California

Between the redwood forests in the north and the Mexican border in the south, California stretches along roughly 840 miles (1,350 kilometers) of Pacific coastline, with high mountains, vineyards, and some of the hottest deserts on Earth thrown in. If you plan a vacation in California, you can surf in Los Angeles one day and stand in snow in the Sierra Nevada the next. No other US state has more residents – and few offer more scenic variety.

Landscape Between Ocean and Mountains

The backbone of the state is the Sierra Nevada, home to Mount Whitney, at just over 14,400 feet (4,400 meters) the highest peak in the contiguous United States. Only about 87 miles (140 kilometers) to the east lies Death Valley, where Badwater Basin sits nearly 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level. In between lies the Central Valley, a vast agricultural region that supplies almonds, tomatoes, grapes, and citrus fruits to much of America. In the west, the Coast Ranges run alongside the Pacific, and in the north grow the coast redwoods, the tallest trees in the world. In the southeast, the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert, with their Joshua trees and palm oases, define the landscape.

Cities and Towns: From Los Angeles to Sacramento

Los Angeles is less a single city than a patchwork of neighborhoods: Hollywood with the Walk of Fame, Santa Monica with its pier, the Getty Center art museum above the hills of Brentwood, plus Venice Beach and Downtown with the Walt Disney Concert Hall. To the south, Long Beach follows with its harbor and the Queen Mary. San Diego, near the Mexican border, scores with Balboa Park, the Gaslamp Quarter, and a climate that is mild almost year-round. To the north lies San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and the former prison island of Alcatraz; across the bay, Oakland has a lively food scene. San Jose is considered the capital of Silicon Valley, while Sacramento, the seat of government, recalls the Gold Rush era with Old Sacramento. Fresno is the gateway to the Sierra's national parks.

Sights in California

Among the best-known California destinations is Yosemite National Park, with the granite walls of El Capitan and Half Dome and mighty waterfalls in spring. Sequoia National Park is home to the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on Earth by volume. Highway 1 between Monterey and San Luis Obispo runs through Big Sur, where the cliffs drop almost vertically into the sea; along the way, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Hearst Castle are worth a stop. Lake Tahoe on the Nevada border is a swimming lake in summer and a ski area in winter. In the south, Joshua Tree National Park and Palm Springs, with its mid-century architecture, are major draws.

History and Culture

Long before the Europeans arrived, numerous Indigenous peoples lived here. Beginning in 1769, Spanish Franciscans founded a chain of 21 missions along El Camino Real, many of which can be visited today, for example in Santa Barbara or San Juan Capistrano. After the Mexican period, California became part of the United States in 1848, and the Gold Rush starting in 1849 caused the population to explode. In the 20th century, Hollywood turned the region into the dream factory, and later the computer industry transformed the Santa Clara Valley into Silicon Valley. The strong Latin American and Asian influence is felt everywhere, from Chinatown in San Francisco to the Mexican markets in East Los Angeles.

Food and Drink

Napa Valley and Sonoma County north of San Francisco are the best-known wine regions in the US, famous for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. California cuisine relies on fresh, local ingredients – avocados, artichokes from Castroville, Dungeness crab, and sourdough bread in San Francisco. In San Diego, fish tacos are a must, and in Los Angeles the range runs from Korean barbecue in Koreatown to food trucks serving burritos.

Getting Around and Best Time to Visit

The major airports in Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) have direct flights from Europe, and San Diego, San Jose, and Sacramento are served as well. Without a rental car, the state is hard to explore, though the Amtrak Coast Starlight train connects Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento with Seattle. The best time to visit depends on your destination: the coast is mild year-round, San Francisco is often sunniest in September and October, and desert areas are more pleasant in spring and fall than in the scorching summer. Many mountain roads in the Sierra Nevada, such as Tioga Pass, are usually closed from late fall to early summer.