Las Vegas & the Golden West in Winter 2013 

We depart London on our flight to San Francisco. On arrival we transfer to our hotel for three nights, the Radisson Fisherman's Wharf Hotel.

We begin with a sightseeing tour of San Francisco, including the vast Golden Gate Bridge and the popular Fisherman's Wharf area, with its street performers and many restaurants. This afternoon we take a guided tour of the infamous island of Alcatraz, once a penitentiary housing notorious criminals such as Al Capone. Your second day in San Francisco is free, so why not explore the vibrant streets of Chinatown and the intriguing Golden Gate Fortune Cookie factory, or ride the trams (cable cars) along the hilly streets and visit the famous winding Lombard Street, which has the distinction of being 'the most crooked street in the world'! A trip to Haight-Ashbury takes you to one of the city's most fashionable areas. Known as "the Haight", this inter-section is famous for its association with the hippie-culture era of the 60s.

This morning we travel by rail to Merced, taking the San Joaquin route through California's Central Valley. The journey is wonderfully scenic, bordered by coastal mountain ranges on the west, and on the east by Yosemite National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty with steep cliffs of granite, deep alpine lakes and giant redwood trees. At Merced we transfer by coach into Yosemite for a tour of the spectacular Valley Floor. Often covered with dustings of snow and ice at this time of year, we see some of the park's most famous sights, including the Half Dome and the 3,000ft monolith El Capitan. We return to Merced for a night at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel.

Our journey on the San Joaquin train continues southwards today. Arriving in Bakersfield, we depart eastwards by coach through California and across the Mojave Desert into Nevada, with the terrain getting more mountainous towards the Nevada border. In Las Vegas we spend three nights at the legendary Hilton Hotel, located just off the famous Strip.

Our hotel is very close to the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, with a spa, swimming pool and retail outlets, plus a large casino. With two free days in Las Vegas, you can explore the amazing sights and spectacles of the resorts, which offer something for everyone, with top class shows and an extraordinary selection of entertainment choices on your doorstep, including the world-famous casinos. Explore the exotic delights of the Strip, from the African-themed Sahara Hotel to the MGM Grand, via resorts with Oriental, Roman and Parisian themes, as well as Las Vegas' version of Venice - a world tour without need for your passport! Among the highlights to be found at the hotels are the popular Bellagio fountains, and the exhibitions at the Luxor Hotel, including parts of the Titanic reclaimed from the sea bed, and the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay Hotel.

Today we head out of Las Vegas and across Nevada to Arizona, via the Hoover Dam, an engineering masterpiece completed in 1936 to end the constant flooding caused by the mighty Colorado River. Entering Arizona we arrive on the legendary Route 66 and the railroad town of Williams, nestled amidst ponderosa pine forest, where we spend the night at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel by the Williams Depot, the southern terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway.

Today we enjoy another of our tour's highlights as we travel by rail to the incredible Grand Canyon. We take the Grand Canyon Railroad through the wintry scenery, travelling in vintage carriages hauled by historic locomotives, to the Grand Canyon, one of the world's most awe-inspiring sights. We arrive at the South Rim and main viewpoint to take in the dramatic vistas. After returning to Williams, we join Amtrak's overnight Southwest Chief service to Los Angeles. The Southwest Chief is unique among Superliner trains as it is permitted to reach speeds of up to 90mph on sections of the route.

Arriving in LA we spend the morning in Hollywood, with free time to see the footprints of the stars at Mann's Chinese Theatre or to take a stroll along the legendary Hollywood Boulevard. We then travel to Long Beach for one night on board the RMS Queen Mary, which has a fascinating history as a luxury ocean liner and its role in World War II as a U-boat dodging, high-speed troop carrier.

Bidding farewell to Los Angeles this morning, we travel on board the iconic Coast Starlight for a journey along the stunning Pacific coast shoreline. Relax in the sightseer lounge as the train hugs the rugged coast north of Santa Barbara heading to the wine producing region of San Luis Obispo. Entering the Salinas Valley we pass the Santa Lucia and Diablo mountain ranges en route to Salinas, from where we make a short coach transfer to Monterey for two nights at the Best Western Beach Resort, which is perfectly located for strolling along the beach.

We explore the wonderful Californian coastline today, including the attractive waterfront of Cannery Row, made famous by John Steinbeck, and the exclusive residences of 17 Mile Drive. We also visit Carmel, where Clint Eastwood was once mayor, a charming town that has attracted artists for decades, and see the Big Sur, where the Pacific coastline rises dramatically into the Santa Lucia Mountains. On Day 13 we complete the circuit by heading north to San Francisco for another night at the Radisson Fisherman's Wharf Hotel.

After a free morning to relax in San Francisco, we transfer to the airport for our overnight flight, arriving back in London on Day 15.