Visit Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree NP, Lake Havasu, Route 66, Grand Canyon NP & Las Vegas.
Start with the sun-drenched beach towns of Southern California before venturing inland through beautiful desert landscapes to catch an unforgettable sunset and sunrise at The Grand Canyon. Conclude your trip by driving an old section of Route 66 to find the bright lights of Las Vegas!
Key road trip highlights:
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We’ll suggest properties to match your preferred budget, be it low-cost, mid-range or high-end luxury that you’re looking for. We can also mix it up so you’ll experience a range of standards and experiences along your road trip.
All of our American road trips can be tailored to meet your requirements. Do you have more or less than 14 days for your road trip? No problem, we can bolt on extra nights to allow more time to explore or shorten the number of destinations as required.
Arrive at Los Angeles International; welcome to the City of Angels! With its “Baywatch” lifeguard huts and lively Santa Monica Pier, the beach cities of LA are a fantastic place to start your trip. Hire a bike and cruise the boardwalk to Venice Beach as the sun sets, or shop your heart out on 3rd Street Promenade.
Tinseltown is synonymous with glitz and glamour, and although many of the studios have now moved on to other parts of Los Angeles, it’s still fun to visit the home of the Oscars and walk along Hollywood Boulevard looking for the handprints of your favourite movie stars. Just a short drive northeast of here lies the Griffith Observatory (pictured), perched high on a hill overlooking the urban sprawl of LA; this landmark is well worth a visit, and it also enjoys excellent views of the legendary Hollywood sign. Finally, Universal Studios is another popular option in this part of town.
Beverly Hills offers the chance to see movie star homes on palm tree lined streets and window shop on the exclusive Rodeo Drive. Close by is the impressive Getty Center, which is a firm favourite of the team at The American Road Trip Company – your personalised Road Trip Pack will explain how to visit this attraction and all the other essential places to see in LA.
Fifty miles south of Los Angeles is lovely Laguna Beach. This wealthy area of Orange County has become an escape destination for artists, with independent galleries and artisan boutiques. It’s also a surfer’s paradise and a relaxing place to stay. On the short drive, why not check out more beach towns along the Pacific Coast Highway, such as “Surf City USA” Huntington Beach and the upscale town of Newport Beach?
Explore Laguna Beach’s coves, galleries and millionaire homes. Many stylish homes hang on the cliff edges above small secluded beach beaches; pick out your favourite as you stroll along the pristine sand. Enjoy activities such as surfing, sunbathing and kayaking in this sun-drenched part of the California coast.
Another short drive today, leave Laguna Beach and head down to San Diego near the Mexico border, along the final stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. Along the way, be sure to stop at Torrey Pine State Reserve; this magnificent spot is just off the road, so it’s easy to stop and explore the gorgeous coastal trails. In the evening, consider dinner and a night out in the lively Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego.
San Diego enjoys a year-round daily temperature of 22 degrees Celcius, and thus, it’s a great place to relax by the hotel pool or chill on a beach (we recommend Coronado Beach). If you want to do more, your personalised Road Trip Pack will have all the local attractions listed, such as Balboa Park (pictured), Cabrillo National Monument, USS Midway Museum, San Diego Air & Space Museum and the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
Spend your morning by the hotel pool before heading east to Sinatra’s favourite getaway – Palm Springs. The drive from San Diego to Palm Springs runs inland through the wine area of Temecula, and then, like a mirage in the desert, you reach the luxurious sanctuary of Palm Springs.
Palm Springs is an amazing year-round destination due to its excellent climate and long list of activities. Popular for events such as Coachella and Modernism Week, Palm Springs is rich in experiences. Forget your worries whilst you lay by the pool, shoot some golf, or cruise the radiant streets taking in the modernist architecture found here. Made famous by the Hollywood stars of yesteryear, Palm Springs makes a wonderful stop on any road trip.
Joshua Tree National Park is an alien landscape characterized by rugged rock formations and stark desert terrain. Named after the region’s twisted, bristled Joshua trees, the National Park straddles the cactus-dotted Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert. Continue east to the oasis of Lake Havasu, where you can visit the original London Bridge, which was imported here from London in the 1970s.
The world’s most enormous hole is an awe-inspiring natural wonder. Two billion years in the making, the Colorado River has forged a mile deep, 18 miles wide and 277 mile long gauge into Arizona. Enjoy the views from the Grand Canyon’s rim while enjoying the changing colours during sunset and sunrise.
After watching the sunrise over the Grand Canyon, you’ll head south to Williams and turn west onto Route 66. We recommend you stick to the original Route 66 route, which passes iconic “Mother Road” towns like Seligman, Hackberry and Oatman. The Hoover Dam is also a marvel to behold along this drive; what a feat of engineering. After settling into your chosen Las Vegas hotel, why not get dressed up and hit the town for a night of partying and maybe even a little gambling?
If your head hurts after a big night out, you can relax simply by one of the fantastic pools adorning every hotel. Want to explore? Then, stretch your legs with a walk along the legendary ‘Las Vegas Strip’, book tickets to one of the incredible shows or indulge in some retail therapy. Before leaving Las Vegas, we recommend visiting one of the over-the-top hotel buffets for a feast. Just ensure you are hungry when you go; the range and quality of the food is incredible.
Las Vegas has something for everyone; why not take a helicopter ride along the strip or see the Grand Canyon from the air? On everyone’s Vegas list is checking out the Bellagio Fountains, or you could take a Gondola ride (pictured) at the Venetian. We advise watching at least one world-class show whilst in town; there are so many to choose from. Further attractions include the gigantic Las Vegas Sphere, The Neon Museum and Speed Vegas.
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You’ll find answers to most of your questions right here. If you still need assistance, Feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be sure to get back to you promptly!
Not a problem. If you are lucky enough to have extra time to explore more places or add more rest days, then just let us know and we’ll adjust your trip to match your preferred timescale.
We strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance for your holiday to cover you against medical expenses, theft and other financial costs. Should you need to cancel before travelling, some insurance policies may pay out for any loss of funds that have been paid to us and which cannot be refunded under our cancellation policy.
Many of our trips have a different end destination than the starting point, so this is not a problem. Please note a fee sometimes applies for one-way rentals between other regions or states, which will be paid to the supplier directly when collecting the vehicle. We’ll endeavour to inform you of this charge within your quote.
No, far from it. We work with a range of properties from 3* to 5*, so we can adapt the trip to match most budgets. We have access to rooms in more than 800 hotels, motels, lodges and B&Bs across North America.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 in the United States or Canada, although, in addition, any drivers under 25 years of age will generally incur a surcharge.
Please use the form below to request a quote from our team. Fields marked with an * are mandatory. Please note that we currently only serve customers based in the UK & The EU.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Get in touch to discuss your Bespoke Road Trip plans, or check out these similar road trip itineraries…
ARTCo customers can be confident that we only work with the very best service providers, such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Alamo. Any payments made to us are fully protected via the government’s ATOL scheme (Flight packages) or Financial Failure Insurance (Non-Flight Packages).
