Livermore
Discover the San Francisco Bay Area

A crimson bridge, cable cars, a sparkling bay, and streets lined with elegant Victorian homes—San Francisco is undeniably one of the world’s great cities. Located along the Northern California at the state’s distinctive bend in the coast, the region has an alluring magic that stretches beyond the bay to diverse cities with nightlife and trend-setting cuisine.
"I left my heart in San Francisco, High on a hill, it calls to me." —singer Tony Bennett
The Bay Area is also home to some of the world’s finest wine country, including Napa Valley and Sonoma, plus waterfront towns, dramatic beaches, and the tech-savvy southern end of the bay known as the Silicon Valley, where lunchtime ideas at Google, Facebook, and Apple, turn into the next brilliant innovation.
How You Can Help California Wine Country
A message from Visit California:
"We are incredibly grateful for the work of first responders who fought to...
Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay is situated 45 minutes south of San Francisco on Highway 1, but it might as well be half a world away. Home to the world-famous...
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front
With her rolled-up sleeves, clenched fist, and polka-dotted kerchief, Rosie the Riveter rose to stardom as a 1940s graphic-art icon who symbolized...
4 Awesome Wine Country Resorts
Ready for some “me time” amid decadent surroundings? Reserve your spot at one of these spectacular Wine Country resorts.
Farmhouse...
The Grateful Table
More than 500 people gathered on November 21, 2017 in a scenic vineyard straddling the Napa-Sonoma County line to enjoy a meal together and raise...
John Muir National Historic Site
After wandering the rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains, conservationist and Sierra Club founder...
Spotlight: Napa Valley
Napa Valley reigns as the land of grand estates, expansive tasting rooms, quaint towns, and elegant lodgings, many of which edge up to the...
THE CALIFORNIA QUESTIONNAIRE: Natalie Cilurzo
Natalie Cilurzo will never forget the day everything changed for the Russian River Brewing Company. It was February 5, 2010—the first Friday in...
Spotlight: Sonoma County
Spanning more than one million acres from the Pacific Ocean to the rugged Coast Range, this slice of wine-country bliss defies typecasting. Yes,...
Spotlight: Alcatraz
In 1854, the West Coast’s first lighthouse was built on San Francisco Bay’s Alcatraz...
Five Brooks Ranch
It doesn’t get more idyllic than horseback riding at Five Brooks Ranch at Point Reyes...
Tyler Florence’s Favorite Road Trips
Chef, winemaker, and television host Tyler Florence fell for California through the...
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on the...
5 Best Hikes out of San Francisco
Sure, it’s the home of Google and Facebook. But the San Francisco Bay Area is also...
Sausalito
Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, a steep hillside covered in chaparral and eucalyptus drops from Highway 101 to a flat, sunny shoreline, two...
The California Questionnaire: Tyler Florence
Food Network fans know Tyler Florence as the debonair celebrity chef who is passionate about great cuisine and living well. San Francisco...
Spotlight: Berkeley
A haven for backyard artists and coffee-shop philosophers, Berkeley has deep roots in the Flower Power movement of the 1960s and ’70s. But...
Hidden Gem: Berkeley's Tilden Park
In the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area, it sounds implausible: a wilderness sanctuary spanning more than 2,000 acres, rife with wildlife,...
Lands End: San Francisco's Oceanfront Gem
While most people beeline to the Golden Gate Bridge for their Instagram shots of San Francisco, some of the most amazing views of the City by the...

Spotlight: San Francisco
It may measure less than 50 square miles/130 square kilometers, but San Francisco justly ranks as one of the greatest cities in the world. Famous...
Golden Gate Bridge
With towers soaring 746 feet/227 meters into the sky, its span arcing across the mouth of San Francisco Bay, and all of it painted bright red-...
Rock rolls into the wine country with this three-day event in Napa that features headliners Bruno Mars, The Killers, and Muse. With more than 80 performers in the May 25–27 lineup ranging...
From a candy-colored pastry shop to Michelin-starred dining rooms, top restaurants run by celebrity chefs dot the Golden State. And even if you don’t know these chefs from the TV...
Atelier Crenn
For a visual feast that also happens to taste amazing, book a table at Atelier Crenn, where gifted chef Dominique Crenn creates visually stunning...
Sure wine country is romantic, but now it’s a surprisingly great destination for families too, with a growing number of vineyards trading in elegant tasting rooms for kid-friendly fun zones that...
Get the Spanish spirit at this colorful event. Stroll the grounds of Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards with a glass of bubbly, and take in a whirl of passionate music, flamenco dancing, and food....
Head to the heart of California’s cities for luxurious stays at world-class accommodations. From San Francisco’s historic hotels to celebrity hot spots in Hollywood and Beverly Hills, California’s...
Spotlight: Oakland
It’s been called “San Francisco’s Brooklyn,” and San Francisco’s sister city, just across the water in the East Bay region, has the same kind of...
Top Bay Area Museums
Arts abound in this culturally diverse region, with different experiences and styles all over the Bay Area. Start in Golden Gate Park,where...
Trip 8-10 days 10 stops
Ultimate Northern California

