Top 4 Cheap West Coast Escapes

Take a trip to the sunset coast on a shoestring budget with these ideas:

San Francisco
The City by the Bay isn’t exactly known for its wallet-friendliness, but a trip here doesn’t have to break the bank. Take plenty of free walking tours, gaze at the Golden Gate Bridge (or walk across it!), enjoy free admission to Alcatraz (though you’ll have to pay for the ferry ride there), try the area’s abundant—and excellent—ethnic food, and ride a cable car for just $3.

San Diego
San Diego’s best asset is its scenery, and it’s free—so take advantage of it! Visit one of the city’s many beaches or parks, and buy discounted admission tickets to attractions like the San Diego Zoo at the San Diego Visitor Information Center.

Seattle
Visit the famous Pike Place Market—you can stay all afternoon without spending a cent, except perhaps on some tantalizingly fresh food. Score a CityPass for discounted entry into the Space Needle, boat tours on the Puget Sound, and other attractions.

Portland
Try a hostel or boutique hotel for cheaper digs, rent a bike (the area is very cyclist-friendly), check out Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens from a bird’s-eye vantage point on a $4 aerial tram ride, and check out the famous Powell’s Books flagship store.

-- Text by Meagan Francis

Photo credit: Alcatraz, San Francisco (John A. Martini/Alcatraz Cruises)

Portland, Oregon: Trip Highlights

An urban planner's dream, Portland, Oregon, features a surrounding landscape of vineyards, forests, hiking trails, and raucous waterscapes perfect for windsurfing or kiteboarding. Relax in Zen-filled Japanese, Chinese, and rhododendron gardens or at one of two arboretums. Ride historic streetcars on a 4.8-mile downtown loop, or tour the U.S.S. Blueback, the last diesel-powered submarine commissioned by the U.S. Navy at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

Photo credit: Portland, Oregon (John A. Rizzo)

San Francisco Weekender: Experience Northern California's Towering Redwoods

Northern California and Oregon are the only areas in the world where redwood forests continue to survive. The enormous trees grow up to 350 feet, taking about 400 years to fully mature. Some of the oldest are more than 2,000 years old. Redwood National Park was initially created to protect the evergreen trees, and was added to the World Heritage List in 1980.

Photo credit: Redwood National Park, California (Photodisc/Getty)