California is the most populous and richest state in the United States and the third in territorial extension. It has cities, large national parks, and a long coastline with some of the best beaches in the country for surfing and other water sports.
Although there are many, we want to share with you a selection of the 30 best tourist places in California, so that you are encouraged to discover the “Golden State” of the United States.
30 tourist places in California
Let’s start with a huge and spectacular natural park in California: Yosemite National Park.
1. Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places in California and the country, for its waterfalls, granite cliffs and diversity of flora and fauna in its various climatic floors, ranging from 600 to 4000 meters above sea level.
It is located in the Sierra Nevada, 320 km east of San Francisco, with an area of 3,081 km 2 . It was created in 1890 as the first national park established by the US federal government.
Geological activity and erosion created curiously shaped rock formations, such as the Lost Arrow and the Washington Column.
The park is crossed by the Tuolumne and Merced rivers, which flow down through deep canyons up to 1,200 meters deep, forming waterfalls and feeding hundreds of lakes.
The currents are mainly meltwater and the falls are visible in all their spectacularity, especially between April and June.
The rock formation of “El Capitan” is one of the national rock climbing sanctuaries, especially for its different degrees of difficulty. Other entertainments are hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, horseback riding, swimming, rafting, snowshoeing, ice skating, skiing and other winter sports.
The park is also home to 20% of California’s state flora biodiversity, including giant sequoias.
Take a look at this wonderful video documenting this famous place below:
2. Zuma Beach
Among the tourist places in California Los Angeles is Zuma Beach, a 6.4 km long beach perfect for surfing in Malibu.
Point Dume, an emblematic rocky promontory jutting out into the sea, is a magnificent natural vantage point to see Santa Catalina Island and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The wide sandbank is a frequent location for film and television filming and despite its large size and intense surf, it can get crowded on weekends.
Surfing is the main activity in Zuma Beach, where several tournaments are held annually. Kitesurfing and beach volleyball are also practiced.
Its sunsets are beautiful and the route from Los Angeles bordering the coast along the Pacific Coast Highway, spectacular.
Along the beach are more than a dozen 24-hour watchtowers, manned by lifeguards from the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Lifeguard Unit.
The name of Zuma comes from an annotation on a map of 1870.
Appreciate in the following video various images of this beautiful beach:
3. Napa Valley
The glamorous world of wine was shaken in 1976 at the so-called Tasting of Paris. Anglo-French, Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher, had a small wine shop that they gave a little publicity by organizing a blind tasting between French and Californian wines, to celebrate the bicentennial of American independence.
Promoters enlisted some of the nation’s finest palates, but it was unknown Napa Valley wines that stole the spotlight, humiliating the more famous Bordeaux and Burgundy labels, in an event that marked the breakout of the California wine industry.
Napa wines could have arrived much earlier, but the Prohibition era in the United States ruined the efforts of previous winemakers.
Today this upstate region is one of the top tourist spots in California, with hundreds of vintners and winemakers lining the 30-mile-long valley’s slopes with vines.
Among the vineyards and wineries there are picturesque towns, boutique hotels, spas and haute cuisine restaurants, which have created a tourist synergy around the history of wine, comfort, relaxation and good food.
Therefore, the Napa Valley is a perfect refuge for those seeking tranquility away from Californian and North American cities.
Here is an aerial video of this interesting place:
4. San Diego
If you are looking for California places to live, San Diego would be a great choice. A very well-endowed town of 1.42 million inhabitants, which offers the advantages of large cities for recreation, but without their size problems. The climate of the “Always Vigilante” is spring-like all year round, without harsh winters or excessively hot summers.
It is a vibrant, beautiful and bilingual English-Spanish city, due to its proximity to Mexico. San Diegans are laid back and outgoing, always willing to kindly assist the visitor.
San Diego is the American mecca for craft beers, with creations that surprise with their originality and flavor. A culturally dynamic city with places that contrast the traditional and the modern, such as the old town (Old Town) and the Seaport Village, a complex of shops and restaurants facing the bay of San Diego.
Balboa Park, the zoo, Sea World and the Safari Park are refuges of natural life in the urban center.
