12 of the best places to visit in California

From towering redwood forests in the foggy north to perfectly sun-kissed surf beaches in the south, California on the Pacific simply begs to be explored. See desert landscapes in Death Valley and the soaring mountains around Lake Tahoe, or hit Highway 1 and beyond on incredible road trips. With the wine-producing region of Sonoma and world-class cuisine in LA and San Francisco, you won't want to miss out on the state's incredible food and drink.

With a climate that varies across the state, the optimum month to visit really depends on the experiences you're looking for and how you intend to travel around. So, get planning your route and your time with our pick of the best places to visit in California.

1. San Francisco

Best city for iconic sights and great food

Pushing boundaries with trendsetting food, social movements, art and technology, San Francisco is as far out as you can get without winding up in the Pacific. This town is defined by bold moves: the iconic Golden Gate Bridge is an engineering marvel in a color chosen over the Navy's objections; nature lovers elbowed aside speculators to establish Golden Gate Park; and Alcatraz was occupied by Native American protestors and turned into a museum.

Discover the weirdest tech in the West at the Exploratorium and find inspiration in new-media installations at supersized SFMOMA. Be moved by poetry by San Francisco’s literary landmarks, starting with City Lights Books.

You don’t need to stay up late to be out and proud in SF. Flag-flying crowds are an absolute joy throughout  Pride month in June and any sunny day at Dolores Park’s “Gay Beach”.

Don’t forget to sample widely some of the state’s most interesting cuisine, from Asian-fusion creations at Benu that look like minimalist sculptures to some of the world’s best burritos at Mission District classics like Taqueria El Farolito and East Bay treats like Chez Panisse.

Planning tip: San Francisco is a compact city, easily explore one neighborhood at a time.

2. Redwood National Park and Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Best for magnificent ancient trees

Hugging a tree never came so naturally as it does in California's sun-dappled groves of ancient redwoods, the world's tallest trees. The roots of these giants may be shallow, but they hold each other up and reach dizzying heights, some surviving since the days of the Roman Empire. Even a short stroll on the soft forest floor beneath them puts the rest of the world into perspective.

Redwoods thrive along the coast from Big Sur north to the Oregon border, and you'll find massive stands of old-growth groves at Redwood National Park. Don’t miss the magical drive through Avenue of the Giants and California’s largest redwood park, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, which covers 53,000 acres – 17,000 of which are old growth.

Local tip: Stop for a pizza at Brick & Fire in Eureka and soak away any hiking aches at the Finnish Country Sauna and Tubs in the eclectic town of Arcata.

3. Sonoma Wine Country

Best region for wine 

As winemaking in neighboring Napa Valley grows ever more upscale, sun-dappled vineyards in Sonoma County are still surrounded by pastoral ranchlands. Wineries range from the Sonoma Valley to the coastal Russian River Valley, and tasting rooms abound in buzzy Healdsburg.

The uniqueness of the terroir is valued in this down-to-earth wine country, where you taste vintages straight from the barrel inside a tin-roofed shed while playing with the winemaker’s pet dog (at Porter Creek, just one of many excellent wineries). In addition to wine tasting, wallow in volcanic bubbling mud in Calistoga or float the river around LGBTQ-friendly Guerneville.

Local tip: Follow your bliss down the Bohemian Hwy to Occidental and its epic Thursday night farmers market, alive with live music.

4. Highway 1

Best road trip in California

Though in southern California it's known by its more famous name, the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), northern Californians have a more succinct label for the 400-mile stretch from San Francisco to Crescent City: Hwy 1. The edges of the highway hug the coast and cradle small communities as it alternates between hairpin switchbacks and straight stretches through the bucolic countryside.

Planning tip: Start on the PCH at Santa Monica and cruise north through Malibu, Big Sur, Monterey Bay, and San Francisco and up along Sonoma Coast State Park. In Fort Bragg, stop and admire Glass Beach and check out its artistic community. Check for closures and road conditions before travel.

5. Yosemite National Park

Best place for hikers and outdoor adventures

Feeling so small has never felt this grand. No matter when you visit, everything is monumental at Yosemite National Park: thunderous waterfalls tumble over sheer cliffs, granite domes tower overhead and the world's biggest trees cluster in mighty groves of giant sequoias.

Conservationist John Muir considered Yosemite a great temple, and awe is a natural reaction to the vast wildflower-strewn meadows and steep valleys carved over millennia by glaciers, avalanches and earthquakes. To achieve maximum wonder, stop at Glacier Point under a full moon, or drive the high country’s Tioga Rd on a cloudless summer day. Unsurprisingly, Yosemite has some of the best hikes in California.

Detour: You can enjoy an extravaganza of incredible parks by combining your visit to Yosemite with stops in Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park.

6. Los Angeles

Best city for celebrity sightings and movie buffs

Bordered by sandy beaches, winding canyons and the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles is a sprawling cityscape of distinct neighborhoods, endless entertainment options and year-round outdoor recreation. Bask in the undulating stainless steel curves of Walt Disney Concert Hall, commune with world-beating contemporary art at the Broad or check out modern music history at the Grammy Museum. Stop for a meal at the century-old but gourmet-led Grand Central Market before browsing the galleries and shops of the Arts District, Olvera Street and Chinatown.

