America’s coolest riviera
From dazzling piers and drives along the Pacific Coast Highway, California is America’s hippest riviera. From boho fishing towns alongside glam neighbourhoods and rugged bays. It joins America’s coolest yet most scenic destinations.
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It's never too early to think ahead and plan your next amazing holiday. Guarantee the hotel you want and gain early access to a choice of Virgin Atlantic flights as far ahead as 2024.
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You can also fly from Manchester, Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Belfast on one of our partner airlines.
Holidays in Los Angeles
Holidays in San Francisco
Holidays in Monterey
Holidays in Yosemite
Holidays in Palm Springs
Holidays in Santa Barbara
Holidays in the Napa Valley Wine Region
Holidays in Huntington Beach
Holidays in Long Beach
Holidays in Newport Beach
Holidays in Pismo Beach
Holidays in Mammoth Mountain
It's a big, beautiful world – and we're here to help you see more of it. California is full of exciting destinations, so why not experience more than one of them within your holiday. You could even tag on a little trip to Nevada too!
Check out some of our favourite multi-destination itineraries:
From the Golden Gate Bridge to the golden lights of the Vegas strip!
Three major West Coast Cities, all in one jam-packed, exciting trip!
It's all glamour and glitz in this twin-centre, from Hollywood to Sin City!
California is known as the ultimate road trip destination, and it's easy to see why. From theme parks to beaches, incredible scenery to bright city lights, and of course the endless sunshine!
Whether you're travelling as a couple or a family, visiting multiple destinations in one holiday is a great way to get a taste of everything. But planning a road trip can sound pretty daunting - where do you start?!
We've got a few recommended itineraries for you to help kick start your plans. Of course, these are totally flexible and our team can help to build an itinerary perfect for your desires and needs!
San Francisco • Monterey • Pismo Beach • Los Angeles
Enjoy this coast-hugging drive down the famous Highway 101 from one major West Coast city to another, and enjoy some fabulous beaches in between...
North Hollywood • Anaheim • Huntington Beach
This itinerary keeps the driving time down for the little ones, and allows you to visit the best theme parks that Los Angeles has to offer. But of course, there's time for relaxation at the beach too...
Los Angeles • San Diego • Palm Springs • Los Angeles
This is another road trip that allows for some spectacular coastal views, as you head south to California's 'beach city'. There's plenty to entertain all ages on this trip...
See more suggested itineraries
Our holiday experts are here to help you design your dream holiday, no matter how unusual or complex.
With its mix of new and classic attractions and entertainment, Walt Disney’s original Theme Park is home to timeless fun. Disneyland Park is a beloved Southern California destination where generations of families can experience 8 amazingly themed lands, and there's even more fun to be had at Disney California Adventure Park, where the stories of Disney, Pixar and beyond come to life and the much loved characters from Cars and Super Heroes like Spider-Man & Captain America call home.
Call to book: 0344 472 9646
Get ready for the ultimate Hollywood experience. Go behind the scenes of the world-famous Studio Tour to explore real film sets where Hollywood movies are made. From magical spells to magical creatures, from dark villains to daring heroes, it’s all here at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™. And if that's not enough - SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ IS NOW OPEN!
Buy tickets online today with your California trip!
Hotels in California
Essential Information for California
The drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco is around 10 hours. Break up the journey with overnight stays in some wonderful Californian beach towns.
To travel to the USA, you will need an ESTA visa and it must be approved at least 3 days before you head off on holiday. Find out more about Travel Visas here »
Read our Useful Information for guidance on what to expect before and during your holiday, including travel requirements, local customs and hotel facilities.
Highlights of California
Sun, sea and sand...And action-packed cities. And iconic sights. And natural beauty. And good food and wine. And adventure… aaand pretty much everything else you need for an unforgettable travel experience.
In case you can’t tell, we love California. Not sold? Alright, we’ll just have to convince you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re heading out for that American road trip you’ve been talking about for years, or you’re beelining to the Californian coast for some much-needed sun at an everything-included hotel: You can ‘do’ California holidays exactly the way you want to, whatever your travel style and needs.
Planning a holiday to California, with all its variety and so much going on, can be almost overwhelming. Where to start? What to prioritise? First things first, some coastal Cali highlights to add to your daydream agenda (and, you know, your actual agenda). From the very best of California vineyards to the must-see city sights, here’s the things we think are not to be missed:
The 2nd most populated city in the US is not to be missed. From toasting tinseltown on Sunset Boulevard and window shopping Rodeo Drive, to hiking the Hollywood sign and meeting your fave characters in Disneyland, Los Angeles is full to the brim with bucket list moments.
