Comparison
San Francisco or Los Angeles
California's two big cities and two very different moods. Both in the same state, but you explore one on foot and the other by car.
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Character
Compact and hilly, with cable cars and the Golden Gate Bridge. Almost European.
Sprawling and sunny, with beaches, Hollywood and endless boulevards.
Getting around
Much of it works on foot and by public transport.
You barely get anywhere without a car, the distances are large.
Weather
Cool all year, often foggy in summer. Pack a jacket.
Mostly warm and sunny, beach weather for much of the year.
Right for you if
you want to experience a city on foot and visit the nearby wine country.
you are after beaches, studios and the big Hollywood feeling.
San Francisco gefällt uns super, beim ersten Besuch hat man so viel zu sehen, da bekommt man schnell vier bis fünf Tage rum. Los Angeles hat uns nicht so gefallen, gerade von Hollywood waren wir enttäuscht. Trotzdem muss man es mal gesehen haben.
From the USA-TALK.DE forum
In short
San Francisco is the city for wandering, dense and full of corners. Los Angeles is space, sun and beach and needs a car. Which fits better simply depends on how you like to travel.
The classic move: link the two via Highway 1. That coastal road is one of the finest road trips in the USA.