San Francisco to San Diego is the most popular section to drive along California’s famous highway 1 road trip route, which is also known as the Pacific Coast Highway. We drove it in 2019 and we couldn’t believe how many amazing stopping points there were along the 600-mile stretch of scenic coastal road.
In this guide we show you the places stop on your San Francisco to San Diego road trip, and as a bonus we’ve throw in our itinerary ideas for 7, 10 and 14 days at the end. We personally visited each place listed below, which you’ll see with our photos. Read more about us.
We gave ourselves 3 days each for exploring San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, which left us just 3 days for the coastline drive. In hindsight we would have given ourselves at least 5 days for the drive because there’s so much to see and do. In terms of hotels, we spent a night in each of Monterey, Morro Bay and Santa Barbara.
Our favorite stops included Carmel, Big Sur, Solvang, Santa Barbara and various golden sandy beaches throughout. It’s an amazing road trip, so you’re in for a real treat. The only downside for us was that we didn’t have more time. Okay, let’s begin!
Note: This article may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
San Francisco
- Time required: 3 days
- Top tip: Don’t miss Twin Peaks and Coit Tower for city views
- Where to stay: CitizenM Union Square
San Francisco is one of the top US vacation spots thanks to a world famous suspension bridge, a notorious former prison out in its bay and a fabled cable car system. We’ve visited the city a few times, and highly recommend you allow for at least 2 days on your SF itinerary.
SF is filled with so many unique things to see and do, great food and a chilled vibe. Spend your time at museums or exploring walkable neighborhoods like Embarcadero, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Fillmore and Mission.
Golden Gate Bridge
- Time required: 2-3 hours
- Top tip: Start in Marin headland and walk back to SF
- Where to stay: Fairmont Heritage Ghirardelli Square
San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is the most photographed bridge on the planet. You can’t miss the famous international orange color, which is instantly recognizable. If you’re lucky you will see the Golden Gate Bridge piercing out of lingering fog in San Francisco Bay.
You can see the bridge from a number of areas around SF, but Battery Spencer and Marshall’s Beach are 2 of the most iconic photo locations. Even if you plan to skip the big cities on your road trip, you should at least see the Golden Gate Bridge at the beginning or end.
Alcatraz
- Time required: 3-4 hours including ferry shuttles
- Top tip: The Alcatraz night tour has bonus areas
- Where to stay: Hotel Zephyr San Francisco
There are times when tours can do a disservice to historic monuments or landmarks. Thankfully, Alcatraz is not one of those times! Both the day and night tours of Alcatraz prison are filled with excellent information, special talks about escape attempts and locking systems, and so much more.
You’ll board an Alcatraz ferry at Pier 33 but be sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment on the day. Audio headsets play commentary in multiple languages. If you plan to spend a few days in SF, we can’t recommend Alcatraz highly enough.
Half Moon Bay State Beach
- Distance from last stop: 30 miles from San Francisco
- Time required: 1 hour
- Top tip: Limited parking on the roads nearby
- Where to stay: Beach House Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay beach is the first major stop after leaving San Francisco. This 4 mile long beach belongs to the State of California and that means you have to pay $10 to park your car. Get used to this because it happens a lot on the Pacific Coast Highway road trip from San Francisco to San Diego!
If you left SF in late afternoon or early evening, enjoy spending sunset on the beach. But if this is just the start of your day, don’t spend too long here because there’s plenty more sand to come.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
- Distance from last stop: 21 miles from Half Moon Bay
- Time required: 30 minutes to 1 hour
- Top tip: Sunset is the best time to see the lighthouse
- Where to stay: Pigeon Point Lighthouse
The next stop on your road trip is Pigeon Point Lighthouse, which is the tallest lighthouse on America’s west coast. Built in 1871, the towering 115 ft high white lighthouse is incredibly picturesque as it sits perched atop the rocky California coastline.
The lighthouse looks exactly like a New England lighthouse and still actively aids navigation. There’s worse places to watch the sunset if you left SF later in the day, especially if you’re into photography. You can even sleep inside the lighthouse because it’s now also a hostel.