San Diego is also the main continental base of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet and one of its museums is the legendary aircraft carrier USS Midway.
Among the beaches, Coronado Island, Mission Beach and La Jolla Cove stand out.
Enjoy this beautiful view of San Diego documented in this video:
5. San Francisco Funicular
San Francisco California has iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, colorful Victorian-era houses, and Alcatraz Island with its former prison. However, no attraction in the city has more retro charm than the funicular, the only one left in the world among those manually operated.
San Francisco is known for its hills, with more than 50 within the city’s perimeter. Emulating Rome, it boasts of having been built on 7 hills, several of which gave their name to founding neighborhoods such as Nob Hill, Telegraph Hill and Russian Hill.
This topography was a problem for the horses that had to drag the city’s first trams up so many slopes, so in 1873 the first means of cabled rail transport was put to the test.
The funicular was inaugurated in 1878 and the system had 23 lines in operation. San Francisco’s cable car, today a picturesque and romantic tourist attraction, managed to withstand the arrival of electric cars in the early 1890s and the rise of the first bus lines in the 1920s.
In 1947 it was about to be eliminated, but an enraged citizenry prevented the disappearance of a symbol of the city. The funicular was declared a National Historical Heritage in 1964.
6. Lava Beds National Monument
One of the most surreal landscapes in California with cones, craters and more than 700 caverns formed by volcanic activity and lava flow. The inside of lava tubes can be very cold, even in summer.
Lava tubes are mysterious formations that kids love to explore, no caving experience necessary to do so. It is an excellent exercise in which you have to walk, crouch and sometimes crawl and slither like a snake, to get through narrow passages.
During the Modoc War of 1872-1873, also called the Lava Bed War, the warriors of the Modoc people held out for months against the US Army by hiding in the tubes.
This was the only conflict in the US Indian Wars in which native Californians clashed with the federal army, in defense of their territories.
Among the species of flora that live in the desert environment are sagebrush, mountain mahogany and western juniper, which give shelter to a fauna made up of rabbits, deer, pronghorn, bald eagles and other species that can be seen with the naked eye or with binoculars.
There are 24 open lava tubes for public exploration near the visitor center. They are classified according to difficulty.
7. Alcatraz Island and Prison
Alcatraz, better known as “The Rock”, is an islet in the middle of San Francisco Bay with a legendary history as a military fortification and home to the most famous prison in the United States.
The Mexican government of Alta California ceded the island to Julian Workman in 1846, on the condition that he build a lighthouse. Now, this guide is the oldest on the US West Coast that remains in operation.
After incorporating California into its territory in 1848, the US government acquired the islet and built the fortification that was used to imprison supporters of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.
Its role as a civilian prison began in 1934 hosting famous guests such as Al Capone and Robert Franklin Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz”.
Although the official version indicates that during the 29 years of operation no prisoner managed to escape, the escape of 3 inmates recreated in a film starring Clint Eastwood is famous. The escapees disappeared and are believed to have drowned in the bay.
Tour ferries depart for Alcatraz from Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco (Pier 33). Audio guides in Spanish are available for the regular cells, the punishment cells, the library, the dining room and the recreation yard of the famous prison.
Watch below a video flying over the magnificent Alcatraz prison:
8. Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles
The Griffith Observatory is in Griffith Park on the south side of Hollywood Mountain and is one of the most popular attractions in Los Angeles.
The park is a large green area frequented by Angelenos and tourists to stroll and breathe fresh air.
It was erected on land donated to the city by Colonel, industrialist, and philanthropist, Griffith Jenkins Griffith, who also left a sum of money for an observatory and park to be built.
The observatory was completed in 1935 and expanded and renovated in 2006. It was used during World War II to train fighter pilots and later Apollo astronauts in astronomical navigation. It exhibits a number of exhibits on science and the cosmos.
From this point you can see the city of Los Angeles in all its extension.
In the observatory area is the Samuel Oschin Planetarium with one of the best star projectors in the world. From it you can enjoy the view of the sky with amazing details, knowing some secrets of the cosmos.
From Griffith Park there are great views of the Hollywood Sign, where visitors take photos with this symbol of Los Angeles.
