Region · United States
Where to stay in California
This guide covers 195 destinations in California, a first-level administrative division of United States, with 660 places to stay between them. The largest by population are Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose. Across its destinations, April, May and October are the months comfortable in the most places. The airport most of them name as their nearest is John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA).
- Destinations in this guide
- 195
- Places to stay
- 660
- Comfortable in the most places
- April, May and October
- Main airport
- SNAJohn Wayne Orange County International Airport
- Currency
- USDUnited States dollar
- Time zone
- America/Los Angeles
Destinations
Destinations in California
The 150 destinations of 195 in California with the most places to stay. Best months are the months that are comfortable there (average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month); the nearest airport is by straight-line distance from the centre.
| Destination | Population | Places to stay | Nearest airport |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 1,386,932 | 68 | SAN · 3 km |
| Chinatown | 100,574 | 65 | OAK · 18 km |
| Koreatown | 124,281 | 46 | HHR · 16 km |
| Santa Monica | 93,076 | 43 | LAX · 11 km |
| Cathedral City | 51,493 | 34 | PSP · 5 km |
| Napa | 79,246 | 30 | CCR · 41 km |
| Santa Rosa | 178,127 | 28 | STS · 12 km |
| Los Angeles | 3,898,747 | 23 | HHR · 17 km |
| Salinas | 163,542 | 19 | MRY · 20 km |
| San Francisco | 873,965 | 18 | SFO · 18 km |
| Santa Barbara | 88,665 | 17 | SBA · 12 km |
| Encinitas | 62,007 | 11 | CLD · 9 km |
| Sacramento | 524,943 | 10 | SMF · 16 km |
| Inglewood | 107,762 | 10 | HHR · 4 km |
| Santa Cruz | 62,956 | 10 | SJC · 44 km |
| Palm Desert | 51,163 | 10 | PSP · 17 km |
| Burbank | 107,337 | 9 | BUR · 4 km |
| Palo Alto | 68,572 | 9 | SQL · 11 km |
| Costa Mesa | 111,918 | 8 | SNA · 4 km |
| San Mateo | 105,661 | 8 | SQL · 7 km |
| Newport Beach | 85,239 | 7 | SNA · 7 km |
| Laguna Niguel | 64,355 | 7 | SNA · 22 km |
| San Jose | 1,013,240 | 6 | SJC · 8 km |
| Long Beach | 466,742 | 6 | LGB · 7 km |
| Pasadena | 138,699 | 6 | BUR · 21 km |
| Thousand Oaks | 126,966 | 6 | BUR · 48 km |
| Berkeley | 124,321 | 6 | OAK · 17 km |
| Temecula | 110,003 | 6 | CLD · 44 km |
| Garden Grove | 171,949 | 5 | SNA · 14 km |
| Cupertino | 60,381 | 5 | SJC · 11 km |
| Petaluma | 59,776 | 5 | STS · 33 km |
| Anaheim | 346,824 | 4 | SNA · 18 km |
| Riverside | 314,998 | 4 | SBD · 18 km |
| Huntington Beach | 198,711 | 4 | SNA · 12 km |
| Santa Clara | 127,647 | 4 | SJC · 4 km |
| Ventura | 110,763 | 4 | SBA · 57 km |
| Mountain View | 82,376 | 4 | SJC · 11 km |
| San Clemente | 64,293 | 4 | SNA · 35 km |
| Fresno | 542,107 | 3 | FAT · 7 km |
| Glendale | 196,543 | 3 | BUR · 11 km |
| Carlsbad | 114,746 | 3 | CLD · 7 km |
| El Cajon | 106,215 | 3 | SAN · 23 km |
| South San Francisco | 66,105 | 3 | SFO · 6 km |
| Oakland | 440,646 | 2 | OAK · 9 km |
| Bakersfield | 403,455 | 2 | BFL · 8 km |
| Santa Ana | 310,227 | 2 | SNA · 7 km |
| Chula Vista | 275,487 | 2 | TIJ · 12 km |
| Ontario | 175,265 | 2 | ONT · 3 km |
| Pomona | 151,713 | 2 | ONT · 14 km |
| Simi Valley | 126,356 | 2 | BUR · 36 km |
| Richmond | 116,448 | 2 | CCR · 26 km |
| Redding | 93,611 | 2 | RDD · 12 km |
| Hawthorne | 88,083 | 2 | HHR · 1 km |
| Downtown Los Angeles | 85,000 | 2 | HHR · 17 km |
| Rocklin | 71,601 | 2 | SMF · 32 km |
