Things to do — California

In Los Angeles over 4-5 days: Hollywood — Walk of Fame (2,700 stars on Hollywood Boulevard), TCL Chinese Theatre (star hand and footprints), Dolby Theatre (Oscars), Hollywood Sign (free view from Griffith Observatory), Universal Studios Hollywood ($109-149, studio tour + park), Warner Bros Studio Tour ($84-100, Friends, Big Bang Theory sets), Madame Tussauds. Beverly Hills — Rodeo Drive (luxury), star mansions ($50 bus tours), Beverly Hills Hotel. Santa Monica — Pier (Pacific Park rollercoaster, carousel), 3rd Street Promenade (pedestrian shopping), beach. Venice Beach — Boardwalk (artist boardwalk, Muscle Beach, basketball courts), canals (replicated 1905 Venice heritage). Downtown LA — Disney Concert Hall (Frank Gehry), MOCA, Broad Museum (free, modern art), Walt Disney Concert Hall, Grand Central Market, Olvera Street (city's Mexican origins). Museums: Getty Center (free, $25 parking, universal collections + gardens), Getty Villa (free, Greco-Roman antiquities, Pacific Coast Hwy), LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits (fossils), California Science Center (free, Endeavour shuttle). Disneyland Anaheim (45 min south, $109-189, world's first Disney 1955, 2 parks Disneyland + California Adventure). Excursions: Catalina Island (1h ferry, offshore tropical island), Joshua Tree National Park (2h30 east, spectacular desert), Palm Springs (2h east, golf, mid-century design).

In San Diego over 2-3 days: Balboa Park (1,200 hectares, 17 museums, San Diego Zoo $64), USS Midway Museum (1945 aircraft carrier, $35), Old Town (free, authentic Mexican restaurants), Gaslamp Quarter (nightlife, restaurants), Coronado (1888 Hotel del Coronado, top 10 US Coronado Beach), La Jolla (beaches, seals Children's Pool, Cove snorkelling, Sunny Jim Cave $5, Birch Aquarium), Mission Beach and Pacific Beach (surf, young vibe), Cabrillo National Monument (Pacific view). Excursions: Tijuana Mexico (30 min border, safety caution — don't venture outside tourist San Ysidro zone), LEGOLAND (45 min north, $109).

In San Francisco over 4 days: Golden Gate Bridge (free on foot, Battery Spencer panoramic north view), Alcatraz Island ($45, ferry from Pier 33, multilingual audio guide, 4-6 week-ahead booking mandatory), Cable Cars ($8 per ride, most scenic Powell-Hyde line, 3 lines), Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 (sea lions, Boudin Bakery clam chowder), Lombard Street (world's most winding street, 8 turns, descent between Hyde and Leavenworth Street), Painted Ladies and Alamo Square (Victorian houses), Chinatown (largest outside Asia, Grant Avenue), Mission District (Latino, murals, Mission Dolores, taco restaurants at Tartine or La Taqueria), Castro (historic LGBTQ neighbourhood, Castro Theatre), Haight-Ashbury (1967 hippie cradle), Coit Tower (Telegraph Hill, panoramic view). Museums: SFMOMA ($25), de Young Museum (Golden Gate Park, $20), California Academy of Sciences (Golden Gate Park, $45, planetarium and aquarium), Asian Art Museum, Exploratorium. Excursions: Sausalito ($14 return ferry, Mediterranean charm), Muir Woods (45 min north, coastal sequoias, $15 mandatory booking), Napa Valley (1h30, $30-60/winery tastings), Yosemite (4h, 2-3 days min), Monterey + Carmel + 17-Mile Drive (2h30, day trip).

In Yosemite National Park over 2-3 days: Tunnel View (iconic valley view, El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridalveil Fall — essential at sunrise or sunset), Yosemite Falls (easy 1h trail, or Upper Yosemite Falls 12 km/8h intense hike), Mirror Lake (easy 4 km trail), Sentinel Dome (8 km, 360° view), Glacier Point (panoramic Half Dome view, car-accessible May-October), Mariposa Grove (giant sequoias up to 95 m, easy 3 km or intense 12 km trail), Half Dome (24 km/12h intense hike, mandatory cables 2-month-ahead lottery permit), El Capitan (view from El Capitan Meadow, world climbing reference 1,000 m). Book Yosemite Valley Lodge or Curry Village 5-6 months ahead. Entry $35/vehicle, valid 7 days.