See below this video that shows this historic observatory in more detail:
9. Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles
The advertising sign of a real estate project would become the most recognized emblem of Los Angeles and its main presentation photo in international tourism.
Construction entrepreneur Hobart Johnstone Whitley, a Canadian from Toronto, honeymooned in California in the 1880s, but without losing sight of business. He bought land and invented a word that would make history: Hollywood.
To promote one of his real estate projects, HJ Whitley had the enormous sign made in 1923, “HOLLYWOODLAND”, with letters 15 meters high by 9 meters wide, which he climbed to the top on the back of a mule.
This would be the Hollywood Sign, pioneer of the iconic sign that represents the city. The sign was restored in 1978 and the height of the letters lowered to 13.7 meters.
The current notice that now only says Hollywood is protected by an intrusion detection system. It is on the southern part of Mount Lee and is an extension of Griffith Park.
The fame of the Hollywood Sign has made it one of the most common appearances in film and television, being imitated in several cities around the world. Its inventor, HJ Whitley, died in 1931 in Los Angeles and his mausoleum bears the inscription “The Father of Hollywood”.
Here is a video of this famous place:
10. Golden Gate Bridge
Traffic on the San Francisco Bay was so heavy in the mid-1920s that ferries were not enough to keep up with the demand. This is how in 1928 the construction of the Golden Gate was decided, one of the greatest engineering works of the time and an icon of the city of San Francisco and the United States.
The Great Depression broke out in 1929 and the bonds issued to finance the project did not find buyers, until in 1932 the Bank of America bought the balance of the subscription, which had not found placement.
Construction began in 1933 and 4 years later, specifically on May 27, thousands of Californian motorists crossed it for the first time.
The Golden Gates is of the hanging type and was a pioneer in the use of safety nets, which saved 19 workers who had fallen into the void in incidents. However, 11 workers died during construction, of which 10 perished when the network gave way during an accident.
The bridge has a total length of 2,737 meters, of which 1,970 correspond to the suspension structure. More than 100,000 cars circulate daily through its 6 lanes. The bridge is the only way out of San Francisco from the north.
Enjoy in the following video of incredible shots of this bridge:
11. Universal Studios, Los Angeles
Universal Studios Hollywood is the oldest theme park of the Universal Pictures film studio.
The park offers a tram tour of the 13-block, 16,000-square-meter studios , extreme thrills from a flash flood, and a violent earthquake that shakes visitors.
Another of the great attractions is the magical world of Harry Potter, where you will be one more student of the Hogwarts school of magic.
After passing through the imposing castle gates you will find yourself in the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom, the office of the mighty wizard and headmaster, Albus Dumbledore; and in the Gryffindor common room, home of Harry, Hermione and Ron.
After these fantastic tours you will be able to fly with the wizard above the castle grounds, in an incredible adventure that uses cutting-edge resources and technological magic. You can also ride through the pumpkin patch on the Hippogriff roller coaster.
Take a closer look at this fantastic park in the following video:
12. Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
This neighborhood of San Francisco is one of the main tourist attractions of the city. It is in the northern part of the bay, extending from Ghirardelli Plaza and Van Ness Avenue, to Kearny Street and Pier 35.
Among its attractions is the popular Pier 39 shopping center located on the piers, which houses restaurants, shops, street attractions, a marine mammal center and an aquarium. It is also possible to admire the sea lions that frolic and frolic on the docks.
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park takes a journey through the history of navigation, including interactive activities like boating and participating in a shipbuilding workshop.
Domenico Ghirardelli bought a block in 1893 to build the headquarters of the chocolate company of the same name. It is currently an emblematic place for restaurants, shops and a 5-star hotel.
Another Fisherman’s Wharf attraction is the Musée Mécanique, an interesting private collection of early 20th-century arcade machines and ingenious coin-operated mechanical devices.
In the neighborhood there are food stalls that offer clam chowder, fresh seafood and Dungeness crab, a rich crustacean for its tender and sweet meat.
13. Sequoia National Park
The giant sequoia is the largest plant organism in nature, reaching more than 100 meters in height and more than 10 meters in diameter in the trunk. It is also one of the longest-lived trees, being able to live between 2 and 3 thousand years.
