3-Day San Francisco Bus Tour: 17-Mile Drive, Santa Barbara, Roaring Camp Or Yosemite-USA

Day 1
Los Angeles – Santa Barbara – San Francisco
Summary of The Day: Itinerary A: Los Angeles – Santa Barbara – Solvang – Silicon Valley – San Francisco

We’ll depart from Los Angeles this morning and drive to Santa Barbara, the “America’s Riviera!” Enjoy beautiful scenery of the Pacific Coast along the way. The new Mediterranean and Old Spanish style Architectures are surrounded by flowers and lawns; this little Central California Coastal City is one of the most popular vacation destinations. Then we’ll drive to Solvang, Danish for “Sunny Field!” The cozy little town is dominated by Danish style architectures and known for warm sunshine year round. Next we’ll to Silicon Valley, the ICON of America’s High Tech Sectors. We’ll arrive in the Bay Area (Greater San Francisco) in the evening and stay overnight.

Itinerary B: Los Angeles – Santa Barbara – 17-Mile Drive – San Francisco

We’ll depart from Los Angeles this morning and drive to Santa Barbara, the “America’s Riviera!” Enjoy beautiful scenery of the Pacific Coast along the way. The new Mediterranean and Old Spanish style Architectures are surrounded by flowers and lawns; this little Central California Coastal City is one of the most popular vacation destinations. Afterwards we’ll head to the picturesque Monterey Peninsula, where gentle sea breezes, meandering coast, surging waves, bizarre rocks, adorable seals and sea lions rest on the beach. Here we’ll stop at a first-class golf course to sight see. Then we’ll view the scenery of the 17 Miles, which is truly breathtaking.

We’ll arrive in the Bay Area (Greater San Francisco) in the evening and stay overnight.

Hotel: Red Lion Oakland / Crowne Plaza Union City / Holiday Inn San Jose / Courtyard Marriott Fremont or similar
Visiting Attractions
Bay Area Bay Area
Los Angeles Los Angeles
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley
Day 2
San Francisco
Summary of The Day: Itinerary A: Berkeley University – Cable Car – San Francisco City Tour

In the morning we’ll visit the campus of UC Berkeley (admission not included). From the nostalgic campus, the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Straight can both be seen!

Afterwards we’ll drive to San Francisco, home to over 50 rolling hills and surrounded by water on 3 sides. We’ll take a cable car ride (own expense), known as “the only mobile monument of America,” and enjoy the city view. Then we’ll visit the Golden Gate Bridge before visiting Fisherman’s Wharf. Here you can take an optional cruise on the San Francisco Bay (own expense). Then we’ll visit the only building remaining from 1915 world’s exposition, the Palace of Fine Arts.

Itinerary B: Stanford University – San Francisco City Tour

In the morning we’ll visit Stanford University (admission not included). It covers 35 square kilometers, the second largest and the most beautiful campus in America. Alumni of Stanford have founded some of the largest high-tech companies: Google, Yahoo, Cisco, and Hewlett Packard.

Afterwards we’ll drive to San Francisco, home to over 50 rolling hills and surrounded by water on 3 sides. We’ll take a cable car ride (own expense), known as “the only mobile monument of America,” and enjoy the city view. Then we’ll visit the Golden Gate Bridge before visiting Fisherman’s Wharf. Here you can take an optional cruise on the San Francisco Bay (own expense). Then we’ll visit the only building remaining from 1915 world’s exposition, the Palace of Fine Arts.

We’ll stay overnight in Modesto.

From 5/1/2017:

Itinerary A: Berkeley University – Cable Car – Madame Tussauds/Exploratorium – San Francisco City Tour

In the morning we’ll visit the campus of UC Berkeley (admission not included). From the nostalgic campus, the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Straight can both be seen!

Afterwards we’ll drive to San Francisco, home to over 50 rolling hills and surrounded by water on 3 sides. We’ll take a cable car ride (own expense), known as “the only mobile monument of America,” and enjoy the city view. Then we’ll visit the Golden Gate Bridge before visiting Fisherman’s Wharf. Here you can take an optional cruise on the San Francisco Bay (own expense). Next we will visit Madame Tussaud or Exploratorium and then we’ll visit the only building remaining from 1915 world’s exposition, the Palace of Fine Arts.

Itinerary B: Stanford University – Madame Tussauds/Exploratorium – San Francisco City Tour

In the morning we’ll visit Stanford University (admission not included). It covers 35 square kilometers, the second largest and the most beautiful campus in America. Alumni of Stanford have founded some of the largest high-tech companies: Google, Yahoo, Cisco, and Hewlett Packard.

Afterwards we’ll drive to San Francisco, home to over 50 rolling hills and surrounded by water on 3 sides. We’ll take a cable car ride (own expense), known as “the only mobile monument of America,” and enjoy the city view. Then we’ll visit the Golden Gate Bridge before visiting Fisherman’s Wharf. Here you can take an optional cruise on the San Francisco Bay (own expense). Next we will visit Madame Tussaud or Exploratorium and then we’ll visit the only building remaining from 1915 world’s exposition, the Palace of Fine Arts.

We’ll stay overnight in Modesto.
Tips: We will visit Berkeley University instead of Stanford University for the following dates in 2017: 04/27-04/29, 05/12-05/14, 06/15-06/18, 09/20-09/24, 9/30, 10/12-10/15, 11/10, 11/18, 11/23, 11/25, 12/25.
Hotel: Courtyard Marriott/Quality Inn Marina (Itinerary A) / Courtyard Fremont/Clarion Modesto (Itinerary B) or similar
Visiting Attractions
Bay Area Bay Area
Modesto Modesto
San Francisco San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge Golden Gate Bridge
Fisherman’s Wharf Fisherman’s Wharf
University of California Berkeley University of California Berkeley
Lombard Street Lombard Street
Palace of Fine Arts Palace of Fine Arts
Stanford University Stanford University
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay
Day 3
Roaring Camp or Yosemite National Park – Los Angeles
Summary of The Day: Itinerary A: Roaring Camp Redwood Forest Train -17 Miles – Monterey Aquarium – Los Angeles

This morning we’ll head to Roaring Camp, a beautiful small village located in California Coastal Mountains. The steam train may sound farfetched today, but it brings back sweet memories. As the whole world is adapted to maglev trains and highways, we take a lovely and scenic ride on a nostalgic steam train today (own expense)! Then we’ll depart from this authentic western village and wind our way through redwood forests. Afterwards we’ll head to the picturesque Monterey Peninsula, where gentle sea breezes, meandering coast, surging waves, bizarre rocks, adorable seals and sea lions rest on the beach. Here we’ll stop at a first-class golf course to sight see. Then we’ll view the scenery of the 17 Miles, which is truly breathtaking. In the afternoon we’ll return to Los Angeles.

Itinerary B: Yosemite National Park – Los Angeles

In the morning we’ll depart from the hotel towards Yosemite National Park. Giant trees, mountains and sparkling streams and lakes, glaciers-carved canyons, all these unique features make up Yosemite. Take a walk in the woods and enjoy the fresh forest air. After lunch, we’ll travel across Central Valley of California, where over half of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in country are produced every year. In the evening we’ll return to Los Angeles.

Tips: We usually get back to Los Angeles between 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm. Inclement weather, road conditions or traffic congestion may cause a 30-60 minute delay, however.