2024 International California Dreaming

Our tour begins in the fascinating city of San Francisco, home to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the formidable Alcatraz prison, and the vibrant and famous Fisherman’s Wharf district, all of which we’ll visit in our few days here. Our hotel, located on the aptly named California Street, on the fringe of the central business district, will be available for check in from early afternoon. In the early evening, we’ll gather you and your fellow travellers together for a welcome drink before heading off to a famous Italian restaurant nearby for a celebratory welcome dinner including drinks.

For those wishing to have more time to explore the San Francisco Bay Area, pre-tour accommodation at our hotel in San Francisco is available upon request.

Overnight: Stanford Court Hotel, San Francisco (D)

This morning after a hearty breakfast, we’ll head off to the San Francisco Muni Cable Car Museum to learn about the inventor, technologies, builders, rapid expansion, near loss and the ongoing efforts to save and rebuild the cable cars of San Francisco. The museum is part of the complex that also houses the cable car powerhouse, which drives the cables, and the car depot known as The Barn.

Later, you’ll set off to explore some of the real character of San Francisco, taking in Baker’s Beach with its iconic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the famous ‘Painted Ladies’ of Alamo Square, Union Square, and take a drive through the magnificent Golden Gate Park for a different perspective of the Bridge. One of the most photographed sights in San Francisco, The Painted Ladies is a row of pastel-coloured Victorian-style homes, which stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the gentle slope of Steiner Street on the eastern side of Alamo Square. Still owned and occupied by locals, they’re also known as “postcard row” for their scenic beauty and are a beautiful reminder of the San Francisco of old. You’ll enjoy lunch at Alamo Square before continuing your tour. 

Towards the end of the day as we wind our way back to our hotel, we’ll explore the North Beach area of the city. Nestled between Chinatown to the south and Fisherman’s Wharf to the north, North Beach is a celebration of the city’s Italian heritage.  Referred to as “Little Italy” by the locals, it delineates itself from neighbouring parts of the city by telegraph poles brightly painted in the green, red and white colours of the Italian flag.  While here, you’ll also have the chance to wander around the fascinating area between the Embarcadero and Broadway streetcar stations.

Dinner tonight is at leisure, so you may wish to stay in this part of town and dine in one of the famous seafood restaurants in the vibrant Fisherman’s Wharf, have a traditional home-cooked pasta in Little Italy or explore the delights of the various Piers in the area. Alternatively, you may want to come back to the hotel and eat out closer to home.

Overnight: Stanford Court Hotel, San Francisco (B, L)

This morning after breakfast in the hotel, we’ll go on an ’inescapable’ adventure to Alcatraz Island, otherwise known as ‘The Rock’.  Originally developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison, it was converted into a federal prison in 1934, the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. The strong currents around the island and cold-water temperatures made escape nearly impossible, and the prison became one of the most notorious in American history. Our privately guided tour with a specialist guide will reveal heartbreaking stories of American incarceration, justice, along with marvellous inspiring ones about humanity and mercy.

Once back on the mainland, we’ll enjoy lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf and then experience what ‘riding the streetcars’ of San Francisco is really like and take in some of the city’s highlights on the way. We’ll start by riding the classic street cars from Fisherman’s Wharf to Telegraph Hill, where’ll we’ll visit Coit Tower, an emblem of San Francisco’s skyline since its completion in 1933, and the Nob Hill-Russian Hill area where you can walk down Lombard Street, deemed the “crookedest” street in the world with its eight hairpin turns.

We’ll then jump on another streetcar to Powell and Market Streets in the downtown area, before venturing onto the lively, vibrant, and very famous Castro Street.  ‘The Castro’, was one of the first gay neighbourhoods in the United States and the battles fought here have been immortalised in ground-breaking movies like “Milk” and “We Were Here”. Having transformed from a working-class neighbourhood through the 1960s and 1970s, the Castro remains one of the most prominent symbols of LGBTQI activism in the world.

We’ll go underground at The Castro and catch one of the newer trams to the historic Ferry Building Marketplace, after which we’ll ride the Muni Streetcar uptown to the famous bohemian neighbourhood of Haight-Ashbury.  This neighbourhood was one of the main centres of the counterculture movement of the 1960s, including the 1967 Summer of Love, which attracted national attention and popularized the counterculture movement, changing the social landscape of America forever.