| Redondo Beach | 71,576 | 2 | HHR · 8 km |
| Walnut Creek | 70,127 | 2 | CCR · 9 km |
| Lodi | 66,348 | 2 | SCK · 27 km |
| Gilroy | 59,520 | 2 | SJC · 50 km |
| Watsonville | 52,590 | 2 | MRY · 38 km |
| El Dorado Hills | 50,547 | 2 | SMF · 44 km |
| Stockton | 320,804 | 1 | SCK · 9 km |
| Irvine | 307,670 | 1 | SNA · 7 km |
| Fremont | 230,504 | 1 | SJC · 21 km |
| Oxnard | 202,063 | 1 | SBA · 66 km |
| Lancaster | 173,516 | 1 | BUR · 57 km |
| Palmdale | 169,450 | 1 | BUR · 47 km |
| Hayward | 162,954 | 1 | OAK · 14 km |
| Sunnyvale | 155,805 | 1 | SJC · 10 km |
| Escondido | 151,038 | 1 | CLD · 19 km |
| Torrance | 147,067 | 1 | HHR · 10 km |
| Visalia | 141,384 | 1 | FAT · 62 km |
| Concord | 125,410 | 1 | CCR · 3 km |
| Rialto | 104,026 | 1 | SBD · 14 km |
| Norwalk | 102,773 | 1 | LGB · 12 km |
| Vacaville | 102,386 | 1 | CCR · 41 km |
| Chico | 101,475 | 1 | RDD · 94 km |
| Tracy | 93,000 | 1 | SCK · 24 km |
| South Gate | 92,726 | 1 | HHR · 13 km |
| Whittier | 87,306 | 1 | LGB · 20 km |
| Merced | 86,333 | 1 | MCE · 3 km |
| San Ramon | 84,605 | 1 | OAK · 22 km |
| Folsom | 80,454 | 1 | SMF · 38 km |
| Pleasanton | 79,871 | 1 | OAK · 30 km |
| Rancho Cordova | 79,332 | 1 | SMF · 28 km |
| Perris | 78,700 | 1 | SBD · 35 km |
| Apple Valley | 75,791 | 1 | SBD · 47 km |
| Dublin | 72,589 | 1 | OAK · 27 km |
| Camarillo | 70,741 | 1 | BUR · 62 km |
| Pico Rivera | 62,088 | 1 | LGB · 20 km |
| Florence-Graham | 61,983 | 1 | HHR · 10 km |
| San Rafael | 61,271 | 1 | OAK · 39 km |
| Woodland | 61,032 | 1 | SMF · 16 km |
| Hanford | 57,990 | 1 | FAT · 50 km |
| Highland | 56,999 | 1 | SBD · 4 km |
| Arcadia | 56,681 | 1 | BUR · 31 km |
| West Sacramento | 53,915 | 1 | SMF · 15 km |
| Beaumont | 53,036 | 1 | SBD · 31 km |
| Glendora | 52,558 | 1 | ONT · 25 km |
| Aliso Viejo | 52,176 | 1 | SNA · 13 km |
| Rosemead | 51,185 | 1 | HHR · 29 km |
| Santa Clarita | 228,673 | BUR · 27 km | |
| San Bernardino | 222,101 | SBD · 5 km | |
| Modesto | 218,464 | SCK · 34 km | |
| Moreno Valley | 208,634 | SBD · 17 km | |
| Fontana | 208,393 | ONT · 13 km | |
| Elk Grove | 176,124 | SMF · 34 km | |
| Rancho Cucamonga | 174,453 | ONT · 8 km | |
| Oceanside | 174,068 | CLD · 10 km | |
| Corona | 157,136 | ONT · 21 km | |
| Roseville | 147,773 | SMF · 27 km | |
| Fullerton | 143,617 | LGB · 22 km | |
| Orange | 139,911 | SNA · 15 km | |
| Victorville | 134,810 | SBD · 49 km | |
| Vallejo | 126,090 | CCR · 22 km | |
| Little Saigon | 125,000 | SNA · 12 km | |
| Clovis | 120,124 | FAT · 6 km | |
| Fairfield | 119,881 | CCR · 30 km | |
| East Los Angeles | 118,786 | HHR · 20 km | |
| Antioch | 115,291 | CCR · 22 km | |
| Downey | 114,355 | LGB · 14 km | |
| Murrieta | 110,949 | CLD · 50 km | |
| Santa Maria | 109,707 | SMX · 6 km | |
| West Covina | 109,501 | ONT · 29 km | |
| El Monte | 109,450 | LGB · 31 km | |
| Jurupa Valley | 105,053 | ONT · 13 km | |
| Daly City | 104,901 | SFO · 11 km | |
| Menifee | 102,527 | SBD · 47 km | |
| Hesperia | 99,818 | SBD · 36 km | |
| Vista | 98,381 | CLD · 8 km | |
| Compton | 95,740 | HHR · 11 km | |
| Carson | 95,558 | LGB · 11 km | |
| San Marcos | 94,833 | CLD · 10 km | |
| Arden-Arcade | 94,659 | SMF · 21 km | |
| Mission Viejo | 93,653 | SNA · 21 km | |
| Chino | 91,403 | ONT · 9 km | |
| San Leandro | 91,008 | OAK · 6 km | |
| Westminster | 90,911 | SNA · 14 km | |
| Hemet | 89,833 | PSP · 45 km | |
| Indio | 89,137 | PSP · 28 km | |
| Livermore | 87,955 | SJC · 39 km | |
| Citrus Heights | 87,583 | SMF · 26 km | |
| Lake Forest | 85,858 | SNA · 17 km | |