The oldest known tree was estimated to be 3,200 years old by counting rings, which means that it was born when the Olmec civilization was beginning in Mexico.
The Sequoia National Park has an area of 1635 km 2 and was decreed in 1890, being the third oldest in the country. It is south of the Sierra Nevada and is known for its giant sequoia forest, which includes an 84-meter-high, 11-meter-diameter specimen called General Sherman.
This trunk of 1487 cubic meters represents the maximum volume among known trees. It was named in 1879 for the botanist, James Wolverton, who had served under General William Sherman.
The name “sequoia” is a tribute to the Cherokee Indian Sequoyah (1767-1843), inventor of the syllabary that served as the basis for the language of that nation of Native Americans.
The park is home to Mount Whitney at 4,418 meters above sea level, the highest peak in the United States, excluding Alaska.
See below this video documenting this wonderful park:
14. Hollywood Walk of Fame
Sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in the Los Angeles district of Hollywood, visited by thousands of celebrity fans who have their star on the pavement.
There are more than 2,000 5-pointed stars with the names of famous people who have contributed to the development of music, theater, radio, cinema and television.
Each of the stars bears the name engraved in bronze of the honored celebrity and a symbol alluding to the entertainment sector in which he excelled.
The symbols are a movie camera for movie people, a television set for TV stars, a gramophone for musicians, a microphone for radio broadcasters, and a tragicomic mask for theater personalities.
The tribute was created in 1958 by artist Oliver Weismuller. People who deserve a star are chosen by the Walk of Fame Committee, a commission appointed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
The Mexican figures with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are Cantinflas, Dolores del Río, Pedro Infante, Lupe Vélez, Antonio Aguilar, José José, Juan Gabriel, Vicente Fernández, Carlos Santana, Luis Miguel, Alejandro Fernández, Thalía, Selena , Pepe Aguilar, Eugenio Derbez, Guillermo del Toro, Maná and Los Tigres del Norte.
15. Joshua Tree National Park
The Joshua tree is a species from the Mojave Desert in the states of California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada and from the desert areas of northern Mexico. It only grows 1-2 cm a year and as the trunk lacks concentric rings it is difficult to estimate its age.
Its roots are shallow, so trees that are not well established tend to collapse. When conditions allow it to bloom, it puts on a pretty spring outfit of yellowish-white flowers.
The largest concentration of specimens is found in the Joshua Tree National Park (California), where some are known to have reached 13 meters in height and more than 200 years of age.
Its biblical name is believed to have been given by Mormons for whom its outstretched branches reminded them of the upraised arms of the patriarch Joshua, imploring God’s help.
Joshua Tree National Park is one of the tourist places in California where you can enjoy outdoor entertainment, such as hiking, trekking, mountain biking and camping, with a diverse fauna headed by more than 250 species of birds.
16. Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle was built in stages between 1919 and 1947 by the tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, to spend time with his mistress, actress Marion Davies, and Patricia, the couple’s alleged daughter who was introduced as Davies’s niece. Hearst did not enjoy it for long because he died in 1951 after being ill for 4 years.
The structure sits on a hill overlooking the ocean in San Luis Obispo County, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In 1957 it was donated by the Hearst Corporation to the state of California and in 1972 added to the National Register of Historic Places.
It has more than 8,300 m 2 and has 4 buildings (Casa Grande, Casa del Monte, Casa del Mar and Casa del Sol), with a total of 58 bedrooms, 18 living rooms, 60 bathrooms and 41 fireplaces. In addition, it has a theater, a library, a beauty salon, a kitchen and staff quarters.
Exterior and interior gardens, sculptures, outdoor pool with oil heating system, indoor pool, airfield, tennis courts and the largest private zoo in the world with lions, zebras and polar bears, completed the endowment of the sumptuous mansion.
The castle is open to the public. It exhibits artistic and decorative pieces, some part of the Hearst painting collection, statues, tapestries and Roman mosaics.