Tonight is dinner at leisure, so you may like to stay in this part of town and explore it further.  Or you can be escorted back to our hotel if you prefer.

Overnight: Stanford Court Hotel, San Francisco (B, L)

This morning, we say goodbye to San Francisco and travel by coach via San Jose and Silicon Valley to the Roaring Camp Redwood Forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Here, we’ll take the first of our train adventures on this journey – a narrow gauge steam train travelling over trestles, through towering redwood groves and up a winding narrow-gauge grade to the summit of Bear Mountain. Our experienced and entertaining conductors will share the history of Roaring Camp, the railroad and the forest along the way. Upon our return to Roaring Camp, we’ll settle in for some lunch. 

In the 1880s, narrow-gauge steam locomotives were used to haul giant redwood logs out of the mountains. Roaring Camp’s steam engines date from 1890 and are among the oldest and most authentically preserved narrow-gauge steam engines providing regularly scheduled passenger service in America.

After lunch, we’ll depart on the Santa Cruz Beach train from Roaring Camp, travelling through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, down the scenic San Lorenzo River Gorge, across a 1909 steel truss bridge and through an 1875 tunnel before arriving at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in the mid afternoon. You’ll have plenty of time to wander the Boardwalk and amusement park or walk along the mile-long stretch of sandy beach. 

Later, we’ll drive to the coastal town of Monterey, once the sardine capital of the world in the 1930s, which will be our home for the night. After checking into your hotel, we’ll explore Old Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row, immortalized in the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. Once the site of a booming sardine-canning industry, many of the old buildings have since been refurbished as restaurants, galleries, artists’ studios, shops, and wine tasting rooms.

Also located here, is the celebrated world-class, 20,000-square-foot Monterey Bay Aquarium, treating visitors to 360-degree views of all kinds of graceful sea life, from hammerhead sharks and sea otters to schools of hundreds of shimmering Northern anchovies. You’ll have time to visit this as an optional activity if you would like to.

Tonight is dinner at leisure, so you may choose to stay in this vibrant and interesting part of town for a bit longer and sample one of the restaurants on offer.

Overnight: Casa Munras Garden Hotel & Spa, Monterey (B, L)

After breakfast and checking out of our hotel, we’ll travel by private coach along the famous 17-Mile Drive which loops around California’s stunning Monterey Peninsula. Stretching from the towns of Pacific Grove to Carmel-by-the-Sea, this privately owned road skirts the Pacific coast and runs through parts of the Del Monte Forest.

Upon arrival in the old town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, a small beach city known for the museums and library of the historic Carmel Mission, and the fairytale cottages and galleries of its village-like centre, we’ll embark on a guided tour of this charming place before enjoying lunch together.

After lunch we’ll hop back on board our coach for the 1-hour drive to San Jose where we’ll board the 3pm Capitol Corridor 538 direct train from San Jose to California’s famous wine growing region, the Napa Valley.

Upon arrival at Napa Valley’s Suisun-Fairfield train station in the late afternoon, we’ll transfer you straight to our Napa Valley hotel, where you’ll check in. Our hotel is walking distance to Sonoma Plaza, a vibrant welcome to Napa Valley, bursting with boutiques, cozy cafes, wine tasting rooms and galleries, shopping, dining, art galleries and cheese tasting as well as historic landmarks and beautiful outdoor areas. Finding a great spot for dinner shouldn’t be too difficult here!

Overnight: Best Western Sonoma Valley Inn Napa Valley (B, L)

This morning we have a slightly later start for those who would like to sleep in before setting off on our exploration by train of the Napa Valley Wine Region.

The world-famous Napa Valley Wine Train will take you on a 58-kilometre round-trip discovery to St. Helena and back, rattling at an easy pace through the extraordinary Napa countryside travelling past celebrated wineries as you enjoy a three-course meal with matching wines. But it’s more than a train. It’s a luxurious vintage setting. Riding in first class comfort in 1915-1917 antique Pullman rail cars will transport you back to the glamorous days of rail travel. 

Our day will end with a visit to a local winery for private wine tasting followed by dinner.