If you dig the thought of a California beach holiday with a good splash of city sightseeing, add San Francisco to the top of your list: Delightfully unique, bask in the charm of the harbour-side towns, do a spot of shopping in Union Square, and cycle over the (rightfully) world-famous Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito.
With stunning views of both mountains and beaches, Santa Monica is a classic Californian coastal city. Head here for delightful ‘village-like’ streets full to the brim with art galleries and quaint shops to peruse. Don't forget to visit the famous Santa Monica pier!
The seaside, hippy vibe of Santa Cruz is a must for California holidays, too. Ride the retro roller coaster at the Beach Boardwalk, one of the USA’s oldest amusement parks, and when you’re all ‘coaster-d out, take a stroll along the beautiful stretch of sandy beach and soak up some sun.
It might surprise you that San Diego is the USA's 8th largest city! Of course, the beaches are beautiful but there's also plenty of cultural hot spots to keep both adults and kids entertained. From cool craft breweries and glittering nightlife to amusement parks and family friendly restaurants there's something here for all.
Holidays in California wouldn’t be complete without a mooch over to Malibu; surfing, celeb-spotting and boutique-noseying aplenty, this incredible city is well-deserving of its status as one of California’s best beach towns. It's no wonder so many stars of the screen and sport set up home here.
Head to the desert for blinding sunshine, therapeutic hot springs, awesome canyons and fantastic golf courses - but above all pure relaxation. It's no surprise Palm Springs became a favourite vacation spot of the rich and famous in the 1930s - and still is to this day.
Beach lovers flock to Crystal Cove State Park, Laguna Beach, and with good reason. As one of Orange County’s most stylish towns, Laguna Beach also boasts one of the best beaches on the California coast.
The soft, golden sands of Zuma Beach, Malibu are especially popular with families and surfers, and has been the location for many films and TV shows over the years.
Of course, California beach holidays wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Venice Beach and its world-famous boardwalk. But you might also want to take the time to wander Venice Beach's idyllic canals as well as the super stylish Abbot Kinney Boulevard for the best best boutiques, galleries, restaurants and bars.
This quaint little coastal city is the perfect mix between city and suburban life with some of the best beaches found at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. Set sail to see if you can spot a Killer Whale or a Dolphin, or if you'd rather stay inland you'll be spoilt by delicious local seafood and incredible coastal views.
Dubbed The American Riviera thanks to it's cute hillside houses, glamourous air and Mediterranan climate, Santa Barbara is a quintessential Californian beach town with miles of sun-drenched sandy coastline where you can play volleyball, go celeb spotting and or fire up the BBQ.
Halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco you'll find the stunning Pismo Beach, which is perfect for a laid-back peaceful escape. You'll see some of the most amazing oceanside views in California, taste famous local clams and you can even take a dune buggy on an adventure across the sands.
If you love outdoor sports, head to The O.C. and join the surfers, dog walkers and volleyball players along Huntington Beach's 10 miles of beautiful beaches! As the World's Surf Capital, you'll catch some gnarly waves here. More of a spectator? Take in the action from the pier or visit the International Surf Museum.
Big Sur, on the Monterey Peninsula, is a rugged stretch of stunning, unspoilt coastline. Head to Point Sur Lighthouse, a California State Historic Park, perched atop a volcanic rock, around 360 feet above the ocean. You might even catch sight of a migrating whale. Moonlight tours are available, too – talk about romantic.
If Mother Nature was a place, it would look like Yosemite. Majestic mountains, skyscraper trees, spectacular rivers and waterfalls, a visit here will take your breath away and give a sense of inner peace that is unlike anywhere else in California.
The water in Lake Tahoe is 99.994% pure, so it's almost drinking water (but not quite) - pretty amazing right? As the largest alpine lake in the US, there's so much to see here, from hiking pictoresque trails, to swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding - even ski-ing! In the Winter, Lake Tahoe gets enough snow to cover a 3 storey building!
Redwood National Park is home to some of the tallest trees in the world, something you have to see at least once in a lifetime. As well as trees, there are plenty of forests, beaches, trails and grasslands to explore. Nature lovers will love the many opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, rafting, fishing, bird watching...your outdoor adventure is waiting!
One of the biggest music festivals in the world heads to the desert every April, bringing with it music fans, hippies, celebs and influencers from all over the globe. Everyone from Coldplay and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to Beyonce and Drake have headlined.
