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The idea of a road trip can invoke many feelings.
Many of you may jump at the chance for a road trip purely for the adventure. But there may be some of you who think a road trip means getting from point A to point B in the fastest time possible, making quick stops for gas, grabbing some horrendous gas station food, then putting pedal to the metal in order to get where you are going quickly. There’s zero fun along the way and it feels like torture.
I get you. I became the Queen of driving across the 1,000 miles of brown desert wastelands between Arizona and Texas and it was brutal.
Last summer we did something that had been on my bucket list since I was a teenager. I have been dreaming for as long as I can remember of taking a drive along the California Pacific Coast Highway. My dreams included stunning blue coastlines, massive redwoods, and charming coastal towns. After several months of meticulous planning, we made the California Pacific Coast Highway 1 Road Trip happen. It exceeded every single expectation and was some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen!
{All of these photos were taken by me and come from my own personal library. They are copyrighted so pretty please don’t use. Thank you!}
I collected a file folder of information and worked on our itinerary for 3 months. Since I have had so many friends and family request it, I am sharing the California Pacific Coast Highway 1 Road Trip Guide with all of you. We learned so much along the way and when I look at our pictures and relive our experiences, I am dying to do it all again!
Most travel guides will tell you the best places to stop for sightseeing, but I want to share the best places to EAT along the way too because FOOD is important, people. Very important on road trips! You don’t want your people to eat greasy fast food in an enclosed vehicle….and you will just have to trust me on this one!
You will find a sample itinerary, suggested stops in towns along the way, food recommendations, and even tips on traveling with kids. I have four of them and we have taken more road trips than I can count and these tips are integral to road trip success!
Here is a sample itinerary. You can customize it to your ideal preferences but this gives you an outline. If you love nature, hiking, and exploring the outdoors, you will want to spend a lot of time in Big Sur. If you would rather sit and relax in a charming coastal town, make your stay longer in Carmel-by-the-Sea. If you are looking for culture and city life, extend your stay in San Francisco. This can be tailor-made to your preferences.
Day 1: Start in Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, or Los Angeles. Visit Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. Sleep in either Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo.
Day 2: Visit SLO, Solvang, Morro Bay, Cambria, Hearst Castle in San Simeon
Day 3: Big Sur
Day 4: Explore Big Sur and sleep in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Day 5: Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey
Day 6: Santa Cruz and San Francisco
Day 7: San Francisco
Day 8: Leave San Francisco and head home
Day 9: Optional Bonus Day: Spend a day at Knott’s Berry Farm, Disneyland, or relax in Laguna Beach
California Pacific Coast Highway 1 Road Trip Guide of places to EAT, SLEEP, and STOP:
Laguna Beach/Newport Beach/Manhattan Beach/Los Angeles:
- Balboa Island – walk or bike around island and eat famous Balboa Bar
- Boogieboard near Newport Beach Pier
- Eat at Lemonade and Manhattan Beach Creamery in Manhattan Beach
- On the way home, spend a day at Laguna Beach near Main St or visit Knott’s Berry Farm
Santa Barbara:
- Santa Barbara Courthouse for beautiful architecture
- Ride cruiser bikes to Butterfly Beach
- Gaviota Coast
- State Street Shopping
- McConnell’s Ice Cream
- Stearns Wharf
Solvang:
- Eat at Olsen’s Bakery, Paula’s Pancake House, or Mortensen’s Bakery
- Shop in Danish shops on Main Street
- Play at Sunny Field Park
San Luis Obispo:
- Visit the Famous Madonna Inn (eat a slice of cake at restaurant and gawk at this outrageous hotel)
- Bubble Gum Wall
- Sit creekside in restaurants off Main Street
- Eat at Apple Farm Mill House
Cambria/Morro Bay/San Simeon:
- Tour Hearst Castle
- Eat at Sebastian’s Store
- Morro Bay Rock
- Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery
- Piedras Blancas Light Station
- Serene Beaches
- Montana de Oro State Park – picnic at Spooner’s Cove and hike to Valencia Peak
Big Sur:
- Julia Pfieffer State Park and Beach
- McWay Falls – sparkling blue waters
- Hike Ewoldsen Trail
