TOTAL GUIDE CALIFORNIA
get me there GO INDEPENDENT Flights Most non-stop flights from the UK fly from Heathrow to LA or San Francisco. Both Virgin Atlantic (0844 209 7777, www.virgin-atlantic. com) and BA (0844 493 0787, www.ba.com) have daily departures, and BA offers the only other non-stop, which is Heathrow to San Diego. Virgin Atlantic to San Francisco starts from £686 return (from £677 to LA). BA flights to both cities start from £575 return (from £677 to San Diego). BA also offers regional flights from Newcastle, via Heathrow, to LA and San Francisco, from £593 return. Look beyond the British big-hitters and you can often get a better deal: Air New Zealand (0800 028 4149, www.airnewzealand.co.uk) has Heathrow-LA non-stop from £523; San Francisco from £596. United Airlines (0845 844 4777, www.united.com) flies Heathrow-LA non-stop from £677 return; San Francisco from £685. American Airlines (0844 499 7300, www.americanairlines.co.uk) flies HeathrowLA non-stop from £575 return; San Francisco from £576. Routes from Manchester might include a layover, but they’re usually the cheapest option. US Airways (0845 600 3300, www.usairways.com) flies from Manchester to LA and San Francisco, via Philadelphia, from £487 return. Delta (0871 221 1222, www.delta. com) flies from Manchester to LA and San Francisco, via Atlanta, from £543 return.
BY PLANE California may be narrow – 402km across at its widest – but it’s 1,240km from north to south. It would take at least 15 hours to drive it top to bottom, or seven hours between San Fran and LA, which is why many people choose to fly between cities. Virgin America (00 1 877 359 8474, www.virginamerica.com), the US-based offshoot of Virgin Atlantic, flies LA, Palm Springs and San Diego to San Fran, from £49, one-way. American Airlines (as before) flies between several Californian cities, including San Fran to LA from £63, one-way. Southwest Airlines (00 1 800 435 9792, www.southwest. com) and United Airlines (as before) also have good services within the state. BY TRAIN California’s few train services, all booked via Amtrak (00 1 800 872 7245, www.amtrak.com), are well worth exploring: the Coast Starlight travels from Washington State to LA with sleepers available. Alternatively, hop on in California: Sacramento to LA starts at £37, one-way. The Capital Zephyr runs from San Fran to Sacramento from £17.50, one-way, and carries on to Nevada. The Pacific Surfliner starts at £23, one-way, between San Diego and LA, or you can continue up to San Luis Obispo.
76 Sunday Times Travel February 2013
BY CAR Motorways (interstates or highways) have a maximum speed limit of 120kph on some stretches but in most places, it’s 105kph. Safety-belt, child-seat, mobile-phone and drink-drive rules are much the same as in the UK, but on freeways you can both over- and under-take. Alamo (00 1 877 222 9075, www. alamo.com) has cars from £28 per day. Rent-a-wreck (00 1 877 877 0700, www. rentawreck.com) has cars from £10 per day. A motorhome, fuelled and kitted out for two, costs £800 per week from Cruise America (00 1 800 671 8042, www.cruiseamerica.com).
Yosemite, San Francisco, Monterey and Santa Barbara, from £1,495pp, room only, including flights from Heathrow to LA. Vacations to America (01582 469777, www.vacations toamerica.com) has a two-week self-drive Northern California tour, starting in San Fran, then heading inland to Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park and Monterey, from £1,795pp, B&B, including flights from Heathrow to San Francisco. America As You Like It (020 8742 8299, www.americaasyoulikeit.com) has a two-week Pacific Coast Highway trip from £1,275pp, room only, including flights from Heathrow to San Francisco, and back from LA.
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FURTHER INFORMATION
Titan Travel (0800 988 5823, www.titantravel. co.uk) has a 16-day escorted coach trip from San Diego to LA, via Palm Springs, Las Vegas,
Check out Visit California (www.visitcalifornia. co.uk) and California Welcome Centers (www.visitcwc.com). n
WORDS: CHRIS NYE MAP: ACUTEGRAPHICS.CO.UK ALL FARES QUOTED ARE RETURNS UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
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