The 5 Most Charming And Walkable Downtowns In California

California is home to some of the most iconic cities and towns in all of America — nay, the whole world. This is where you come to step foot on the tram-rattling hills of San Francisco, discover a patchwork of eclectic neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and to hit the waves in the buzzing surf town of Santa Cruz. It's pretty great stuff for the urban explorer, to say the least.

But what if you like your towns both charming and walkable? What if you'd prefer to hit pause on the traffic and crank up the character? This guide has you covered, for it draws on a wealth of my personal travel experience in the Golden State, backed up by recommendations sourced from reputable blogs and online forums, to offer a list of the downtowns that you're sure to love.

The focus is on places with boatloads of charm, whether that's high-desert outback charm, salt-washed surfer charm, or just plain old historic charm. Everywhere listed is also walkable to the full, meaning you won't need your own set of wheels to enjoy what these downtowns have to offer.

The truth is that there are umpteen examples of charming, walkable downtown areas in California's Gold Country, a region peppered with enticing towns along the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. But, Nevada City takes the crown as one of the best because it's utterly wonderful in so many respects. They call it California's historic "Queen City," and it sits along the winding Highway 49 — a road trip route that takes you through the heart of the state's age-old mining territory, with hikes, river rafting, and even ski areas along the way.

I spent two wonderful nights exploring Nevada City in the spring of 2025. Two nights is enough to see it all — the center is just three blocks across, rolling down a hillside above Deer Creek, before hitting its most buzzy corner at the intersection of North Pine and Broad Street. Spin around there and you'll see cocktail lounges, Sichuan Chinese cookhouses, and diners serving hash browns with eggs, all hiding behind vintage 1800s facades that look like something from a cowboy movie.

Nevada City has some standout gems tucked into its downtown. The Nevada Theatre, for example, is the oldest playhouse on the West Coast that's still in operation — it's been running for over 150 years. Just down the road, the Crazy Horse Saloon & Grill is a live-music mainstay that was once a grocery shop way back in 1862.

No list of the most charming and walkable downtowns in California could possibly be complete without a mention of lovely Santa Barbara. SB, as it's often called, gets over 300 days of sunshine every year, according to the city's website. Whatever awaits you downtown is likely bathed in vitamin D, which is always a bonus.

State Street is the main artery of Santa Barbara's urban landscape. Much of it — a whole 10 blocks, in fact — is now completely closed to motorized traffic, lending the place a distinctly European feel thanks to its al fresco café terraces and farmer's markets, which pop up beneath the tall, breeze-kissed Californian palm trees that pepper the thoroughfare from top to bottom.

Prepare to be charmed by a cocktail of SoCal surfer culture and laid-back Central Coast vibes. That's SB in a nutshell, which is why you can find boutique surfboard shapers in the back alleys and microbreweries out front. There is a side of culture to keep you busy on those rare rainy days, too. Dip in to see original works by Claude Monet at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, which sits in the heart of the downtown. Or,  pay a visit to the 239-year-old Old Mission Santa Barbara, one of the finest pieces of Spanish architecture in America.

Cambria is an underrated, artsy city on California's coast, located just off the iconic Pacific Coast Highway as it bends into the southernmost reaches of the eye-wateringly beautiful Big Sur region. It's often used as a base for seeing Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, the vast and opulent estate of William Randolph Hearst that clings to the coast about 15 minutes to the north by car. But there's more to Cambria than that.

The downtown core is split into two distinct villages. On one side, closer to the ocean, you've got West Village. On the other, tucked under the grassy foothills of the Santa Lucia Range, is East Village. It takes no more than 30 minutes to walk between the two along Main Street, which itself is peppered with enticing pit stops in the form of pizza joints and Mexican taquerias.

East Village is the oldest quarter in Cambria; the most charm-filled corner of town. It brims with historic buildings that can trace their origins back more than 100 years. Look for The Red House, which reigns as the oldest Chinese temple in SoCal, finishing up with a tipple and a bout of karaoke at Mozzi's Saloon, a watering hole that survived Prohibition and now offers a whiff of the long-gone cowboy era in modern Cambria.

San Luis Obispo combines the energy of a proper college town — over 22,000 students attend the town's Cal Poly university — with the freewheeling character of a hiking and surf base on the rugged Central Coast. While it might not be as famous as nearby Santa Barbara, SLO, as the locals call it remains something of a hidden gem on the Cali shoreline. Or, as one Redditor puts it: "I love SLO, hopefully nobody goes there."

There's plenty to keep you going for a whole week or more in the surrounding region, but the downtown core needs just a few days to appreciate, not least of all because it's 100% walkable. In fact, strolling is part of the joy in SLO, since you never quite know what's around the corner — this town has a 70-foot alleyway that's clad in bubble gum just steps from more conventional artistic collections at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art.

A special mention should be made of the food scene. Not only does San Luis Obispo have all the down-to-earth kitchens you'd expect of a student city, but there's a whiff of something more refined, too, since one of California's most lauded wine regions is right on the doorstep. Plot a course for the High Street Deli, the top-rated place to eat in SLO according to TripAdvisor, for trademark sandwiches packed with pickle and herb juice. Or, choose Region. SLO, which scores a full 5 stars on Google for its range of 50 local wine labels and regular tasting sessions run in partnership with regional wine makers.

There's a different type of charm on offer up in the high-desert outpost of Bishop. It's a charm with a side of mountain grit that comes courtesy of the steady stream of Pacific Crest Trail and John Muir Trail thru-hikers that move through this town, the nascent climbing community that comes for the countless bouldering pitches in the surrounding valley, and the road trippers on the iconic yet underrated Highway 395.

Talking of the 395, Bishop straddles either side of that main roadway, with its downtown area unfolding for over around mile on the same route. Free, timed parking is on offer down any number of side streets that shoot east and west of that, letting you roll up and stroll right into the heart of the action.

And there is quite some action here these days because Bishop has transformed into a charming, trendy destination, touting a slew of new business openings alongside old favorites. One moment, you'll be sipping single-origin brews at Black Sheep Coffee Roasters, a 20-year staple of the town. The next, you'll be enjoying the delights at Erick Schat's Bakkery, the home of a delicious type of stone-baked sheepherder bread that came to America from the Basque Country in 1938. After that, why not mosey over to the local climbing wall or do a street art walking tour to take in Bishop's array of Wild West urban graffiti?

My own personal travel experience formed the backbone of this selection of the most charming and walkable downtowns in the state of California. My most recent trip to the Golden State was packed with visits to just these sorts of alluring spots, taking me from the surfer coast towns on Highway 1 all the way to the outback towns that pepper the Eastern Sierra. Of course, I couldn't account for all towns in California, so I backed up my own knowledge by combing through relevant blog posts and Reddit threads to ensure that my personal choices could be verified by traveler feedback and expert picks elsewhere.