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Disneyland, Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge are just three of California’s most attractive features. Stretching north from the Mexican border, the state’s topography encompasses beaches, forest, mountains and desert, with diverse climates to accompany them. You could spend weeks exploring everything on offer without even leaving the state.
California’s official capital is Sacramento but most travellers are more familiar with Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. There are direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane daily to LA and from Sydney to San Fran. Those travelling to California from other Australian cities will require a change at one of the three.
Available on flights from April - September 2021. Destinations include Hobart, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Gold Coast, Cairns, Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and more. Sample fare is Melbourne-Launceston. T&Cs apply.
Available until December 2021 to Queenstown, Wellington, Christchurch and more with Jetstar, Air New Zealand and Qantas. Sample fare is Melbourne-Auckland. T&Cs apply.
Jetstar sale: Australia-wide flights from $32 each way
Available on flights from April - September 2021 to Launceston, Gold Coast, Hobart, Adelaide, Whitsundays, Townsville, Hamilton Island, Darwin, Uluru and more. Sample fare is Melbourne-Adelaide. T&Cs apply.
Available on Qantas flights from April - September 2021. Destinations include Sydney, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Launceston, Hobart, Cairns, Darwin, Broome, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on flights until June 2021 to Perth, Gold Coast, Cairns and more. Sample fare is Melbourne-Sydney with Jetstar. Other airlines include Virgin Australia from $76 and Rex Airlines from $77. T&Cs apply.
Get $5 off each of your first four rides in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Geelong, Perth and Newcastle. Valid on all dates for new users. T&Cs apply.
Available on experiences across Australia including Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth, Hobart and more. Minimum spend of $250 required. Activities include hot air balloon flights, hop-on hop-off bus tours, whale watching cruises, skydives, high teas, quad biking experiences and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on experiences across Australia including Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and more. Minimum spend of $300 required. Activities include hot air balloon flights, hop-on hop-off bus tours, whale watching cruises, skydives, high teas, quad biking experiences and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on select travel dates when you spend a minimum of $100. Activities include hot air balloon flights, tandem skydives and attraction passes. Destinations include Sydney, Gold Coast, Cairns, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and more. Exclusive for new members. T&Cs apply.
Australia-wide flights from $64 each way + Extra $30 off with code
Available on flights until 31 December 2021when you spend a minimum of $250. Destinations include Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Cairns, Darwin, Canberra, Sunshine Coast and more. Sample fare is Sydney-Melbourne with Jetstar. T&Cs apply.
Up to 46% off Australia stays + Extra $50 off with code
Available on stays until 31 December 2021. Destinations include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Cairns, Darwin, Canberra and more. Minimum spend of $250 required. T&Cs apply.
Up to 33% off Sea World Resort and Water Park stays with park entry
Available for stays until 30 April 2021 with packages available to include entry to Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World, Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast and Paradise Country during your stay.
Available on select flights until December 2021. Destination include Sydney, Gold Coast, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hamilton Island and more. Sample fare is Brisbane-Proserpine. T&Cs apply.
Available for Mastercard holders on flights from 1 November 2020 - 30 June 2021. Valid on flights departing from Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra. T&Cs apply.
Available on Rex Airline flights from April - September 2021 to Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Burnie and more. Sample fare is Sydney-Gold Coast. T&Cs apply.
Available for travel on select dates from 1 May - 10 September 2021. Package includes return airfare and 5 nights stay at Grosvenor Hotel, BreakFree Directors Studio or Adelaide Paringa Hotel. Sample rate departs from Melbourne. T&Cs apply.
Available on select trips until 30 June 2022 to Australia, New Zealand, Bali, Alaska, India, Thailand, Peru, South Africa, Japan, Maldives, Canada and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on select flight until June 2021. Sample fare departs from Brisbane with Jetstar. Other flights depart from Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on 6+ day rentals from 15 July - 15 September 2021. Destinations include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart. T&Cs apply.
Available on 3+ days rentals, including a Saturday night from 22 April - 21 June 2021. Destinations include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart. T&Cs apply.
