23 days in San Francisco, Las Vegas & Los Angeles Itinerary

San Francisco is a top holiday destination featuring scenic beauty and great ethnic and cultural diversity.

Visit Pinnacle Gulch Coastal Access Trail and Cowell Ranch State Beach for some beach relaxation. Step off the beaten path and head to Castello di Amorosa and Naples Beach. Spend the 23rd (Mon) exploring nature at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. There's much more to do: head off the coast to Alcatraz Island, have fun and explore at Exploratorium, take in the spiritual surroundings of Grace Cathedral, and take in the views from Golden Gate Bridge.

To see reviews, more things to do, where to stay, and tourist information, you can read our San Francisco trip planner .

Melbourne, Australia to San Francisco is an approximately 19-hour flight. You can also do a combination of shuttle and flight; or do a combination of train and flight. The time zone difference moving from Australian Eastern Standard Time (Victoria) (AEST) to Pacific Standard Time (PST) is minus 18 hours. Plan for a bit cooler temperatures traveling from Melbourne in December, with highs in San Francisco at 17°C and lows at 8°C. Finish your sightseeing early on the 26th (Thu) to allow enough time to travel to Las Vegas.

Nicknamed the "Entertainment Capital of the World," Las Vegas sits in the middle of a desert in the southern section of Nevada.

Discover out-of-the-way places like Valley of Fire State Park and Grapevine Mesa Joshua Trees. The Strip and The Mob Museum are good opportunities to explore the local culture. Step out of Las Vegas with an excursion to Little Finland in Mesquite--about 1h 30 min away. Spend the 27th (Fri) exploring the stark beauty of Escape Adventures and Las Vegas Cyclery. There's lots more to do: explore the stunning scenery at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, get advice or help at Keep Memory Alive Event Center, take an in-depth tour of Titanic, and see the interesting displays at The Neon Museum.

To see more things to do, traveler tips, maps, and tourist information, read our Las Vegas tour itinerary builder .

Getting from San Francisco to Las Vegas by flight takes about 4 hours. Other options: do a combination of subway and flight; or drive. Traveling from San Francisco in December, Las Vegas is a bit cooler at night with lows of 4°C. Wrap up your sightseeing on the 1st (Wed) to allow time to travel to Los Angeles.

Surrounded by mountain ranges, forests, valleys, beaches, and deserts, the metropolitan area of Los Angeles is home to over 17 million people.

You'll get in some beach time at Venice Beach and Boardwalk and Royal Palms State Beach. Appreciate the collections at The Getty Center and Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Change things up with these side-trips from Los Angeles: Carpinteria (Carpinteria State Beach & Carpenteria Bluffs Nature Preserve) and Running Horse Ranch (in Lake Hughes). There's much more to do: look and learn at Griffith Observatory, explore the world behind art at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, get engrossed in the history at Avila Adobe, and see the interesting displays at Museum of Tolerance.

For where to stay, reviews, maps, and more tourist information, refer to the Los Angeles trip planner .

You can fly from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in 4 hours. Other options are to fly; or drive. Traveling from Las Vegas in January, things will get somewhat warmer in Los Angeles: highs are around 24°C and lows about 11°C. You'll have a few hours on the 11th (Sat) to wrap things up before traveling home.