Here is a video with an aerial view of this majestic castle:
https://youtu.be/TaA2hDKen-E
17. Santa Catalina Island
Rocky island of 194 km 2 in the California Channel, 47 km from Long Beach. It is known for its wonderful aquatic landscapes for diving, its wildlife and Mount Orizaba, which with 648 meters of altitude is its natural viewpoint and highest elevation.
Its largest and almost unique town is Avalon, a population of 3,200 inhabitants who live in houses with a traditional architectural style, the closer they are to the sea, the older they are.
The island enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean climate without extreme heat or cold. Transportation from the California mainland is by boat departing from Long Beach, Newport, San Pedro, Marina del Rey, and other locations.
Avalon’s main beach is Descanso Beach, a water sports center. This, like the others on the island, has white sand and crystal clear waters.
Avalon’s Catalina Casino has never been a place for gambling. It has a movie theater, a museum and a dance hall.
To the north of the island is the small community of Two Harbors, which is the other populated center. There you can enjoy mountain biking, kayaking, snorkeling, diving and paddle.
Enjoy these aerial shots of this beautiful island in the following video:
18. RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach
The RMS Queen Mary was a luxurious British ocean liner that sailed the ocean between 1936 and 1967, built by the Cunard White Star Line, first a rival and then an associate of the White Star Line company, world famous for the sinking of the Titanic.
From its launch until 1952, the Queen Mary held the Blue Flag that identified her as the ship that made the fastest crossing of the Atlantic.
During World War II it was converted to transport troops, being used again for civil activity after the armed conflict.
Since the 1960s, it began operating at a loss due to the rise of commercial aviation between Europe and the United States. Only 7 years later, it made its last crossing between Southampton and Long Beach, a Californian town where it was anchored and converted into a floating hotel and museum.
The Queen Mary is a 3-star complex with 346 cabins and 9 first-class suites, which remain original as when the ocean liner was in operation. It features the art deco decor and works of art that made it famous.
Its fame is also due to alleged paranormal phenomena that caused it to be designated as an “enchanted ship”.
Observe below different points of view of this ship:
19. Kings Canyon National Park
It is located east of Fresno, in the southern part of the Sierra Nevada, established in 1940 with an area of 187 thousand hectares. It includes the territory of the old General Grant National Park created in 1890 to protect a forest of redwoods, especially General Grant, a specimen 81.5 meters high and 8.8 meters in diameter.
This is the second largest tree in the world after General Sherman, whose age is estimated at 1650 years, so when he was born the Roman Empire still existed.
It is bordered to the south by Sequoia National Park and the two protected areas are managed jointly.
The Cañón de los Reyes National Park is home to the largest natural grove of giant sequoias preserved on the planet, with more than 15,000 specimens that exceed 30 meters in height.
The Cañón de los Reyes, which gives its name to the park, is 2,500 meters deep, being one of the deepest in the country. It was formed by the abrasion on the granitic crust of large glacial masses in decline.
In the park there are several camps located in groves between 640 and 2300 meters of altitude. Grant Grove, Dorst, Lodgepole and Atwell Mill campgrounds are located near giant sequoia groves.
20. Chinatown, San Francisco
San Francisco’s Chinatown is the most important in the world and one of the main tourist attractions in the city. It is home to the largest Chinese community outside of Asia and is the largest in North America.
It is located in the center of San Francisco in a space 1.6 km long and 2.1 km wide, between Montgomery Street, Columbus Avenue, the financial district and Union Street and North Beach.
It has 2 major thoroughfares, Grant Avenue and Stockton Street. The first of these is the most frequented by tourists with its Dragon Gate, one of the most photographed sites in the neighborhood.
Stockton Street is less crowded. Its atmosphere with typical restaurants, fish markets and traditional shops, is more authentically Chinese.
In the labyrinth of alleys of Chinatown you can find the exotic items associated with that ancient culture, including herbalists of ancient traditional Chinese medicine and Cantonese dim sum restaurants.
In Portsmouth Square it is common to see people doing tai chi and playing Chinese chess. There is a replica of the Goddess of Democracy and Freedom, a statue erected by Tiananmen students in 1989 and destroyed by the Chinese army that brutally suppressed the protests.