Shark Fin Cove
- Distance from last stop: 18 miles from Pigeon Point Lighthouse
- Time required: 1-2 hours
- Top tip: There’s a hidden sea cave on the beach below
- Where to stay: Inn at Depot Hill
Shark Fin Cove is one of many outstanding rock formations you will drive past on the road trip from San Francisco to San Diego. Sunset is by far the best time of day to photograph Shark Fin Cove, but you can still enjoy the beach if you arrive during the day.
The huge and intriguing shark fin shaped rock is a great place to visit when traveling with the kids. After joking that the biggest shark in the world lives here, take them down to the beach to see the shark’s fin framed through a small hidden cave-like arch.
Natural Bridges State Beach
- Distance from last stop: 9 miles from Shark Fin Cove
- Time required: 1 hour (longer for sunset)
- Top tip: Watch the sunset here on day one
- Where to stay: Inn at Depot Hill
Natural Bridges state beach is another place you have to pay to park but it’s well worth it if you’re arriving just before sunset. At low tide, you can explore rock pools to discover sea stars and crabs. Just off shore you might see otters and seals playing. And maybe even migrating whales if you’re lucky.
The beach is small but clean and neat. It’s focal point is a stand alone rock formation with an arch just a few meters out into the Pacific Ocean. We watched as dozens of shore birds waded along the beach as the ocean flowed and ebbed gently with a stunning orange sky at dusk.
Monterey
- Distance from last stop: 45 miles from Natural Bridges state beach
- Time required: 2-3 hours
- Top tip: Good place to spend a spare night north of Big Sur
- Where to stay: Monterey Plaza
The charming town of Monterey is perfect for a morning stroll. Don’t miss Cannery Row which was once the center of Sardine packing factories, before being converted into restaurants, galleries and shops. We spent our first night in Monterey.
The major highlight of Monterey Bay is its aquarium, which is widely regarded as one of the best in the United States. It was the first to care for and display a great white shark and house a kelp forest. Further around the headland you will also find Lovers Point Park and Point Pinos Lighthouse.
17-Mile Drive
- Distance from last stop: 2 miles from Monterey Bay
- Time required: 2-4 hours
- Top tip: Look out for some of the biggest houses you’ll ever see
- Where to stay: Carriage House Inn
17 mile drive is a scenic coastal road filled with beaches, rocky headlands and super-sized mansions. Pebble beach is a gated community and 17 mile drive is part of the community so you do have to pay $10.50 to drive the road but it’s well worth it.
You’ll find a dozen or so highlights to stop off along the road to admire scenery, marine life and golf courses. The most famous attraction is called Lone Cypress Tree, which stands guard alone on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific.
Pebble Beach Golf Club
- Distance from last stop: At the end of 17 mile drive
- Time required: 1 hour
- Top tip: You can walk out to an 18th hole viewing area
- Where to stay: Candle Light Inn
This is a stop for the golfers! Pebble Beach has hosted the US Open on 6 occasions, the last being in 2019 when Gary Woodland won his first major. With a stunning backdrop over the Pacific Ocean, it’s easy to see why this golf course is so popular.
Pebble beach is widely regarded as one of the best golf courses in the world and it can be played by members of the public. However, you’ll need to stump up a cool $525 for green fees plus $92.50 for a caddie. The museum and club grounds are well worth a visit even if you don’t play the course.
Carmel By The Sea
- Distance from last stop: 2.5 miles from Pebble Beach golf club
- Time required: 2 hours
- Top tip: Carmel Beach is easily walkable from town
- Where to stay: Carriage House Inn
Carmel-by-the-Sea is one of the most attractive places you will visit on your San Francisco to San Diego road trip. But it’s very expensive. If you’ve saved up for a couple of hotel splurges in your itinerary, Carmel is one of the places to cash in.
Walk around the lovely shops, boutiques, art galleries and restaurants before walking down Ocean Avenue to Carmel Beach. Grab a coffee or an ice cream and soak up the scenery of this idyllic town.
Road Trip Tip: There are very few hotel options along Big Sur between Carmel and San Simeon. Plan to leave Carmel no later than 1:00pm if you’re traveling north to south, otherwise you’ll end up driving 30-40 miles of the best stretch of the PCH in the dark.
