A 14-night Northern California holiday combining San Francisco’s cable cars and Golden Gate Bridge, Gold Rush history in Sacramento, the alpine scenery of Lake Tahoe and the vineyards of Napa Valley. Flights from the UK, car hire and hand-picked hotels are all included, with short, easy drives between each stop. Charter Travel are leading holiday specialists, established in 1988. ABTA and ATOL Protected.
Duration: 14 Nights
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Itinerary Highlights:
Total Expected Local Fee: $165
Resort fees are paid locally and subject to additional local taxes. The amounts shown are based on current rates and may vary depending on the hotel and travel dates.
Discover a slower, more scenic side of California on this 14-night Northern California holiday. Start with four nights in San Francisco, then drive inland to Sacramento, the Gold Rush state capital. Spend four nights beside the clear blue water of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and finish with four nights among the vineyards of Napa Valley. Flights from the UK, car hire and hand-picked hotels are included, and every stop can be tailored to suit you.
Every Charter Travel holiday is tailor-made. Tell us when you'd like to travel, and our USA specialists will arrange your flights, car hire and hotels, adjusting the nights in each stop to suit you. We've been arranging holidays for UK travellers since 1988, and you'll speak to the same specialist from your first enquiry until you're home.
| Route | San Francisco → Sacramento → Lake Tahoe → Napa Valley |
|---|---|
| Length | 14 nights |
| Stays | San Francisco (4 nights), Sacramento (2 nights), Lake Tahoe (4 nights), Napa Valley (4 nights) |
| Driving | 4 short driving days, none longer than about 3 hours |
| Best Time | May-October, or December-March for skiing at Lake Tahoe |
| Includes | UK flights, car hire and 14 nights' hotel accommodation |
| Price | From £X pp, based on 2027 dates |
Fly direct from the UK to San Francisco and check in to the Hotel Zephyr San Francisco in Fisherman's Wharf, a comfortable hotel close to shops, restaurants and the cable cars. You won't need a car in the city. Ride a cable car to Union Square, take the ferry to Alcatraz, cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, and explore Chinatown and North Beach on foot.
Collect your hire car and drive around an hour and a half inland to Sacramento, California's state capital and the heart of the 1849 Gold Rush. Stay aboard the Delta King, a 1927 paddle-wheel riverboat moored in Old Sacramento. Wander the wooden boardwalks of the old town, visit the California State Railroad Museum and the State Capitol, and dine in the city that calls itself America's farm-to-fork capital.
Climb into the Sierra Nevada mountains, around two hours away, to Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America. Your base is Hotel Becket in South Lake Tahoe's Heavenly Village, a relaxed boutique hotel with breakfast, fire pits on the terraces and, in summer, bikes and beach chairs to borrow. Drive the 72-mile loop around the lake, stop to photograph Emerald Bay, take a lake cruise or a kayak out on the water, and ride the Heavenly gondola for views across the lake. In winter, the slopes are on your doorstep.
Drive around three hours west to Napa Valley and check in to the Hotel Indigo Napa Valley by IHG. Spend your days visiting wineries along Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail, ride the Napa Valley Wine Train, eat in Yountville, or relax in the hot springs of Calistoga. For a special occasion, book a sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the vineyards. On day 15, drive around an hour and a half to San Francisco airport for your flight home.
For more two-centre ideas, see our California twin centre holidays.
All our holidays are tailor-made and can be adapted by changing hotels durations and destinations to suit the individuals tastes and requirements – please do get in touch so we can start planning.
Napa is about 50 miles north of San Francisco, usually around an hour to an hour and a half by car depending on traffic. That makes it easy to finish your holiday in wine country and drive to San Francisco airport on your last day.
South Lake Tahoe is around 190 miles from San Francisco, typically three and a half to four hours by car. On this itinerary, stopping in Sacramento breaks the journey into two shorter drives.
May to October is ideal, with warm, dry weather, outdoor dining and lake activities. Late August to October is harvest season in Napa. From December to March, Lake Tahoe becomes a ski destination, and mountain roads may need snow chains.
You won't need one in San Francisco, so your hire car is collected on the day you leave the city. After that, a car is the easiest way to travel between Sacramento, Lake Tahoe and Napa, and to explore the wineries and lakeshore.
Yes. Many visitors book a guided winery tour or ride the Napa Valley Wine Train, so no one has to drive after tastings. Staying in downtown Napa also puts restaurants and tasting rooms within walking distance.
The state line runs through the lake, with roughly two-thirds in California and one-third in Nevada. South Lake Tahoe, where you stay, is in California, right next to the Nevada border and its casinos.