Appreciate this short video with a mini tour of Chinatown:
21. Legoland California
The theme parks of the famous Danish company of construction toys with plastic blocks, became attractions loved by children.
The Legoland California park, in the city of Carlsbad, San Diego County, opened in 1999 and was the third in the world.
It includes attractions like Dino Island, Explore Village and Fun Town. In the first of these there is a small roller coaster that revolves around lego dinosaurs. Explore Village has fairytale-inspired Lego sculptures and offers interactive water experiences.
In Fun Town there are driving schools to learn how to drive electric Lego cars and a Lego boat sailing school.
The medieval castle Castle Hill has a roller coaster called The Dragon and you can gallop a robot horse; Miniland USA is an attraction that recreates various places in the United States reproduced with tens of millions of Lego pieces, places such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Washington, DC, Southern California, Florida and Mount Rushmore.
The LEGOLAND® California Resort and Castle Hotel is a 4-star establishment in the park area, with rooms themed around pirates, adventures, knights, and dragons. It has an outdoor pool and a fitness center.
Here is an aerial tour of the facilities of this fun park:
22. Royal Presidio of San Francisco
Former military post built by the Spanish in the 18th century that passed to Mexican control after independence and to US hands in 1847 after the Mexican-American War.
It maintained its strictly military status until 1994 when a mixed phase began in which the National Park Service manages its recreation areas. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962.
The 1,500-acre park is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It has large, lush wooded areas, hills, miles of trails, viewpoints, a brick fort, a golf course, and the Walt Disney Family Museum. From the Presidio Real there are spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.
The museum has an exhibition on the life and work of Walt Disney, managed by a foundation created by the heirs of the famous animation character.
The exhibit features early cartoons, music, movies, a 12-foot-diameter model of Disneyland, and Walt Disney’s 248 career awards, including Oscars and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
There’s also a digital theater inspired by the animated film Fantasia and pieces related to the Disney-built Carolwood Pacific miniature railroad.
23. Monterey Bay Aquarium
Aquarium of the Californian city of Monterrey where sea water circulates from the Bay of Monterrey, through a system of pumps and pipes.
Bring together all the amazing creatures of the ocean in exhibits like Bay Life, Open Sea, Rocky Shore, Kelp Forest, Mission to the Deep, Tentacles, Giant Pacific Octopus, Viva Baja! Vidal al Limite, Monterey Bay Habitats, Sea Otters, Sandy Shore and Aviary and Splash Zone and Penguins.
The aquarium sits on the edge of Monterey Bay. Its ocean view decks overlook spectacular views of wildlife, including humpback whales and sea otters.
The exhibition, “Mission to the Deep”, provides a virtual immersion in a 360-degree video projection to discover a fantastic underwater world; Long live Baja! Vidal al Limite is a special exhibition about the fascinating creatures of the sea and coast of the Baja California peninsula.
Tentacles is the largest living exhibit ever mounted on the tentacular species, masters of concealment, rapid change, and underwater magic; Giant Pacific Octopus is dedicated to these intelligent and genius cephalopods, artists of disguise and skilled contortionists.
Leopard sharks, sardines, wolf eels and other extraordinary animals circulate through the Kelp Forest.
Look at these wonderful views taken of this bay:
24. Pinnacles National Park
Park of 107 km 2 in the Valle de las Salinas, in the counties of Monterrey and San Benito, in the central sector of California.
It was created to protect the eroded mountains with the appearance of pinnacles, formed by an extinct volcano that moved more than 300 km from its initial position, on the San Andreas Fault.
The natural environment is of spectral beauty with high rocky walls that attract climbers and abseilers and several caverns that are explored by cavers and life-watchers to see the more than 12 species of bats that inhabit in the caves.
The park’s outer wilderness is home to numerous Mexican falcons and captive-bred California condors have been introduced.
The first protection of the area came in 1908 when President Theodore Roosevelt created the Pinnacles National Monument. The national park was decreed by Barak Obama in 2013.
Hiking is popular here with dozens of trails for walking, running and petting, 13 of them ranging from less than 2 km to more than 19 km, at altitudes from 300 to more than 1000 meters above sea level. . Hiking and camping are other entertainments.
