Help with itinerary please!

[Bad Pink Tink]

Originally Posted by lacrymosa146

Thank you for all of your advice re Hollywood! This day would include Santa Monica/Pier 39 as well? Will there be enough to do? 😂

Kids will be 7 and 8 but they are good travellers in the car thankfully.

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Pier 39 is in San Francisco.

With kids that age, go to Hollywood in the morning, have lunch and then go to Santa Monica.

Theres lots of food options in Hollywood and Highland Mall, from Hard Rock Cafe, to Johnny Rockets to California Pizza Kitchen, or you can go down the street to Mels Diner.

The drive to Santa Monica will take 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic.

At Santa Monica you have the Pier with the fairground rides, and there is an aquarium under the pier.

Santa Monica main highstreet is pedestrianized, its called 3rd Street Promenade and is about 10 minutes walk from The pier. There is also a mall, Santa Monica Place.

[lacrymosa146]

Sorry, I meant the Pier in Santa Monica. I’m getting all mixed up 😂

[cornishfrogboy]

3 nights SF
2 nights Monterey
2 night S L Obispo
1 night Barstow
3 nights Vegas
3 nights Universal inc Hollywood tour
3 nights Anaheim
4nights San Diego
Fly out of San Diego.

21 Nights.

[lacrymosa146]

Unfortunately we’ve only got 16 nights booked. Flying into SFO and home from LAX

[cornishfrogboy]

Hmm… much as I love San Diego, I would be looking to cut either San Diego or Vegas, if I was you.

If I was me, I would certainly cut Disney and probably Universal…. 😂

Either way, I would take out the extra day I put in Monterey and the extra one in SL Obispo!

[TractorBoy]

A good start! Personally I only travel to Vegas to visit the things close by ie Red Rock and Grand Canyon.

Big fan of San Diego. When we are on our 6 week road trip in August we still spend 5 nights in SD before flying to Boston. Loads to do in SD. The zoo alone is worth a visit especially for the little ones.

My personal opinion re Vegas is that it is not a place for young kiddies. Just my opinion though!

Its a good starting point though and you will get plenty of advice and ideas on here!

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by TractorBoy

A good start! Personally I only travel to Vegas to visit the things close by ie Red Rock and Grand Canyon.

Big fan of San Diego. When we are on our 6 week road trip in August we still spend 5 nights in SD before flying to Boston. Loads to do in SD. The zoo alone is worth a visit especially for the little ones.

My personal opinion re Vegas is that it is not a place for young kiddies. Just my opinion though!

Its a good starting point though and you will get plenty of advice and ideas on here!

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Likewise, we only have 2 nights there on our forthcoming trip.

We wanted to see Calico
We wanted to see the Hoover Dam
We wanted a night at the Yavapai lodge to see Sunset and Sunrise.
I wanted to stand on a corner in Winslow Arizona.

With all of the above, Las Vegas is an obvious stopover when coming in from the PCH. We then will be dropping down to Tucson for the boneyard and also Tombstone for the gunfight, before then flying to San Diego (which I love).
In this way, we will have avoided LA completely .. and I am glad about that.

Having decide to stop over, then I would be a fool not to see it for the first and probably only time.
We got a 1300 sq feet suite on a corner of the Luxor Pyramid at around £125 a night.
We will be arriving in the evening, seeing the strip at night, then having a full day before leaving next morning.

The place sounds tacky, glitzy and trashy. I don’t like tacky, glitzy or trashy. We don’t drink much or gamble at all and therefore I am unlikely to like it. I won’t know until I have been there, though!

[lacrymosa146]

Originally Posted by TractorBoy

A good start! Personally I only travel to Vegas to visit the things close by ie Red Rock and Grand Canyon.

Big fan of San Diego. When we are on our 6 week road trip in August we still spend 5 nights in SD before flying to Boston. Loads to do in SD. The zoo alone is worth a visit especially for the little ones.

My personal opinion re Vegas is that it is not a place for young kiddies. Just my opinion though!

Its a good starting point though and you will get plenty of advice and ideas on here!

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Yes, I must admit I don't really want to visit Vegas but my husband really wants to visit the Grand Canyon. I thought 3 nights would be best. 1 full day to explore the area and see the hotels, another to do a Grand Canyon tour.

[lacrymosa146]

Originally Posted by cornishfrogboy

Hmm… much as I love San Diego, I would be looking to cut either San Diego or Vegas, if I was you.

If I was me, I would certainly cut Disney and probably Universal…. 😂

Either way, I would take out the extra day I put in Monterey and the extra one in SL Obispo!

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I've seen a few people mention SL Obispo. What is there to do there?

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by lacrymosa146

Ha, yes I’m not too keen on staying in Hollywood I must admit! We only want to spend 2 actual days there. 1 exploring Hollywood (Hollywood sign, Walk of Fame, Pier 39 etc!) and the other doing Universal.

Interesting idea about dropping a day off San Diego. If I’m honest, I’d probably prefer to add an extra Disney day rather than do an extra day in Vegas! 😂 We are travelling with two young kids who love Disney!

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I did the west coast with my own kids, and I have with my granddaughter at 6 months, 3 and 3.5.

She’s pretty used to travelling anyway , 4 hrs here in a car is usual for her .


Personally with young kids I wouldn’t be doing so many stops .
In March we did
5 nights in Fontana
3 night Anaheim
9 in Vegas
1 William Arizona (for Bearzonia )
3 in Phoenix

You won’t need long in Hollywood , tbh I’d do the walk of fame and then leave, the Hollywood & Highland Center in March was having a massive renovation which i don’t know when it’s scheduled to be finished .

The Grove is far nicer to walk around as is the farmers market there .

As for Vegas i could happily spend all my trip there , in 14 trips i’ve never been for less than a week (twice , the rest were 10-14 days ) and bar once I’ve always taken kids.
I took my granddaughter again at 6 months, 3 and 3.5 and she asks to go back all the time.
We don’t drink or gamble and there is far more to Vegas than both of those things.

Usually those that say Vegas isn’t for kids, haven’t taken children so therefore have never had to look at exactly where there is for families .