Bixby Creek Bridge
- Distance from last stop: 15 miles from Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Time required: 1 hour
- Top tip: Park at Castle Rock Viewpoint
- Where to stay: Ventana
Bixby Bridge is one of the most popular stops along the California Pacific Coast Highway and it’s the first major attraction along the famous Big Sur stretch of coast. The bridge is exceptionally photogenic, so as you might imagine it’s selfie central and you should prepare for crowds!
Parking is a real challenge at Bixby Bridge. There’s only one small dirt packed lot on the north side of the bridge and it’s usually full. The view of Bixby Bridge with its Pacific Ocean backdrop is amazing but we personally wouldn’t stick around if it’s crazy busy.
Point Sur
- Distance from last stop: 6.6 miles from Bixby bridge creek
- Time required: 30 minutes to 1 hour (unless taking guided tour)
- Top tip: Best visited earlier in the day
- Where to stay: Big Sur River Inn
Point Sur is a California State Park and Naval Facility located in the heart of Big Sur’s stretch of coastline. Over time, erosion has formed a beach between the mainland and Point Sur, which can be walked on with a guided tour on Wednesdays and weekends throughout the year for $15 per person.
The huge volcanic rock standing alone at the end of Point Sur is home to Point Sur Lighthouse, which was completed in 1889 after multiple shipwrecks in the area. The lighthouse plays a key role today in preventing more sea floor wreckages off the Big Sur coast.
Road Trip Tip: A little further south from Point Sur you’ll find Pfeiffer Beach which is one of the most famous beaches on the California coast. It’s worth a stop if you have time but we would prioritize other spots in Big Sur first.
Partington Cove
- Distance from last stop: 18 miles from Point Sur
- Time required: 2 hours
- Top tip: Wear shoes with good grips for the hike
- Where to stay: San Simeon
Partington Cove is one of the most popular hikes on the drive from San Francisco to San Diego along California Highway 1. Park on a curved part of the road, find a metal gated entrance and follow the short but fairly steep trail down into the canyon.
Turn right at the first junction and shortly after turn left before crossing a wooden bridge. Pass through a 60 foot wooden tunnel and Partington Cove will open up at the end. This is a wonderful place to sit and watch the waves crashing gently into the coastline.
Road Trip Tip: From here you’ll need to continue to at least San Simeon for accommodation options if driving north to south. Cambria and Morro Bay offer more hotel options after San Simeon.
McWay Falls
- Distance from last stop: 2 miles from Partington Cove
- Time required: 1 hour
- Top tip: Take your ND filter and tripod for long exposures
- Where to stay: Cambria
McWay Falls was our favorite natural feature of the entire drive from San Francisco to San Diego. It’s not every day you get to see a perfectly streamlined waterfall plunge off a rock and land on a beach just steps from the ocean.
The walk to McWay Falls viewing point does not begin on the main road. You need to walk inside the parking lot and take a path passing underneath Highway 1. We visited McWay Falls at around 5:00pm in November just before sunset and it was packed.
Morro Bay
- Distance from last stop: 81 miles from McWay Falls
- Time required: 2 hours
- Top tip: Don’t miss the beef sandwiches at Hofbrau der Albatross
- Where to stay: Masterpiece Hotel
Morro Bay is a small waterfront city named after a 580 ft tall volcanic rock called Morro Rock. A quaint harbor area is protected by the huge rock, making for calm waters and paddling opportunities.
Sea otters are regular visitors to the marinas and often play in the shallow water. Morro rock is a pretty awesome sight, particularly when it draws in swirling and colorful clouds at dawn or dusk. This is where we spent the second night on our California Pacific Coast Highway road trip.
San Luis Obispo
- Distance from last stop: 14 miles from Morro Bay
- Time required: 2 hours
- Top tip: Scout Coffee near Bubblegum Alley has excellent coffee
- Where to stay: Garden Street Inn
San Luis Obispo – or SLO Cal for short – is one of California’s oldest European founded cities. Oddly, the quirky main attraction in San Luis Obispo is an alleyway that has been completely covered in bubble gum. Yep, you read that right!
We were intrigued, so we parked up on the Main Street right next to the alley and true to its word, there’s not a single bit of concrete showing. SLO Cal is the home of California Polytechnic University, a popular farmers market and Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.
