ACTIVITIES
1 – Golden Gate Bridge
The iconic red suspended bridge connecting San Francisco Bay to the Marin County is worth the detour. The 1937 Golden Gate is possibly the most photographed bridge in the world.
You can access the bridge in so many ways. We decided to drive on it but you can also hike at one of the two ends of the bridge in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The picturesque trails will give you incredible vista points. We also drove to one end of the bridge to capture some beautiful shots. You can also get a free walking tour on Thursdays and Sundays. Visit their website for more details.
2 – Alcatraz
This small island, located 2km offshore from San Francisco, was once a fort, a military prison, and a maximum security federal penitentiary. The tour lasts approximately 3hrs but you can take as much time as you want, the return times are posted at the dock and ferries are first come, first serve. We personally grabbed some audio guides and wandered around, it was so interesting to listen to the stories of actual former inmates. Fun fact: the island measures only 511m by 180m.
The island became a federal prison in August 1934. Most of the prisoners were notorious bank robbers and murderers. During the 29 years it was in use, the jail held some of the most notorious criminals in American history, such as Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis. It also provided housing for the Bureau of Prisons staff and their families.
You have to book your tickets in advance if you want a chance to visit Alcatraz! I booked our tickets here for $48 USD ($64 CAD) each. Tickets are available for purchase 90 days prior to your desired tour date. We departed from Pier 33 in San Francisco and hopped onto a Ferry that brought us to the Island.
3 – Lombard Street & The Painted Ladies
When we arrived in San Francisco we decided not to use our rental car but to use the public transportation instead. We wanted to ride the iconic cable cars!
We went to a few landmarks in the city.
Lombard Street – is a steep, one-block section with eight hairpin turns. It is claimed to be the crookedest street in the world and it’s located in the Russian Hill neighbourhood. You can use the sets of stairs on each sides to go up and down.
The Painted Ladies – are a group of colourfully repainted Victorian houses located at 710–720 Steiner St, across from Alamo Square. They are also referred to as Postcard Row or as the Seven Sisters. The houses were built between 1892 and 1896. They appeared in an estimated 70 movies and TV series including Full House and Mrs. Doubtfire.
4 – Fisherman’s Wharf & Pier 39
At Fisherman’s Wharf you’ll find a multitude of Souvenir shops and eateries selling crab and clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. It’s a must try, so delicious! At Ghirardelli Square you’ll find more boutiques and restaurants in the former chocolate factory.
At Pier 39, there are shops, restaurants, the Aquarium of the Bay and you’ll be able to see the sea lions hauled out on the docks of the marina.
You can also visit the USS Pampanito, a World War II submarine museum and memorial, open for visitors daily at the Wharf. I wish we could have gone but it’ll be for the next time! If you do decide to go, tickets are $22 USD ($29 CAD) per adult.
5. Golden Gate Park & Japanese Tea Garden
The Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate Park, was originally built as part of a World Fair in 1894. It’s the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States. It was peaceful to discover, the entrance fee is between $10-$12 USD ($14-$16 CAD) per adult depending on when you visit during the year.
There are so many activities to choose from in the Golden Gate Park: there’s an Archery Field, a Golf Course, a Polo Field, a Tennis Center, a Skate Park, Fly Fishing, Horseback Riding, Lawn Bowling, Segway Tours, Boat Rentals, the Conservatory of Flowers, the de Young Museum, Koret Children’s Quarter and Carousel, a Botanical Garden and windmills…and so much more!
We opted to rent a big side-by-side bike, very much to my friend’s despair, and we biked around the park! The rental cost something like $30 USD ($40 CAD) for an hour.
6. Other Activities
We also visited the Walt Disney Family Museum which was very instructive. The tickets are $25 USD ($33 CAD) per person.
Unfortunately we ran out of time but If we’d have more time we would have also been to the 16th Avenue Tiles Steps and the Ferry Building Market Place.
Safe travels!
XX
Mlle Wanderlust
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