Planning guides
Planning your California trip from the UK
The single biggest mistake British visitors make is underestimating how much planning California requires — and how far in advance that planning needs to happen. Here is what to think about, and when.
When to visit California
California is a year-round destination, but the experience varies significantly by season. The short answer: late spring and early autumn are the sweet spots for most UK visitors.
May and June
Excellent across the state. Temperatures are comfortable rather than extreme, the winter crowds have thinned, and the landscape is still green from the winter rains. Yosemite waterfalls are at their peak in May and early June from the snowmelt — Yosemite Falls, Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall are spectacular at this time of year. School holidays haven't started so prices are lower and popular spots less crowded.
The Half Dome cables open in late May, making this the first window for the summit hike. Book permits well in advance — they go in a lottery that opens months before the season.
July and August
Peak season. The coast — particularly Orange County, Malibu and San Francisco — remains pleasant thanks to the marine layer keeping temperatures moderate. Inland is a different story: Yosemite Valley can be very hot and extremely crowded in August, Death Valley regularly exceeds 50°C, and the national parks are at their busiest.
If you're visiting in summer, book everything early — accommodation, Alcatraz, national park timed entry permits. Everything fills up.
September and October
Our favourite time for most visitors. The summer crowds have gone, the weather remains excellent — often better than summer on the coast — and the light in October is extraordinary for photography. Wine country is at harvest, which means the Napa and Sonoma valleys are at their most atmospheric. Hotel rates drop noticeably from their August peaks.
The Half Dome cables typically come down in mid-October. If the summit is on your list, plan for September.
November to March
Southern California remains mild — the Orange County beaches are perfectly pleasant in December and January, which strikes most British visitors as extraordinary given what December looks like at home. San Francisco is cool and often foggy. The Sierra Nevada gets heavy snowfall, which closes Tioga Pass into Yosemite and makes Sequoia more of a snowshoe destination than a hiking one.
February is Firefall season in Yosemite — the window when Horsetail Fall is lit orange by the setting sun. One of the most extraordinary natural spectacles in the United States, and one that very few visitors know to look for.
How long do you need?
One week
A week is enough to do one region properly. Los Angeles and Orange County, or San Francisco and the Bay Area, or Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. Trying to combine regions in a week means spending too much time in a car and not enough time anywhere.
Two weeks
The minimum for a proper PCH road trip. Fly into Los Angeles, spend three days in Orange County recovering from jet lag, drive the coast north through Santa Barbara, Solvang, Hearst Castle, Big Sur and Carmel, spend time in San Francisco and the Bay Area, then head inland to Yosemite before flying home from San Francisco or returning to LA. It is a full two weeks and requires good planning, but it is one of the great road trips in the world.
Three weeks
Three weeks opens up the Southwest extension — Death Valley, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon — or allows you to slow down and spend proper time in the places that deserve it. Yosemite in three days rather than one. A week in the Bay Area. Time in Sequoia. This is the trip we most enjoy planning.
Booking timelines — what to sort early
California rewards early planning. Several of the best experiences require booking months or even a year in advance. Here is what to prioritise:
Book a year ahead
The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley fills up to a year in advance for peak season dates. Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon — one of the most extraordinary places to spend a night in the United States — requires reservations made via lottery up to a year in advance. El Tovar Hotel on the Grand Canyon South Rim also books out well ahead.
Book three to six months ahead
Alcatraz Island tours sell out weeks to months in advance during peak season — book as soon as your dates are confirmed. Half Dome cable permits go in a pre-season lottery that opens in late winter for the following summer season. Yosemite timed entry reservations open 28 days in advance and go quickly in summer.
Book one to three months ahead
Popular restaurants in San Francisco, Napa and Los Angeles — especially at weekends. Whale watching and dolphin tours out of Newport Beach or Monterey. The Grand Canyon Railway from Williams if you want specific departure dates.
Havasupai — a special case
Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon — turquoise waterfalls that look like somewhere in the Caribbean — requires permits that are released once a year, typically in February, and sell out within minutes. If this is on your list, it needs to be the first thing you book, and you need to be ready at your computer at the exact moment they go on sale. We can advise on strategy.
Sample itineraries
Two weeks: the classic PCH road trip
Days 1–3: Fly into LAX, Orange County (Newport Beach or Laguna Beach). Days 4–5: LA — Beverly Hills, Griffith Observatory, Malibu. Days 6–7: Santa Barbara, Solvang, drive north. Days 8–9: Morro Bay, Hearst Castle, Cambria, Elephant Seals. Days 10–11: Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey. Days 12–13: San Francisco — Golden Gate, Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf. Day 14: Fly home from SFO.
Two weeks: California and Yosemite
Days 1–2: Fly into LAX, Orange County. Days 3–4: Los Angeles — Beverly Hills, Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica. Days 5–6: Drive up PCH — Malibu, Santa Barbara. Days 7–8: San Francisco — Golden Gate, Alcatraz. Days 9–11: Yosemite National Park — valley floor, Mist Trail, Glacier Point. Days 12–13: Sequoia National Park — General Sherman Tree, Congress Trail. Day 14: Drive back to LAX, fly home.
Three weeks: California and the Southwest
Week one: Orange County, Los Angeles, PCH north to San Francisco. Week two: Bay Area, Napa, Yosemite, Sequoia. Week three: Death Valley, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Route 66, back to LA.