Pismo Beach
- Distance from last stop: 12 miles from San Luis Obispo
- Time required: 1 hour
- Top tip: Oyster Loft is a cracking seafood restaurant
- Where to stay: Inn at the Pier
Pismo Beach is a laid back beach town with one of those classic wooden piers stretching out over 1,000 ft into the Pacific Ocean. As with most stops along the California Pacific Coast Highway road trip, Pismo Beach pier is best seen at sunset.
Nearby you can visit Dinosaur Caves Park, which provides elevated views over the pier and beach. You can also visit a eucalyptus tree grove created for Monarch Butterflies between November and February.
Solvang
- Distance from last stop: 64 miles from Pismo Beach
- Time required: 2 hours
- Top tip: Turn up a side street for free parking
- Where to stay: Hotel Corque
Solvang is a picturesque town offering a taste of Denmark in sunny California. This is one of the best and most unique stops on a road trip between San Francisco and San Diego. We strongly recommend you spare a few hours to see Solvang, or better yet spend a night if you have time.
Traditional Danish architecture, a windmill and rows of boutique stores will keep you busy. Don’t miss Mortensen’s bakery, Copenhagen sausage garden, and the countless coffee shops and chocolatiers. The entire town is stunning so be sure to explore each and every street.
Santa Barbara
- Distance from last stop: 46 miles from Solvang
- Time required: 1 day
- Top tip: Drive CA-154 into Santa Barbara for amazing views
- Where to stay: La Playa Inn
Santa Barbara has been dubbed the American Riviera thanks to an upscale food and drinks scene, extensive Spanish Colonial influence and Mediterranean climate. The classy city is a perfect place to stop and unwind for a day or two if you have time in your itinerary and money in the bank.
You can sample world famous wines and eat at fantastic restaurants along State Street. Consider a day trip to Channel Islands National Park, or maybe Santa Barbara Zoo if you’re road tripping with the kids. We spent our third night between SF and LA here in Santa Barbara and we really enjoyed it.
Los Angeles
- Distance from last stop: 100 miles from Santa Barbara
- Time required: 2 to 4 days
- Top tip: Use the metro to avoid sitting in traffic
- Where to stay: Hollywood Celebrity
Los Angeles needs no introduction! The city of angels is world famous for Hollywood and movies but there’s so much more going on in LA, and you’ll need a minimum of 2 full days to explore. After a lot of driving it’ll be nice to park the car and leave it as you explore the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown.
Hollywood, Santa Monica, Downtown LA, movie studio tours, watching a live screening of a game show or talk show, the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory are just some of things you can’t miss in Los Angeles.
Hollywood Movie Studio Tour
- Time required: 3 hours
- Top tip: Book in advance to avoid disappointment
- Where to stay: The Charlie West Hollywood
Hollywood movie studio tours are the quintessential tourist attraction for first time visitors to LA. We can vouch for the high quality Warner Bros studio tour but you can also choose between Sony, Paramount and Universal studio tours.
You’ll see old movie sets, studio lots set up for currently running tv shows, iconic costumes, sound stages, exhibits and props. The top exhibits at Warner Bros include DC, Batman, Friends, Big Bang Theory and Harry Potter.
San Diego
- Distance from last stop: 120 miles from Los Angeles
- Time required: 2-3 days
- Top tip: Don’t miss the various beaches
- Where to stay: Staypineapple
There’s no better place to end the epic California Pacific Coast Highway road trip than America’s finest city, San Diego. It’s one of our personal favorite US cities and we suggest you allow for 3 days in San Diego.
You’ll find a laid back vibe, a perfect climate, a fantastic foodie scene and so many fun things to do in San Diego. Balboa Park, Gaslamp, Coronado, La Jolla, Old Town and every beach from Torrey Pines back into town should’t be missed as you finish your San Francisco to San Diego road trip.
7 Day Itinerary
Our advice for such a short trip is to consider only spending one day in each of the big cities or skipping one entirely. For instance, you could drive from Santa Barbara straight through to San Diego. Or you could end the trip in LA.
Let’s take a look at an action packed example of how you could squeeze some of these stops into just one week:
Day 1 – Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge (sleep SF).
Day 2 – Half Moon Bay, Pigeon Point, Shark Fin Cove, Natural Bridges, Monterey (sleep Monterey).
