Weekend Getaway Itinerary In Nevada City

It may be the prettiest small town in California.

Nevada City, at the base of the Sierra mountains, is a three-hour drive from San Francisco–close enough to get away for the weekend and far enough to feel like you've traveled back in time. (Click here to see our Nevada City itinerary.)

No snow tires needed here: just the gilded splendor of autumn in California's historic Gold County.

It's easy to fall for the city's 19th-century downtown, but you can eat well here, too: breakfasts on the patio of your bed-and-breakfast, wine tastings along country roads, locavore-minded ice cream.

Whether you want to pack a picnic at the farmers' market in order to spend the day hiking along the Yuba River or spend the day ferreting through bookshop shelves, with copious cappuccino breaks, we've put together an eater's guide to enjoying the city.

It's so charming that you may find yourself, like countless other visitors, checking out the real estate listings posted on real-estate offices and fantasizing about your next trip to Nevada City all the way back to the Bay Area.