20% Off Travel Savings

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Whether you’re in need of some serious travel therapy, the perfect family vacation, or an affordable spring break trip, Gold Runner can take you there—for less. With train and bus service to over 100 destinations, you can save time and money getting to the best places in the Golden State.

Fresno

Oakland

Bakersfield

Hanford

Sacramento

Los Angeles

Napa

San Francisco

Why Take Gold Runner?

save money

Save money on tickets so you have more to spend on experiences

never get stuck in traffic

Never get stuck in traffic or worry about parking

sleep, read, or watch shows

Sleep, read, or watch shows while you ride

no middle seat and lots of legroom

No middle seat and lots of legroom

free wi-fi

Free Wi-Fi

complimentary snacks

Complimentary snacks

bathrooms on board

Bathrooms on board

bicycle racks

Bicycle racks

Most Relaxing Travel Destinations

 

From luxury spas to the simple healing properties of California’s forests, hot springs, and ocean, Gold Runner has a route for many types of travelers looking for “travel therapy”—without the hassle. Here’s a shortlist of some of our favorite stops.

Northern California

San Francisco, The Gardens at Golden Gate Park

  • Situated in Golden Gate Park, the Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, and San Francisco Botanical Garden are an expansive 55 acres of beautifully manicured landscaped gardens and open spaces that showcase more than 8,000 different kinds of plants from around the world.

 

Napa Valley’s Calistoga Springs

  • In the northern end of Napa Valley, Calistoga Spa Hot Springs has long been a destination for visitors drawn to its natural mineral pools. Fed by geothermal waters, the pools offer a place to relax and recharge both physically and mentally. The mineral water comes from rainwater that filters through Napa Valley’s soil over time, absorbing naturally occurring minerals along the way before emerging at the surface. Napa is also highlighted as a premier wellness destination with wine-country relaxation, spa resorts, thermal pools, yoga retreats, and vineyard hikes. Gold Runner Thruway Buses connect to Napa Valley from key stops making it straightforward for a relaxing getaway focused on rejuvenation.

 

Humboldt County, Arcata

  • California’s Lost Coast can be found …via Route 7, anyway. 🤫
    Humboldt County’s redwoods, rivers, and local marshes have serenity baked into any itinerary. Experience the hidden, hot baths at the Front Porch Inn, wind-sculpted dunes at Samoa beach in Eureka, and redwoods touching the clouds everywhere between.

Central California

Balanced Rock Foundation, Yosemite

  • Balanced Rock is a health and wellness non-profit offering custom guided adventures, retreats, and yoga teacher training in and around Yosemite National Park. Their retreats and backpack trips harness the transformational power of nature to inspire a deep connection with your own inner wisdom. Cultivate holistic health and wellness, rejuvenate yourself, and transform your life.

 

Yosemite Bug Rustic Resort and Yosemite Health Spa

  • With an easy connection from Gold Runner to YARTS, hit Yosemite Bug’s Health Spa to enjoy a hydrogen peroxide and UV light hot tub with views of the gorge, mountains, and forest. The health spa is cleansing, oxygenating, and restorative in any season. Unwind in the cedar hot rocks sauna with eucalyptus or lavender infusion, cool off under the outdoor rain shower, and stretch or practice in the fully equipped yoga studio.

 

The Ascent Spa Tenaya, Yosemite

  • The Ascent Spa at Tenaya offers a full range of treatments including massage, body wraps, facials, and nails, or just relax in the sauna and steam room and leave restored.

Central Coast California

Grover Beach

  • The Dunes are known for their recreational and environmental benefits. With expansive coastline, the Dunes have plenty of things to do: picnics, surfing, horseback riding, dog walking, and kicking your feet up by a bonfire. The Dunes are home to many unique flora and fauna, including the Snowy Plover. The Dunes are Chumash lands and remain mostly undeveloped! Grover Beach is also minutes from the train station for further, seamless journeys to the Southern coast.

