California

The city is seven miles square, so the neighbourhood matters more than the distance. Which areas suit which trip, plus honest notes on the Tenderloin.

San Francisco to San Diego in fourteen days with honest drive times, now that Highway 1 is fully open again. Day by day, plus shorter and winter variations.

The most reliable weather in California, a park with seventeen museums and the easiest border crossing in the country. What to see and where to stay.

Three daily budgets in real 2026 numbers, the park pass maths for foreign visitors, and the four places where a California trip quietly leaks money.

Highway 1 reopened in full on 14 January 2026 after three years of closures. The stops that matter, honest drive times, and why one day is not enough.

The hottest place ever recorded on earth, the lowest point in North America, and a winter destination rather than a summer one. What to see and what it costs.

Napa tasting fees now run $40 to $75 by appointment and Sonoma is half that. An honest comparison, the drink-driving problem, and how many wineries in a day.

The Mission burrito, the French Laundry, a taco truck at midnight and the farm that supplies both. What to eat in California, where, and what it costs.

Two deserts meet inside one park, there is no water anywhere in it, and summer is genuinely dangerous. When to go, and why Palm Springs pairs with it.

Yosemite dropped its timed entry system for 2026, but foreign visitors now pay $100 each. What to see, when the waterfalls run, and the valley crush.