- Limekiln State Park – hike redwoods waterfall
- Point Lobos – hike and discover tide pools
- Andrew Molera State park
- Big Sur Village
- Bixby Bridge – famous in car commercials
Carmel-by-the-Sea/Monterey:
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
- 17 Mile Drive Scenic Tour
- Pebble Beach Golf Course
- Carmel Beach Village – charming shops and restaurants (my favorite town)
- Point Lobos State Reserve – hiking trails and tide pools
- Bike rentals
- Cannery Row and Wharf Marketplace
Santa Cruz:
- Spend some time at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Ride rides and relax on the sandy beach
- Take scenic West Cliff Drive
- Stop at local Farmer’s Markets
- Visit tide pools + see wildflowers at Pescadero State Beach
San Francisco:
- Ride bikes over Golden Gate Bridge
- Golden Gate State Park – museums, Stow Lake, park, carousel, bike rentals
- Ride a cable car
- Picnic at Chrissy Field
- Visit the Ferry Marketplace – it’s a foodie’s paradise
- Shop in Union Square
- Fisherman’s Wharf
- Picnic on grassy area at Palace of Fine Arts
- Sourdough bread bowl at Pier 39
- Ghirardelli Square
- Ride a car on the famous crooked Lombard Street
- Ferry to Angel Island
- Visit Chinatown
- Alcatraz – get tickets early
- Muir Woods
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY 1 ROAD TRIP GUIDE:
Laguna Beach/Newport Beach/Manhattan Beach/Los Angeles:
- Balboa Island – walk or bike around island and eat famous Balboa Bar
- Boogieboard near Newport Beach Pier
- Eat at Lemonade and Manhattan Beach Creamery in Manhattan Beach
- On the way home, spend a day at Laguna Beach near Main St or visit Knott’s Berry Farm
Santa Barbara:
- Santa Barbara Courthouse for beautiful architecture
- Ride cruiser bikes to Butterfly Beach
- Gaviota Coast
- State Street Shopping
- McConnell’s Ice Cream
- Stearns Wharf
Solvang:
- Eat at Olsen’s Bakery, Paula’s Pancake House, or Mortensen’s Bakery
- Shop in Danish shops on Main Street
- Play at Sunny Field Park
San Luis Obispo:
- Visit the Famous Madonna Inn (eat a slice of cake at restaurant and gawk at this outrageous hotel)
- Bubble Gum Wall
- Sit creekside in restaurants off Main Street
- Eat at Apple Farm Mill House
Cambria/Morro Bay/San Simeon:
- Tour Hearst Castle
- Eat at Sebastian’s Store
- Morro Bay Rock
- Montana de Oro State Park – picnic at Spooner’s Cove and hike to Valencia Peak
Big Sur:
- Julia Pfieffer State Park and Beach
- Hike Ewoldsen Trail
- McWay Falls – sparkling blue waters
- Limekiln State Park – hike redwoods waterfall
- Point Lobos – hike and discover tide pools
- Andrew Molera State park
- Big Sur Village
- Bixby Bridge – famous in car commercials
Carmel-by-the-Sea/Monterey:
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
- 17 Mile Drive Scenic Tour
- Pebble Beach Golf Course
- Carmel Beach Village – charming shops and restaurants (my personal favorite town)
- Wharf Marketplace
- Point Lobos State Reserve – hiking trails and tide pools
- Bike rentals
- Cannery Row and Wharf Marketplace
Santa Cruz:
- Spend some time at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Ride rides and relax on the sandy beach
- Take scenic West Cliff Drive
- Stop at local Farmer’s Markets
- Visit tide pools + see wildflowers at Pescadero State Beach
San Francisco:
- Ride bikes over Golden Gate Bridge
- Golden Gate State Park – museums, Stow Lake, park, carousel, bike rentals
- Shop in Union Square
- Fisherman’s Wharf
- Eat at Ferry Building Marketplace – a foodie’s paradise
- Picnic on grassy area at Palace of Fine Arts
- Sourdough bread bowl at Pier 39
- Ride a cable car
- Picnic at Chrissy Field
- Ghirardelli Square
- Lombard Street
- Ferry to Angel Island
- Alcatraz – get tickets early
- Visit Chinatown
***HOTEL TIPS: Shop around for the best deals on hotels. I used Hotwire for most of my hotel purchases but there is some risk involved as the purchases are non-refundable. If you are a AAA member, you can usually receive discounts at most hotels when booking.
The hotels that we stayed in that I would recommend are the following: Marriott Courtyard Inn San Luis Obispo, Best Western Plus Carmel Bay View Inn, and the Warwick San Francisco.
If you are traveling with kids, the hotels can be pretty tiny in San Fran, so plan accordingly (that meant packing a few sleeping bags for the kids). See below for tips for traveling with kids.
BEST FOOD ON CALIFORNIA PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY 1 ROAD TRIP:
Adolfo’s Mexican in Laguna Beach – small ma and pop authentic mexican food restaurant. Try the shredded beef enchiladas.
Sidecar Doughnuts in Newport Beach – gourmet doughnuts with unique ingredients. Go for the huckleberry.