Overnight: Best Western Sonoma Valley Inn Napa Valley (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast, we’ll travel by coach to the historic city of Sacramento, the capital of California. You’ll have plenty of time to check into our hotel, enjoy free time for lunch at a restaurant close to the hotel before enjoying a fully-guided tour of Old Sacramento. The district of Old Sacramento harkens back to the city’s gold Rush era, and the town is full of restored buildings, museums, novelty shops, wooden sidewalks and even wagon rides! 

After our city tour, we’ll take the 1-hour journey on the Sacramento Regional Transit tram to the town of Folsom. Historic Folsom is often referred to as “the place where the west came and stayed” and we’ll get the chance to learn about its history as we visit the Historic District, the Pioneer Village, the Historic Railroad Turntable, and the Folsom Prison Museum. Opened in 1880, Folsom Prison can boast two firsts – first maximum security prison in the country, and the first to have electricity.  Immortalised by musician Johnny Cash in his 1955 hit song “Folsom Prison Blues”, it has been the place of execution of 93 condemned prisoners.

We’ll have you back at the hotel in the late afternoon and the rest of the day and evening is yours to enjoy the amenities of this great hotel or take a walk around the neighbourhood. 

Overnight: The Citizen Hotel, Autograph Collection Sacramento (B)

This morning, after breakfast we’ll visit the California State Railroad Museum which is home to 21 restored locomotives and railroad cars, some dating back to 1862. Tour the museum and take an excursion on the Southern Railroad along the scenic Sacramento River, experiencing railroading first-hand as it was in the early part of the 20th century. Enjoy free time for lunch and return to your hotel later in the afternoon where the rest of your day is free to explore the greater Sacramento area famous for producing celebrated, farm-fresh products that foodies shouldn’t miss.

This evening, you will travel on the Sacramento River Fox Train and take part in one of these three options (depending on scheduling): the thrilling Sacramento River Murder Mystery Train, the Old Vine Express, or the Beer Train. Dinner and drinks are included in your railroad experience tonight. The Sacramento River Fox Train, formerly the Yolo Shortline Railroad Company, was originally a branch line of the Sacramento Northern Railroad, a Western Pacific Railroad subsidiary.

Overnight: The Citizen Hotel, Autograph Collection Sacramento (B, D)

This morning after breakfast our coach will transfer us to the Sacramento Valley Train Station where we’ll board the Amtrak California Zephyr to Truckee, arriving in the mid-afternoon. Lunch will be at leisure on board. The Zephyr runs between San Francisco to Chicago, via Sacramento across the High Sierra Mountains and famous Donner Pass and down the east slope to Reno, across the Rockies and the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas to Salt Lake City, and coursing through the plains of Nebraska to Denver before finishing in Chicago. Experienced travelers say it’s one of the most beautiful train trips in all of North America. While the train continues on to Chicago, we’ll be getting off in Truckee and transferring the short distance to Lake Tahoe, arriving in plenty of time for you to explore this marvellous place. 

Shimmering in myriad shades of blue and green, Lake Tahoe is one of the largest, deepest, and clearest freshwater lakes in the world and at 1903 metres high, is also one of the highest-elevation lakes in the country. Straddling the border of California and Nevada it attracts over three million visitors a year – skiing and skating in the winter and boating, hiking and just relaxing in the warmer months.

Your evening is free to explore the many outstanding restaurants on offer.

Overnight: Mother Nature’s Inn, Lake Tahoe (B)

This morning after breakfast, we’ll travel by private coach along Lake Tahoe to Carson City via the beautiful village of Tahoe Vista and the glitzy Incline Village. From Carson City, we’ll take a fascinating 35-minute historic train ride to Virginia City and step back in time on the scenic Virginia & Truckee Railroad. Our Conductor Guide will share remarkable stories of the history of the Railroad, the discovery of the Comstock Lode (referred to as “the Bonanza”) and life in a city that was once the richest city on earth, boasting more millionaires than anywhere else in the world. 

