Self-Launched Best of California: San Francisco to Los Angeles (9 Days)
9 days · California, USA
Insight Vacations charges £3,150
No-markup version: ~£835 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of Insight Vacations' "Best of California" — same loop from San Francisco through Yosemite, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, but done on public transport, hostels and budget motels, and self-booked tours. You'll ride the Powell-Hyde cable car, walk the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, take the Yosemite Area Regional Transit (YARTS) bus into the valley, drive the 17-Mile Drive, wine taste in Paso Robles, and finish with Hollywood, Venice Beach and a Downtown LA film-palace tour. Costs are rough backpacker/budget-traveller estimates — book Amtrak and YARTS early to keep them low.
Day-by-day
Arrive San Francisco — Union Square & North Beach
San Francisco
Land at SFO and take BART ($10/£8) into the city, around 30 minutes to Powell Street. Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Union Square or in the Tenderloin/Nob Hill fringe. Skip the tour's welcome dinner with wine and instead do a self-guided wander: Chinatown's Grant Avenue, a cheap dim sum or Mission-style burrito, and an evening stroll down to the Embarcadero for the Bay Bridge lights. Grab a Clipper card from a Walgreens or BART machine — you'll use it all week.
🚌BART from SFO to Powell Street, ~£8
🛏Hostel dorm near Union Square (£45-55/night) or private room in a budget hotel (£75-95)
- →BART into the city and Clipper card setup
- →Chinatown and North Beach evening wander
Cable Cars, Golden Gate & Sausalito
San Francisco
Do the tour's day two under your own steam. Ride the Powell-Hyde cable car ($8 single) from Union Square out to Fisherman's Wharf — the Cable Car Museum at Washington/Mason is free and worth 20 minutes. Bus #28 or a walk through the Presidio gets you to the Golden Gate Bridge; walk the 1.7 mile span (free) and continue down into Sausalito for lunch on the waterfront. Take the Golden Gate Ferry back to the Ferry Building (~$14/£11) — it passes close to Alcatraz for photos. Book the bridge/ferry combo as a GetYourGuide walking option if you'd rather have a guide (~£30).
🚌Cable car $8 (£6), Muni bus £2, Golden Gate Ferry ~£11
🛏Same San Francisco hostel/budget hotel
- →Powell-Hyde cable car ride
- →Free Cable Car Museum
- →Golden Gate Bridge walk to Sausalito
- →Golden Gate Ferry back to the Ferry Building
Into Yosemite Valley
Yosemite National Park
Take the early morning YARTS bus (Yosemite Area Regional Transit) from San Francisco's Hyatt Regency or Embarcadero, roughly $50-60 (£45) one way, about 5.5-6 hours into Yosemite Valley. Book a bed in a valley or El Portal hostel/cabin well ahead — Yosemite lodging is the single biggest cost driver here. This afternoon walk the Valley Loop to Yosemite Falls and Sentinel Bridge for Half Dome views. The park's free Valley Shuttle covers most trailheads, so no car needed. Park entry is $35 per vehicle / $20 per person on foot or bus — pay it as part of your YARTS ticket or at the gate.
🚌YARTS bus SF to Yosemite Valley, ~£45 one way
🛏Yosemite Valley/El Portal hostel or cabin bed (£60-90/night — book months ahead)
- →Yosemite Falls and Valley Loop walk
- →Sentinel Bridge Half Dome viewpoint
- →Free park shuttle
Yosemite morning, then down to Merced and Monterey
Monterey
Get up early for the free ranger-led valley floor walk or a self-guided hike to Mirror Lake, then take the YARTS bus out of the valley to Merced (about $15/£12). From Merced catch Amtrak's San Joaquins to Salinas (roughly $20-25/£20, about 2 hours) — the ride through the San Joaquin Valley passes the fruit stands and agricultural land the coach tour stops at, so grab produce at a Merced farm stand before you go. From Salinas take Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) bus #20 to Monterey (~$4/£3). Check into a hostel or motel near Cannery Row and walk the waterfront in the evening.
