Fodor's California: with the Best Road Trips

by Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.

Written by locals, Fodor's travel guides have been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years.

California is one of America's most popular vacation destinations--its diversity draws every type of traveler, from foodies to families. Fodor's full-color California guide covers all corners of the state, from the northern coast to Wine Country and from Los Angeles to Yosemite National Park.

Fodor's California includes:



PULLOUT MAP: A handy take-along map provides added value, giving travelers essential information so they can travel with confidence.

UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE: Travelers can road trip with ease with a chapter dedicated to California's quintessential drives, now with even more destinations covered. From advice on how many days to stay at each destination to must-see stops along the way, this is an essential trip-planning tool. New hotels and restaurants are also included throughout.

ILLUSTRATED FEATURES: In-depth features detail popular attractions such as the San Diego Zoo, as well as Cable Cars and Chinatown in San Francisco. A must-have for wine buffs is the Wine Tasting in Napa and Sonoma feature, which suggests a tasting itinerary, teaches the proper wine tasting technique, and describes how grapes are grown, harvested, and pressed.

INDISPENSABLE TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS: Top �Attractions and Top Experiences help readers choose activities based on their interests. For outdoorsy types, dedicated national parks chapters include planning tips and highlights.

DISCERNING RECOMMENDATIONS: Fodor's California offers savvy advice and recommendations from local writers to help travelers make the most of their visit. Fodor's Choice designates our best picks in every category.

COVERS: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs, Yosemite National Park, Big Sur, Napa and Sonoma, Monterey Bay, Lake Tahoe, Mendocino, and more.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

864 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2002

About the author

Fodor's Travel Publications is a United States-based producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor in 1936.
Fodor’s was acquired by Random House in 1986 and sold to Internet Brands in 2016.

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very comprehensive but hard to judge restaurants

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband and I drove the California coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and this book was a stellar guide.

There are loads of trip ideas for the Highway 1 journey, and those ideas are presented in segments, so you can really focus on the major landmarks for a particular stretch.

Sure, the book can't cover everything. But, we felt that the suggestions (restaurants, hotels, attractions, etc.) were very helpful overall, and that's impressive considering California's sheer size.

I will say that I wish the book had more budget options for accommodations; since we were booking hotels for several different cities and several nights along the way, we tended toward TripAdvisor for affordable suggestions.

Our road trip (hotels in parentheses) included:
-Los Angeles
-Santa Monica
-Santa Barbara (Motel 6 at Corona Del Mar)
-Pismo Beach (The Cliffs Resort)
-Avila Beach
-San Luis Obispo
-San Simeon
-Cambria (Moonstone Landing)
-Carmel
-Monterey (America's Best Value Stage Coach Lodge)
-San Francisco (Villa Montes at San Bruno)

[John Orman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I especially liked the sections on Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and Yosemite, since I used the book when I visited those National Parks in May, 2014.

A good guide for the exploration of California by road trip!

[Galiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

good highlights pages of regions. websites listed. could use more photos.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, but I'm so surprised that Sacramento doesn't seem to have a restaurant or hotel that serves afternoon tea. Huh!