BROWSE PRODUCTS:
AA Best Drives California - Central Valley & Central Coast 
PRODUCT FEATURES AT A GLANCE:
› Language: English
› File size (approx):
10mb
› Download includes PDF map for each route with suggested pit-stops
› See pictures and onscreen descriptions of key points along the route
› Compatibility: nuvi 700 series, Zumo series check guide
› Different Garmin? We have travel guides for every Garmin model. See product list on left.
About AA Best Drives California - Central Valley & Central Coast
Download these recommended AA Best Drives to your Garmin! Simply press GO! and you’ll be navigated from your door to the start of the AA Route and right round the route until the end without needing to touch your Garmin again.
Sacramento Delta 193 miles
The two major rivers of Northern California, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin, flow together near Sacramento, creating a delta region of bridges, waterways and mists. Sam Goldwyn thought the Sacramento Delta looked more like the Mississippi than the real thing, and filmed Huckleberry Finn there. This drive passes through the heart of the delta, stopping at several waterfront towns, in a part of California that’s escaped the modern world. After leaving San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge – where you can enjoy stunning views of the city from across the bay – this tour travels down through the chic, waterfront town of Sausalito, where there is more of a Mediterranean than an American air. The route then skirts around the northern edge of enormous San Francisco Bay, past the naval shipyards of Vallejo to the railroad museum at Suisun City. The Sacramento Delta is a complex labyrinth of waterways, ideally explored by houseboat. Narrow country roads pass along the levees (raised embankments) through old towns such as Walnut Grove and Locke, built around 1915 by members of a Chinese association who were working in the area. It remains a Chinese community to this day. A winding country road meanders past these towns before reaching Sacramento, the state capital. On the return journey, the route passes Davis, home of UC Davis, the state’s foremost university for veterinary science, and the Air Museum at Fairfield Air Force Base, before continuing past Benicia, a sleepy backwater town that once knew headier days as the state capital. Across the water, in Martinez, was the home of the great environmentalist John Muir, and close by is the now-forgotten town of Port Costa, suspended in time on the edge of the delta. The return to San Francisco takes you across the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, and back again to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Steinbeck Loop 21 miles
Monterey Bay and Big Sur are set in one of the world’s most dramatic and beautiful coastal areas. Coupled with the extravagant splendor of Hearst Castle at San Simeon, and the missions along “El Camino Real,” this tour represents some of the best California has to offer. It begins at Monterey, one of California’s first and most successful settlements, where a walking and bike path follows the coastline for 3 miles (5km), passing rocky beaches and rich tidepools. John Steinbeck is most famous for his books about the Monterey Peninsula, particularly Cannery Row. This tour starts in the town of Monterey and heads south through Pebble Beach, Carmel and Point Lobos, through increasingly spectacular coastal scenery to Big Sur. Farther south, at San Simeon, William Randolf Hearst built the most opulent and extravagant residence in California: Hearst Castle, complete with 38 bedrooms, 14 sitting rooms and two libraries. Four different tours are offered by the State Park Service. Continue through the artist’s colony of Cambria to San Luis Obispo; from here, the route returns north on the eastern side of the coastal range, passing through regions of vineyards and continuing past several missions built by Father Junípero Serra. Pastoral Carmel Valley leads back to Carmel and Monterey Bay.
Southern Central Coast 166 miles
Some of the most sought-after property in Southern California is included in this tour, from Malibu to Santa Barbara, to the Santa Ynez Valley. The rich and famous tend to gravitate to this area, which is less than two hours’ drive north of Los Angeles – and with good reason. The towns are delightful and the climate is perfect; add to this beautiful beaches and rolling hills with vineyards and horse ranches, and the appeal becomes quite obvious. The fabulous Getty Villa is the first stop on this drive from Santa Monica along the Pacific Coast Highway. Past Malibu and Ventura, the road winds along the coast to Santa Barbara, one of the most beautiful towns in the country, sitting on a curving, sandy bay with the Santa Ynez Mountains as a backdrop. It then passes over the mountains into the Santa Ynez Valley, and into a world of horses and wine (singer Michael Jackson’s Neverland is here), before dropping into Solvang which is as close to Denmark as you can get in America. The return to Santa Barbara takes you through La Purisima Mission State Historic Park, and the colorful flower fields of Lompoc.
What Customers are saying about RoadTour...
“Brilliant information, have used several of the pubs and visited many of the properties. Some that
I didn’t
know were so close to home. Keep up the good work.”
Steve, UK
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Graham, London
“The content is good and the level of detail about right, enough to pique your interest but not so much
that you feel you're attending a lecture.”
Sam, Manchester
“I've used the programme a few times now on my travels and it does add a good deal of value
to a journey so I'm very happy with my purchase.”
John, UK
“The Audio commentary on the Garmin was well narrated and definitely had the feel of the audio
guides you get when you are walking around the landmarks themselves”.
Linda, New Jersey
“Finding atmospheric pubs with good food is always a challenge when you don't know the area and
can be stressful when you're hungry and tired!!”
David, Essex
“Road Tour has found us some great pubs which have made our journeys all the more enjoyable. Every place
it's suggested has been a winner.”
Nikki, Cambridgeshire'
“The heritage commentary is really informative and entertaining – it’s great to discover
the background to the brown tourist signs we normally whizz by on the motorway.”
Michael, Reading
“This is the perfect thing for history buffs - RoadTour really brings boring car journeys to life.”
Guy,
London
“It doesn't intrude on the journey it complements it with just enough information if you
are not stopping at the attraction.”
Robin, Scotland
