Rockwell - Insight Guides: California

How To Use This E-Book

Getting around the e-book

This Insight Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration for your visit to California, as well as comprehensive planning advice to make sure you have the best travel experience. The guide begins with our selection of Top Attractions, as well as our Editors Choice categories of activies and experiences. Detailed features on history, people and culture paint a vivid portrait of contemporary life in California. The extensive Places chapters give a complete guide to all the sights and areas worth visiting. The Travel Tips provide full information on getting around, hotels, activities from to culture to shopping to sport, plus a wealth of practical information to help you plan your trip.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in California are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

Youll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of California. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

About Insight Guides

Insight Guides have more than 40 years experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

Insight Guides are written by local authors who use their on-the-ground experience to provide the very latest information; their local expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide to you the best places to stay and eat, so you can be confident that when we say a restaurant or hotel is special, we really mean it.

Like all Insight Guides , this e-book contains hundreds of beautiful photographs to inspire and inform your travel. We commission most of our own photography, and we strive to capture the essence of a destination using original images that you wont find anywhere else.

2013 Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Introduction: The Real Golden State

While its nicknamed the Golden State, California is actually an incredibly diverse range of destinations, each with its own beautiful natural wonders, impressive cultural attractions, and engaging personality.

California is often thought of in north and south halves. In general, the upper half conjures up images of foggy San Francisco, Silicon Valley tech nerds, great wine, a cold and rugged coast, redwood forests,Tahoe for skiers, and Yosemite for backpackers. The south is about sunshine and warmth, with blonde surfers catching waves along its coast, celebs and image-obsessed wannabes flocking to Los Angeles, families enjoying Disneyland, and chic Palm Springs, the gateway to miles and miles of inland desert.

Sun, sand, and surf at Ocean Beach.

David Dunai/Apa Publications

Los Angeles.

David Dunai/Apa Publications

Of course the reality is a much more complex picture. In the north, liberal San Francisco boasts cultural landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and historic cable cars, plus world-class museums and an innovative food scene. Just an hour and a half away is Napa Valley, where you can sip Cabernet while gazing at miles of lush vineyards, followed by the meal of a lifetime at French Laundry.

Casino in Avalon, Santa Catalina Island.

David Dunai/Apa Publications

A breathtaking drive south for a few hours along the rugged coast brings you to Big Sur for great hiking, while a drive north connects to the Marin Headlands and Muir Woods, then quiet coastal towns like Mendocino. Head inland and youre taken back to Gold Rush days in Old Town Sacramento.

Head further into nature to find Northern Californias 3,000-year-old redwood trees in old-growth state parks and Yosemite National Parks stunning granite peaks and waterfalls. The South can hold its own in the nature department: inland are massive deserts, Anza-Borrego Desert State Parks wildflowers, and Joshua Tree National Parks twisted trees. The coastline south of Big Sur leads to Pismo Beachs giant sand dunes and clouds of Monarch butterflies. Further along are Paso Robles vineyards, the Channel Islands, and white-sand beaches perfect for surfing and sunbathing.

Chic Santa Barbara, known as the American Riviera, is quietly upscale, while San Diego draws surfers to the beaches and families to the the zoo. Sprawling Los Angeles has something for everyone: celebrity-spotting and TV tapings, the Getty Center and LA Museum of Contemporary Art, food trucks and trendy bars, lovely beaches and watery Venice. And, of course, Disneyland.

Californias Top 10 Attractions

From sun-kissed beaches and ancient redwoods to iconic Hollywood sights and the splendid Golden Gate Bridge, here is a rundown of Californias top ten attractions.

Top Attraction 1

Yosemite National Park . From the sheer granite cliffs of El Capitan to waterfalls and green meadows, the crown jewel of Americas national parks is heaven for adventurous types..

Martyn Goddard/Apa Publications

Top Attraction 2

Golden Gate Bridge. San Franciscos famous bridge opened in 1937, four years after construction began. Painted not gold but international orange, the bridge is one of the worlds favorite icons..

Daniella Nowitz/Apa Publications