Lonely Planet Regional Guide California Trips

By Ryan Ver Berkmoes and Lonely Planet

Book Overview

68 of the Region's Best Trips! Whether you're a local looking for a long weekend escape, a visitor looking to explore or you simply need some ideas when family and friends come to visit, Lonely... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1741797276
• ISBN13: 9781741797275
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Length: 424 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Going to California -- Don't Forget Lonely Planet

The Lonely Planet Trip books are excellent companions if you're going on a driving vacation. They may not contain all the information you may want about a place, but then again, they're not designed to do that. They are trip guides, but not quite travel guides. You won't get a list of the finer museums along you're route, but you will get info on the best way to get where you're going in the book covered and you'll get the highlights. Each Trip book has little side tours you can take along the way and they do give you a brief history, not too detailed, but enough so you'll know a bit about each side trip. The maps are easy to understand and that's good for a person like me who does not have an onboard GPS. Yes, I still travel with guide books, maps and an atlas. And, of course, with Lonely Planet Trip books. I have nine of them, have used seven of them and plan on using the other two, but we've yet to get to the area they cover in our car. However, when we do, you can bet that we won't be forgetting them. Reviewed by Vesta Irene

Not the Guidebook for Your Average Tourist...but that makes it great!

This is not your Momma's Fodor's or your Daddy's Frommer's. For those who are not familiar with the publisher, Lonely Planet has a different take on the travel business. For those in the market for traditional guidebooks, this quirky take on a guide for a "stranger in a strange land" will likely prove disappointing. For those looking for a new twist on a state full of surprises, there's a lot to like. The book, as Lonely Planet itself describes it, is "68 of the best trips for spa seekers, beach bums, wilderness hikers, celebrity spotters, family road trippers, city hipsters, and heritage lovers. Our trips range from San Francisco alleys to lost deserts, from Hollywood glitz to Highway 1 bliss. You can find a burrito, hang ten, run a river, ride Amtrak, and maybe even discover gold." Mixed in the book are eco-friendly and sustainable options for restaurants and hotels, and Lonely Planet makes it all easier to seek out by providing a "Greendex," in addition to the regular index. Trips are divided by themes (iconic trips, routes, food and drink, outdoors, history and culture, offbeat, cities, and day trips), as well as by region and season. The book is best used as a source of inspiration for laid back travelers, who are looking for new sights to explore. It also works well as a supplement to a more traditional guidebook for those planning longer stays. "California Trips" instead offers burrito quests and swimming holes, literary trails like Steinbeck country or routes for earthquake faults, suggestions for great theme park rides or an afternoon on the Central Coast looking for a great pinot noir. It's the special stuff that California is famous for, but gets sidelined for more traditional "must see" lists by other guidebooks. The book would best serve someone who lives in the state or makes frequent visits. Perfect for weekend trips, perfect for travelers familiar with the state who would like to seek out something new on the next visit. For those (like me) who don't want or need a guidebook running down the top 100 hotels and motels in San Diego, but would be interested in locating a great new restaurant in the LA area serving organic produce or interesting Beat hangouts in the Bay Area, this is the book. It's fun, informative, and the kind of book to enjoy browsing through as you plan your next exciting adventure to the Golden State.

Wonderfully Accurate

Being from California, I was curious to see how accurate some of the remarks were. The one's for area are right on. In fact, the areas they suggest visiting are the ones we regularly visit and take our guests. I look forward to finding more amazing finds in our backyard.

Well worth the price whether you are visiting CA or even better if you live in CA

Lonely Planet's California Trips is a guide filled with a plethora of useful tips. I feel it is well worth the price whether you are visiting CA or even better if you live in CA. I am born and raised in CA and found some very interesting and helpful advice on places that I have been to and places I didn't even know existed. Because this book focuses on one state it is a lot more detailed than other Lonely Planet guides. This book has a total of 68 road trips you can take in CA and they vary from 5-7 days to 2 days in length. However, the 48 hours trips look pretty hectic and I really don't think you can enjoy the spots listed to their fullest in that short a time. The Academy of Sciences in S.F., itself is a good 4-5 hours if you haven't been there before. In fact, for many of the trips you might want to add an extra day or 2 for rests and to explore certain stops at a more leisurely pace. Especially the nature or outdoor trips. There is something for everyone in this book. And I think this is because true experts in each area we asked their opinions on places to visit in CA. The trips includes: iconic trips (Missions, Beaches), food and drink (local wineries and Alice Waters Tour), Outdoors (Yosemite, Tahoe, and the Redwoods), history/culture (Hearst Castle, John Steinbeck), City Tours (S.F and L.A) and Day Trips ( San Diego, Catalina, Santa Monica Mountains, Pasadena etc.) There are plenty of things to do in this book and I will be using this guide for many years to come. With the tougher economic times short road trips close to home are becoming more popular. And this book is especially great if you live in CA and want to explore new places that are just as exciting as other areas and way less expensive to travel to. Plus it is surprisingly tiny so it is very portable.

California Trips - Not your usual travel guide!

Born on the East Coast and currently living in the Midwest, I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the West Coast, yet. Consequently, one of the top items on my bucket list is to see the Redwoods in California. Since my son just moved to LA in January, I decided this might be the year that I finally make the trip! My goal was to fly out to northern California and then drive down the coast to visit my son in LA. Then, I got this book, California Trips from Lonely Planet! Wow! I had no idea there was so much to do in California! What I like about this book is that the trips are arranged by themes. For example, there is a 4-5 day trip that takes you to the best beaches in California, a 4-day trip to 21 historic missions, a 2-3 day trip through Steinbeck country, and a 4-day trip to dine on Ethnic foods! Each of the 68 trips include information on how long the trip should take, best time to go, what to see there, where to eat, where to stay, and links to additional information. For example, the Redwoods & Radicals tour includes a visit to a 14,000 acre forest of trees over 1000 years old and 300 ft tall; dining suggestions at organic or home cooking cafés; a drive through the Avenue of the Giants - 32 miles of the biggest tree ever; a tour of a lumber company museum; and a look at the hippie culture! Around LA, there are several different themed trips. There is one that can take you to where the celebrities hang out, a 2-day trip through TV land; a 2-day trip through Southern California's mountains and deserts; a trip down Route 66; and a 5-6 day trip through theme parks. This is just a few of them. I could spend weeks just in LA! I love this guide because it's fun! It's presents similar information as other travel guides, but the themed organization makes it easier to find the places and activities that interest me. If I want to learn about American authors, I can go on a literary trip. If I want to learn about volcanos or earthquakes, there are trips for that! There's even a trip for Hitchcock fans! My biggest problem now? My son is visiting and is threatening to take book back with him to LA! I might have to buy another copy!