25.Anaheim
Its Disney theme parks, its MLB baseball team and the proximity of Los Angeles and San Diego have made the city of Anaheim one of the most important tourist places in California.
It is located in Orange County, 42 km southeast of Los Angeles. Walt Disney put it on the national and world tourist map when he chose it in the 1950s to build his first theme park.
Disneyland Park, opened in 1955, continues to attract tourists with its iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle, for which the producer drew inspiration from the Bavarian Neuschwanstein Castle.
Near the park is the Disneyland Hotel with its themed buildings, rooms, and pools.
Annexed to Disneyland Park is the Disney California Adventure Park built as an extension of the pioneer park, with fantastic attractions inspired by Californian culture.
The major baseball team, the Los Angeles Angels, based at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, is one of the most popular in the MLB. In 2002, he won his first American League and World Series championships.
Other city attractions include the Anaheim GardenWalk shopping and entertainment center, Ciudad Aventura amusement park, the Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln Opera House, and Ralph B. Clark Regional Park.
Enjoy this tour throughout this tourist city:
26.Beverly Hills
The city of the rich and famous is another tourist stop in California with its grand mansions, iconic streets and avenues, parks, gardens, and museums.
Rodeo Drive is a 3-block walk with the most expensive and exclusive stores in the world, with houses like Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Ricci, Armani, Versace, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Valentino, Ralph Lauren and other iconic fashion names.
One of the emblematic mansions of Beverly Hills is Greystone Mansion, a mansion on a landscaped estate built in the Tudor style and opened in 1928. It was built by the oil millionaire, Edward L. Doheny, and is currently a public park, the location of filming of film and television and a venue for events such as the Beverly Hills Flower and Garden Festival.
The Beverly Gardens Park is a public space in a sector of the old Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas. It spans 22 blocks along Santa Monica Boulevard, housing century-old cypresses and other trees, grassy areas, gardens, sculptures, walking trails, and the Beverly Hills sign.
On Melrose Avenue is the famous Melrose District and the headquarters of the Paramount Pictures corporation.
The beautiful Virginia Robinson Gardens are made up of a historic mansion, a landscape work and a botanical garden, on an estate of more than 24,000 m 2 .
Here is a video documenting the surroundings of Beverly Hills:
27. Holy Cross
The capital of the county of the same name is a small city of 50 thousand inhabitants and one of the tourist places in California where it seems that it is spring in the middle of summer, with its moderate Mediterranean climate, bohemian atmosphere, its fantastic beaches for surfing and its style. liberal life.
It is located 120 km south of San Francisco, on the north side of Monterey Bay.
The mildness of its climate and the beauty of the surroundings must have pleased the Spanish missionaries, who founded the Mission of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in 1791.
One of its iconic beaches is that of the Natural Bridges. They were 3 arches carved by the ocean and the elements in the cliffs that protruded from the sea. There remains an arch that is subject to rigorous protection to prevent it from collapsing.
The Santa Cruz Surf Museum was established in 1986, being the first of its kind in the world. It also documents the history of this sport in the United States.
The Santa Cruz Pier, built in 1914, is another emblematic place in the town. It has a length of 836.7 meters, being the longest on the west coast of the US with restaurants, nightlife venues, shops and boats for fishing excursions. It is a good point to observe sea lions.
Here is a video showing you this beautiful place in more detail:
28. Sacrament
A tour of California would not be complete without visiting its historic capital, Sacramento, a small but essential city to fully understand Californian culture.
It was founded in 1848 on the grounds of the large Sutter’s Mill ranch, owned by Swiss-born pioneer John Sutter, who also owned the Coloma estate where the first discovery was made that triggered the California Gold Rush in the 19th century. .
Sutter founded Sacramento on his ranch a year after the legendary economic and social phenomenon began, which lasted until 1855 and filled California with immigrants who went in search of the precious metal.
Sacramento harmonizes historic attractions like the California State Capitol with its modern buildings, parks and museums. It is the symbol of the city, a beautiful neoclassical building completed in 1874, very similar to the national capitol in Washington, DC, with a huge dome 67 meters high. Inside, the sculptural group of Isabella the Catholic and Christopher Columbus stands out.
