It sounds like you have 2 weeks for the holiday, in which case I'd spend 5-6 days in San Francisco, 2-3 days in Yosemite, 5-6 days in LA, and 2 days in Vegas. How's that for ambitious? That would give you time to do the Golden Bridge, Alcatraz, etc in San Francisco, and then go through Yosemite and stay a night or two as you head towards southern California. Once in LA you could do the usual Hollywood stuff (though that's do-able in under a day in my opinion), Magic Mountain, Disneyland etc. I'd also suggest driving down to San Diego one of the days you are in LA. It's only a 2 hour drive from LA to San Diego. Ordinarily I would suggest taking a couple of days off LA and adding them to Vegas but, as you son is only 17, he is going to be quite limited in what he can do in Vegas. However, it would still be worth seeing.

It also depends how much money you have to spend and how much driving you want to do. I think it would be nice to take in as much as California as possible. I'd also recommend driving down Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) around the Monterey area, although there's not that much that most 17-year-olds would find too interesting. Still, Monterey does have an excellent aquarium as well as whale watching, depending on the time of year you are thinking of going. If you decided to not do Vegas or to spend a couple of days less in one of the other cities, I would certainly consider the Monterey area. The only thing is that it's out of the way if you did also want to go to Yosemite.

If you aren't going to drive, then I would definitely suggest doing both SF and LA. Two weeks is a LONG time to spend in SF, in my opinion. There is more to do there than there is in LA (unless you love theme parks) but I don't think there are two weeks worth of activities.

I've lived in California for over 6 years so I would happy to answer any questions you have, if I am able to. There are a number of other HT members who are also very well acquainted with California too (and, perhaps even more so, Las Vegas).

We have Done with Virgin Holidays twice now....SF 4 nights vegas 4nights L.A 6nights....Flying from heathrow to SF,then air transfers between each city....with pick up provided...Couldnt fault the pick ups or anything about the holiday..
you dont really need a car for S.F or Vegas...maybe if you want to see LA because its should a big city may be best to hire a car for a couple of days....
Only problem we found with San Francisco this Time is the amount of vagrant's(tramps) which were in san francisco they have always been there but this time if you were walking about on a night,for the first time there i felt very uneasy,we did stop at union square because of the transfer links,didnt go down to pier 39 area on a night so cant really comment if there the same problem down in that area....plus just a reminder S.F. is a very expensive city.....have a great trip....link to virgin site below

http://www.virginholidays.co.uk/brochures/usa/tours/tours_by_air/san_francisco_las_vegas_los_angeles/

have a good trip which ever you decide...

Thank you both for your replies. Its still early days yet but this trip is something we really want to do and over the next few weeks I will be looking into it seriously, thanks again and I think i'll be asking you both more questions soon!!

Just a quick note, if you are used to the cheaper options for meals and accommodation in Orlando then San Francisco will be more expensive, but as a whole and in my opinion, the city is not considerably more expensive than any other big USA city.

With a two week holiday you have a fair amount of time to see the sights. I personally would miss LA (I'm not a huge lover, even with the enticement of the theme parks) and would instead consider the delights of the Pacific Northwest (Oregon & Washington State) which is something we have planned for 2009. I would also agree with the suggestion to head to Yosemite NP, which is one of the worlds great National Parks but I would skip Vegas as your Son is only 17 and your options would be limited by that. In saying that, although he wouldn't be able to go into the casinos he would of course be able to see the city itself and with the lure of the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam (amongst other things) nearby, it could still be an option.

San Francisco is one of my favourite cities in the world. I have been for a week each time I have visited and have still run out of time. For a first visit I would allow a week and try and fit in as much as possible. Definitely do the City Tour (with Bay Cruise) which I believe to be the finest of it's kind anywhere in the world and is fantastic value for money and really gives you a huge headstart and introduction to the city. Alcatraz is a must do, as is biking over the Golden Gate Bridge.

You would skip the LA theme parks and go to the North West... with a 17-year-old? If it's scenery you are after, there is just as much beautiful scenery in southern California. You just have to know where to look.

Nothing at all wrong with Southern California, which is an area of the USA I do like but I was merely throwing some other suggestions into the hat and yes, I know plenty of people (including children) who have been blown away by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. In my opinion, if theme parks are an important part of this trip (which I'm not getting from the original post) then I would head to Florida again where the parks are superior and accommodation is far cheaper.

We've been to LA a few times and each time I wished I was elsewhere in the USA. It's all down to personal taste of course and I'm not going to get into an argument over which city/state/area of the USA is better, but I for one have no inclination to visit LA again. Now, San Francisco I would hop on plane and go tomorrow if I had the chance.

Sorry, the tone of my previous post was harsher than I intended it to be. I think a big problem with people visiting LA is they expect to be glamorous and what not (largely because of Hollywood, I suppose) but it's very much a working city. There is a lot of traffic, it can get smoggy (especially in the summer), and there are some bad areas. True, the homeless population probably doesn't compare to San Francisco but SF has a lot more variety when it comes to "touristy" things to do and see. I've nothing against SF. I used to live reasonably close to there. Heck, I drove my girlfriend for 7 hours just so she could see the Golden Gate Bridge the last time she was here. How's that for commitment?

No problems GEB. You make a valid point about LA and I also think that people who have visited Florida expect a similar setup in LA, i.e. cheap accommodation near the parks (and villa accommodation also!!), cheap buffets, good transportation systems linking the hotel areas and parks etc etc but it is different to Orlando. Personally, I really enjoyed Disneyland and California Adventure, Universal was ok (those escalators are soooo slow) but Six Flags was a major disappointment with 6 or 7 major rides down all day.

Back to the OP, I still maintain and I'm sure you agree that if they are heading to San Francisco then a short detour via Yosemite is a must do. Out of all my travels around the world, I would place that park in the top 5 of places visited. It is just awesome.