California Road Trip Itinerary
Driving the coastline of California was a dream trip. I went with my husband and three year old and we rented a mustang. I know the Mustang is like such an eyeroll but I think having a convertible on this trip is wonderful. No, you will not have the top down the entire time but when we did take it down it was amazing. So here’s our itinerary, I hope it helps you plan yours.
San Francisco & Muir Woods
We flew into San Francisco and I won’t tell you where we stayed because although it was a nice looking hotel it was in a horrible area. You want to stay far away from the Tenderloin area, which I knew, but this hotel advertised that it was Union Square so check the blocks carefully. I loved the vibe in San Francisco, artsy with lots of coffee shops and the hilly roads are so cool. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to ride in a cable car and I really wish we did. Riding bikes over the Golden Gate Bridge was a pretty cool experience though. We also, hung out at the small park across from the Painted Ladies (the Full House house). We loved spending time in that park it was such a relaxing and beautiful place. We also spent most of a day at Golden Gate Park which was wonderful. We visited Ghiradelli Square and a few wharfs where Chloe enjoyed the merry go round and trinkets but basically tourist traps. We were only in San Fran for three days and I think we could have used a couple more to visit Alcatrez, Salsalito and Lombard Street. We saw them from afar but didn’t get to really experience them. The only remarkable meal we had in San Fran was breakfast at Caffe Central and we wished we had more time to explore that Union Square area as well. The absolute best part of our visit to San Fran was heading to Muir Woods about 20 minutes away. The redwood forest was definitely one of the highlights of our entire trip to California and can’t be missed.
Santa Cruz
We drove an hour to Santa Cruz to break up the drive. We wanted to check out the boardwalk but were disappointed to learn that after buying tickets most of the rides were closed due to in August most of their employees are back at college so they shut down most rides. So, we used up our ride tickets on the same ride over and over (three year old Chloe was fine with that) and then we headed to Natural Bridges State Beach. I was surprised by all the seaweed and bugs on the beach but the view of the natural bridges as well as the trees around the park were beautiful.
Monterey and Carmel
We were greeted one hour later, in Monterey with the 17 mile drive and it was amazing. We walked beautiful boulders on Pebble Beach, saw seals, bird rock and watched the waves crash into the coastline it was gorgeous. Then we checked in to a pretty bed and breakfast. We went out to dinner that night and the downtown area was all lit up with plenty to do. Since we had a 3 year-old with us we just had dinner at an unremarkable seafood restaurant but the view of the moon was well worth it. The next day we walked across the street to Monterey Bay and sat on the rocks. It was a beautiful place and then we headed to Carmel by the Sea and did a little shopping. We really just wanted to see all the storybook cottages and they did not disappoint. Leaving this area we stopped at Dennis the Menace playground which was an impressive place for Chloe to play before a long car ride.
Big Sur
We had a one-hour trip to our hotel in Big Sur. Along the way, we stopped at Point Lobos for some beautiful scenery and then we of course, had to stop for the quintessential Bixby Bridge picture. When we arrived in Big Sur we began with a hike at Andrew Molera Park. It ended up being a bit long for Chloe but we made it all the way to the beach. Unfortunately, the beach was so covered in seaweed and bugs that you really couldn’t enjoy it but the hike getting there was beautiful.
Best Part of Our Trip
The most remarkable parts of our trip to California happened in Big Sur. It was an amazing place. We had dinner at Nepenthe and that was by far the best meal and atmosphere of the entire trip. We stayed at Glen Oaks and completely loved the accommodation, especially the hike across the street on the other side of the property. It was along a river and was magically beautiful. We went to Pfeiffer Beach and I was glad I didn’t start my California trip there because everything would have paled in comparison. It was too cold to swim and there was still some seaweed around but the natural beauty of this beach is simply breathtaking. Also, there is a little wait to drive in and this is when having a convertible and a bottle of bubbles for my daughter was awesome. Stopping at Big Sur River Inn is a cannot miss! We absolutely loved our lunch in a cooler that we got to take down to the Adirondack chairs on the river. The cold water did not stop us from putting our feet in because it was simply too beautiful not to. We warmed up by the fireplace inside afterwards and enjoyed a bonfire back at our lodge.
Avila Beach
Our next destination was four hours away in Santa Barbara so we made two wonderful stops along the way! First, we pulled off at the elephant seal lookout and were so glad we did. Before this, we were excited to glimpse one seal in the water. On this beach we saw about a hundred elephant seals, they were enormous and we had such a close view. Then we stopped at Avila Beach where we finally got the California beach vibe we had imagined. It was warm, the sand was beautiful and there was a wonderful strip of shops and cafes right at the beach. Coming from Long Island where beaches are not easy to access they require permits, lots of walking or airing down tires and a ferry ride it was so great to just pull up on the street, hop out and be on the beach in a 30 second walk- for free!
Santa Barbara
We loved our hotel in Santa Barbara and this was a beautiful city. We stayed at The Kimpton Goodland which has since changed its name to The Leta. Admittedly, this hotel is not in SB it is in Goleta but this was another hotel that tricked me with its locale when booking. However, we were very happy with it and since we had a rental car it was no big deal. We had a great dinner in Santa Barbara, enjoyed the shops in the downtown area and had a lovely next day exploring the area. This was our first hotel with a pool so Chloe was extremely happy about that. Santa Barbara truly is a beautiful region.
Santa Monica
The last leg of our trip was almost four hours to San Diego so we stopped in LA at Santa Monica Pier on the way. The pier was another tourist trap. Chloe enjoyed the rides but I wish we would have seen something more worthwhile in the area instead of a carnival. The ferris wheel overlooking the whole beach was spectacular though.
San Diego
San Diego was a completely different vibe than the other parts of California we visited. This definitely felt like a surfing town with a hippie laidback vibe. The weather was much warmer and the beaches much better for laying out and playing in the sand than those in northern California. The water was still cold but we got to see many more seals here. Another favorite meal was in the Gaslamp District (which is completely dead during the day when we were there) at Café 21. We had an amazing brunch there (twice!). The most memorable part of San Diego was going to Sunset Cliffs to watch the sunset. We spent a little time at Balboa Park before flying home from San Diego and that park was incredible too.
I absolutely loved how each part of our trip felt very different. Parts felt very camp like, while others were very beachy. The mountains as a backdrop for most of the ride were spectacular as were the palm trees and random animal sightings. We saw horses, cows, seals, goats and more on the side of the Pacific Highway throughout our trip. My favorite part of this California trip was the ride! Like they say, it’s the journey not the destination. We did the coastline in 9 days and definitely could have used a few more but were also ready to come home. California lived up to my dreams and also made me appreciate New York. I will definitely be back there is so much more to see and do!