On our journey, you’ll pass by many of the old Comstock mine sites, and many say you can still see silver ore veins when you ride through Tunnel No. 4, the last tunnel before Virginia City, and one of seven built for the 490-metre descent to the valley floor. During the tour you’ll have some free time to enjoy lunch at leisure. The end of the journey is Gold Hill, a place rich in American history, and where the Comstock Era gold and silver strikes began in 1859. You’ll have plenty of time here to see the train depot, the Liberty Engine Fire Company monument, visit the 1859 Gold Hill Hotel and see the early Bank of California building and the Maynard Block. You are free to wander around Gold Hill before we return you to Lake Tahoe and your hotel for an evening at leisure.

Overnight: Mother Nature’s Inn, Lake Tahoe (B)

After an early breakfast and check out, we’ll travel by coach along the rugged west coast of Lake Tahoe via the Stanislaus National Forest to the Yosemite National Park, the most famous park in the USA.

Our first stop is the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, in the heart of California’s Gold Country. Known as “The Movie Railroad”, Railtown and its trains have featured in over 200 movies, TV shows, and commercials, including High Noon, Lassie, Back to the Future and Little House on the Prairie. The entire park preserves the historic core of the original Sierra Railway of California and the railway’s Jamestown locomotive and rolling stock maintenance facilities are remarkably intact and continue to function much as they have for over 100 years.

After lunch at Railtown 1897, you’ll tour the park and ride behind a historic diesel locomotive on a train trip through the heart of California’s scenic Gold Country. Your 10 kilometre, 45-minute round-trip train ride will take you past the water tower from Petticoat Junction and transport you from the backyards of Jamestown to the rugged hillsides of California’s Mother Lode country. After your train ride, there’ll be time to explore the historic grounds of Railtown 1897 State Historic Park.

We’ll then continue our travels to the nearby Columbia State Historic Park in Sonora, where you’ll take a step back in time to experience life in the California Gold Rush era of the 1850’s and 1860’s. Walk the streets, ride an authentic stagecoach, pan for gold, and take in the sights and sounds of the blacksmith shop. Play amateur historians as you wander around and through dozens of buildings built during the Gold Rush era. Continuing on, we’ll arrive at the Yosemite National Park where we’ll be immersed in this natural wonder for the next two days. After checking into our unique and ‘typically-Yosemite’ resort, we’ll gather for dinner.

Overnight: Yosemite Pines RV Resort & Family Lodging, Yosemite NP (B, L, D)

Today is devoted to exploring Yosemite National Park. The jaw-dropping, head-turner of America’s national parks, and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Yosemite garners the devotion of all who enter. From the waterfall-striped granite walls buttressing the emerald-green Yosemite Valley to the sky-scraping giant sequoias catapulting into the air at Mariposa Grove, the place inspires a sense of awe and reverence. Our tour today includes a visit to the striking Mono Lake, and the spectacular Tioga Pass past serene vistas like Tenaya Lake and the Olmstead Point viewpoint. During your tour you’ll have free time for lunch and time to unwind to enjoy the scenery including three of Yosemite’s most recognisable features – Half Dome, El Capitan and the Bridalveil Fall.

We’ll return to our hotel in Yosemite late in the afternoon for an evening at leisure. There are options for an early dinner at your own cost.

Overnight: Yosemite Pines RV Resort & Family Lodging, Yosemite NP (B)

This morning we’ll get off to an early start for our day of adventure from one great natural icon to another. We’ll leave our hotel by coach and go directly to our first stop for the day, the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad. Here, we’ll enjoy a 1-hour scenic train ride behind an eccentric, beautifully restored “Shay Geared” steam locomotive. From the comfort of your first-class seat aboard this historic caboose, and with direct access to the Cupola, you’ll be immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the Sierra and have a birds’ eye view of the train, while you enjoy a boxed lunch and listen to your knowledgeable car attendant share the rich history of the region.

Rejoining our coach, we’ll travel along California State Route 180, otherwise known as the King’s Canyon Scenic Byway as it’s the only vehicle route into Kings Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in North America. This 80 km journey is an awe-inspiring homage to the great trees of our natural history, bringing you up close to the grandeur of the Southern Sierra – swathes of oak chaparral, pine and fir forest, and several giant sequoia groves will welcome you. 

