15 San Francisco and Yosemite Trips from Los Angeles to Build a Day Around

1.San Francisco, Yosemite, Santa Barbara & Carmel, 3-Days

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 142 reviews · 3 days (approx.) · from $620Our pick

Travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back with a professional guide, two hotel nights, breakfast, a Bay cruise, coastal stops, and a seasonal Yosemite or Hearst Castle route. Guides such as Giovanni, Dorit, Roberto, and Brenda have led past departures, with multilingual support available.

“This tour would have been amazing but for the fact that the tour director, Dorit, refused to stop at any of the scenic viewpoints along the Carmel "17 mile" drive along the seashore or in the mountains where scenic views of the sea were located. Dorit failed to read the interests of her clients.”

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2.San Francisco,Yosemite National Park 3-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 27 reviews · 3 days · from $406Best value

Travel by coach from Los Angeles to 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, San Francisco, and Yosemite National Park. You get two hotel nights, breakfast, an English-speaking guide, and optional Bay Cruise and city touring. Guide Chelsea has earned special praise for her care and help.

“I was part of a Chinese only group as well and I think this trip is actually made for Chinese people. The guide tried his best to explain everything in English to me. I think it’s better if you don’t book this trip as an individual. You have to consider that it covers quite some distances, so you spend a lot of time in the bus, the drive itself was very safe. It doesn’t go along the coast between LA and SF what I thought it would. The hotels are basic, but fine. I‘d still recommend it if you know what you are signing up for and as there are…”

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3.San Francisco, Yosemite, Vegas & Hoover Dam 5-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · from $895

This five-day trip links Santa Barbara, Solvang, San Francisco, Yosemite in summer, Monterey and Carmel in winter, Las Vegas, and Hoover Dam. You get hotels, transport, a San Francisco Bay cruise, and a multilingual guide. Guide Roberto earned special praise for keeping one July departure clear and on time.

“Overall tour was great. A bus with a toilet that could be used at all times would be good. Tour operator could have shared more info and stories about the areas we visited.”

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4.San Francisco, Yosemite, Vegas, Grand Canyon &more 7days

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · 7 days (approx.) · from $1,465

Cover the American Southwest in seven busy days with guides such as Roberto, Brenda, Lorenzo, and Michael. Expect air-conditioned transport, six hotel nights, breakfast, a San Francisco bay cruise, and major national parks, with long road days and limited time at each stop.

“Ett perfekt sätt att göra California på 7 dagar. Mycket bra guider som visade och berättade väldigt mycket. Trevligt med deltagare från hela världen! Helt ok hotell, men blandad standard. En intensiv resa med tidig avresa många dagar.”

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5.Santa Barbara Wine Tasting Day Tour from Los Angeles

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · 8 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $419

Spend about 8.5 hours with a private driver exploring Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez wine country, Los Olivos, and Pacific Coast scenery. Pickup covers Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Burbank, LAX, and nearby cruise terminals. Vincent Vineyards tasting is included, while extra tastings and food cost more.

“Galina was amazing! My best friend and I had a wonderful time, and loved the beautiful places we visited.”

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6.San Francisco, Yosemite, Vegas & Hoover Dam, 5-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 14 reviews · 5 days (approx.) · from $940

Travel from Los Angeles through Santa Barbara, Solvang, San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas, and Hoover Dam in five days. You get four hotel nights, breakfast, a San Francisco bay cruise, and a guide such as Roberto, Tse, Beatriz, or Brenda, depending on departure.

“It was absolutely mind blowing experience the way our Lead Guide Mr.Roberto had informed, co-ordinated, managed, explained, shared a lot of history & background of whatever comes around in our sight outside. Thanks a lot.”

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7.Private Day Tour to Sequoia and Kings Canyon Parks From LA

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 13 reviews · 15 to 18 hours (approx.)

Spend 15 to 18 hours traveling privately from Los Angeles to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The usual highlights are Moro Rock, General Sherman Tree, and Tunnel Log. Andrey or Andre may handle the driving and photo stops, though guide service and vehicle comfort can vary.

“I had a great time seeing these amazing trees. It snowed the night before so made it so much more beautiful. Andrey was great helped with camera shots, drove carefully in the icy conditions and made a great guide and companion for the trip.”

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8.LA Day Trip to Casinos, Palm Springs, San Diego, Santa Barbara

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · 9 to 11 hours (approx.) Top rated

Plan a private 9 to 11-hour road trip from Beverly Hills with Tallawah Limo & Tours. Choose Santa Barbara, San Diego, Palm Springs, or a casino outing, then set your own pace. A state-certified driver handles the driving, navigation, stops, and return trip for up to six people.

