Fodor's Southern California: with Los Angeles, San Diego, the Central Coast & the Best Road Trips

by Fodor's Travel Publications

Overview

Whether you want to get a glimpse of the Hollywood sign, hike in Joshua Tree National Park, or visit San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter , the local Fodor’s travel experts in Southern California are here to help! Fodor’s Southern California guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos.

Fodor’s Southern California travel guide includes:

• AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do
• MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time
• MORE THAN 25 DETAILED MAPS and a FREE PULL-OUT MAP to help you navigate confidently
• COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust!
• HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS on the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, and more
• PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “Best Beaches in San Diego,” “Best Celebrity Hangouts in L.A.,” and more
• TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money
• HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, politics, art, architecture, cuisine, music, geography and more
• SPECIAL FEATURES on the “San Diego Zoo,” “What to Eat and Drink,” and “What to Watch and Read Before Your Trip”
• LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems
• UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE ON: Los Angeles, San Diego, Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 66, Big Sur, Santa Barbara, the Mojave Desert, Palm Springs, and more.

Planning on visiting other destinations in the southwest? Check out Fodor’s Arizona, Fodor's Fodor's Las Vegas, Fodor's Utah, and Fodor's InFocus Santa Fe .

*Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition.

ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640974180
Publisher:	Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	03/08/2022
Series:	Full-color Travel Guide
Edition description:	17th ed.
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	163,880
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel advice for every stage of a traveler's trip. We hire local writers who know their destinations better than anyone else, allowing us to provide the best travel recommendations for all tastes and budget in over 7,500 worldwide destinations. Our books make it possible for every trip to be a trip of a lifetime

Table of Contents

1 Experience Southern California 7

California Today 16

What's Whore 18

What to Eat and Drink in Southern California 20

10 Best Beaches in San Diego 22

10 Best Celebrity Hangouts in Los Angeles 24

What to Read and Watch 26

2 Travel Smart 27

Know Before You Go 28

Getting Here and Around 30

Essentials 32

Contacts 36

3 Southern California's Best Road Trips 37

SoCal for Kids and the Young at Heart, 7 Days 38

Hooray for Hollywood, 4 Days 40

Palm Springs and the Desert, 5 Days 40

Southern PCH: Sand, Surf, and Sun, 4 Days 42

Santa Barbaro Wine Country, 2 Days 44

Santa Barbara to Big Sur, 3 Days 46

4 San Diego 49

Welcome to San Diego 50

Planning 53

Downtown 60

Balboa Park, Bankors Hill, and San Diego Zoo 71

Old Town and Uptown 80

Mission Bay and the Beaches 83

La Jolla 89

Point Loma 95

Shelter Island 98

Harbor Island 99

Coronado 99

5 Disneyland and Orange County 103

Welcome to Disneyland and Orange County 104

Planning 106

Disneyland Resort 108

Knott's Berry Farm 119

Huntington Bench 122

Newport Beach 126

Corona del Mar 130

Laguna Beach 132

San Juan Capistrano 136

Catalina Island 139

6 Los Angeles 147

Welcome to Los Angeles 148

Planning 150

Santa Monica and Venice 154

Beverly Hills 164

West Hollywood and Fairfax 167

Hollywood and the Studios 176

Mid-Wilshire and Koreatown 189

Downtown Los Angeles 193

Las Feliz, Silver Lake, and the Eastside 205

Pasadena 214

Malibu and the Beaches 216

7 Palm Sprigs 221

Welcome to Palm Springs 222

Planning 224

Palm Springs 227

Rancho Mirage 242

Palm Desert 244

Indian Wells 247

La Quinta 248

Indio 250

Borrego Springs 251

Salton Sea 254

Desert Hot Springs 255

Yucca Valley 255

8 Joshua Tree National Park 257

Welcome to Joshua Tree National Park 258

Planning 261

Park Boulevard 263

Keys View Road 265

Highway 62 265

Pinto Basin Road 267

Activities 268

What's Nearby 271

9 Mojave Desert 275

Welcome to Mojave Desert 276

Planning 278

Lancaster 280

Red Rock Canyon State Park 282

Ridgecrest 285

Randsburg 286

Victorville 286

Barstow 288

Mojave National Preserve 291

10 Death Valley National Park 293

Welcome to Death Valley National Park 294

Planning 297

Central Death Valley 299

Northern Death Valley 303

Southern Death Valley 304

Western Death Valley 304

Activities 305

What's Nearby 307

11 The Central Coast 309

Welcome to the Central Coast 310

Planning 313

Ventura 316

Channel Islands National Park 319

Ojai 323

Santa Barbara 325

Santa Ynez 341

Los Olivos 342

Solvang 343

Buellton 345

Pismo Beach 346

Avila Beach 349

San Luis Obispo 351

Paso Robles 355

Morro Bay 361

Cambria 364

San Simeon 366

Big Sur Coast 369

12 Monterey Bay Area 376

Welcome to the Monterey Bay Area 376

Planning 378

Carmel-by-the-Sea 381

Carmel Valley 388

Pebble Beach 390

Pacific Grove 393

Monterey 396

Salinas 406

Pinnacles National Park 407

Moss Landing 408

Aptos 409

Capitola and Soquel 410

Santa Cruz 413

Index 421

About Our Writers 432

Maps

Downtown, Balboa Park, Bankers Hill, and San Diego Zoo 66-67

Old Town and Uptown 82

Mission Bay and the Beaches, Point Loma, Shelter Island, and Harbor Island 84-85

La Jolla 90

Coronado 100

Disneyland 110

The Orange County Coast 123

Catalina Island 140

Santa Monica, Venice, and Brentwood 156-157

Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Fairfax 168-169

Hollywood 178-179

Downtown 194-195

Palm Springs 228-229

Desert Resorts 245

Mojave Desert 283

Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties 317

Channel Islands 320

Santa Barbara 328-329

San Luis Obispo County and Big Sur Coast 349

Monterey Bay Area 382

Monterey 398-399

Editorial Reviews

Fodor’s is pitched a few notches higher…aimed at a fairly discerning traveler with an appetite for background and the occasional surprise.” – New York Times

“The Fodor’s guides are notable for their ratings of sights, restaurants, shops, accommodations and attractions.” – Chicago Tribune

“In terms of comprehensiveness of coverage, the very accessible format, and the enthusiastic tone, this series remains one of the best on the market.” – Booklist

“Fodor’s super-informative guidebooks are known for accuracy and attention to detail.” – Sacramento Bee

“Fodor’s can help you plan the perfect adventure.” – Arizona Republic

From the Publisher