I’m looking for trip suggestions for a vacation in April. We want to fly into LA stay a couple nights and then rent a car to drive to San Francisco flying home from there. If I allow for 3 days for the drive up the coast what would be some interesting places to stop and see along the way? I would get reservations for LA and San Francisco but would I need them for the motels in between?
Best trip in the world, IMO. 3 days is about right. I will be back with more ideas and links later, but I assume you are planing to take the 1 up around Big Sur if you are giving yourself that much time.
For now here are some top of my head thoughts:
Hurst Castle. Give yourself at least half a day to do a proper tour.
Pick a beach town and spend some beach time (I am fond of Pismo Beach and Moro Bay, but there are tons of good ones. Half Moon Bay is very romantic and further North)
Monterrey is fun, and is close to Carmel by the Sea which is beautiful. Monerey also has a fantastic Aquarium and both Monterrey and Carmel have tons of nice B&Bs. I would make this general area a stopping point for an overnight stay.
There is tons of other stuff to do, and I will be back later when I have had time to think on it. But it’s a great trip you should have fun.
First decision is whether you want to drive along the coast up to SF or take an more in-land route. The coast drive is obviously much more scenic, but it’ll take longer. Plan 6 to 8 hours for a more leisurely drive. High points along the way include Santa Barbara, San Simeon (Hearst Castle), Monterey, Santa Cruz. But you should also allocate some time to cross the Golden Gate Bridge to visit Marin County. Of course, if you take the inland route, you can hit Yosemite. Three days isn’t a lot of time really to enjoy all you can, especially if most of that time is just driving.
Malibu beach, Santa Barbara pier, Hearst Castle at San Simeon, Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row, Carmel by the Sea (art galleries), Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk (old fashioned fun)…
Hearst castle. (Inspiration for Citizen Kane castle…)
Just up the road from there, in May one year, there were hundreds of seals sunning on the beach.
There’s the iconic bridge (arch underneath) you see in about every movie, TV show or travelogue that involves the costal highway. What is that one called?
Barbara Streisand’s house is somewhere near Santa Barabara, IIRC. She tried to get an injuction to stop arial photos of the entire coast being put on the net thereby guaranteeing way more publicity. I think the law says the beach below high tide is public property, if you can find the access path.
Depends on when you’re going and where you’re staying. If it’s midweek, probably not. If it’s on a weekend where something is happening in town, probably a good idea.
What do you like to do? Are you likely to want to see museums, or historical landmarks? Do you like to do active outdoor recreation or shop? Are you going to live it up at clubs or have a quiet dinner?
I’ll put in a plug for my hometown, Santa Barbara. California history in El Presidio (2nd oldest building in California) and the Mission. Wine tasting. Beautiful oceans and mountains with some great hikes. Lots of restaurants and bars downtown. A wonderful walkable downtown that leads out to the pier. If you decide to go to Santa Barbara and let me know what you like, I can make more specific suggestions on restaurants and wineries and activities.
I agree with the Monterey suggestion. The Aquarium is world-class and the whole area is beautiful.
Definitely drive up the 1. I rode my motorcycle from SB up to Monterey two summers ago, and it’s the most beautiful ride I’ve ever done. Try not to become so enraptured by the view that you drive off the cliffs.
There are many excellant suggestions. I will caution you that a one-way car rental between LA and San Francisco can be very expensive. You should check with several car rental companies and see if one is within your price range.
Solvang --a Dutch town about 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara.
Great chocolate shops and some very retro Norwegian restaurants and smorgasbords. It’s a perfect day stop.
When (not if, it’s really sort of mandatory) you go to Monterey, I highly recommend staying here:
It’s within walking distance of the aquarium, a beautiful B&B with a gorgeous view, good food, and the owners are genuinely nice people. I would absolutely stay there again.
I have stayed there! I second the recommendation.
Solvang is fun too, but less essential if you find yourself running out of time.
Opinions are best solicited in IMHO. Moved from General Questions.
samclem, Moderator
The coast route is certainly a great trip. Just don’t be in a hurry. Be advised, however, once you commit to it, you’re pretty much on it for good. If, for some reason, your time runs short, it could be frustrating.
Be sure to stay at the Madonna Inn.
I came to chime in on the Madonna Inn as well. Even if you don’t stay there, be sure to check out the men’s room in the coffee shop.
Definitely do Hearst Castle, Monterey, and the Madonna Inn. rooms are cool, so is the bathroom, the food is less than impressive, though.
While at Monterey drop into Carmel near by, which is a nice little town. Clint Eastwood was mayor here. Downtown Monterey has the first capital of California, by the way, and a nice park.
Though you are near the end of the season, you can drop in to see the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo State Park. We’ve done it in November/December, but the link says the pups are just getting ready to leave in April, so you should check with them to see if any pups are still around before you go.
There is tons to do in San Francisco, of course, but you might be interested in the Marin Headlands north of the city, which has old fortifications built to protect us against the Japanese. There is a nice viewing area after you cross the Golden Gate bridge which you should stop at and take pictures.
Thee days should be fine. To give you an idea of the distance, I take about 7 - 8 hours (including lunch) to get from the Bay Area to Anaheim on 5, and a bit longer on the longer but nicer 101. The PCH us a lot slower but also a lot more scenic.
You might be interested in the Spanish era missions which stretch up the coast. There is the famous one in Capistrano, but there are a lot of others including Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara has a beautiful beach, but it has been terribly chainified since when I first visited.
Three days will be plenty. I just did a round trip SoCal to the Bay Area that ran 7 hours each way, including a lunch stop each way. Up the 5, back down the 101.
Leaving from LA, I’d stop the first night in Santa Barbara and the second night in Monterey.
Pea Soup Andersen’s. Om nom nom.
Going up the coast is probably going to get you the most value for your time. From LA - Santa Barbara is worth a stop - cruise State St and pick up lunch, then go down the street to the beach for a picnic. Continuing on, Pismo is a nice beach but that is about it, I would recommend Avila Beach (off 101 before San Luis Obispo) as a possible overnight destination, or Morro Bay - both very small and scenic and on the water - plenty of beach. San Luis Obispo is also worth a stop - they have a nice Mission and downtown.
After you leave Morro Bay going north on Hwy 1, there is not much in terms of human development other than Hearst Castle, which is touristy. Beyond that is the wilds of the Big Sur coast. The next town with accomodations will be Big Sur, then Carmel and Monterey. Plan a full day of driving and stopping and be prepared for hundreds of curves and switchbacks. It will be fun driving if you get a more sporty car, BTW. A good break spot is Sand Dollar beach near Plaskett Creek - very remote and unspoiled area. Pack provisions for this day and fill up the tank - describing the views in writing for this stretch of road cannot do it justice.
As previously stated, Carmel and Monterey will probably offer the best accomodation choices after Avila/Morro, and there is plenty to do. Monterey to SF is a few hour drive, with maybe a stop in Santa Cruz as already mentioned.
If you are going the inland route (Hwy 101 from San Luis Obispo) about the only thing worthwhile will be the wine country around Paso Robles.
Even if they are going up the 1? I love me some Andersen’s but isn’t that way out of the way?
The elephant seals that Voyager links to are not to be missed. There is a good board walk so you can get a great view without worrying about being too close to 1000 pound animals. Hearst castle is great as is the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.