The city’s museum venues include the California State Railroad Museum, the Crocker Art Museum, the Sacramento Museum of History, the California Automobile Museum and the California Museum.
Major parks and public spaces include Fort Sutter Historic Park, Sacramento Zoo, and McKinley Park.
Take a look at a fantastic view of Sacramento in the following video:
29. San Jose
It is the largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the capital of Santa Clara County. It was the first Spanish town in California when it was founded in 1777 as San José de Guadalupe, whose original purpose was to supply the presidios of San Francisco and Monterrey with agricultural products for consumption.
FBI statistics identify San José as the safest city with more than 500,000 inhabitants in the US It is famous for its flea market, the largest in North America with more than 4 million visits a year.
The San José Municipal Rose Garden is the largest in California and one of the most spectacular in the country, with more than 4,000 rose bushes of more than 180 different varieties.
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph was built in the 1870s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Lick Astronomical Observatory, on top of Mount Hamilton, near San José, was inaugurated in 1888 and was the most powerful in the world for 9 years. It helped the astronomer, Edward Emerson Barnard, discover Amalthea, Jupiter’s third moon, and the craters on Mars, although he did not dare publicize this latest discovery for fear of ridicule.
See below different shots of this busy city:
30. Dunsmuir
California also has beautiful traditional towns far removed from Silicon Valley’s frantic search for new technologies and the shooting of hundreds of movies and television series in Los Angeles studios.
One of these is Dunsmuir, a town of 1,700 inhabitants in the extreme north of California, in Siskiyou County, on the border with Oregon, with lots of blue skies, fresh water, trout and snow-capped mountains.
The town is “watched over” by Mount Shasta, the highest free-standing volcano in North America with its snow-capped peak at 4,322 meters above sea level.
Dunsmuir is nestled in a canyon near the base of the towering stratovolcano and minutes from Castle Crags, a wildly beautiful park perfect for walking, exploring and fishing.
The town is crossed by the Upper Sacramento River, which drags world-class trout and forms pools of refreshing waters to calm the summer heat.
Enjoy this video that documents this peculiar locality more closely:
California tourist map
What to do in Southern California
Apart from Los Angeles and San Diego, there are other charming towns in Southern California such as Riverside, Long Beach and Huntington Beach.
The first of these has attractions like the California Citrus State Historic Park, the University of California Botanical Garden, and the March Field Air Museum.
In Long Beach are the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Museum of Latin American Art and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.
In Huntington Beach you must know the beach of the same name, its picturesque pier and the state beach Bolsa Chica.
California beaches
The beaches of La Jolla, in San Diego County, offer inviting coves and tide pools.
Santa Monica Beach is one of the most popular in California with its long, fine-grained sand and historic 1909 pier, aquarium, and amusement park.
The beaches of Isla Coronado are characterized by their crystal clear waters and their comfortable hotels at the foot of the sand.
Baker Beach is a beach near the Golden Gate where pets are allowed.
Parks in California
California has many national parks such as Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Pinnacles National Park, and Kings Canyon National Park.
When it comes to theme parks, the city of Anaheim is home to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park.
Universal Studios in Los Angeles, Seaworld in San Diego, Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park and Legoland California in Carlsbad are other fabulous Californian theme parks.
Tourist Places in California: San Bernardino National Forest
This forest near Los Angeles is a place that has not yet been discovered by mass tourism. A great recreational destination in winter and summer for its ski slopes and lakes surrounded by trees. It is 40 km from San Bernardino, a city 98 km east of Los Angeles.
In the town there are other attractions such as the Glen Helen Regional Park and the McDonald’s Museum, the first restaurant of the famous food chain opened by the McDonald brothers in San Bernardino.
What do you think of this list with the best tourist places in California? Would you include any places?
We invite you to share this article so that your friends on social networks also know the best places to visit in California.
See also:
- Click to learn about the 24 best National Parks in the United States that you must visit
- Read here our guide on the 28 best tourist places in the United States to visit
- We leave you here the 12 best things to do and see in Big Bear