It may measure less than 50 square miles/130 square kilometers, but San Francisco justly ranks as one of the greatest cities in the world. Famous for grand-dame Victorians, classic cable cars, dynamic diversity, a beautiful waterfront, and a...
Tucked into an ocean-facing fold of Mount Tamalpais, the signature peak just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, Muir Woods National Monument protects the last stand of uncut old-growth coast redwoods in the Bay Area,...
Juicy heirloom tomatoes and just-picked strawberries. Super-sweet peaches shaped like mini UFOs. Artisanal cheeses, emerald-green olive oils, local wildflower honey—California’s farmers’ markets...
Spotlight: Santa Cruz
This ultra-mellow beach town along Highway One has a decided...
Sand, water, and kids—it’s a natural combination for easy family fun. This sandy dozen offers appealing, family-friendly features, such as calm water for new swimmers, tide pools for intrepid...
Performing Arts
Nested near the city’s cupola-topped City Hall, impressive performance spaces in San Francisco present some of California’s—and the world’s—...
A celebration of the best in independent and world cinema, this high-powered but low-key event always attracts major filmmakers and stars, as well as some of the hottest independent talents in the...
Get into the spirit of the season at the self-proclaimed “World Pumpkin Capital” (expansive pumpkin patches surrounding this Central Coast town give the name some weight). Highlight of the weekend...
World-Class Dining
Chef Alice Waters and her group of idealistic friends didn’t intend to spark a movement when they opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley in 1971; they...
Spotlight: San Jose
The first hit of this city’s unmistakable techy-ness starts right off the bat—if you get here by plane. Meet Space Observer, a 26-foot/7.9-meter-...
Spotlight: Silicon Valley
Welcome to California’s tech-centric brain pool. Wrapping around the south end of San Francisco Bay, the communities collectively known as Silicon...
Historic oceanfront playgrounds, classic city-park charmers, boisterous adventures—smaller theme parks and attractions offer an array of ways to play. These smaller parks offer old-...
Countdowns don’t get any more exciting than this. When conditions are just right, ocean swells pile up against an offshore reef, about 2 miles/3.2 kilometers off Northern California coastline near...

From cool ways for your kids to learn about wildlife, to an insider’s look at a space station, to a chance to walk through a rain forest or learn about the night sky, there’s a bumper...
Trip 3-5 days 10 stops
San Francisco Bay Loop

Start your trip with a visit to one of the most iconic spans in the world. With towers soaring 746 feet/227 meters into the sky, its span arcing across the mouth of San Francisco Bay, and all of it painted fire-engine red, the Golden Gate...
End your road trip by exploring one of the world’s great cities. Famous for grand-dame Victorians, classic cable cars, dynamic diversity, a beautiful waterfront, and a soaring crimson bridge, the “City by the Bay” truly has it all. Trend-defining cuisine ranging from Michelin-starred dining to...
Kiss a beluga, see cool movie props, and learn about Walt’s secret hideaway on exclusive and behind-the-scenes tours at California’s theme parks and attractions. Here’s a roundup of worth-the-...
Muir Woods National Monument
To experience one of California’s most unforgettable must-sees, visit this remarkable grove, a hop-skip north of San Francisco. Tucked into an...
Tesla Road - Livermore Wine Country
This often overlooked wine country, a roughly 1-hour drive east of San Francisco, is one of those places that make you feel like you’ve (happily)...
Shopping is an art form in California. Whether you're in search of the perfect cocktail dress or an authentic Mexican piñata, you'll find it here. Want to sample fresh produce? Try our farmers...