When you're ready for your close-up, there's only one place to go. The stars come out at night for red-carpet premieres at restored movie palaces, and you too can have your Hollywood moment on the pink-starred Walk of Fame. Snap a selfie outside TCL Chinese Theatre (better known as Grauman’s) or duck into Hollywood and Highland’s Babylon Court for a photo op with the iconic Hollywood sign and revel in your 15 minutes of social-media fame. Afterward, visit the fascinating Academy Museum.

Local tip: How do you beat LA traffic? Hit the beach instead. Sunny Santa Monica bestows joy upon even the weariest traveler. Learn to surf, get a bird's-eye view from your seat in a solar-powered Ferris wheel, learn more about the secrets of the ocean at the aquarium’s tidal touch pools or paddle in the Pacific and let your troubles float away. Join the parade of New Agers, muscled bodybuilders and goth punks at nearby Venice Beach, where there's a tribe for everyone.

7. Monterey Bay

Best place for wildlife

Get up close and personal with California marine life in the fishing village of Monterey, where writer John Steinbeck brought colorful local wharf characters to life – and the seals are pretty outrageous too. Hop aboard a whale-watching cruise to explore a national marine sanctuary or walk right into the bay at the aquarium to spot golden sea dragons, shy pink Pacific octopuses and scene-stealing rescued otters at play.

Soak up the authentic maritime atmosphere at the West Coast’s oldest continuously operating lighthouse in Pacific Grove. Head north to quirky Santa Cruz, stopping off on broad stretches of cream-colored beach to spot gray whales, sea otters, sea lions and seals. Indulge in some playtime on the beach boardwalk with its historic roller coaster and watch surfers shred at Steamer Lane.

Local tip: In the winter, you'll see local Dungeness crab on menus – order it.

8. Death Valley National Park

Best region for desert drama

Its daunting name brings to mind Wild West ghost towns, broken-down pioneer wagon trains and tumbleweed blowing past skulls on desert sand dunes, but Death Valley is actually full of life.

In spring, wildflowers daub the dunes with a painter’s palette of colors, adrenaline-seekers zoom across crackled salt flats, and shy desert wildlife lives by starlight. Twist your way up narrow canyons, zoom across crackled salt flats and past geological oddities, and descend into volcanic craters formed by a massive eruption 2100 years ago.

Planning tip: For comfortable daytime temperatures, the best times to visit Death Valley is early spring (March to April) and late fall (October to November). Don't rely on having cell service in the national park.

9. Lake Tahoe

Best region for mountains, adventure and skiing

Nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Lake Tahoe, the second-deepest lake in the USA, is a California favorite. In summer, startlingly clear blue waters are perfect for swimming, kayaking and even scuba diving. Meanwhile, mountain bikers careen down epic single-track runs, and hikers stride along trails threading through thick forests.

After dark, retreat to a cozy lakefront cottage and toast s’mores in the firepit. When the lake turns into a winter wonderland, gold-medal ski resorts keep downhill fanatics, snowboarders and Nordic traditionalists more than satisfied. You'll never be short of things to do in Lake Tahoe.

Detour: Head to Truckee for the burgeoning local food scene and the area’s best restaurants.

10. Big Sur

Best stretch of coastline

Following your bliss inevitably leads to Big Sur. Waterfalls splash down sandy bluffs in rainbow mists, and yurt retreats perch at the edge of redwood forests. Beyond purple-sand beaches and coves lined with California jade, pods of migrating whales dot the sparkling Pacific.

But don't forget to turn around: hiding behind these coastal bluffs are hot springs and Beat literary retreats, with California condors circling over the cliffs. Experience all of the best adventures on a scenic Big Sur road trip.

Planning tip: Time your visit for peak waterfall season in May or after the summer vacation period for maximum meditation.

11. San Diego

Best all-rounder

San Diego has everything you could ask for in a metropolis: vibrant arts and culture, diverse and varied neighborhoods and incredible food. But even with all that, the city manages to always feel relaxed. 

Take a walk on Imperial Beach, and linger in Balboa Park allowing time to explore one or two of the major attractions here, including San Diego Zoo and San Diego Museum of Art. In the evening, head to Coronado, where you can watch the sunset from a waterfront table at one of Hotel del Coronado's restaurants. Don't miss an evening in San Diego's Gaslamp District, a neighborhood of historic buildings packed with modern places to eat, drink and dance. Learn about the area's European settlers among the 19th-century buildings of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.

Planning tip: Some of the city's best beaches are found in the suburb of La Jolla.

12. Palm Springs and around

LGBTQ-friendly city with mid-century architecture

Sunny Palm Springs has long been the desert retreat of celebrities and artists. The city prides itself on its queer culture – with numberous gay resorts and a an elected LGBTQ+ majority on the city council – but also on its mid-century modern identity. The "Mid Mod" architecture is intrinsic to the city's aesthetic, and is best explored on a themed tour led by Palm Springs Historical Society. Notable buildings include Palm Springs Vistor Center, the Art Museum and the Mountain Station of the Aerial Tramway. 

Hike the trails of its Cahuilla lands, take in the vibrant art and architecture, sip tiki cocktails in the desert sunshine and experience for yourself the ebullient appeal of Palm Springs. For more outdoor adventure, take a 40-mile drive to Joshua Tree National Park to get an up-close look at the park’s iconic Joshua trees and chunky boulders. 

Planning tip: Time your visit for street food, local arts and live music at VillageFest, held every Thursday evening along N Palm Canyon Dr in Palm Springs.