Highlights of America's West Coast

We fly to San Francisco, our base for the next two nights. After checking into our hotel, there's some free time for you to settle in or perhaps to begin sightseeing. San Francisco is a famously bohemian city, and is packed with fantastic bars and eateries from modern restaurants to historic speakeasies, as well as iconic landmarks and sights.

We're introduced to the city today on a half-day guided tour that showcases San Francisco's many highlights. Our tour takes us to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, a famous, orange-toned bridge that spans a mile over the Pacific Ocean, and from which there's outstanding views across the bay. We also visit Fisherman's Wharf, home to a unique colony of sea lions. With more free time later, you might like to visit the nearby island of Alcatraz, a notorious former prison that once housed prisoners including Al Capone.

Enjoy a free day to discover San Francisco. You could take a trolley ride through Fisherman's Wharf, pausing to indulge in some excellent seafood at one of the famous crab stalls, before taking a moment to admire the picture-postcard views across the bay towards Golden Gate Bridge. Another option is to visit the impressively steep Lombardy Street. Or step back in time with a visit to an old-fashioned saloon, where you can relax with a cocktail in surroundings seemingly unchanged since the Wild West and Prohibition eras.

We journey by rail from Oakland, travelling along the San Joaquin route through California's Central Valley. Arriving at Merced, we transfer by coach into incredible Yosemite National Park. Such is its vast beauty, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984, and it attracts millions of visitors every year. We enjoy a tour of the dramatic valley floor with a local expert who takes us to Half Dome, standing 4,000 feet above the eastern part of the valley, as well as the world-famous El Capitan and thundering Bridalveil Falls, which sends water cascading down a 617-feet drop.

From the lush, natural beauty of Yosemite, we head to the glamorous and glittering sights of Las Vegas. Taking the train from Merced to Bakersfield, we continue our journey by coach to wonderful Las Vegas. Our journey takes us across the eerily beautiful Mojave Desert, passing derelict ghost towns and atmospheric villages, before the towering buildings and bright neon lights of Las Vegas soon begin to appear on the horizon. Arriving in the vibrant city, we check into our hotel for two nights.

Enjoy a whole day free to discover Las Vegas for yourself. With no end of entertainment, Vegas is a favourite city for tourists, with an incredible selection of resorts, casinos, and shows to enjoy as well as fantastic spas and restaurants at many of the vibrantly themed hotels. Snap a photo of the iconic 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas', wager a chip or two in the sprawling casino at Caesars Palace, or head to the Fountains of Bellagio to watch the dancing, erupting waters.

We continue by coach to Arizona. On the way, we stop off at the Hoover Dam. This masterpiece of engineering was built during the Great Depression of 1936 as an attempt to control floods and produce hydroelectric power. It's now one of the most visited attractions in the United States and provides enough electricity to serve 1.3 million people across the states of Arizona, Nevada and California. Joining the legendary Route 66, we stop off in Kingman for a short break before checking into our hotel in Flagstaff for the night.

Today is an undoubted highlight of our holiday, as we visit the Grand Canyon. We board the heritage Grand Canyon Railway, travelling in restored vintage-style carriages as we journey to the South Rim of one of the world's most breathtaking natural wonders. From our incredible viewpoint, there's views across the peaks and valleys of the incredible canyon, forged by the powerful Colorado River over millions of years. Leaving the Grand Canyon, we make our way to Lake Havasu for the night. This city is home to an unusual attraction; here you'll find a Georgian-era bridge that once spanned the River Thames but was relocated to Arizona in the 1960s.

We arrive in glamorous Los Angeles, where we have a half-day tour. We visit the famous Hollywood Boulevard, home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as the TCL Chinese Theatre, where the Oscars are held each year. The rest of your day is free to explore. You could enjoy browsing the upmarket boutiques, bars, restaurants and clubs on Sunset Strip or stroll Rodeo Drive, home to exclusive shops like Tiffany's, Chanel and Versace. You may prefer to visit famous Venice Beach Boardwalk or Santa Monica Pier, or head to the Griffith Observatory for a sighting of the renowned Hollywood sign.

We board Amtrak's Coast Starlight service, admiring the wild views as our train hugs the shoreline along the Pacific Coast Highway. We enjoy the sights of the mesmerising Salinas Valley as well as the Santa Lucia and Diablo mountain ranges as we make our way to Salinas. Here, we disembark for a coach transfer to Monterey, where we check into our hotel for tonight.

You are free to explore the dramatic scenery of northern California. Monterey is one of the state's most popular coastal destinations, and delights visitors with its pretty seafront, historic landmarks and beautiful natural scenery. The city is famous for its coastal location and is known as the whale watching capital of the world. Its world-class aquarium overlooks Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and is a must-visit, with creatures including African penguins, brown pelicans and humpback whales to be spotted.

Bidding farewell to the coastal surroundings of Monterey, we take a coach back to San Francisco, where we head to the airport for our overnight flight back to the UK.

We touch down in the UK today, where you holiday comes to an end.