Day 3 – 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, Carmel, Bixby Bridge, Point Sur, Partington Cove, McWay Falls (sleep Cambria).
Day 4 – Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Solvang, Santa Barbara (sleep Santa Barbara).
Day 5 – Malibu, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Hollywood (sleep LA).
Day 6 – Movie studio tour, game show, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood sign (sleep LA).
Day 7 – La Jolla, Ocean Beach, Balboa Park, Gaslamp Quarter (sleep San Diego).
10 Day Itinerary
This slightly longer timeframe allows you to spend more time either in each of the big cities or along the coastline in between. If it’s your first time in California, you’ll naturally want to see SF, LA and San Diego because they’re all iconic US cities.
The itinerary below is exactly how we drove the route, except we had a third day in both San Francisco and San Diego to make a total of 12 days.
Let’s take a look at an example of how you can spend 10 days driving from San Francisco to San Diego.
Day 1 – SF Tram, Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street (sleep SF).
Day 2 – Embarcadero, Alcatraz, Chinatown, Union Square, Coit Tower (sleep SF).
Day 3 – Twin Peaks, Half Moon Bay, Pigeon Point, Shark Fin Cove, Natural Bridges (sleep Monterey).
Day 4 – Monterey Bay, 17 mile drive, Pebble Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Bixby Bridge, Point Sur, Partington Cove, McWay Falls (sleep Morro Bay).
Day 5 – Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Solvang, Santa Barbara (sleep Santa Barbara).
Day 6 – Malibu, Beverly Hills, Hollywood (sleep LA).
Day 7 – Downtown, Santa Monica, Venice (sleep LA).
Day 8 – Movie studio tour, game show, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood sign (sleep LA).
Day 9 – Beaches, La Jolla, Old Town (sleep SD).
Day 10 – Coronado, Embarcadero, Balboa Park, Gaslamp (sleep SD).
14 Day Itinerary
You’re in for a real treat if you have a full 14 days for your California Pacific Coast Highway road trip. Two weeks is plenty of time to see SF, LA and San Diego with loads of time left to really enjoy the stops in between.
Let’s take a look at an example of how you can spend 14 days driving from San Francisco to San Diego.
Day 1 – SF Tram, Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street (sleep SF).
Day 2 – Embarcadero, Alcatraz, Chinatown, Union Square, Coit Tower (sleep SF).
Day 3 – Twin Peaks, Half Moon Bay, Pigeon Point, Shark Fin Cove, Natural Bridges (sleep Santa Cruz).
Day 4 – Monterey, 17 mile drive, Pebble Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea (sleep Carmel).
Day 5 – Bixby Bridge, Point Sur, Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur (sleep Big Sur).
Day 6 – Partington Cove, McWay Falls (sleep Cambria).
Day 7 – Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Solvang, Santa Barbara (sleep Santa Barbara).
Day 8 – Santa Barbara State Street, Pier, Beach, Malibu – (sleep LA).
Day 9 – Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Mulholland Drive (sleep LA).
Day 10 – Downtown LA, Santa Monica, Venice (sleep LA).
Day 11 – Movie studio tour, game show, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood sign (sleep LA).
Day 12 – Newport Beach, Torrey Pines, SD Beaches, La Jolla (sleep SD).
Day 13 – Balboa Park, Old Town, Embarcadero (sleep SD).
Day 14 – Coronado, Gaslamp, Little Italy (sleep SD).
Do you need to hire a car? Compare prices between Rental Cars and Discover Cars to get the best deals available.
When To Drive It
The shoulder season months of April, May, September and October are the best times of year to drive the California Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to San Diego. You’ll benefit from fewer crowds, more parking spaces, higher hotel room availability at lower prices and comfortable temperatures.
Summer brings warmer temperatures but it’s much busier on the road and at hotels. The winter months are best if you want to road trip the California coast on a budget, but it will be cooler.
The Morgan Conclusion
California’s Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to San Diego is one of the world’s greatest road trips. There are many fantastic places to stop, including beaches, quaint towns and bucket list cities. Having 10-14 days for your itinerary will allow you to see the best of what’s on offer.
After extensively exploring the US, we can confidently say our road trip between San Francisco and San Diego has been one of our favorite experiences to date. The only thing we would do differently next time is spend more time on the Big Sur coastline.