“I learned about Tallawah from a tourist I met who was visiting LA from Australia. He told me that they also have transportation services to nearby cities like San Diego and Palm springs, not just tourist sites around Los Angeles. This is perfect because I hate taking Uber when I don't want to drive long distances. This is the next best thing to having your own personal chauffeur. I can't do it all the time, but when I have enough friends who want to go and split the cost it's the perfect choice. My last time was in April to Palm springs and my friends and I had a blast.…”

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9.Yosemite and Glacier Point Tour from Los Angeles by Amtrak

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 10 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $589

Take Amtrak from Los Angeles to Fresno, stay overnight, then tour Yosemite with a small group of up to 13. Your guide visits Glacier Point when open, Tunnel View, Bridalveil Falls, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, and more before returning by train.

“A fantastic tour led by a very knowledgeable and experienced tour guide who knows the area inside out. Overall it was great. The only issue was the tour company promised a refund for our Uber taxi fare but despite my enquiries a few time I never received a reply which is totally unacceptable. So watch out if they promise you a refund when making a booking.”

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10.San Francisco, Las Vegas, Antelope, 8-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · 8 days (approx.) · from $1,570

You travel by air-conditioned coach or van from California to Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, with seven hotel nights, breakfast, a San Francisco bay cruise, a Navajo-led Monument Valley jeep ride, Antelope Canyon, and Hoover Dam. Expect early starts, long drives, and a full final day ending in Las Vegas.

“Bellissima esperienza, in 8 giorni abbiamo visto moltissime cose, bisogna prepararsi ovviamente ad alzarsi presto la mattina e fare molte ore di pullman, ma ne vale la pena. Il bus è abbastanza comodo, aveva il clima e il wifi(che però funzionava male). Guide ne abbiamo avute 2, una non dava moltissime informazioni aggiuntive, mentre la seconda ci ha raccontato un sacco di cose. Gli hotel alcuni molto belli altri appena sufficienti (alcuni con colazione a buffet ricca, altri con poche cose confezionate) ma comunque abbiamo dormito bene.”

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11.3-Day Tour: San Francisco, Yosemite National Park and LA

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 8 reviews · 3 days (approx.) · from $412

Travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco and Yosemite with hotel stays, breakfast, a guide, 17-Mile Drive, and Yosemite admission included. The San Francisco bay cruise and extended city tour cost extra unless your selected package includes them. Guides may include Sumei or Jordan.

“Long trip but we saw a lot of gorgeous places in short time. There were some hidden fees though. But overall it was good.”

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12.Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Park 2 Day Tour from LA

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $407

Travel from Los Angeles to Kings Canyon and Yosemite with a professional driver-guide such as Chris, Kiwi, Andy, or Shawn. You’ll spend two compact days in the Sierra Nevada, sleep one night in Fresno, and return with park admission and breakfast included. Expect long drives, planned comfort stops, and limited time at each park.

“Chris was an amazing guide and driver! Very helpful, Patience & Knowledgeable of the parks history and rules it made a huge difference in our short but mighty experience, Definitely Recommend Chris and this tour!”

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13.Santa Barbara Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 9 hours (approx.)

Travel from Los Angeles with guide Vincent on a private nine-hour outing for up to four people. Visit Solvang, the Old Mission Santa Barbara, State Street, and the waterfront, with bottled water and private transport included.

“Excellent experience... Very comfortable ride, interesting fun stops, Vincent was very easy to spend the day with... Would definitely want to book a tour with him again.”

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14.Santa Barbara Private Tour and Wine Tasting Experience from LA

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $750

Travel from Los Angeles in a private vehicle with a guide such as Glenn, stopping at Santa Barbara’s courthouse, Old Mission, La Arcada, and El Presidio before lunch at Cold Spring Tavern and one included wine tasting in Los Olivos.

“The choices for lunch and wine tasting were exceptional. We couldn’t have found either places without our guide. Would highly recommend to our friends!”

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15.San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas, Antelope, 8-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 3 reviews · from $1,570

Travel from Los Angeles along the California coast to San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Valley of Fire. Your guide can provide commentary in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, or Italian.

“Everything was great, thanks to the good guides. Coordination between guides and managers should be improved, as there were problems with payments. Apart from that, everything is great, the puzzle is worth the money and very interesting.”

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