 

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Monterey

  • Point Lobos State Natural Reserve has often been called “The crown jewel of the California State Park System.” Point Lobos SNR is outstanding for sightseeing, photography, painting, nature study, picnicking, SCUBA diving, and jogging.

Southern California

Oceanside

  • Embrace your inner zen with these curated itineraries from the locals of Oceanside. Or cleanse in the Pacific Ocean because according to the Oceanside Surf School, “the water has the potential to be healing medicine for all ages.” And if you’re not inspired to surf (yet), you can explore California’s surf culture at the Oceanside Surf Museum.

 

San Diego

  • If you need a trip for travel therapy, San Diego is the travel cure. Gold Runner’s Route 1 connects you to perfect weather, aesthetically famous stays, like The Lafayette, and a long list of wellness retreats within a 30 mile radius, like the Golden Door spa—to heal your mind, body, soul, lower back pain, bad hair days, or gut so you can feel completely invigorated by the end of your trip.

Affordable Spring Break Destinations

 

Spring break doesn’t have to mean cramming into someone’s car, sitting in endless traffic, or blowing your entire bank account on one weekend. California is packed with unforgettable places that don’t require expensive hotels or complicated plans. Think waterfall hikes, beach bonfires, vintage shopping, hole-in-the-wall food spots, and views for days. Whether you’re chasing nature, art, caffeine, or experiences, here’s a shortlist of spring break destinations that won’t drain your budget.

Northern California

Sacramento

  • Beyond the Gold Rush storefronts, Sacramento’s waterfront hides some seriously cool food spots. Grab gourmet grilled cheese or charcuterie at The Rind, a café devoted entirely to cheese, then walk along the riverfront at sunset as string lights flicker on. After that, visit the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. It’s minutes from downtown with quiet trails that wind through oak forests and along the American River. It feels far removed from city life—and it’s free.

 

San Francisco

  • Built from reclaimed cemetery marble, The Wave Organ is a strange acoustic sculpture that creates eerie, beautiful sounds as waves move through its pipes. It’s part art installation, part hidden coastal hangout—and one of the city’s most unique places to watch the sunset. If you need a place to relax, hit up Sightglass Coffee (SoMa). You could hang out for hours in this airy, industrial café that roasts its own beans on site and serves some of the best coffee in the city.

 

Central California

Fresno

  • During the day, explore the surreal tunnels and hand-built passageways of the Forestiere Underground Gardens, a subterranean escape created entirely by one man over decades. In the evening, head to the Tower District where you can grab a drink at local breweries like Goldstein’s Mortuary & Delicatessen, with dozens of craft beers on tap, live music, and outdoor seating.

Central Coast

Ventura

  • Spend the day at San Buenaventura State Beach, where palm trees, surf, and wide-open sand create the perfect spring break backdrop. Explore Ventura Harbor Village, filled with waterfront restaurants, shops, and colorful coastal charm. For something unforgettable, take a trip to Channel Islands National Park, often called the “Galápagos of North America,” where you can hike, kayak, and experience nature that feels completely untouched. To get to Ventura, take Thruway Bus route 10.

 

San Luis Obispo

  • Whether you go to Cal Poly or not, SLO is a great place to spend spring break. Take the train to Hanford, hop on Thruway Bus Route 18, and start. Start your morning at Scout Coffee, a small, family-owned chain that’s known for its amazing coffee and inviting space. Then, hit the beach where you can start on your summer tan. Later, visit the SLO Museum of Art, where you can experience contemporary California art and rotating exhibitions.

Southern California

San Diego

  • San Diego might be the ultimate spring break destination—and Route 1 gets you there. Explore Ocean Beach, where surf shops, vintage stores, and beach bonfires define the vibe. For unforgettable views, hike through Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, where trails wind above dramatic coastal cliffs and deliver some of the best ocean scenery in California. Wanting more art and culture? Spend a day exploring Balboa Park, where you can see the Spanish Village Art Center, beautiful gardens, and maybe even catch a play or musical.
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