USA  »  California

Top Things to Do in California

We compared all 783 experiences in California so you can choose in minutes — real prices, verified reviews and our editorial picks.

4.7 783 experiences from US$ 5 Free cancellation on most experiences
Sort
Los Angeles: Hollywood & Beverly Hills Small-Group Tour with Photos
Los Angeles: Hollywood & Beverly Hills Small-Group Tour with Photos★★★★★★★★★★ 4.81 (570)4hYou ride in a small-group luxury van through Downtown LA, past the Hollywood Sign with a professional photo stop, walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Sunset Strip at your own pace, browse Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and finish with an hour at the Original Farmers Market. Hotel pickup, bottled water, and complimentary digital photos are included; the whole experience takes about six to seven hours.Is it for me?Choose this tour if you're new to Los Angeles, flying through LAX on a layover, or arriving by cruise ship and want the main sights in one morning without arranging transport and timing yourself—the small-group van and fixed schedule handle all of that, and the professional photos are yours to keep.Free cancellationMost bookedfromUS$ 79View ›
San Diego: 3-Hour Sailing Cruise & Harbor Views
San Diego: 3-Hour Sailing Cruise & Harbor Views★★★★★★★★★★ 4.95 (564)3hYou get a private-feeling sailing experience on San Diego Bay with complimentary drinks and snacks, views of the Coronado Bridge, USS Midway, and Point Loma lighthouse, all without a scripted tour or a crowd. The boat holds six maximum, so it stays intimate. Call the operator after booking to lock in your departure time and confirm your group is together.Is it for me?Best for small groups or friends who want to be on the water without a crowded tour boat or a scripted itinerary — the six-person limit and no-commentary format mean you get the harbor to yourself and the freedom to just sit and look.Free cancellationfromUS$ 116View ›
Santa Barbara: Downtown Wine & Food Walking Tour
Santa Barbara: Downtown Wine & Food Walking Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.90 (553)3h–4hYou walk through downtown Santa Barbara with a local host (not a scripted guide) for 3.5 hours, stopping for wine tastings, food, and stories about the city's landmarks and hidden corners. Wine, a second beverage, and all food tastings are included—enough for a light meal. Small groups keep the pace social and personal, and you begin and end on State Street so the rest of your day stays flexible.Is it for me?Book this if you want to eat and drink your way through downtown Santa Barbara without planning the route, choosing the spots, or timing it yourself—the local host and fixed itinerary take all that off your hands, and small group sizes keep it feeling like a walk with a friend instead of a formal tour.Free cancellationfromUS$ 175View ›
Palm Springs: Private Bank Heist Escape Room Game
Palm Springs: Private Bank Heist Escape Room Game★★★★★★★★★★ 4.97 (542)1hYou’ll feel your pulse quicken as you sneak past alarms, crack codes, and race against time in a private escape room game in Palm Springs. Share laughs with friends or family as you work together to break into the vault—with no strangers joining your group. That final click of victory is something you won’t forget soon.Free cancellationfromUS$ 42View ›
Carlsbad Food Tour: 5 tastings with village history
Carlsbad Food Tour: 5 tastings with village history★★★★★★★★★★ 4.91 (542)3hA 3-hour walking food tour of Carlsbad Village with five tastings at local eateries—two to three savory dishes and one to two desserts—plus a professional guide sharing the architectural and cultural history of the neighborhood. The tour operates in all weather and accommodates dietary requirements if noted at booking.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want to taste Carlsbad's specialty foods while learning the neighborhood's history from someone who knows it—the guide's stories about the village's architecture and early days are woven into the stops themselves, so you're not just eating and walking, you're seeing the place come into focus.Free cancellationTravelers' pickKids −70%fromUS$ 94View ›
San Diego: Escape Room Game UTC Mall with 6 Themes
San Diego: Escape Room Game UTC Mall with 6 Themes★★★★★★★★★★ 4.98 (540)1h 15mYou’ll dive straight into one of six themed escape room games at San Diego’s Westfield UTC—cracking codes, solving puzzles, and racing against time with your crew. Expect laughs, teamwork (and maybe some friendly bickering), plus help from a local guide if you need it. Afterwards, celebrate over dinner nearby—those small victories stick with you longer than you’d think.Free cancellationfromUS$ 46View ›
Downtown LA: Food Tour with Grand Central Market & Bradbury
