A delectable slice of the Californian coast near Big Sur

An intoxicating cocktail of sunshine, surf, celluloid and silicon, America's Golden State has managed to get the whole world California dreamin'.

America's liberal heartland, California is also a seismically volatile state. Still, the state does a pretty good job of shaking things up without nature's help, having given the world digital, cultural and sexual revolutions.

More people live in California than in any other US state, the majority concentrated in its two largest cities - Los Angeles and San Francisco. The capital of the state is the former gold rush hub of Sacramento.

California hugs 800 miles of Pacific coast. As well as the legendary surf beaches and swaying palms of San Diego, Big Sur and Santa Cruz, California manages to pack in gold rush ghost towns, the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada, the ski resorts of Lake Tahoe, the vineyards of the Napa valley, the eerie desertscapes of the Joshua Tree National Park, the cascading waterfalls of Yosemite and the world's largest trees in the Sequoia National Park.

Survival guide

California's coast is typically warm and mild, but there is substantial variation when you venture into the mountains and other rugged terrain. In the summer, the Death Valley desert transforms into the hottest place on earth. While southern California may live up to its reputation for bikini-clad babes basking under big blue skies, further north in San Francisco, rain and fog is all too common.

Unless you're just sticking to San Francisco with its excellent public transport system, you'll need a car in California. The state has a vast network of highways. The road between LA and San Francisco is especially rewarding, in particular the windy, 90-mile stretch of the Big Sur coast that takes in pounding surf, ostentatious Hearst Castle and the rocky Monterey peninsula, home to one of the world's best aquariums.

Amtrack also operates an extensive train network, linking California's main towns and cities.

California has major international airports in San Francisco and Los Angeles.