Available on select 2021 flights to Ballina, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Launceston, Sydney and more. Sample fares are Melbourne-Adelaide with Jetstar. T&Cs apply.
Available on flights from July - September 2021 to Queenstown, Wellington, Christchurch and more. Sample fare is Melbourne-Auckland with Jetstar. T&Cs apply.
Available on flights until July 20210 departing from Adelaide, Cairns, Melbourne, Brisbane and more. Sample fare departs from Sydney with Jetstar. T&Cs apply.
Available on flights until June 20210 departing from Hobart, Gold Coast and more. Sample fare departs from Adelaide with Virgin Australia. Other airlines include Rex, Jetstar and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on rentals until 31 July 2021 when you spend a minimum of $240. Destinations include Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Cairns, Sydney and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on select travel dates in 2021 across Australia, including Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast, Newcastle. Sample fare is Melbourne-Adelaide with Jetstar. T&Cs apply.
Available on activities including hot air balloon flights, helicopter scenic flights and luxury car hire. Must purchase two or more vouchers. Destinations include Gold Coast, Whitsundays, Cairns, Melbourne and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on stays from 1 April - 30 September 2021, including Easter weekend, on select hotels. Destinations include Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns and more. T&Cs apply.
Available on select stay dates with Express Deals. Destinations include Sydney, Adelaide, Byron Bay, Thredbo Village, Sunshine Coast, Jindabyne, Perth, the Gold Coast and more.
Valid for travel on select dates in 2021 with Avis, Budget, Sixt, Europcar and more. Destinations from Gold Coast include Brisbane, Toowoomba, Lamington National Park and more. T&Cs apply.
From Melbourne: 14 hrs 15 mins + when you fly direct
From Perth: 21 hrs 10 mins +. Unfortunately, you cannot fly direct from Perth to California. You will need to connect to a flight in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane that is heading to California
From Brisbane: 12 hrs 40 mins + when you fly direct
Airlines that fly to California
American Airlines
Delta
Qantas
United Airlines
Virgin Australia
California insider flight tips
If you’re taking a self-drive holiday in California then you can fly into one airport and out from another on a return flight. Qantas, United Airlines and American Airlines all fly direct to San Francisco International airport (SFO) from Sydney and to Los Angeles International airport (LAX) from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane (as do Virgin Australia and Delta).
There are lots of regional airports across California with low-cost carrier flights to get you back to LA or San Francisco for connecting flights back to Australia. The US has plenty of local budget airlines such as JetBlue, Southwest and Spirit Airlines.
LAX does leave the Australian traveller spoilt for choice in terms of airlines and routes. It is also a major transit airport which can mean long queues for customs and baggage clearance – especially with increased security regulations. Be aware of the time it may take to exit when booking onward travel or car rental. Those travelling to/from SFO should bear in mind that delays are common due to fog in the bay area
LAX has a free shuttle service between the terminals departing every 10-15 minutes- look out for a large blue sign outside the terminal. Free shuttle buses also serve the Metro Green Line which connects to the Los Angeles Area and the Metro Bus Center. Coach services (eg Grayline) run to parts of LA and destinations across California. Taxis can be found outside all terminals. There’s also a free airport shuttle to Lot C for the car rental area. Some rental companies have their own shuttle buses too, which you can call from designated courtesy phones in the arrivals terminals. You can find out more about car hire rentals and deals in Los Angeles here.
SFO terminals are all connected 24 hours a day for free by AirTrain. The AirTrain also serves the Rental Car Center and the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Station. The BART system connects to the Caltrain for rail services around San Francisco and out to San Jose. SamTrans is the public bus service which runs to different parts of San Francisco. There are a few private airport shuttle bus services too. The airport has a Hotel Courtesy Shuttle zone where certain hotels have courtesy phones to call them for a ride. Taxis are also available and car-share services like Uber must pick up from the departures level for all terminals. Find out how to navigate your way around San Francisco here.
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