Weekend Getaways and Day Trips in California

California Weekend Getaways by Starting City

Californians love to travel, and we love to visit each other. In fact, more Californians visit our top tourist destinations than people from any other place. To help you make the most of your getaways if you have only a short time off, we've compiled a selection of California weekend getaways (three hours driving or less) from our biggest cities. If you're looking for something special or are willing to travel farther from home, browse all California weekend getaways, A to Z.

Our California weekend getaway pages are set up to make your job easy. We tell you where to stay, when to go, give you a short list of the best things to do and often include the best place in town for Sunday brunch. It's all designed to make your California weekend getaway as carefree as possible.

Weekend Getaways in California

Choose the city or area you will start your California weekend getaway from:

• Getaways from the San Joaquin Valley (Fresno and Bakersfield)
• Getaways from Lake Tahoe and Reno
• Getaways from Los Angeles, Orange County and the Metro Area
• Getaways from Sacramento - Stockton - Merced
• Getaways from San Diego
• Getaways from the San Francisco Bay Area

If you're short on cash but long on need for a getaway, even if it's only for a weekend, don't let it stop you. We'll teach you how to plan an inexpensive California weekend getaway.

Day Trips

If your free time is too limited for weekend getaways, try a day trip instead. Day trips are less than 2 hours away, places you can go to and get back from in one day, but many of them are also fun California weekend getaways. Just click on the link below for the city you're day-tripping from:

• Los Angeles Day Trips
• San Diego Day Trips
• San Francisco Day Trips

Tell Us More About Your Getaways

The more you tell us, the better we can do to help you plan excellent getaways.

What do you like to do on a weekend getaway?

As little as possible | Romantic stuff | Shop | Spa/massage | Theatre, museums, concerts | Enjoy good food, wine tasting | Golf | Hike | Outdoor activities | General sightseeing
See what others do.

How far in advance do you start planning your weekend getaway?

One week or less | 1 to 2 weeks | 3 weeks to a month | More than a month
See how far in advance others plan.

How often do you go on a weekend getaway?

Once a month | Once every couple of months | 3 to 4 times per year | 1 to 2 times per year | Once a year | Once in a blue moon
See how often others go.

When you go on a weekend getaway, how do you get there?

Drive in my own car | Drive a rented car | Fly | Fly and drive | Other (train, bus)
Take a look how others get there.

How long do you usually travel for your weekend getaway?

One hour or less | 1 to 2 hours | 2 to 3 hours | 3 to 4 hours
Take a look at what others do.