California

California runs the length of the Pacific coast, and its three best-known addresses could hardly be more different. Los Angeles means Beverly Hills, Hollywood, the beaches of Santa Monica and Malibu, and one of the country’s liveliest dining scenes. San Francisco, with its hills, fog and the Golden Gate Bridge, is a compact city within easy reach of the Napa and Sonoma wine valleys. In between lies Santa Barbara, the “American Riviera”, with Spanish colonial architecture and quiet Montecito, set between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the ocean.

The climate is mild all year; San Francisco is warmest in September and October, once the summer fog lifts. California suits travellers who want to combine city, wine and ocean, and anyone drawn to a road trip along the coast.