Manhattan Beach Creamery and Lemonade in Manhattan Beach – get the chocolate dipped salted caramel ice cream sandwich. Thank me later. Get the fresh squeezed lemonades + comfort food at Lemonade.
Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles – a popular market with order at the counter restaurants + fresh produce selections
Los Agaves Mexican Restaurant in Santa Barbara – go for the molcajetes, relleno, and enchiladas
McConnell’s Ice Cream in Santa Barbara – taste every single flavor because this handcrafted, world famous ice cream is worth every calorie. Go for the sundaes or chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches and then get a pint to go to eat on the beach.
Olsen’s Bakery, Paula’s Pancake House, and Mortensen’s Bakery in Solvang – authentic Danish pastries in charming, idyllic town that makes you feel as if you are in Denmark.
Linn’s Bakery in Cambria – go for the olallieberry pie and cream cake.
Sebastian’s Store in San Simeon – known for their beef so focus on the burgers and onion rings.
Dametra Cafe or Yafa Mediterranean in Carmel-by-the-Sea – fresh food with live music that makes you never want to ever leave
Wharf Marketplace in Monterey – grab some sandwiches, fresh fruit, and cookies and have a picnic near the water
Local Farmer’s Markets near Watsonville – freshly picked fruits + vegetable stands line the highway
Donnelly Fine Chocolates in Santa Cruz – chocolate dipped ice cream bars with vanilla bean salted caramel and almonds is off the charts.
Tartine Bakery & Cafe in San Francisco – order everything off the menu
Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco – a foodie’s paradise. Eat ice cream at Humphry Slocombe, grilled cheese sandwich at Cowgirl Sidekick, world famous hot dog at Prather Meat Co.
Ike’s Place in San Francisco – hundreds of unique sandwich concoctions
Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco – handcrafted ice cream using only the highest quality ingredients
Golden Gate Bakery in San Francisco – famous for the egg custard tarts and long lines
TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH KIDS:
(taking 4 children on hundreds of road trips somehow gives me cred)
- Bring a jacket. The weather can be warm and sunny or cold and cloudy so be prepared with a warm jacket in the car. Pack a separate bag with all of the jackets so if it gets cold, you don’t have to rummage through each suitcase.
- Pack sleeping bags. Since it’s a road trip, you will be in and out of hotels and sometimes that means only King bed accommodations. A few sleeping bags saved us many times!
- Make a vacation music playlist or CD. It can be done ahead of time and get your kids involved in choosing the music.
- Pack a Road Trip essential car kit. Fill a large ziploc bag with wet wipes, hand sanitizer, napkins, and bandaids.
- Pack a separate beach bag with their swimsuits handy. It’s so much easier than trying to find a swimsuit in a packed suitcase. Keep sunscreen, beach blanket and towels, and swimsuits in one bag.
- Create a healthy snack pack for each child. Eating on the road isn’t too healthy so it’s nice to have some fresh and healthy options. Grapes, baby carrots, clementines, trail mix, low sugar granola bars, and bottled water are perfect options.
- Be prepared to take A LOT of photos. Charge your camera battery and clear out the SD card if using a digital camera because there are beautiful photo opportunities everywhere.
I want to hear from you! Who has taken the California Pacific Coast Highway 1 Road Trip before? What tips would you give? If you have any questions, leave a comment and I will get back to you. I would love to help you plan your BEST itinerary for your perfect California Road Trip.
Happy Traveling!
This post has been soooooo helpful and sounds perfect for my family. We are looking to fly from Alabama on Dec 23 and will be there about 5-6 nights. I was thinking of flying into San Diego and renting a car to head north and end in San Francisco. would you suggest flying somewhere else to start? We want to visit the beaches, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Big Sur, vineyard (if possible), Venice beach, Redwoods, Alkatraz and other San Fran sites. Are we being over zealous? Haha
Hi Penny! These are some great questions! Here are my thoughts:
1. If you fly into San Diego, would you fly out of there as well or could you fly out of San Francisco? That will make a difference in my recommendations. If you fly in and out of San Diego, it could be very tough to do in 5-6 nights. If you fly out of San Fran, then I would suggest for you to fly into San Diego.
2. If you fly into Los Angeles, that would save you time but you would miss out on some beautiful parts. I love Laguna and Newport Beach and it’s fun to see Orange County. But if you are worried about time, you can fly straight into LAX.
I love that you want to fit in as much as possible! It’s such an incredible trip so you want to maximize it!
I just came back from a week trip to Spain with my company. We got up at six in the morning and visited all the landmarks in several cities then got on the road and traveled to the next place. We never stayed somewhere over 2 days. My family is thinking about going on a road trip to California and we found this post (it has great ideas thanks) but I’m not sure if I want to do a road trip because of Spain. Is California busy or do you have time to stay somewhere for a few days? My family will be going for two weeks!
