California’s most beautiful small towns and cities
Golden State gems
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California is home to some of the country’s most famous cities, but it's the in-between places that are often the most beguiling. There's incredible beauty at almost every turn, with gorgeous towns and cities tucked in valleys, perched atop mountains and overlooking sweeps of golden sand. From colourful beach towns that seem to have hopped straight from a postcard to enclaves nestled by the lakeshore, we’ve narrowed down our top 30 most beautiful towns and cities across California. As always, check local restrictions and only travel when it’s safe to do so.
30. Pioneertown, San Bernardino County
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29. Nevada City, Nevada County
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28. Petaluma, Sonoma County
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Many people come to Petaluma for the food – the Sonoma town overflows with incredible farm-to-table restaurants that draw from the area’s abundant produce (and delicious wines). But they might just as reasonably come for the architecture and setting, with those restaurants, wine-tasting rooms, craft breweries and cafés tucked in small squares, down narrow lanes and inside historic buildings and warehouses. The location, on the banks of the Petaluma River, surrounded by dairy farms and with wineries on the doorstep, helps too.
27. Ferndale, Humboldt County
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Ferndale looks like it’s scooped up all the gorgeous, pastel-hued Victorian homes or Painted Ladies of San Francisco and placed them in neat rows along its palm-studded streets. The Victorian town, north of the famous Bayside city, has a privileged position between two redwood forests and close to the ruggedly beautiful Lost Coast. But it’s those elegant and ornate homes that make it so very pretty. Its Main Street is a parade of colourful buildings, many now home to art galleries and cute boutiques.
26. Napa, Napa County
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Downtown Napa hasn’t always been a desirable destination, but revitalisation over the past decade or so has turned it into a beauty in its own right. The city itself is small, but packed with all the good stuff, including restaurants, wine-tasting rooms and hotels inside 19th-century buildings like the Historic Napa Mill. It’s arranged on either side of the Napa River, a chocolate-brown squiggle that weaves through Oxbow Preserve.
25. Dunsmuir, Siskiyou County
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24. Cambria, San Luis Obispo County
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Cambria combines the old-fashioned charms of a pretty village with the sweeping, stunning beauty of the coast. Its downtown is row upon row of labyrinthine antiques shops, speciality food stores, wine-tasting rooms, restaurants and stores selling handcrafted jewellery and soaps. A short walk away, Cambria’s pocket of the Pacific coast includes Abalone Cove, overlooked by clapboard houses, and Moonstone Beach, a glorious sweep of sand backed by parkland with a boardwalk.
23. Eureka, Humboldt County
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22. Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County
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Paso Robles, halfway between LA and San Francisco, is known for its 300-odd wineries and natural hot springs. But the downtown area is lovely, too. Red-brick and Renaissance-Revival buildings surround grassy Downtown City Park, where free concerts are often performed from the bandstand. The original buildings are home to restaurants, wine-tasting rooms, antiques stores and shops selling a mix of local crafts, artisan food and souvenirs. The surrounding scenery of vine-striped hills studded with centuries-old oak trees is dreamy too.
21. Julian, San Diego County
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Perched high in the Cuyamaca Mountains, Julian has a crisp, alpine feel that’s a world away from one of its nearest neighbours, San Diego. Yet it still has that classic California atmosphere, from its outdoorsy vibes to its pioneering spirit. The historic mining town has become something of an artists’ enclave and its centre is home to galleries and studios alongside cafés and bakeries serving up its signature apple pie, made with fruit from local orchards. The surrounding forested valleys – and nearby Lake Cuyamaca – make it all the prettier.
20. Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County
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19. Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County
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Perched right by the ocean on one of the world’s most famously beautiful stretches of road, the Pacific Coast Highway, this tiny town could win beauty pageants on the basis of its views alone. Throw in a chain of soft, burnished-gold beaches backed by sandstone cliffs, forested hills and mountains and Half Moon Bay – around 30 miles (48km) south of San Francisco – is almost embarrassingly pretty.
18. Ventura, Ventura County
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All life revolves around the beach in this laid-back surf town along California's Central Coast. The broad pier, popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists, follows its curves, while pros and beginners launch boards into the waves. The occasional surfing dog can be spotted, too. The downtown streets, stretching parallel to the coastline, are home to retro theatres, craft breweries and second-hand bookstores, and it’s all overseen by the glorious Botanical Gardens, landscaped into the hills.
17. Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino County
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16. Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo County
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15. Avalon, Santa Catalina Island
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14. Dana Point, Orange County
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This compact city is Californian coastal charm distilled, which is apt considering this marks the official start of the state’s famed Pacific Coast Highway or Highway 1. Its harbour is a charmingly ramshackle mix of open-sided cafés, seafood restaurants, souvenir shops and clothing stores, while fishing boats and whale-watching cruises depart from the marina. It’s beguiling whether viewed close-up or from one of the many overlooks up in the bluffs.
13. Fort Bragg, Mendocino County
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Right at the northern end of the Pacific Coast Highway, Fort Bragg was founded as a garrison before the Civil War. Today visitors are more likely to encounter a craft beer store or a quirky gallery. Aside from its small but characterful main street, this town is all about the incredible views. From iconic Pudding Creek Trestle (pictured) to beaches backed by cliffs and redwood forests, this is some of the most spectacular scenery in the state. Glass Beach, named due to the smooth, colourful pebbles of sea glass washed on its shores, is a highlight.