Downtown LA: Food Tour with Grand Central Market & Bradbury★★★★★★★★★★ 4.78 (527)3hYou’ll taste your way through Downtown LA with stops at Grand Central Market for tacos and Thai street food, peek inside the Bradbury Building’s historic ironwork, sample French pastries at Pitchoun!, and end exploring The Last Bookstore’s maze of shelves. With a small group and local guide leading you between flavors and stories, you’ll feel right at home amid all that color and noise.Free cancellationTravelers' pickInfants freefromUS$ 89View ›
Escape Room in Victoria Gardens: Five Puzzle Games
Escape Room in Victoria Gardens: Five Puzzle Games★★★★★★★★★★ 4.98 (525)1h 15mAn escape room activity in Victoria Gardens where you and your team work together to find clues, solve puzzles, and complete a mission within 60 minutes. A live guide leads you through one of five themed games—train heist, prison break, secret agent, summer camp, or submarine expedition—and helps as needed. Wheelchair accessible; suitable for all fitness levels.Is it for me?Your group solves puzzles together under pressure, with each person's contribution essential to success—our guide keeps momentum going and helps if you hit a real wall.Free cancellationfromUS$ 43View ›
San Diego Escape Room: 60-Min Gaslamp Quarter Adventure
San Diego Escape Room: 60-Min Gaslamp Quarter Adventure★★★★★★★★★★ 4.99 (520)1h 15mYou arrive, get briefed on your mission, then have 60 minutes to solve puzzles and find clues with your team to escape the room. A game guide helps you from a control room if you get stuck. Afterward, you debrief and take photos. The whole experience takes about 90 minutes, and you're in a family-friendly, non-scary environment with up to 7 other players.Is it for me?Pick this if you want a structured puzzle challenge that doesn't require you to arrange anything beyond showing up—the guide handles the briefing, timing, and hints, so you just focus on solving and working together.Free cancellationTop ratedfromUS$ 46View ›
Napa Sonoma Wine Tour: Small Group, 5 Wineries
Napa Sonoma Wine Tour: Small Group, 5 Wineries★★★★★★★★★★ 4.88 (510)8h–9hA full-day wine tour from San Francisco visits Napa and Sonoma wineries with tastings at Artesa and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, plus scenic overlooks at Treasure Island and Battery Spencer and free time in Sonoma Plaza. The group stays under twelve, an English-speaking guide leads the day, and all winery admission and tastings are included. Pickup is arranged in advance from your San Francisco location, and the tour returns by 5:30 PM.Is it for me?Most wine tours from San Francisco either skip the city views or rush through Sonoma; this one bookends the vineyards with the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge, gives you two hours to eat and wander Sonoma Plaza on your own terms, and keeps the group small enough that the guide knows everyone's name by the second tasting.Free cancellationTravelers' pickInfants freefromUS$ 148View ›
Aquarium of the Pacific: Skip-the-Line Entry & 12,000+ Animals
Aquarium of the Pacific: Skip-the-Line Entry & 12,000+ Animals★★★★★★★★★★ 4.41 (504)3hYou skip the entry line and go straight into all 100+ galleries of the Aquarium of the Pacific, seeing sea otters, sharks, penguins, and the new Jelly Dreamscape exhibit. The 4D movie is included. Your ticket works for a full year, so you can change your date or time free if plans shift, and kids under 3 enter free. Parking is $8 with validation.Is it for me?Right for anyone visiting LA who wants to see the major ocean animals and exhibits without spending time in the ticket line — the skip-the-line entry means you walk straight to the galleries and start exploring immediately.Free cancellationTravelers' pickKids −30%fromUS$ 50View ›
Los Angeles eBike Tour: Beaches, Beverly Hills & Route 66
Los Angeles eBike Tour: Beaches, Beverly Hills & Route 66★★★★★★★★★★ 4.93 (493)5hA full-day electric or standard bike tour of Los Angeles covering 32 miles through West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Culver City, with a live English-speaking guide, helmet, water and onsite bag storage. The route includes a lunch stop on Venice Beach and passes UCLA, the Greystone Mansion, Robertson Boulevard, the Venice Boardwalk and Muscle Beach. You choose between a pedal-assist electric bike (recommended for hills) or a standard bike at checkout.Is it for me?Choose the electric bike if the 32-mile distance or the hills along the route concern you—it removes the pedaling strain while keeping you moving through all five hours. Book the standard bike if you want the full workout and prefer the lighter feel of a non-motorized ride.Free cancellationfromUS$ 198View ›
Catalina Island: Avalon Food Tour with Tastings & Historic Bars
Catalina Island: Avalon Food Tour with Tastings & Historic Bars★★★★★★★★★★ 4.86 (492)2h 30mYou’ll walk Avalon’s colorful streets with a local guide, tasting everything from fresh seafood to nostalgic sweets and cocktails in historic bars. Meet chefs and bartenders who shape Catalina’s food scene as ocean breezes follow you from spot to spot. If you love real stories mixed with good bites and a few laughs, this tour leaves you feeling like you belong here—at least for an afternoon.Free cancellationfromUS$ 176View ›
