Sacramento

Sacramento needs 1 day: touring the California State Capitol, with its golden dome and surrounding gardens, and cruising the Sacramento River on a sightseeing boat through Old Sacramento, the historic Gold Rush district, the same afternoon. March-May and September-November avoid the Central Valley's dry summer heat. It's cheaper than San Francisco or Los Angeles. It's been the state capital since 1854 -chosen for its strategic position at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers during the Gold Rush-, and its historic district keeps cobblestone streets and brick buildings from when the city was the gateway to the Sierra Nevada gold fields.