We’ll stop at the General Grant tree, the second largest Giant Sequoia tree in the world (you’ll get to see the largest later today). With a ground level circumference of 32.8 metres and a recent scientifically reliable age estimate of 1,650 years, there’s no dispute that you’re in the presence of greatness. Once we’ve had our fill of this natural marvel, we’ll descend some 822 metres down through the wild and scenic Kings River and further south into Sequoia National Park.

Sequoia National Park, established in 1890 and home to huge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, and vast caverns, vigilantly protects 163,520 ha of ancient, heavily forested mountainous terrain, home to over 8,000 colossal sequoia trees over 1,000 years old. In fact, five of the ten largest trees in the world, including the General Sherman tree, the largest tree on earth by volume, live in the park. The Kings Canyon and Sequoia area is of such biodiversity importance that UNESCO designated the areas as Sequoia-Kings Canyon Biosphere Reserve in 1976. We’ll have time to take a walk on the Congress Trail to see these colossal trees. Starting at the General Sherman Tree, the largest in the world at 83 metres high, the trail is the most impressive in the park – no other trail has so many big sequoias in such a short distance.

When everyone has had their fill of this magnificent celebration of nature, we’ll have our coach take us on to Exeter, arriving in the late afternoon for check in. Your evening is free tonight.   

Overnight: Best Western Exeter Inn & Suites, Exeter (B, L)

We’ll get going in good time this morning as we want you to spend some time in another of America’s iconic locations, the Death Valley National Park, before we arrive in the bright lights and buzz of Las Vegas. Along the way, we’ll make time for some lunch at one of the many iconic diners located along this route.

Death Valley is a land of extremes from huge sand dunes and desert to volcanoes, badlands, towering peaks, and a basin that actually registers below sea-level. You’ll get a great sense of the striking contrast of this park’s landscapes with visits to Mesquite Dunes, Furnace Creek, Badwater Basin, and Zabriskie Point. Interestingly, the highest recorded temperature in the world was measured in local Furnace Creek at 56.6˚C on 10 July 1913. Hottest. Driest. Lowest. There’s a bit of everything here on the border of California and Nevada.

We’ll arrive late in the afternoon in the glitzy desert city of Las Vegas, the Entertainment Capital of the World. After checking in and taking in your surroundings, we’ll enjoy dinner together, after which you’ll have plenty of time to explore. A visit to The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod for spectacular views of the city would be well worthwhile.

Overnight: Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort, Las Vegas (B, D)

Las Vegas (literally, “the meadows” in Spanish) was founded in 1905 when it became a railroad town, and for many years it was a small settlement in the middle of the desert. The construction of Hoover Dam in 1928 brought thousands of workers to the area and when Nevada legalized gambling in 1931, downtown Las Vegas became an entertainment centre for the dam workers. Las Vegas expanded rapidly after 1940 and business became so popular that it surpassed Reno as the gambling capital of the world in less than 10 years.

This morning after breakfast we’ll get a sense of what Vegas offers. We’ll start our tour by visiting Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden to see the famous Bellagio Fountains, then take a look at the gaudy interiors of hotels like Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay Hotel, New York-New York and The Venetian, where you can take a gondola ride through their waterways and see The Eiffel Tower of the USA, Luxor Pyramid and The Sphinx all in the one place! 

We’ll then continue on to the Sphere, the newest tourist attraction in Las Vegas, where we’ll enjoy some lunch together. In the late afternoon, wander along the Strip – past impersonators, billboards and hotels to Fremont Street, one of the city’s most historic areas. Located in downtown Las Vegas, this pedestrian mall spreads over five blocks along Fremont Street. Home to many casinos and hotels—including Golden Gate Hotel and Casino and Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel—it’s also known for jaw-dropping shows and fun activities, from free concerts to the 12-story SlotZilla Zipline.

Tonight, we’ll have a farewell dinner (including drinks) together and enjoy a beautifully choreographed Bellagio Fountain show. If you didn’t head out and about last night you may like to live it up tonight – your Tour Leader will be able to give you some great suggestions about the best places to go.  And remember “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”.

Overnight: Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort, Las Vegas (B, L, D)

Our tour comes to an end after breakfast this morning. If you’re continuing on to our Las Vegas to the Colorado Rocky Mountains tour, you’ll stay in Darrin’s capable hands. For those leaving us to continue their travels alone or fly home, we will facilitate your travel to the airport. (B)