This page is mostly for out-of-towners. The places listed below are some of the most popular for a side trip during a San Francisco vacation.
- Sacramento: The state capitol has an interesting Old Town and some great museums.
- Big Sur: Many of your iconic ideas of California probably came from pictures taken in Big Sur, with sweeping coastlines and towering trees.
- Monterey and Carmel: The peninsula's bookend towns couldn't be more different: a former cannery town and an upscale artists' enclave.
- Napa Valley: The Wine Country you've read about.
- Santa Cruz: There's the old-fashioned seaside amusement park and some great beaches in this little place.
- Sausalito: Just across the bay, with pleasant views and some nice art galleries. A ferry ride away from Fisherman's Wharf.
- Sonoma County: Less pretentious than Napa, with great scenery and friendly tasting rooms.
If you'd rather have someone take you out for a day trip than do it yourself, Viator.com offers a wide range of day trips to Wine Country, the Monterey Peninsula, Muir Woods, the Winchester Mystery House and even to Yosemite. For a more people-powered approach, try a bicycle tour from the Golden Gate Bridge to Mt. Tamalpais
A few San Francisco tour companies offer personalized, small group tours, which are the most enjoyable way to go. They include A Friend in Town and Blue Heron Tours.