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Palace Hotel
Palace Hotel
Historic luxury in downtown San Francisco
Talk about an icon: Opened in 1875 and rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake (legendary opera singer Enrico Caruso was a guest that night), the Beaux Arts Palace Hotel has hosted its share of notables, including Mark Twain, American presidents, and European royalty. It certainly takes a special hotel to draw both titans of indutry (John D. Rockefeller) and a Soviet prime minister (Nikita Khrushchev).
While an overnight stay is the best way to experience the landmark, you can also get a look inside on a free walking tour, with a chance to learn about historic features such as the Maxfield Parish Pied Piper mural in the restaurant bar. Or relive the city’s most elegant period while brunching beneath The Garden Court’s soaring stained-glass dome. Your eggs Benedict will probably get cold with all that looking up to take in this unparalleled ceiling in one of the prettiest hotel spaces in the state.
Harriot Manley/ Sunset Publishing
Northern California
Northern California
Discover the San Francisco Bay Area
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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.
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Spotlight: Berkeley
See a stunning museum, shop, and feast in the Bay Area’s most outspoken city
A haven for backyard artists and coffee-shop philosophers, Berkeley has deep roots in the Flower Power movement of the 1960s and ’70s. But...
Brad Perks Lightscapes/Alamy
Hidden Gem: Berkeley's Tilden Park
A little bit of wild space in the middle of San Francisco
In the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area, it sounds implausible: a wilderness sanctuary spanning more than 2,000 acres, rife with wildlife,...
Chen Robert/Getty Images
Lands End: San Francisco's Oceanfront Gem
Discover a window into the past and amazing views of San Francisco at this oceanfront playground
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...
San Francisco's cable cars are the country's only mobile National Historic Landmark.
Ryan Killackey
Spotlight: San Francisco
Sparkling bay, magic city
It may measure less than 50 square miles and have a population that doesn’t even surpass a million, but...
Thomas H. Story/ Sunset Publishing
Golden Gate Bridge
See one of the world’s most famous landmarks, spanning an elegant bay
With towers soaring 746 feet/227 metres into the sky, its span arcing across the mouth of San Francisco Bay, and all of it painted bright red-...
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Sausalito
Explore this quaint town that’s just over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco
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...
May
Rock rolls into the wine country again this summer with this three-day event in Napa that features headliners Florence + the Machine, Stevie Wonder, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. With more than 80...
Jessica S./Flickr
San Francisco has only one drawback - 'tis hard to leave.
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Taste the delicious dishes from these amazing California chefs
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...
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Spotlight: Napa Valley
Explore ultimate wine country luxury in the land where Cabernet is king
Napa Valley reigns as the land of grand estates, luxurious tasting rooms, quaint towns and elegant...
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Kid-friendly fun zones, special kids' menus & amazing wine for the grownups
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...
John/ Flickr
July
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....
Courtesy of Gloria Ferrer
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World-class accommodations in world-class locations
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...
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Spotlight: Oakland
Edgy, artsy, diverse
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
Explore the cultural fabric of the Bay Area
Arts abound in this culturally diverse region, with different experiences and styles all over the Bay Area. Start in...
San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth.
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Farm-fresh produce, culinary adventures
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...
Laura Flippen
Thomas Hawk/ Flickr
Spotlight: Santa Cruz
Surf's up at Norcal's friendly beach getaway
This ultra-mellow beach town has a decided split personality—and both sides are cool. First, there’s the woo-hoo family fun of the Santa Cruz...
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From Gold Rush history to the 8th wonder of the world, visit these favorites
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Make memories at some of California's family-favorite beaches
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...
Alex Farnum
Courtesy of Alonzo King LINES Ballet
Performing Arts
Museums, music, and a hint of bohemia
Nested near the city’s cupola-topped City Hall, impressive performance spaces in San Francisco present some of California’s—and the world’s—...
October
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...
Jonathan Scott Shensa
October
Get into the spirit of the season in Half Moon Bay, the self-proclaimed “World Pumpkin Capital.” The expansive pumpkin patches you’...
Chris Andre
Sara Remington
World-Class Dining
Dig into a foodie heaven
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...
Courtesy of San Jose International Airport
Spotlight: San Jose
Tech savvy, international flair
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-...
May 11 - May 20
May
The multistage, 575-mile Amgen Tour of California is the largest cycling event in North America, and every May the course brings...
It's simply a very romantic place. Just one look at any of those streets, and you couldn't be anywhere else -- it's so beautiful, and there's that location, and the sense of the free spirit. ... Who couldn't become ravenous in such a place?
Tai Power Seeff
Spotlight: Silicon Valley
If you don't believe us, just Google it
Welcome to California’s tech-centric brain pool. Wrapping around the south end of San Francisco Bay, the communities collectively known as Silicon...
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Spotlight: Sonoma County
Escape to wine country with its secret vineyards, cosy inns and rich history
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Old-fashioned fun in the Golden State
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-...
Tai Power Seeff
January
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 off the Northern California coastline near...
Dennis Yang/ Flickr
According to legend, Winchester Mystery House's maze of passages and building oddities were designed to confuse the ghosts of those killed by Winchester rifles.
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Kids get an inside look at wildlife, space, and more
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...
Peter Alfred Hess/Flickr
SPECIAL FEATURE
Check these amazing experiences off your bucket list
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-...
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Courtesy of Lenny Rush/ NPS
Muir Woods National Monument
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge to the land of the giants
To experience one of California’s most unforgettable must-sees, visit this remarkable grove, a hop-skip north of San Francisco. Tucked into an...
Squidish/Flickr
Tesla Road - Livermore Wine Country
Unhurried charms east of San Francisco
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)...
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Where to release your inner fashionista
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...
Tai Power Seeff
Livermore
Ranches, vineyards, and relaxed appeal east of San Francisco
With warm sun and wide open spaces cradling vineyards, ranches, and wine country estates, the Livermore Valley makes an appealing destination just...
Discover the High Sierra
Surf and Ski Culture in the California Snow
An endless summer atmosphere combines with some of the world’s...
Spotlight: Los Angeles
Hip and historic, downtown Los Angeles (or simply DTLA) offers big-city excitement with restaurants, cultural attractions, and major league sports. An influx of new...
Discover the Central Coast
Bookended by the big cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Central Coast may be known for its mellow pace, but the closeness of those major gateways bring big names...