San Francisco & San DiegoTwin Centre 8 nights

Tour Information

Your 8-night holiday starts in San Francisco with a 4-night stay at the Carlton Hotel which gives you time to visit the many attractions the ‘City by the Bay’ has to offer. Be sure to include Alcatraz, Golden Gate Park, The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown. You may also want to get out of town and loop through the wine country of the Sonoma, Napa and Alexander Valleys.
After you have left your heart in San Francisco head south to Southern California to the city of San Diego with its 120 kilometres of coastline and reliably sunny weather. There you can visit a world-renowned zoo, theme parks, famous golf courses, and a lively theatre scene, as well as great food, shopping and nightlife in the historic downtown quarter.

Day 1

Fly from Ireland to San Francisco and make your own way independently to your hotel for 4 nights
The Carlton Hotel
A historic 161-room hotel, each of the hotels guestrooms offers a soft palette of soothing tones such as light, breezy blue and cashmere cream, punctuated by touches of glowing colours like saffron, Oriental red and a cheerful persimmon.
Another cherished facet of this quintessential San Francisco hotel experience is the striking views. The Hotel Carlton isn’t flanked by adjoining buildings (a rarity in this district of San Francisco). The majority of rooms look out on an expansive, unobstructed view. All guestrooms include complimentary wireless high speed Internet access, in-room laptop safe, marble topped writing desk, telephone with voicemail, coffee maker, ceiling fan, cable TV, CD player that is MP3 compatible, iron and board and hair dryer.

Day 2-4

San Francisco was largely defined by the Gold Rush of 1849, but continues to be reinvented every few years. Innovation and entrepreneurship are synonymous with the city and its neighbour, Silicon Valley. The area is most famous for technology, witnessing the dot-com craze and crash, Web 2.0 mania, and the rise of social networking and the smartphone. But San Francisco is still a great place to enjoy all manner of unplugged activities. Walk along the uninterrupted waterfront, through the renovated, foodie-adored Ferry Building, across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, up the quad-busting inclines to Nob Hill or past the windmills of Golden Gate Park. Mind-expanding cultural attractions exist alongside invigorating outdoor activities. Gaze at the work of Jackson Pollock at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in the morning and then head to Muir Woods to peer up at gigantic redwoods in the afternoon. From the hippie haunts of Haight-Ashbury to the colourful Victorian architecture of the predominantly gay Castro District, from Japantown to Chinatown, San Francisco is all about neighbourhoods. Each has a distinct look and vibe. You could easily spend a day in each or hop on a streetcar to sample a few.

Day 5

Fly from San Francisco to San Diego and make your way independently to your hotel for 4 nights
In San Diego you stay at the Holiday Inn San Diego on the Bay a unsurpassed among downtown San Diego hotels with its premiere location close to the San Diego cruise ship terminal, Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego Convention Centre, and San Diego Airport. The hotel’s location puts you in the heart of San Diego make it easy for you to enjoy all the fun things to do like visiting the world-famous San Diego Zoo or Sea World. The Star of India, U.S.S. Midway, Seaport Village, and Balboa Park are all nearby. Families can spend the day along the Embarcadero, catch a game at PETCO Park, or Qualcomm Stadium.
The hotel amenities include spectacular views of the waterfront and panoramic views of the downtown San Diego skyline. Three restaurants offer a wealth of dining options for families or business clients. The newly updated rooms are designed to create a haven of comfort from the furnished balcony to a sliding door for a scenic view.

Day 6-8

Elegant and sunny San Diego is truly a city with something for everyone. In town, a whole day or more could be spent in Balboa Park playing golf, touring the world-famous San Diego Zoo or visiting a museum. Just outside town, Torrey Pines State Reserve offers a somewhat wilder terrain where visitors can view rare birds and the stately trees from which the park takes its name. Children and their parents will be delighted with the city’s wide range of family-oriented activities. From SeaWorld to the historic Gaslamp Quarter, there are events and exhibits to satisfy even the most hard-to-please. San Diego boasts an array of fine and trendy restaurants covering a melting pot of cuisines, world-class shopping and hotels from lavish to budget.

Day 9

Time for some last minute shopping before heading to the airport for your flight home

What's Included

• Flights from Ireland to San Francisco
• 4 nights hotel in San Francisco
• Onward flights to San Diego
• 4 nights hotel in San Diego
• Return flights from San Diego to Ireland