• 3 Dinner (D)
• 7 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• San Francisco: Discover the best of San Francisco as you admire the mix of Victorian and modern architecture at Alamo Square, take in the historic grandeur of City Hall, and explore the natural beauty of Golden Gate Park. Then head to the waterfront to soak up the lively atmosphere of Pier 39, all while enjoying the city’s vibrant culture and unforgettable views.
• San Francisco: Enjoy a visit to the lovely seaside community of Sausalito where you will have time to shop or grab a bite for lunch.
• San Francisco: Finish up your day with a ferry across San Francisco Bay and admire all of the great sights along the way.
• San Francisco: Walk across and marvel at this modern wonder of the world. Golden Gate has the second-longest main span in the Americas and is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco and California.
• Sonoma: You’ll explore Sonoma’s town square, a charming historic gem surrounded by adobe buildings, boutique shops, and inviting wine tasting rooms. With its relaxed atmosphere and scenic beauty, the square perfectly captures the essence of California wine country.
• Sonoma: Visit a local winery and enjoy a unique experience and exploration of wine before sitting down to eat a tasty lunch with your fellow travellers.
• Napa: Enjoy a visit to California State Capitol and indulge yourself in the rich history of this country.
• Lake Tahoe: Enjoy a scenic drive through the Sierra Nevada mountain range as you make your way through the Tioga Pass.
• Yosemite National Park: Explore the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite. Located in the southern portion of Yosemite, Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is home to over 500 mature giant sequoias and holds an important place in history. Learn how in 1864, in the midst of Civil War, President Lincoln signed legislation protecting the Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley for “public use, resort, and recreation.” This marked the first time in history when the federal government set aside scenic natural areas for protection. Mariposa Grove was later added to Yosemite National Park in 1906.
• Pebble Beach: The stunning California coast passes by you, cruising scenic 17-Mile Drive. This drive is full of dramatic coastal cliffs, snow-white beaches, mystical forests and iconic golf courses.
• Monterey: Bask in Carmel’s beautiful natural scenery and rich artistic history.
• Santa Cruz: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains is famous for the 40-acre grove of redwood trees. You can enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities on more than 4,650 acres of forested and open land.

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• Standard regional accommodation

Trafalgar

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over an included dinner at your San Francisco hotel. It is a hosted introduction to the people sharing your Northern California journey, rather than an evening of independent dining.

Settle into the easy conversation of a group gathering in the city by the bay. Your Travel Director provides a familiar point of contact as you get to know your travelling companions and look ahead to the landscapes, food and communities that give this region its character.

Explore San Francisco on a city tour taking in its waterfront, neighbourhoods and contrasting architecture. Sights include Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square, alongside the Victorian streetscapes of Alamo Square, the grandeur of City Hall and the open spaces of Golden Gate Park.

At the waterfront, experience the bustle of Pier 39 and the bay views that shape the city’s identity. The tour brings together San Francisco’s maritime past, distinctive hills and lively public spaces in one broad introduction.

Cross San Francisco Bay by ferry, taking in the waterfront and skyline from the water, and visit Sausalito on the bay’s northern shore. The crossing offers a different perspective on the city before you spend time exploring this compact seaside community.

Browse Sausalito’s shops or pause beside the waterfront, where boats and hillside buildings lend the town a markedly different feel from central San Francisco. This included experience combines a scenic bay crossing with time to enjoy the town at your own pace.

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge with a guide and look out across the strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Hear how engineers built the suspension bridge across a site once considered exceptionally difficult, while its towers and cables frame views of the water and surrounding shores.

Opened in 1937, the bridge became an emblem of San Francisco through both its bold design and its setting. Experiencing the 1.7-mile crossing on foot gives you time to appreciate its scale.

Explore Sonoma’s historic town square, where adobe-era buildings and local shops reflect the town’s place in California wine country. Visit a local winery for a guided exploration of wine and a tasting, with an opportunity to learn about the wines produced in this region.

Sonoma’s wine heritage sits alongside a layered history of Spanish settlement and early California statehood. An included lunch with fellow travellers adds a convivial pause to an experience centred on the town and the flavours of its surrounding vineyards.

