Jen

We are planning a 7 day trip to California in early September (week after Labor Day). Our flight arrives on a Sat. in Oakland at 1:00 pm and departs the following Sat. from Oakland at 2:30 pm. We are already planning on spending 3 days in San Fransico and 2 days in Monterey/Carmel. Any suggestions with what do do with the remaining 2 days. Should we spend more time in Monterey Bay area? We would like to spend some time in Napa Valley but are unsure if that is do able. I appreciate any help.

kam

If you decide to go to the wine country, suggest you go after arrival in Oakland. Then come back to SF and then on to Monterey. You need to understand the geography in order for this to make sense to you. Make all reservations for hotels and meals immediately. This is a very popular weekend.

Leslie

I would do the coast on Highway one from SF to San Simeon and see Big Sur, Hearst Castle and spectacular views of the Pacific Coast, Sept/Oct is the best weather for a trip on the northern California coast.

David

I would spend the extra 2 days on the Central Coast from Monterey down to Big Sur and San Simeon (Hearst Castle www.hearst-castle.org) Make reservations for Hearst Castle ahead of time. Highway 1 north of Monterey is not nearly as scenic as from Monterey south. Your best bet would be to take 280 south toward San Jose and then 17 south to Santa Cruz and 1 south to the Monterey area.

J Correa

I agree with the suggestion to take the other couple days and drive down the coast. It's an incredibly beautiful drive. I would suggest driving down and Cambria or Morro Bay, stopping at various places on the Big Sur coast to check out the scenery, small beaches, and the Big Sur river area. Cambria is more artsy. Morro Bay is more of a beach town. So where you stay depends on what you like. The next day, drive back to Monterey, stopping at Hearst Castle along the way.

Nadine

Napa is definitely doable from San Francisco, but remember that Napa is up the coast, while Monterey and Carmel are down the coast a couple of hours. Don't know what you already have booked, but if you already planned on stayin gin SF and then going to Monterey with a couple of days to spare at the end, you will have a lot of driving in store for you getting back up to the Napa Valley. Monterey and Carmel might not even take 2 full days. You might want to think about keeping it at one night's stay and 2 days during the day (or more like a day and a half). DEFINITELY do drive down Highway 1 (coast highway) from SF to Monterey - it's breathtaking. I would say, though, that if you head all the way down to Hearst Castle and Morro Bay, keep track of how long it takes you to drive down there, and be prepared for something like a 7-hour drive on your way back up. Hope this helps. Have fun!

lawry

Just back from the same trip. Go to the wine valley and stay in yountville. Email me for any questions.