So you want to go to California! But where to even begin?! California is a massive state – it’s size can even fit multiple European countries which might make it hard to choose which location is best for you.
To provide a brief overview, California can typically be thought of being broken up into two parts – Northern California and Southern California. The dividing line is usually just south of the Big Sur region (a must visit!) with the major town of San Luis Obispo being one of the first towns considered as “SoCal”.
Moving south of San Luis Opispo, Southern California then includes Los Angeles and San Diego along with Palm Springs and a few National Parks such as Joshua Tree NP with their whimsical trees as well as Death Valley NP with some of the hottest temperatures on record! The beaches are absolutely superb and there’s plenty of surfing and water activities!
Northern California’s major city is San Francisco but also includes The Bay Area (aka Silicon Valley inclusive of San Jose), the much northern town of Eureka, and a little further inland you’ll even find the state capital of Sacramento. Northern California is also known for it’s incredible wineries in Napa Valley as well as a beautiful lake held in between the mountains – the famous Lake Tahoe! Northern California also holds a few major National Parks such as Yosemite NP, Redwood NP, and even Lassen Volcanic NP that are most certainly worth the visit!
So which one should you visit?
Here are some top considerations:
Visit SoCal if you:
- Prefer slightly warmer weather
- Want plenty of beaches and palm trees
- Enjoy a more desert scene
- Want to have a more relaxed vacation at the beach
- Are a theme park enthusiast!
Visit NorCal if you:
- Love being surrounded by towering Redwoods
- Want to taste world famous wines!
- Want to be surrounded by epic nature and rolling hills
- Explore some incredible cities with amazing views (hint it’s the Golden Gate Bridge!)
Of course this list is not exhaustive as there is SO much to explore in both locations. Hopefully this brief overview can point you in a little bit more direction to help select which region is best. In following posts we’ll get into even more details of each.
Cheers to exploring š
Annette Isabelle
Very well written! Iām hoping to head out there within the next 13 months or so.. Thank you for drawing my interest to places that I would not otherwise have thought about.. Thank you for the wonderful website that you created! Your hard work will show many people that it is a beautiful state with places to visit!
Thank you Annette and have a great day!!
Thanks so much Eric! I appreciate your support and can’t wait to start sharing even more details on where to visit. When the time comes, don’t hesitate to reach out and I’ll try to provide some great tips and recommendations!