Visit the California State Capitol in Sacramento and discover the seat of the state’s government. Its grand classical design provides a setting for considering how decisions made in the capital shape communities across California.

Completed in the 19th century, the Capitol stands in a landscaped park at the heart of the city. The visit offers a historical counterpoint to the tour’s coastal towns and mountain scenery, connecting Northern California’s landscapes with the civic life of the wider state.

Take in Lake Tahoe’s alpine scenery, where clear blue water lies beneath the peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Evergreen pines and rocky shores frame views of one of North America’s largest alpine lakes.

Set high on the California–Nevada border, Tahoe owes its clarity and mountain setting to the geology of the Sierra Nevada. This scenic visit is an opportunity to experience a different side of Northern California: open water, forested slopes and the cool atmosphere of the mountains.

Travel through the Sierra Nevada via Tioga Pass when weather conditions allow, taking in high-country scenery on the route into Yosemite National Park. The mountain road reveals a landscape distinct from Yosemite Valley’s cliffs, with wide views across the elevated terrain.

Tioga Pass is seasonal and typically closes to traffic from around mid-October until late May. If it is closed, the tour enters Yosemite from the west instead, and sightseeing on this part of the journey will differ.

Explore Yosemite National Park and encounter the granite landmarks of its celebrated valley. Look for the sheer face of El Capitan, the spray of Bridalveil Fall and the broad valley panorama at Tunnel View, a featured viewpoint on the tour.

Protected for its exceptional landscapes, Yosemite inspired naturalist John Muir, who called its valley the “Incomparable Valley.” Seeing its cliffs, waterfalls and forest together reveals why this Sierra Nevada landscape holds a lasting place in the history of American conservation.

Walk among the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove, the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite National Park and home to more than 500 mature trees. Their massive trunks offer a close-up encounter with a species capable of living for thousands of years.

The grove has a landmark place in conservation history: in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation protecting Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley for public use. This visit is seasonal and depends on access conditions.

Meet local hosts at Happy Girl Kitchen Co. in Monterey for an included farm-to-table dining experience. Todd and Jordan Champagne share their knowledge of food made with fresh local ingredients and their commitment to serving their community.

This Be My Guest experience puts people behind the produce at the centre of the meal. Through the hosts’ stories and cooking, discover how Monterey County’s agricultural abundance can be expressed in simple, carefully prepared food.

Travel along 17-Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, where the route traces dramatic cliffs, pale beaches, coastal forest and the golf links of Pebble Beach. The drive brings you close to the Pacific scenery for which this stretch of California is known.

Visit Carmel-by-the-Sea, a small coastal town with an artistic heritage and a distinctive village feel. Together, the coastal route and Carmel offer contrasting ways to appreciate the peninsula: sweeping ocean views and streets shaped by a creative community.

Join a Local Specialist in the Salinas Valley for an agricultural education tour in the region known as the “Salad Bowl of the World.” Visit one of Monterey County’s oldest family farms, learn about fruit and vegetable production and advanced farming techniques, and taste a local delicacy.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience connects the food on the table with the people and methods behind its production. It supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Responsible Consumption and Production.

Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a festive dinner in Monterey. This included hosted gathering gives the group a chance to share impressions of Northern California’s coast, farms and mountain landscapes over a meal.

Monterey’s identity is closely tied to the Pacific and to the agricultural communities inland. The dinner offers a sociable setting in this coastal city, with the emphasis on conversation and the shared experience of travelling through the region.

Walk among towering coast redwoods at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The park’s old-growth grove gives you an opportunity to see trees that have stood for more than a thousand years.

Coast redwoods thrive in the cool, moist conditions of this part of California. Beneath their high canopy, the scale of the trunks and the quieter forest floor create an experience quite different from Yosemite’s open granite valley or the Monterey Peninsula’s exposed shore.

Explore San Francisco’s Chinatown on foot during an optional evening tour, followed by dinner at Great Eastern and a city illuminations tour. It is a chance to experience the streets and city sights in the evening rather than by daylight.

Chinatown is one of San Francisco’s most historically significant neighbourhoods, shaped by generations of Chinese American community life. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; participation is entirely your choice.