Wine-lovers rejoice: July welcomes the return of Santa Barbara’s annual California Wine Festival. Enjoy vintage wines, gourmet food and live music, all just a stone’s throw from the ocean.
Late April to early May, discover SoCal’s emerging filmmakers during The Newport Beach Film Festival, with everything from feature length and short films to music videos. Will you catch something from a future Oscar-winning director?
A slightly more niche offering is October’s Clam Festival in Pismo Beach. Yep, you read that correctly: A clam festival. Three days dedicated to celebrating all things clam, with fifteen thousand other people, incredible dishes and live music. You’ve gotta do it.
If you’re itching to book your holiday to California this very second, we don’t blame you one bit. Check out our fantastic California hotels and let’s do this!
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We are continually reviewing our flying schedules, taking into account the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice against all non-essential travel. Depending on when you are due to travel, your holiday may be affected and we’ll email you to let you know as least 21 days before travel.
Your next holiday is only a click away - our website has thousands of options ready to book. But if you need more help, just give us a call on 0344 472 9646.
Looking for inspiration? Explore our destinations and holiday types and save your faves to your very own Wishlist. Or dive right in to our 2021 holiday offers.
Over the past few weeks, we have repatriated our customers from overseas who wanted to come home.
Please visit this page to keep up to date with the Government’s travel advice on returning to the UK, and to register for email alerts.
With many customers needing our help, we are prioritising those customers due to travel before 31 December 2020. Log in to Manage my booking where you can message us about your options or you can give us a call. Bear in mind you may have to wait longer than expected. We continue to review this and working to open up these options to more customers. In the meantime check out our FAQs to see if this can help answer any immediate questions.
Rest assured; we will notify you as soon as we know if your holiday has been affected by email.
We are continually reviewing our flying schedules, taking into account the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice against all non-essential travel. Depending on when you are due to travel, your holiday may be affected and we’ll email you to let you know as least 21 days before travel.
If you need to speak to us to change or cancel your booking you can call our team on 0344 472 9646 or chat to us on SMS/Whatspp via Manage my booking.
For the latest information on Covid-19 you can check our FAQs here.
Don’t worry if you’ve missed a payment or just need a little more time to pay; we have options available to help you. If your holiday is going ahead as planned, you can continue to pay for your holiday in Manage my booking, even if travelling in less than 12 weeks. If you’re unsure, you can delay any additional payments by choosing a new time to travel by requesting a call back in Manage My booking for one of our team to look at options. If your holiday is more than 6 months away, you may wish to set up a Direct Debit to spread the cost. This can be arranged whilst rebooking or afterwards in Manage my booking.
We understand that you may wish to change your holiday plans and we appreciate the need for flexibility.
We'll be in touch by email letting you know how to register to change your holiday plans. You can also log into Manage my booking to find the details there.
Please look out for emails from us or visit our dedicated Covid-19 (Coronavirus) page for the latest updates.
If we haven’t notified you of any changes, your holiday will be going ahead as planned but if you prefer to move your holiday to a later time we can help. You can call our team on 0344 472 9499 who can look at options for you.
Payments are being prioritised based on when the request was made, working in order from March 2020 onwards. We will always try to process refunds at the earliest opportunity, for requests before August our maximum timeframe is 120 days. As we are steadily reducing the maximum processing time for each new request, for refund requests made in August, we expect the maximum processing time to be 80 days, from the date the refund is requested. For those requesting a refund in September, we expect it to be processed within a maximum of 60 days, and then reduce to 30 days for refunds requested in October, before returning to normal levels.
To finalise the amendment, one of our customer advisors will phone you. We need to work through amend requests in departure date order so we can prioritise those with the most imminent travel plans, so you may have a longer wait than usual until we’re able to ring you back. We will help everyone that wants to move their holiday.
You can contact our team by emailing feedback.backhome@virginholidays.com to discuss options on unused portions of your holiday. If you need to contact our team about amending an existing holiday or requesting a refund please log in to manage my booking.
The easiest way to contact us while you are away is via WhatsApp. To get the conversation started, click the link and type "hello” .
or you can get in touch with our in-resort team during local opening hours
Find contact details for your location
Outside of local resort office hours you can call us in the UK +44 (0) 344 472 9626 (option 2) or email us duty.office@virginholidays.com
If you are in the USA or Canada please email: USAreps@virginholidays.com.
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