This Lonely Planet guide recognizes that people come to Southern California for more than just one travel experience. If you’re going with family to Disneyland, why not drive a few miles further south to the many family-friendly sights in San Diego, such as SeaWorld or the wonderful San Diego Zoo?
There’s also Legoland California nearby in Carlsbad, and other kid-friendly activities, too.
If you enjoy Los Angeles, you might also love Santa Barbara, further up the coast along the magnificent Pacific Coast Highway Scenic Drive.
Those who go to Las Vegas for the slots might also want to plan a trip to the other casino capital: Palm Springs. And in contrast to the glitzy neon of Vegas and the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, this part of the USA also has some of the most dramatic of the country’s national parks in Joshua Tree and Death Valley.
Guide to Los Angeles and Beyond
The Lonely Planet guide covers all these places, packed into almost 500 pages. You obviously won’t get the in-depth coverage that a dedicated guide to each place would give you (Las Vegas only gets two pages, for example), but as an all-in-one guide to the best that this area has to offer, it definitely does a good job.
Los Angeles itself gets the most coverage, naturally, with over 150 pages on LA and around. The LA section is then followed by:
- Disneyland and the Orange County Beaches (51 pages)
- San Diego and around (64 pages)
- Palm Springs and the Deserts (36 pages)
- Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Wine Country (40 pages)
It’s a good idea to include both San Diego and Santa Barbara, even though Lonely Planet also publishes a Coastal California guide that covers these places too, and indeed the whole California coast. But both cities have a lot to offer visitors in their different ways, and here there are good maps for each place, a potted history, coverage of the highlights any visitor should try to see, and several pages of hotel and restaurant recommendations.
Meet the Authors
This latest edition of the Lonely Planet guide has three main authors:
- Sara Benson, who has worked on many other Lonely Planet guides including Coastal California, California, California Trips, and Las Vegas Encounter.
- Andrew Bender, who lives in Los Angeles and who has also worked on numerous Lonely Planet Guides, as well as writing for the Los Angeles Times and other publications.
- Adam Skolnick, who is a third-generation Los Angeleno and who wrote the Los Angeles section.
Is this the Book for You?
If you’re planning on traveling on from Los Angeles to several other places in Southern California, then this Lonely Planet guide is definitely one to consider. With the exception of Las Vegas, which really ought to have been left out, it offers good in-depth coverage that would help anyone make the most of the places included.
If you’re only going to Los Angeles, then you’d be better off buying an in-depth guide just to that city. If you’re going to spend several days at Disneyland, then an exclusively Disneyland guide would be good. But if you intend to visit at least two or three of the places in this book, then it’s highly recommended.
Lonely Planet Guide to Los Angeles, San Diego, and Southern California
This Lonely Planet Guide, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Southern California, costs $19.99 in the USA and £14.99 in the UK.
Donna Dailey - Donna Dailey is an award-winning travel writer & photographer. Her work appears in newspapers, magazines, websites and guidebooks ...
