California Guide

#ILoveCalifornia. You’ll see a lot of this hashtag all over our social media. Wondering why? Because we really love California! A place of contrasts and diverse terrain, California it’s the only state where you can literally drive through desert, mountains, and along the coastline, all in one single day/ we don’t recommend that, because it’s so much to see and explore, but if you’re in a rush, you can do it. If you’ve never been to California, keep reading, because it’s so much more than just Hollywood, wineries and gorgeous beaches.

From the Mexican border to its northern good neighbor, the beautiful state of Oregon, California has everything. From big, cosmopolitan cities to small towns and everything in between, the state of California is very generous in rich, fabulous views wherever you turn your head. 163,695 square miles of breathtaking coastline, mountains, redwood forests, colorful wildflower fields, desert and iconic beaches, (840 miles of coastline to be more precise). You have the Pacific Coast contouring the West side of the state, while the Sierra Nevada, with its three National Parks, covers the most eastern side; and even more rugged ocean and lots of national parks on the northwest side of California. The Golden State has also the highest and lowest points in the U.S. with Mount Whitney as the highest, and DeathValley the lowest, registering the coldest winter nights.

California is the third largest state in the U.S., and it’s divided into 2 main regions: Southern California/ or SoCal and Northern California/ other known as NorCal. But there is a 3rd region in between, the Central Coast, contouring the Pacific Coast. Is it getting confusing already? Ok, let’s dive into it. So basically we have SoCal, (which begins from the Mexican border, including San Diego, Disneyland, Los Angeles with all its Hollowoodian attractions, movie studios, the beautiful golden beaches of Santa Monica & Malibu/ where the stars live).

Then we have the Central Coast, (from Santa Barbara & the vicinities, going up North towards Big Sur, including San Luis Obisbo, Morro Bay, San Simeon, Lucia, Monterey & Carmel). Then there is NorCal which includes Santa Cruz, San Francisco & the Bay Area with pretty towns like Sausalito/ where most of the people who live there work in Silicon Valley. And if you keep going North on the Pacific Coast there are lots of state forests and pretty coastal towns like Mendocino/ one of the most Nordic towns of NorCal actually. Then when you turn East, going inland, there is Napa Valley & Sonoma County, Sacramento, Tahoe, national parks like Sequoias & Yosemite, and so much more).

The weather is very pleasant all year round in most of California, (except if you are in the Death Valley or around mountains in the winter, where you might feel like it’s winter/ or not). Overall, California has a Mediterranean climate – hot and dry summers, and very mild winters, (or no winter at all for most of California). There are no actual 4 seasons in California. The South it’s always warm and sunny, (almost always); the North has cooler temperatures, with an overcast tendency and foggy days during the summer. But there are no rules, and don’t be surprised if you might need a winter coat even in LA on a March evening. Just saying…

With that being said, it’s no wonder California has a well deserved reputation for such an outdoorsy, healthy & chilled lifestyle. You are constantly surrounded by so much nature and peace.