🚌YARTS to Merced £12, Amtrak San Joaquins to Salinas £20, MST bus to Monterey £3
🛏Monterey hostel or budget motel (£65-90/night)
- →Mirror Lake or ranger walk in Yosemite
- →Merced farm stand stop
- →Cannery Row evening walk
17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach & Carmel-by-the-Sea
Monterey
Rent a bike or e-bike (£20-25/day) and ride the coastal recreation trail and 17-Mile Drive through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach — the $11.75 gate fee applies to bikes too, and the coast road passes Seal and Bird Rocks and the Lone Cypress. Alternatively take the free-ish MST bus #1/$2 to Pacific Grove and hike the shoreline. Spend the afternoon in Carmel-by-the-Sea: the white-sand beach, Ocean Avenue galleries and a cheap taco or bakery lunch. Have dinner in Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf or on Alvarado Street instead of the tour's dine-around.
🚌Bike rental ~£22 or MST bus fares ~£3
🛏Same Monterey hostel/motel
- →17-Mile Drive by bike
- →Seal and Bird Rocks
- →Lone Cypress viewpoint
- →Carmel-by-the-Sea beach and Ocean Avenue
Big Sur coast and on to Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara
This is the day the coach tours often miss — do it properly on your own wheels. Take the MST bus to Carmel or rent a car for the day in Monterey (£35-50 with insurance) and drive Highway 1 south through Big Sur: Bixby Bridge, Pfeiffer Beach, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and the McWay Falls overlook. Drop the car in San Luis Obispo or continue to Paso Robles for a self-booked tasting at one of the downtown tasting rooms or a winery (tastings $20-30/£17-24, book direct or via GetYourGuide). Then take Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo or Paso Robles to Santa Barbara (~$35/£28, about 2.5-3 hours). Check into a hostel near State Street.
🚌Rental car day ~£45 shared, Amtrak Pacific Surfliner ~£28
🛏Santa Barbara hostel or budget motel (£70-95/night)
- →Highway 1 / Big Sur drive
- →Bixby Bridge and McWay Falls
- →Paso Robles wine tasting
- →Evening State Street walk
Santa Barbara to Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Morning at the Spanish-Colonial County Courthouse (free rooftop views) and Mission Santa Barbara ($5-10 donation), then a coffee on State Street. Take the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles Union Station (~$28/£23, about 2h45). Check into a hostel in Hollywood or Downtown, then take the Metro B Line to Hollywood and Highland for the Walk of Fame, TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt and a view up to the Hollywood sign. Book a Venice Beach and canals walking tour on GetYourGuide for tomorrow or do it self-guided with the Metro E Line to Downtown Santa Monica.
🚌Amtrak Pacific Surfliner ~£23, LA Metro day pass £6
🛏LA hostel dorm in Hollywood or Downtown (£40-55/night)
- →Santa Barbara County Courthouse
- →Mission Santa Barbara
- →Hollywood Walk of Fame
- →TCL Chinese Theatre
Venice Beach, Downtown LA & a film palace
Los Angeles
Metro E Line to Downtown Santa Monica, then walk or bike the beach path to Venice Beach — Muscle Beach, the boardwalk, and the Venice Canals. Head back downtown by Metro for the historic core: ride Angel's Flight railway ($1), see the Bradbury Building lobby (free) and take the Los Angeles Theatre or Broadway theatre district tour (book via the LA Conservancy, ~$15-20/£16). Choose your museum — the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (~$25) or the Petersen Automotive Museum (~$21). Finish with tacos or a casual dinner in Grand Central Market instead of the steakhouse celebration dinner.
🚌Metro day pass £6
🛏Same LA hostel
- →Venice Beach and Muscle Beach
- →Venice Canals walk
- →Angel's Flight railway
- →LA Conservancy Broadway theatre tour
- →Academy Museum or Petersen Automotive Museum
Depart Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Last morning for a Griffith Observatory hike (free, great sign views) or a coffee near your hostel, then take the LAX FlyAway bus from Union Station ($9.75/£8) or the Metro C Line plus shuttle to LAX. If you have a late flight, store bags at Union Station and extend into Little Tokyo or Olvera Street.
🚌LAX FlyAway bus ~£8
🛏None (departure day)
- →Griffith Observatory hike or Little Tokyo wander
Self-launched vs. Insight Vacations
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Insight Vacations | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£835 | £3,150 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,315 per person (73%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Insight Vacations-style trips? Check them out here.~£835
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Best of California: San Francisco to Los Angeles (9 Days) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £835 per person for 9 days in California, USA. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Insight Vacations?+
Yes — Insight Vacations charges around £3,150 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £835 — a saving of roughly £2,315 (73%) per person.
How long is the California, USA trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through California, USA.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a road-trip, adventure, culture trip through California, USA, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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