Enjoy a sightseeing tour to Monterey and Carmel from San Francisco. This is a fully narrated 11-hour bus tour that shows California’s rugged Central Coast, a view that will both humble and inspire you.  Starting with the Monterey portion of the tour, you will travel south via Highway 1 through Santa Cruz offering a spectacular view of the Central Coastal area. The tour includes scheduled stops at Steinbeck’s Cannery Row in Monterey - known for the characters in John Steinbeck’s novel “Cannery Row.”  Find seaside exploration, shopping and activities for everyone on Monterey’s beautiful shoreline. There are vista points along 17 Mile Drive including stores, art galleries and the restaurant district of Carmel that are perfect for lunch and shopping!

You will visit the one-square mile city of Carmel, located on the Bay of Carmel above the white-sand beach which offers a picturesque and beautiful memory for the last portion of your tour. The trip back to San Francisco will take you through the Silicon Valley in the San Jose and Santa Clara counties.

This morning you join Amtrak’s “Coast Starlight” at Oakland Rail Station. From Oakland to Los Angeles, the tracks follow the same route as the old Spanish mission  road, “El Camino Real.”  From 1769 to 1823, Franciscan Friar Junipero Serra founded a chain of 21 missions and four mission chapels along this road from San Diego to Sonoma.  Each was built to be one day’s horseback journey from the next.  Serra himself has become known as the “Apostle of California.”  You travel through,  San Jose, known as the capital of   Silicon Valley for its location within the booming technology industry. Then through the Santa Clara Valley, with the Santa Cruz mountain range on the right, and Mt. Hamilton (4,430 ft.) on the left as we leave San Jose.  As you pass behind Pismo State Beach and Dunes, you get a glimpse of the massives and dunes through tall Eucalyptus trees.  We now get a full view of the Pacific Ocean and follow the coastline for the next 104 miles to Ventura.  Our train passes the Santa Ynez Mountains on the left, and arrives at Santa Barbara, referred to as “The American Rivera” due to its Mediterranean-like climate, spectacular beaches, culinary delights and 130 nearby wineries.

3 nights in Santa Barbara at the Fess Parker Hotel or similiar.

Today enjoy a Jeep Limo wine country tour with breathtaking views in the Santa Ynez Mountains you travel to 3 vineyards, along the movie “Sideways” route. All tasting fees, wineglass, and organic picnic lunch (of your choice) are included.  Organic olive oil / vinegar tasting in Los Olivos; a stop in Solvang, the Dansih community; and a drive by the 125 year-old Cold Spring Tavern. hidden away on Old Stage Coach Road, complete this  memorable experience.  Vineyards and tasting rooms include  Sanford, Lafond, Alma Rosa, Shoestring, Kalyra, Dascomb Cellars, Lucas and Lewellen, and Taste of the Valley.

Two days in Los Angeles. Get ready to be a part of Entertainment Capital of the world.  There are few cities that offer as much entertainment, excitement and diversity as do the attractions in Los Angeles. A 5 hour tour includes many of Los Angeles most appealing sights, with visits to Hollywood Blvd, Mann Chinese Theater, Kodak Theatre, World Famous Farmers’ Market and The Grove, Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Pier and 3rd Street Promenade.  The tour includes 5 stops at various points of interest, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is fully guided with sightseeing commentary- a fun and exciting way to get an overview of the city so that you can decide later where you’d like to focus your time.