Want more California content? Head to our California Travel Guides to explore National Parks, popular road trips and things to do in major cities of the Golden state.
We hope our guide helps with planning your road trip from San Francisco to San Diego!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments box a little further below.
Happy road tripping!
Mark and Kristen
Enjoy this guide? Pin it for your trip!
All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.
We are planning a 7 day trip from SF to San Diego in June (2 days in SF for wedding) and heading south. I love your itinerary, and modifying it for 7 days…do you have a map with points along it? Google map seems to avoid the coast line,..I’m visual, but could probably did up a map somewhere in here.
Hi Melanie, it’s great to hear you have a trip planned for the PCH. We don’t currently have any maps for the itinerary routes, but we are working on creating guidebooks for our road trips and they will include detailed maps for 7, 10 and 14 days. If we get it out in time we will send it to you, but it’s unlikely before next month. Be sure to look into road closures on the Big Sur stretch of coastline before setting off, some of the road may still be closed due to land slides. Hope everything goes well and have a fantastic trip!
Planning a trip from Sfran to Diego for 2 weeks in October for our 35th anniversary. Looking to hit Carmel Big Sur Monterrey Half Moon Bay Pebble Beach Santa Barbara Santa Monica Catalina Island Oceanside and finishing up in San Diego and flying out from there back to N J. Looking for any suggestions on which cities to stay and which I can hit on the way… Thanks for your help!
Hi Jeff & Angie, congrats on your 35th anniversary and glad to hear you have a trip to the PCH planned. Sounds like you have a great itinerary lined up with the stops you mentioned, we would happily spend 2 weeks in those exact spots without losing too many days in SF and LA. But San Diego is definitely worth spending at least one full day at the end. Big Sur is the most challenging part of your trip for hotel availability, so it might be worth trying to get one booked early, you can read our guide here Best Hotels In Big Sur CA. Have a fantastic trip!
Thank you planned our trip and some really useful suggestions
Thanks for letting us know, Gary. We hope you have a fantastic trip driving the PCH!
Hello,
Thank you so much for this helpful article. My wife and I are planning a trip from SD to SF for 10 days as part of our honeymoon and we would really appreciate any help and recommendations for places to stay and/or explore!
Thank you!
Hi Samer, congrats on your wedding and the drive from SD to SF will be a fantastic part of your honeymoon! At the bottom of every stop in our guide we included the best available places to stay based on guest rating and location to that particular stop. The best places for a couple to visit on the drive are Santa Barbara, Solvang, Big Sur coastline, Carmel-by-the-Sea, 17 mile drive and Half Moon Bay. Have an amazing time guys!
This post has helped me so much to organize ideas for our trip. We are doing San Fran to San Diego begining dec. 24 and ending on Jan. 6 with two kids. We wanted to squeeze disney land and maybe the sandiego zoo in there or even any other park for them to enjoy.
Any suggestions on how to plan for this in order and where to stay when we go to the parks?
Thank you!
Hi MG, thanks for getting in touch and we’re happy to hear your family will be driving San Francisco to San Diego over Christmas and New Year, that will be some trip! Adding in San Diego Zoo will be easy, it is right in Balboa Park near the main touristy areas. Just give yourself the final day of your itinerary for exploring San Diego, there’s loads to do (it’s one of our favorite cities in the US!). You won’t need to stay in another hotel, just use the same one for your entire stay in San Diego. Disneyland is located right off I-5 in Anaheim heading South from LA toward San Diego. After you’re done in LA, take I-5 and allow a full day for Disneyland, there are dozens of hotels pretty much on site around the complex or you can drive 30 minutes to Newport Beach / Laguna Beach to stay there before driving on to San Diego the next morning. Let us know if you need any more help and we hope you all have the best trip!
Looking for itinerary for trip down the west coast months from now. @ 12 days
Seattle to Santa Barbara. Any ideas ? Thanks
Hi JB, without knowing if you’re interested in cities, photography, beaches, hiking etc we’d suggest picking 5 or 6 stops along the route you definitely want to include on your drive down. If you stick to the PCH, you’re looking at almost 1,300 miles in 12 days and it will be slower going, so you might want to consider jumping on I-5 for a few stretches to eat up some miles. You could try: Cannon Beach is a great place to stay night 1 if you stick to the coastline. Yachats night 2, Bandon night 3, Brookings night 4, visit Redwoods and night 5 nearby, Mendocino night 6, night 7 and 8 in SF, Monterey night 9, San Simeon or Cambria night 10, Solvang night 11, arrive Santa Barbara day 12. But there’s plenty of room for you to adjust those days around your preferences. Have a great drive down the coast!
