California Official Visitor's Guide - UK - 8


gateway
cities

YOU R SOUTH E R N CALI FOR N IA
ADVE NTU R E STARTS H E R E.

Though known
for its freeways
(motorways), the
Los Angeles area
has a speedy
and safe subway
system.

LOS ANGELES

Bridge-by bike if you're feeling
adventurous-to discover Marin
County, with towering redwoods at
Muir Woods National Monument
and pretty towns like Sausalito and
Tiburon (both reachable by ferry).
To the north and east are the winecountry powerhouses of Sonoma
County and Napa Valley, sprinkled
with inviting towns and luxury resorts. The East Bay cities of Berkeley
and Oakland buzz with culture and a
booming food scene. Further inland,
Livermore Valley wine country is
an easy day journey. South of San
Francisco, San José and other Silicon Valley cities are home base for
tech megastars including Facebook,
Google, and Apple. And west along
the coast is Santa Cruz, an unpre-

tentious surf town where the hardest
decision you'll make all day is where
to spread your beach towel.
San Francisco is also a great
starting point for other fantastic
destinations in Northern and Central
California, like the charming oceanfront hamlet of Mendocino and epic
redwood parks in the North Coast
region. Head east across the Central
Valley to explore Sacramento, California's museum-filled state capital, and
other charming towns in the Gold
Country region. To the south of San
Francisco you'll find beautiful Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Big
Sur. San Francisco is also the closest
major gateway to Lake Tahoe and
Yosemite National Park, both located
in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

MORE INFORMATION DISCOVERLOSANGELES.COM; VISITCWC.COM

8 | VISITCALIFORNIA.CO.UK

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PAGE 9

SEAN PAVONE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Downtown Los Angeles

Nicknamed the "entertainment
capital of the world," this is the part
of California that delivers non-stop
glitz, style, and celebrity glamour.
The region first made its mark in the
late 1880s as a source for oranges.
But L.A. really came into the spotlight when films came to the silver
screen in the early 1900s. Today,
Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and
other major film studios still shoot
films-as well as television shows-
at their studios and at popular filming locations, like Malibu Beach.
Though most people refer to the
entire region as simply "L.A.," Los
Angeles County is actually a diverse
collection of communities. The main
hub is the City of Los Angeles, with
legendary Hollywood north-west of
downtown, the San Fernando Valley
to the north, and inviting beach
towns to the west.
The city of L.A. is huge (roughly
4 million people and California's
largest city), yet it has surprisingly
intimate neighbourhoods, each with
inviting reasons to explore. In downtown L.A., dress up to dine in trendy
restaurants led by star chefs, or sip
cocktails at a rooftop bar. Catch a
concert or take a tour of the spectacular Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Enjoy the outstanding view from the
Griffith Observatory, in Griffith Park.
Bordering the city's north-west
side is Hollywood, where you can look
for famous names embedded in the
sidewalk along the Hollywood Walk
of Fame, and search for the foot- and
handprints of George Clooney and

Santa Monica is just 8 mi/13 km from Los Angeles International
Airport. Grab your bags and base your stay beachside with 38
hotels, from luxury to budget, all centrally located to Los Angeles.
Visit santamonica.com/hotels
visitsantamonica

gosantamonica

seesantamonica
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of California Official Visitor's Guide - UK