Read on to find more epic places you won't believe are in the USA
12. Huntington Beach, Orange County
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This OC beach town is known as Surf City USA and it has long been a hub for all things breaks and boards, with the first US Open of Surfing held here in 1959. Its stretch of sand still attracts both beginners and pros and there’s a definite surfer vibe at the bars, restaurants and hotels. But there’s much more to Huntington Beach than catching waves. The sand is soft as caster sugar and the spindly stilts of the iconic pier create a gorgeous backdrop that looks especially beautiful at sunset.
11. St. Helena, Napa County
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St. Helena is home to some of the Napa Valley’s most historic vineyards and that alone would be enough to put it high on our list. Its downtown matches up to the elegance of those grand chateaux, though, with tree-studded pavements stretching alongside rows of gorgeous boutiques, bistros and bookstores. It’s been dubbed Napa Valley’s Main Street thanks to its easy walkability, relaxed vibe and abundance of shops. Landmark buildings include the Culinary Institute of America, occupying a former winery, and the 19th-century Richie Block building.
10. Tahoe City, Placer County
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9. San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County
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Locals call it “SLO” and it’s easy to see why: surroundings like these inspire a languid, luxurious pace of life. Once described by Oprah Winfrey as the happiest place in North America, San Luis Obispo has it all, really. It’s close to sandy beaches, surrounded by vineyards and sheltered by a string of volcanic peaks, the Nine Sisters. Its compact downtown streets are lined with wine bars, craft breweries, and restaurants with patios by the creek, alongside shops that sell all kinds of pretty things from chic clothing to artwork inspired by local landscapes.
8. Calistoga, Napa County
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Laid-back Calistoga, at the northern tip of Napa Valley, lies right at one end of Highway 29, which winds and wiggles its way past some of the region’s loveliest wineries and most gorgeous scenery. It’s had something of a polish recently, too, with old motels being revamped and hip wine-tasting rooms moving in. The downtown is little more than one street but everything is just-so, from cute cafés to restaurants and bookstores designed to get lost in. There are also spas, drawing from the area’s natural thermal springs and volcanic mud.
7. Ojai, Ventura County
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Even the sun seems to favour this cute, hippy (and hip) town, located around 90 miles (145km) north of Los Angeles. Each evening it kisses the Topatopa Mountains – a grey-green range that provides the town’s scenic backdrop – and washes it in a soft, peachy pink. There’s even a local term for this natural spectacle: the “pink moment”. The town itself is oh-so-pretty, too, with early 19th-century Spanish Mission Revival architecture housing independent stores, galleries and wellness centres.
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6. Healdsburg, Sonoma County
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5. Capitola, Santa Cruz County
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Capitola began life as a tented camp by the shore of Monterey Bay and it’s now the quintessential California beach resort. Homes in colours from turquoise and teal to peach and pistachio overlook the horseshoe-shaped beach, where people often gather (with local pizza) to watch the sunset. Steps from the sand, the compact downtown is all cute gift stores and wine bars. Capitola is just six miles (10km) from Santa Cruz, where even more colour is waiting along the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with its candy-hued amusement park rides.
4. Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County
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Morro Rock, a big volcanic rock and this small town’s most famous icon, embodies many of the characteristics that make Morro Bay so lovely: it’s beautiful, craggy, historic and charming. But this beach town has more to it. There’s the soft, pale gold beaches, the strip of waterfront restaurants and shops, and the estuary, whose marshes and mudflats are home to rich birdlife. Then there are the most beguiling residents of all: the furry sea otters, generally spotted floating on their backs in the sheltered harbour.
3. Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey County
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Cities don’t come much prettier than Carmel, one of the most popular stops along the Pacific Coast Highway. Its centre is a broad, Parisian-style boulevard with rows of fancy boutiques, cosy little bistros and wine bars, with neatly planted trees and blooms adding more gorgeousness to the scene. Then there’s Carmel Beach (pictured), known for pale, soft sand and lovely, lilac-tinged sunsets, and the town’s famous fairytale cottages. The 17-Mile Drive – a scenic route that weaves past more beaches, harbour seal colonies and cypress trees – is just north of the centre.
2. Sausalito, Marin County
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It’s hard to fathom how there could be a prettier place than San Francisco – but this beauty across the bay somehow manages to outshine its bigger neighbour. On the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito is small and stunningly lovely. With white and pastel-hued homes clinging to the hillside and a stretch of waterfront shops and restaurants jutting into the bay, it looks and feels like it belongs on the French Riviera. The small community of colourful floating homes (house boats) adds extra interest, too.
Dreaming of future adventures? Check out more easy day trips from San Francisco here
1. Solvang, Santa Barbara County
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Solvang is almost too pretty to be real: its streets and squares are home to windmills, open-all-year Christmas shops and diner-style restaurants. The Danish community was settled in 1911 and its architecture, from cute cottages to the Bethania Lutheran Church, speak to its heritage. Fans of Sideways might recognise Solvang as one of main locations, and the cult 2004 road-trip (and wine-glugging) movie hugely boosted attention on the pretty town, a gateway to the wineries of the Santa Ynez Valley.
Learn more with our area-by-area guide to California's wine regions
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