Thank you … We are heading out next week with 3 kids I’m so excited your pics and explanations and recommendations are lots of help planning ..
Oh Maya this is so exciting! I can’t wait to hear all about your trip! Let me know if you have any questions along the way. Enjoy every minute! – Melissa 🙂
Wonderful advice. We are in the midst of planning this trip for next June/July (2017). Leaving from Wake Forest NC across the country stopping at the Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam and Las Vegas before we hit San Fransisco. We’re doing it over 3 weeks and I have planned to stay on the beach in Pacific Grove, Cambria and the famed Maddonna Inn…can’t wait until my kids (14&16) see that!! Your food suggestions are awesome, my husband is drooling already! I will keep your list on hand as we travel. Thanks!
Hi Sue! I am so excited for you! First of all, what a fun trip from NC! You are going to be able to see so much beautiful country. Your kids are great ages because they will remember everything. Keep me posted next summer how things go. I would love to hear about your trip! 🙂
Great post and map out but I think you should have started in San Diego! Sure you have to drive for a couple miles around the famous San Onofre Nuclear Power plant & Marine Corp Base from Oceanside to San Juan Capistrano but So Cal is beautiful. I used to love driving to San Clemente to grab a Cuban sandwich & an Iron RootBeer from the Cuban grocery store and head to the pier for lunch before continuing north with my windows down admiring the beautiful coast line!
Hi Eric! Such great tips! I LOVE San Diego. I spent every summer there growing up so I have a huge love for the place. If people have enough time, I suggest they start there but we just couldn’t fit it all in. Next time I go, I am going to try out your suggestions. Thanks for sharing!
Lemonade in Manhattan Beach and Balboa Bars on Balboa Island for the win!!! Thank you, Melissa, for all of your yummy recommendations. I hope to try out more on another trip.
What would be the best and worst time of year to do this trip? We are from Knoxville TN and spring and fall are the best times here but not sure if March or October are good times to visit Cal and travel the coast?
Hi Julie! That is such a fabulous question. I have been doing some research on this exact topic as we going back in September. They consider the fall months the “secret season” as it is not as crowded but has gorgeous weather. There is actually a lot of fog during the summer months (especially in San Francisco) so when you get into October, the water has warmed up and the marine layer is not as present at all. I think October would be a perfect time to visit! Also, we have friends and family who live in California and they spend their days on the beach in the Fall when the weather is warmer and sunnier outside.
I hope this helps! Please feel free to ask any questions. We have spent a lot of time in California! 🙂
Depending on your timing, you may find county fairs. I think they’e often late in summer. I enjoyed the fair in Watsonville once. That’s inland from Santa Cruz. Kids have lots of room to move around. At Watsonville, you can probably get artichoke fritters – delicious.
Great ideas, Marilyn! You have me craving an artichoke fritter now! Watsonville is so beautiful with the vast farmland and I may just need to go back now to try those out. Thanks for sharing those tips! 🙂
We did this trip 2 years ago and it was much better than I expected. We started from San Diego to San Francisco. We veered off a little to a small vineyard (Wild Horse) which was a nice surprise. I would also recommend elephant seal beach. The one thing I was looking forward to seeing in CA was seals and boy did I get my fill. You hit upon many of our favorite places. Great pics too!
Thank you for your comment and great recommendation! That is the best to start in San Diego. You experienced it all! I wish that we saw elephant seal beach but when I go back, we will definitely go. Thanks so much!
What a FABulous post Melissa! Brings back wonderful memories from my childhood when my parents took their 6 kids up the coast, 50 (gulp!) years ago. This makes me want to do it all again! Thanks so much for sharing????
Thank you so much, Judy! How could it be 50 years ago?! You seriously look so amazing! As soon as we got home from the trip, I was ready to do it all again. I told Dean that we somehow have to make it happen again very soon! 🙂 xo
Melissa! We are planning this very trip right now and this blog post is a treasure! Thank you so much for posting this right when we needed it. I love your suggestions-especially the food! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Tina! So good to hear from you! This makes me so happy to hear that you are taking this road trip and that my guide will help you along the way. This is the reason I did it and I appreciate you so much reaching out and letting me know. It means so much! xo
THANK YOU! This information and resources is priceless. Thank you so very much for sharing! We are doing this in June, and I can’t wait! The tips on food, and beach bag are great!
Thank you so much, Amanda! The whole reason I did this was to help others so that they can plan a fabulous vacation. I would love to hear how it goes in June and how much you loved it. 🙂 Thanks for reaching out!