Sacramento is a large area. It would help to know why you are coming: business, conference, vacation? What do you plan to do for most of the time you are in town? Do you plan to rent a car?

Thank you for your answer.

I am going to Sacramento in vacation. Actually we are a family coming from Fresno to San Francisco and have these two days free.

We do not know to much about the city and what to do there. We are dropping there just to see the capital of California.

Thank you again.

Old Town Sac is a nice area to explore while there. If you are looking for a nice place to eat, we love The Waterboy. Enjoy your travels! :)

For visitors with your interest, there are lots of lodgings in or near the State Capitol, Old Sacramento and Amtrak (railroad) station areas. Some visitor attractions are within walking distance of each other.

Old Sacramento is a historic district near the Sacramento River, with preserved buildings, an old riverboat that is now permanently docked as a hotel, the state railroad museum, and many shops, restaurants, etc. in the historic buildings. The State Capitol (the big domed building) is a little over a mile (a little less than 2 km) from Old Sacramento.

Several museums and historic sites are located around the Capitol area. One is Sutter's Fort, the former property of the man on whose land the 1849 gold discovery was made that led to the Gold Rush (the actual gold discovery was not at Sacramento, but at Coloma in the mountains to the east).

I'm sure local residents will come and suggest specific hotels or motels.

P.S. The drive from Sacramento to San Francisco isabiut an hour and a half to two hours, depending on traffic conditions. It is not very exciting for the most part, although there are some outlet mall centers along the way if you like to look for bargains.

For a more leisurely drive, you can take the River Route. It goes along the Delta, the region where the Sacramento River flows toward its confluence with California's other great river, the San Joaquin. From about the town of Antioch, they flow into San Francisco Bay.

If you have time, you can go along the river on levee roads, see some of the lushest farming country in California, perhaps spot some migratory birds, and see quaint old towns like Locke, Walnut Grove, Isleton, and Rio Vista. Some of the Delta towns were settled in the early 20th century by Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Mexican and other new residents.

One of these towns, Locke, was founded by Chinese people who were legally forbidden to own property, but a sympathetic owner let them settle on his land. Another, Rio Vista, was made famous by "Humphrey the humpback whale," a normally ocean-going creature who found its way far up into the fresh-water part of the Delta in the 1980s.

If you take the River Route, you come out at the town of Antioch. Follow the signs for Walnut Creek and Oakland. The last stretch of Hwy. 24 heading toward the Bay Bridge are in a green, hilly area where the 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm caused tremendous loss of life and property; today, both the land and buildings have been restored to the point where you might not guess there had been this huge disaster.

Your comments were very helpful in planning my trip. Now I know what to do in Sacramento.

However, I do not know yet which area to choose when booking a hotel. Anyway, I guess I will get the cheapest one and I hope it is in a safe area.

Thank you very much indeed.

The cheapest is very often not the best. It often pays to spend a little more and be assured of better quality and safety. Because it is the capital, it has major chains like Best Western, Clarion, Ramada, and Marriott, as well as economy chains like Motel 6 or Travelodge. Some are within walking distance of tourist sites.

One suggestion: avoid most of the cheap places along West Capitol Avenue on the west side of the Sacramento River. A few may be decent, but many are dumps that don't attract the highest class of customers. Since you're coming with your family, you don't need to be around drug activity or hookers. (Sorry, Sacramento, you're a big city like we are and we know these things do exist).

If you don't mind driving a short distance for sightseeing, on the south side of I-80 near Harbor Boulevard are a Motel 6 and a Best Western. They are near a family restaurant (Carrow's or Baker's Square?), and an office of the United Methodist Church. I would recommend one of those above anything on West Capitol. This would be 4-5 miles (6-7 km) from the main Old Sacramento and Capitol neighborhoods.

I'm sure people who are more familiar with Sacramento will come and make other suggestions.

Frisco,

Thank you very much for your help. That's exactly the information I was looking for.

There's an Econolodge right in the middle of downtown, it's a mixed area with elegant mansions and run down residences side by side. An auto-glass place is right across the street, which is the main entry/exit to downtown (15th and 16th Streets are one way in opposite directions to and from the freeway). I lived in the area for two years, walked around at all hours, saw a few crazy characters from time to time, but not on a regular basis. I have no idea about the quality of this motel, but you can check the reviews on TA at

…tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32999-d81512-…

Lots of restaurants within walking distance on J between 19th and 29th Streets.