Day 1-2 • The neighborhoods of San Francisco

Day 3-4 • The Mission District, Nob Hill, Golden Gate Park, Alcatraz

One of the oldest neighborhoods of the City, the Mission District has its origins in the Mission Dolores, established by the Spanish in 1776. Today, it is not only the center of the Chicano and Latino culture, it is also one of the liveliest and hippest neighborhoods of the City. Art galleries and music venues abound, alongside restaurants serving foods from around the globe.

Once a deserted hill in the middle of an expanding city, Nob Hill caught the eye of the five railroad barons. Learn about Nob Hill’s colorful history and feuds, how an earthquake and a fire wiped it out, and how it resurrected itself to become a grand setting for a cathedral and a Hitchcock movie.

For a stroll in a flatter part of San Francisco, take an exploration of Golden Gate Park, where beautiful green open spaces are the background to the renowned Academy of Sciences, the De Young Museum, the Conservatory of Flowers and the Japanese Tea Garden.

There is so much to see and to do in San Francisco, but a visit of the City-by-the-Bay will not be complete without a ferry-boat across the Bay for a visit of the Island prison of Alcatraz. For an unforgettable experience, if time permits, time the schedule of your ferry ride with the sunset hour. This is when the Golden Gate Bridge turns even more red and the building of the city shimmer in the glowing light.

Day 5 • San Francisco Day of Adventure

Today is your opportunity to explore the City at a different pace and from a different viewpoint: on the road or on the water.

On the road: Riding in a GoCar, an open two-seaters that is easy and fun to drive, you start the journey from Fisherman’s Wharf and continue to the Marina District, Crissy Fields, below and above the Golden Gate Bridge, along the ocean to Golden Gate Park and the Presidio. Of course, the tour is not complete without zigzagging down the crooked Lombard Street. This ian experience guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

On the water: Ride the open-deck Bay Voyager, a powerful 300 HP, 24 feet vessel under the expert navigation of Captain Charles. The scion of a long line of marine officers, Captain Charles shares his intimate knowledge of the Bay and its history while riding the swell. From secret alcoves around Treasure Island, to circling Alcatraz and zipping under the Golden Gate Bridge, this is an unforgettable experience.

And for a perfect ending to your journey, take an evening ferry to Oakland’s famed Jack London Square district to visit a place where history, culture and food mingle for a unique experience. From tiny saloons favored by the local firemen, to upscale hipster eateries serving fusion cuisine, there is something for every taste and budget. A drink at Heinhold’s First and Last Chance Saloon is an absolute must. One the oldest bars on the West Coast, it was Jack London’s favorite dive and where he wrote many of his adventure novels.

Day 6-7 • Gold Country: Sonora, Columbia, Jamestown

The discovery of gold in 1848 sparked the largest mass migration to California in U.S. history. Practically overnight, more than 300,000 prospectors from around the world arrived and headed east to the forbidding landscapes of the Sierra Nevada. Retrace their journey to the Gold Country where the past and the present merge into one unforgettable destination.

Explore Old West historic towns, try your hand at gold panning, enjoy outstanding wineries, farm-to-table restaurants and inviting shops.

Following stops in the tiny communities of Angels Camp and Murphys, you arrive in the heart of the “Mother Lode” region and start your visit of the Gold Country in the town of Sonora. Its main street has not changed much since the heyday of the “rush”. Its restaurants and stores still cater mainly to the local population. But it is at night that the town truly comes alive with its multitude of bars and saloons, where live country music can be heard all year round.

A short drive away lies the small town of Columbia. At the height of the Gold Rush, it became the second largest city in California. Unlike most mining towns that flourished in the era then died, Columbia has been preserved exactly the way in was in the year 1860. It is a unique and fantastic place to experience the life and culture at the time of the “gold fever”. Walk the town’s main street, visit the newspaper print shop, get some cash from the bank, spend it unwisely at one of the saloons. You can even take a ride on the local coach, purchase gold mining equipment and attend a show at the local theater.

A walk down Main Street in Historic Jamestown is a step back in time. In the company of a local gold miner, learn the art of gold-panning by the riverside at an old mining site. Visit Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, where the undisputed star of the park is Sierra No. 3, a circa 1891 steam locomotive that made appearances in Back to the Future Part III and High Noon, among other films. On weekends, April through October, visitors can ride behind an “iron horse” for a 45-minute trip through the scenic hills of California’s Mother Lode country.

Day 8-9 • Sierra Nevada: Giant Sequoias, Bodie and Mono Lake

The giant sequoias of Calaveras Big Trees State Park were only discovered in 1852 by a hunter who was tracking a bear through the forest of the Sierra Nevada. Stroll along the well-maintained path amongst these massive majestic trees. Home to some of the tallest (100 meters high) and oldest giant sequoias anywhere in the world, this forest is one of the most magnificent groves on the entire West Coast.

From the west to the Eastern Sierra Nevada, drive over Monitor Pass. It known for its spectacular scenery of alpine forest and lakes. You can also enjoy great food and the natural hot springs in the welcoming tiny town of Markleeville.

Historic Bridgeport is a great location as a base of exploration of the north part of the Eastern Sierra. Surrounded by wild and and beautiful scenery year-round, this tiny community boasts a couple of excellent restaurants serving local game meats in season and a historic hotel with a friendly ghost.

Spread across the landscape of a high, remote valley is a veritable ghost town - the historic gold-mining town of Bodie. Once bustling with general stores, saloons and dance halls, Bodie attracted gold diggers from the whole region, who would come to drink, relax and gamble their finds. One of the largest and best preserved ghost towns in the American West, some portions of the site are accessible to people in wheelchairs and others require the assistance of a companion, but this place is not to be missed.

One of the oldest lakes in the western hemisphere, Mono Lake, is hauntingly beautiful, reflecting the snow-capped Sierra Nevada in its shimmering blue waters. Its mineral formations, the “tufas”, resemble phantasmagoric columns and creatures. An accessible path leads you on a beautiful walk around the Lake.

Day 10-11 • Tioga Pass, Yosemite Valley, Mariposa

Rolling through the thick forests from Big Oak and Crane Flats, Tioga Pass rises high into the rugged Sierra Nevada high country. Just about every bend in the road reveals another awesome and breathtaking view along the way to the Yosemite Valley. This is the gateway to Yosemite.

Yosemite is America’s first National Park. Established in 1890, almost 95 percent of this vast park (roughly the size of Rhode Island) is still today classified as wilderness. But there is so much to see and enjoy in the accessible parts. The Valley, a 7-mile wide canyon, is home to some of the most iconic sites in the world: El Capitan, the world's tallest granite monolith and one of the world's top rock climbing destinations; Yosemite Falls, the largest waterfall in North America; and of course the spectacular Half-Dome, Mirror Lake and giant, 3,000 years old Sequoia trees.

Take a hike along the accessible and well-maintained path to Glacier Point. You will be rewarded by awe-inspiring views of Yosemite and, after the descent back to the valley floor, will have the perfect excuse to pamper yourself with an afternoon drink or evening dinner. The Ahwahnee Hotel, an historic grand stone-and-timber lodge, is a unique setting to end your day in Yosemite in style.

Just outside of the entrance to the park, visit the small town of Mariposa, once a center of supplies and entertainment for the miners that came from all over the world in the 1850’s to dig for gold and silver in the “mother lode” of California. Go shopping at one of the very best Western stores where one can still buy hand-crafted picks and shovels, as well as blue jeans and cowboy boots.