Malibu: Celebrity Homes & Beach Tour with Local Stops
Malibu: Celebrity Homes & Beach Tour with Local Stops★★★★★★★★★★ 4.89 (491)2hYou’ll ride along Malibu’s coast in an open-air van with a local guide, stopping for sandy walks at Point Dume and photos by the famous sign. Hear stories behind celebrity homes and filming spots before tasting local eats or browsing shops at Malibu Country Mart. This isn’t just sightseeing—it’s feeling like part of California for a day.Free cancellationBest valueKids −25%fromUS$ 39View ›
Santa Monica & Venice: Electric Bike Tour Small Group Ride
Santa Monica & Venice: Electric Bike Tour Small Group Ride★★★★★★★★★★ 4.93 (487)3hYou’ll ride an electric bike from Santa Monica to Venice Beach with a local guide leading your small group. Expect ocean views, lively boardwalks, quiet canals, and plenty of chances to laugh at yourself (or your pronunciation). Includes helmet rental, bottled water, and all the good California sunshine you can handle.Free cancellationfromUS$ 89View ›
Elkhorn Slough Wildlife Electric Catamaran Tour: Custom-built for local waters
Elkhorn Slough Wildlife Electric Catamaran Tour: Custom-built for local waters★★★★★★★★★★ 4.91 (486)1h 30mAn Elkhorn Slough wildlife tour by electric catamaran from Moss Landing carries up to 32 passengers on a 90-minute narrated cruise through a tidal wetland between Santa Cruz and Monterey. The vessel is custom-built and fully electric, designed specifically for these waters. A live guide in English narrates the route while you scan for otters, sea lions, birds and other wildlife in the slough's peaceful waters.Is it for me?The electric hull is what makes the wildlife visible — no engine noise means otters and sea lions stay put long enough to spot, and the guide's voice carries across the water instead of competing with a motor.Free cancellationTravelers' pickfromUS$ 45View ›
Palm Springs: Titanic Escape Room Game for Private Groups
Palm Springs: Titanic Escape Room Game for Private Groups★★★★★★★★★★ 4.95 (478)1hYou’ll race against time with your own private group inside a Titanic-themed escape room in Palm Springs. Expect laughter, teamwork, and plenty of surprises as you solve clues together—always without strangers joining your game. Your host is there for hints if you need them, and everything’s wheelchair accessible so everyone can play. You might leave still debating who really saved the day.Free cancellationfromUS$ 42View ›
Sonoma Walking Food & Wine Tour: Progressive Lunch
Sonoma Walking Food & Wine Tour: Progressive Lunch★★★★★★★★★★ 4.96 (477)3hA 3-hour walking food and wine tour through Sonoma Plaza that combines progressive tastings from local restaurants and artisan producers with the town's history and architecture. The guide leads groups under a dozen people on a 1.25-mile route, stopping at cheese makers, olive oil producers, a historic chocolate shop, and a local tasting room. All food, one wine tasting, one cocktail, and guide services are included in the price.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want to eat and drink your way through Sonoma without building the itinerary yourself—the guide handles the stops, the timing, and the stories, so you just show up and taste.Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell outfromUS$ 189View ›
Geology Tour Road, Joshua Tree National Park offroad tour
Geology Tour Road, Joshua Tree National Park offroad tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.93 (470)5hThis offroad tour through Joshua Tree National Park takes you past the main park highlights and onto Geology Tour Road, the only route in the park where all three of Joshua Tree's distinct geological formations appear together. The 5-hour tour includes a professional guide, bottled water and snacks, and covers terrain most visitors never reach. Minimum group size is two people.Is it for me?The tour departs from Joshua Tree National Park itself, so you'll need to arrange your own way to the entrance or book pickup separately if you're staying elsewhere in the area. Once you're there, the guide and vehicle handle the rest—you're not navigating unpaved roads on your own or deciding which geology stops matter. The offroad access to Geology Tour Road is what you're paying for; if you have a car but no experience with desert geology or unpaved terrain, this is the way to see all three formations without the guesswork.Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell outfromUS$ 249View ›
Joshua Tree: Open Air Hummer Tour & Keys Point Overlook
Joshua Tree: Open Air Hummer Tour & Keys Point Overlook★★★★★★★★★★ 4.80 (465)3h–5hYou’ll feel wind on your face as you ride an open-air Hummer into Joshua Tree’s wild heart, climb up to Keys Point for endless views, and wander ancient rock trails with a local guide who knows every plant and story here. Expect real desert air, snacks when you need them most, and moments of quiet that stick with you long after.Free cancellationTravelers' pickfromUS$ 179View ›
Do you need help planning your next activity?