Great article!!! We are planning a trip through the costaline from san francisco to san diego as well but with 3 children. We only have 10 days but would like to go with the kids to certain specific things like san diego zoo, sea world, disney, on our trip. How would you plan a trip with all the deiving time and length in eac city. We were thinking San Francisco- monterrey sleep there and then go to santa barbara sledp there and then go to LA (sleep in OC) amd then san diego. How would you guys order the trip?
Hi Grace, sounds like a great trip for the kids! There’s always a compromise on a 10 day trip like this one, either cut time in the cities or cut time stopping in between. If you want to do disney, sea world and the SD zoo, you will need to put in a few longer driving days as you have suggested above. The part between Monterey and Santa Barbara is beautiful and there’s a lot to see, so doing this in one day would be a shame but your priorities are for the kids so stick to your plan as above. We would do something along these lines: SF 2 days – Monterey & Carmel 1 day – Cambria 1 day – Santa Barbara 1 day – OC 2 days – San Diego 2 days. That will keep drive time down and should be enough time to hit the kids attractions. Let us know if you need any more help or tips, otherwise have a fantastic trip!
Great article! We are planning a trip this summer spanning 9 nights in August beginning in San Francisco and ending in San Diego. We are planning as of right now 1 night in San Francisco then Half Moon Bay. Followed by 1 night each in Monterrey, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, and Huntington Beach. Then 2 nights in Laguna and 1 night in San Diego. Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi John! Sounds like a great itinerary. If possible, try to get a good early start on the day driving between Monterey and Santa Barbara – there’s a lot to see on that stretch, including Carmel, the Big Sur coastline and Solvang. Otherwise, you’re in good shape and having a few days in Laguna after driving through LA will be perfect. Have a great trip!
Great suggestions, loved it!!
Thank you Mary, we hope it helped you plan your road trip!
Mom and two teens planning a mother/daughter trip for this summer. We are beach-lovers. Which beaches combine the most beauty with the least crowds? We love to sunbathe and swim in the ocean. Would love to spend at least a 1/2 day on each of your top 4 – 5 recommendations. Any suggestions on tailoring the 14 day itinerary for beach lovers?
Hi Jennifer, thanks for getting in touch! Sounds like a fantastic vacation you’re planning – you will spoiled for choice as far as gorgeous beaches with amazing sunsets are concerned along the Pacific Coast Highway. However, finding uncrowded California beaches in Summer will be a challenge. Most are big enough to find secluded spots but parking will be difficult so try to arrive early if possible. If we were to road trip the PCH from San Francisco to San Diego just for beaches, this is roughly how we would spend 2 weeks for the most variation and to hit as many beaches as possible:
D1 – Stinson and Ocean beaches (San Francisco), D2 – Half Moon Bay beach, D3 – Four Mile and Natural Bridges beaches, D4 – Monterrey beach, D5 – Asilomar beach (17 mile drive), D6 – Carmel beach (stunning but rip tides), D7 – Pfeiffer beach (unmissable), D8 – Cayucos or Morro Rock beaches, D9 – Pismo beach, D10 – Zuma, Malibu and/or Carbon beaches (all in Malibu), D11 – Will Rogers and Santa Monica (LA), D12 – Newport or Crystal Cove beaches, D13 – Blacks and La Jolla beaches (San Diego), D14 – Coronado beach (San Diego).
Try to watch a sunset at Pfeiffer beach to see the sun illuminate Keyhole Arch rock and don’t miss McWay Falls. Hope this helps and let us know if you need any more info to plan your trip – have the best time!
Wow the Pacific coast highway look’s like an amazing way to spend your time. Every location something different to see, amazing scenery with the odd golf course thrown in, and such a jewel of a course as well.
Yeah – awesome road trip, loads to see and do! We couldn’t miss Pebble Beach, unbelievable setting. Here’s to hoping we both manage a round there at some point!