My daughter and I began our California tour in beautiful San Diego. The city has a lot to offer including Sea Port Village lined with unique shops and restaurants; Balboa Park, another must see and home to 15 museums and renowned performing arts venues and beautiful gardens; and Old Town San Diego, where there are plenty of shops and restaurants to pass the time, or watch locals make authentic tortillas.

Our next stop was San Juan Capistrano with an included visit to the historic mission. As the 17th mission in a chain of 21, it was founded in 1776 by Father Junipero Serra. The mission is now a historic museum showcasing the soldier barracks and Native American items that I found very interesting.

Our journey then took us into Hollywood! We began with a stop at the historic Farmers Market for lunch followed by a privately guided tour of Kodak Theatre. Pictures of past and present academy award winners were displayed everywhere inside the theater. The tour really gives an inside view of what it must be like on Oscar night. And there was plenty of time to look for our favorite celebrities on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We ended our day in Santa Monica and strolled along the Santa Monica pier to watch the sun set. It was a beautiful way to end our day.

The following day we went to the J. Paul Getty Museum and strolled along the beautiful gardens before going into the museum. The museum houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photographs. It is an amazing museum, a true highlight of the tour. As we left the museum we traveled on to Santa Barbara, our lunch stop for the day, then onto Cambria for our overnight stay.

From Cambria, we traveled along the coast to San Simeon – home to Hearst Castle. This was my favorite day! We began with an I-max movie to learn about William Hearst and his incredible journey from a young child into the man he became and how he turned his dream into a reality. The Hearst Castle is built on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean; a place everyone said it couldn’t be done. William Hearst and his architect designed the 136 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways. We were able to see the famous Neptune outdoor pool along with the indoor pool. They are both equal in their beauty and grand entry.

From Hearst Castle we drove down the famous 17-mile drive on our way to Monterey. Along the way we were able to see several multi-million dollar homes that were beautiful beyond belief! What a view many of them have of the ocean! We made our way up to the Pebble Beach Golf Club for a photo stop before arriving in Monterey to view Cannery Row and Fisherman’s Wharf. I joined the optional dinner to Bubba Gump’s and had a wonderful meal, enjoying the atmosphere of the place and the company I was with.

As we continued our journey to Yosemite National Park, we stopped at a fabulous fruit stand in San Joaquin Valley that offered several fresh fruits, coffee, candy, and sandwiches – the works. Upon arrival in Yosemite we had several opportunities for photo stops including the giant formations of El Capitan and Half Dome before we arrived at the falls. We were then given a guided tour of the falls and had ample time to do some hiking on our own, or visit the Indian Museum, or even just sit and enjoy all the beauty surrounding us.

The following day, as we drove through wine country, we stopped in Napa for our lunch at Nicholson Ranch Winery. The owner was very excited to give us a guided tour of her winery. We started off with appetizers of fresh cheeses, fruits, meats and crackers and, of course, wine. It was a beautiful day and she picked the most beautiful spot outside with views of her pond and the grounds for us to enjoy our lunch. After our delicious meal, we enjoyed a private tour of the winery.

We left the wine country and continued south to San Francisco. I took the optional walking tour of Chinatown – which I highly recommend. We started with a cable car ride up to Chinatown, and then everyone was able to stroll through the busy Chinatown alleys before our dinner at Hunan’s House. Everything was served family style and was hands down the best Chinese food I have ever had. We all had a great time there!

We then took a drive to see the city lit up at night. We had great views of the North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, Coit Tower, the historic ferry building and much more. We then drove over the Oakland Bay Bridge to Treasure Island for a photo stop to take in the cityscape at night. It was spectacular!

The next morning we began our day with a drive to view the Victorian mansions of Alamo Square, Golden Gate Park, Union Square, and Fisherman’s Wharf. We ended up at pier 39 with plenty of time to tour the area. We joined the optional excursion to walk the Golden Gate Bridge before heading to the hotel for the farewell dinner. I really enjoyed walking the 2 miles across, it was windy, but very beautiful and an experience I will never forget. The farewell dinner was held at a restaurant on Pier 39 and the food was excellent; a nice way to end our tour of California.

Click here to view pictures from my tour

Our Travel Specialist, Michelle Gumringer and her daughter recently joined our 9-Day The Californian tour. We hope you enjoyed her report.