Trip to San Francisco & the Northern CA Coast

We recently returned from a glorious trip to San Francisco and the Northern California Coast, including Monterrey, Santa Cruz, Carmel-by-the-Sea and Big Sur. This area has many historic sites, parks and scenic places. We saw sunshine every day the entire week (October 6-13, 2012), with mild days and cool evenings. Over the next several weeks, I will be posting a series of articles about our Northern California Coastal visit.

 

Here’s the travel itinerary:

Day 1 - Saturday

  • San Francisco, CA
    • Riding BART
    • The Ferry Building
    • Cable Car Ride
    • Fisherman’s Wharf / Pier 39
    • Dinner at Fog Harbor Fish House
    • Ride on MUNI (From Pier 39, Chinatown, Little Italy)

 

Day 2 - Sunday

  • San Francisco CA Main Attractions Tour
    • Lombard Street (new guided walk)
    • Chinatown (guided walk)
    • Grace Cathedral
    • Nob Hill
    • Alamo Square Park “7 Sisters”
    • Golden Gate Park
    • Japanese Tea Garden
    • Palace of Fine Arts
    • Golden Gate Bridge
    • Sausalito (lunch, shopping & Exploring)
    • Muir Woods
    • Muir Beach Overlook
    • Ferry/Bay Cruise
    • Ferry Building

Day 3 -Monday

  • Santa Cruz (lunch - self guided tour)
  • Highway 1 (through CA farmland/roadside markets)
  • Monterey Downtown
  • Cannery Row
  • Monterey Pier
  • Carmel-by-the-Sea (Shops)
  • Carmel Beach City Park

Day 4 - Tuesday

  • Hwy. 1 towards Big Sur
  • Bixby Creek Bridge
  • Point Sur Lighthouse
  • Big Sur River Inn (lunch)
  • Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
  • Gravity Garden - Carmel (video/links)
  • Wild Boar Crossing Signs (near Point Lobos)

Day 5 - Wednesday

  • 17-Mile Drive (Pebble Beach, Del Monte Forest)
  • Pacific Grove (Self-Guided Tour / Lunch)
  • 17-Mile Drive (Return to Carmel-by-the-Sea)

Day 6 - Thursday

  • Point Lobos State Natural Reserve (Monterey CA)
  • Monterey Old Fisherman’s Wharf

Day 7 - Friday

  • Highway 1 (Pacific Coastline from Monterey to Half Moon Bay)
    • Pigeon Point Lighthouse c. 1872
  • San Bruno, CA