| Redwood City | 84,292 | SQL · 4 km | |
| Buena Park | 84,034 | LGB · 14 km | |
| Manteca | 83,498 | SCK · 10 km | |
| Alhambra | 82,868 | BUR · 25 km | |
| Lakewood | 82,496 | LGB · 4 km | |
| Tustin | 80,276 | SNA · 9 km | |
| Milpitas | 80,273 | SJC · 9 km |
Where to stay
Hotels in California
660 hotels in California recorded in Wikidata and not marked closed; the 30 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each is listed under the destination it is within 25 km of.
When to go
Best time to visit California
From the climate of 195 destinations in California with climate data: how many are comfortable each month (average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month), and the typical high and rainfall across them. The months comfortable in the most places: April, May and October.
| Month | Comfortable destinations | Typical high | Typical rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35 of 195 | 16 °C | 88 mm |
| February | 43 of 195 | 17 °C | 88 mm |
| March | 126 of 195 | 19 °C | 53 mm |
| April | 193 of 195 | 21 °C | 28 mm |
| May | 186 of 195 | 23 °C | 12 mm |
| June | 144 of 195 | 26 °C | 2 mm |
| July | 98 of 195 | 29 °C | 1 mm |
| August | 71 of 195 | 29 °C | 1 mm |
| September | 118 of 195 | 28 °C | 3 mm |
| October | 195 of 195 | 25 °C | 12 mm |
| November | 145 of 195 | 20 °C | 28 mm |
| December | 59 of 195 | 15 °C | 61 mm |
Typical = the median across the destinations. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Airports serving California
The airports with scheduled flights that the destinations in California name among their nearest, by how many name each as the nearest. An airport can lie outside the region. Distances are straight lines from a destination's centre.
SNA · John Wayne Orange County International Airport
LGB · Long Beach International Airport
HHR · Jack Northrop Field Hawthorne Municipal Airport
SBD · San Bernardino International Airport
ONT · Ontario International Airport
SMF · Sacramento International Airport
BUR · Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport
CCR · Buchanan Field
OAK · Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport
SJC · Mineta San Jose International Airport
CLD · McClellan-Palomar Airport
FAT · Fresno Yosemite International Airport
SCK · Stockton Metropolitan Airport
SQL · San Carlos Airport
SAN · San Diego International Airport
PSP · Palm Springs International Airport
SFO · San Francisco International Airport
BFL · Meadows Field
SBA · Santa Barbara Municipal Airport
MCE · Merced Regional Macready Field
STS · Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport
MRY · Monterey Regional Airport
RDD · Redding Municipal Airport
LAX · Los Angeles International Airport
And 7 more airports named by fewer destinations.
Good to know
Public holidays in California, 2026
Shops and offices may close and transport may run reduced timetables on these dates. Source: python-holidays (MIT).
Nationwide in United States
Regional holidays observed in California
Nearby
Regions near California
Other regions of United States with a page in this guide, nearest first by the straight-line distance between the median positions of their destinations.
Sources: destinations and their regions from Wikidata; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia, ODbL); public holidays from python-holidays (MIT); further hotels from Wikidata. A region has a page here when at least 3 destinations of this guide lie in it. How this guide is made.