Chartering A Bus in North California: Small Towns for Group Travel

Home of Ken Grossman’s favorite climbing venue and beverage, Sierra Nevada, and the San Francisco Bay, Northern California has five different climate types and a population of around 15 million. This area of the state is unrivaled, even on its cloudiest day, and we’ll show you why. We’ll even make it easy with our selection of North California charter buses.

If you and your North California travel group have decided to stay in San Francisco, you’ve made an excellent choice. It’s a great place to rest while you venture out into the amazing cities that surround the area.

North California Group Travel Day Trip Guide for Tiny Towns

Sausalito

Starting with Sausalito, the name’s meaning nearly says it all: “sweetest small towns in California.” When it comes to this town, we’re talking small, 2.2 square miles small to be exact. You may wonder how many people could exist in a place so tiny; there are around 7 thousand people living in the town of Sausalito. The town’s appearance is something special too; it looks like a colorful Mediterranean coastal town, all here in the comfort of the USA. What is there to do? Well, aside from admiring the Golden Gate Bridge, you can visit Gabrielson Park and gaze at the boats cruising by or you can satisfy a sweet tooth craving at Lappert’s, their famous ice cream shop. You can also explore the town’s many unique houseboats that are seen just by walking by. Lastly, there’s hiking, which can be done in the Marin Headlands. See what this tiny yet mighty town has to offer by including it on your North California group travel itinerary.

Half Moon Bay

Welcome to yet another adorable town that has a name to add to its mystique. Half Moon Bay spans 6.2 square miles and has a population of about 11 thousand. This town was named after its crescent-like coastal arch back in 1874. This town is big on biking and clam chowder, and they’re hoping you enjoy both. Between Half Moon Bay and Mavericks Beach, there’s plenty of area to cover on a lovely bike journey. As far as chowder goes, the reviews say it all, head on over to Sam’s Chowder House. You can’t beat a beautiful destination with tasty chowder.

Carmel-by-the-Sea

This tiny town starts with uniqueness right out of the gate with its name, Carmel-by-the-Sea — a name made for a romantic novel perhaps, but in reality, the name comes from Sebastian Vizcaino, who named the area Carmelo in honor of the Carmelite friars traveling with him. The size of this sanctuary comes in at the smallest plot of land, 1.06 square miles, and it holds about 3 thousand people. The area, like many near the bay, is known for its beaches but also its fairytale cottages. And you probably know where we’re going with this: what is there to do? Well, it’s pivotal that you and your San Francisco Bay group see the beautiful Point Lobos State Natural Reserve; the views will have you pulling your jaw up from the ground at its beauty. Leaning into the history of the town’s name, there’s also a Carmel Mission Basilica Museum where you can get a look into the history of the first explorers. When all of those activities have been exhausted, there are plenty of cute sightseeing cottages to see.

Mendocino

This town was named by Spanish navigators in honor of Antonio de Mendoza in the 1850s and was a haven to many artists. Today, Mendocino is home to 91,000 people and has quite a few activities to choose from.  For starters, there are gorgeous state parks, including MacKerricher State Park. This next one is a bit random, but worth a visit: The Chandelier Drive-Through Tree, where you literally can drive through an actual tree.  If none of these strike your fancy, The B Bryan Preserve is perfect for seeing adorable animals, and then there’s the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens to experience some fragrant flowers and delicate blooms. Visit Mendocino and witness what brought artists here back in the day.

Pacifica

We bet you’ll never guess how this city was named, or maybe you already know. Either way, we’ll share the origin story of the special town of Pacifica. In 1957, this city was holding a contest to find a name for the newly incorporated city. After much consideration, the name was chosen and named after an 80-foot statue by sculptor Ralph Stackpole. The meaning behind the name is “peaceful,” so if you and the crew are looking for some serenity during your San Francisco group trip, put this stop in the mix. It would be easier to talk about the things you couldn’t do in Pacifica, but that wouldn’t be any fun, would it? This city has hiking, surfing, fishing, golf, historical sites, and events. Experience the serene place where you won’t ever get bored.

Healdsburg

Named after entrepreneur Harmon Heald in 1857, Healdsburg started as a plaza and now holds around 11,000 people. This location is perfect for wine connoisseurs and those of you who love open land. Healdsburg is in Sonoma wine country, which means lots of delicious wine. Aside from wine, what is there to do? As mentioned before, you can check out the original historic plaza, but aside from the plaza and vineyards, there’s plenty of delicious food to choose from too.

Chartering A Bus in North California

There you have it—adorable towns galore near the San Francisco Bay. How will you and your San Francisco Bay group get to all these places? Taxi? Boat? Uber? Don’t raise that blood pressure; just call us. We’ll take you wherever you need to go in the luxury and comfort of our North California charter buses. You can request a quote here.