Trip | A Pacific Coast Highway road trip | San Francisco to Los Angeles, CA | 4 days
Day 1 – Santa Cruz and Monterey
8:30 AM | Travel | San Francisco, CA > Drive to Santa Cruz, 400 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA | About 75 miles and two hours down Highway 1 through Pacifica and Half Moon Bay
10:30 AM | Do | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA | Free to walk in; you pay per ride. Ride the Giant Dipper and get lunch on the boardwalk
1:30 PM | Travel | Santa Cruz, CA > Drive to Monterey, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA | About 45 miles and an hour on Highway 1
2:30 PM | Do | Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA | Buy timed tickets ahead. Hours vary by date, and last entry is an hour before closing
6:00 PM | Stay | Portola Hotel & Spa, 2 Portola Plaza, Monterey, CA | Or wherever the group is staying. A short walk from Fisherman's Wharf
7:00 PM | Eat | Old Fisherman's Grotto, 39 Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey, CA | Seafood on the wharf; book a table online
Maybe | Do | Natural Bridges State Beach, Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz, CA | Tide pools, and monarch butterflies from mid-October to mid-February
Day 2 – Carmel and Big Sur
9:00 AM | Do | Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Carmel, CA | Three miles south of Carmel. Opens at 8 AM; vehicles over 21 feet can't enter
11:00 AM | Do | Bixby Creek Bridge, Highway 1, Big Sur, CA | About 20 minutes south of Point Lobos. Parking near the bridge is banned, so take it in as you drive across
12:00 PM | Eat | Nepenthe, 48510 Highway One, Big Sur, CA | Lunch on the terrace above the coast, served until 4:30 PM. Café Kevah downstairs is quicker
1:30 PM | Do | Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, CA | Walk the Partington Cove trail, about a mile round trip, from the turnout with a green gate. The McWay Falls Overlook Trail is closed for repairs
3:00 PM | Travel | Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, CA > Drive to San Simeon, 9415 Hearst Dr, San Simeon, CA | About 60 miles of curves; allow two hours with work-zone delays. Fill the tank before Big Sur, because services are sparse
5:00 PM | Stay | Cavalier Oceanfront Resort, 9415 Hearst Dr, San Simeon, CA | Or wherever the group is staying. Cavalier Coastal Kitchen on site is easy for dinner
Maybe | Do | Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Big Sur, CA | Reopened in October 2026 after the Timber Fire; the River Path and Redwood Grove Boardwalk are open, but Pfeiffer Falls is still closed
Day 3 – Elephant seals, Hearst Castle and Santa Barbara
8:00 AM | Do | Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, Highway 1, San Simeon, CA | Free roadside viewing 4.5 miles north of Hearst Castle, open every day. No restrooms
9:30 AM | Do | Hearst Castle, 750 Hearst Castle Rd, San Simeon, CA | Book the Grand Rooms tour ahead and allow about two hours
12:30 PM | Eat | Firestone Grill, 1001 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA | About 45 minutes south of Hearst Castle; opens at 11 AM
2:00 PM | Travel | San Luis Obispo, CA > Drive to Santa Barbara, 36 State St, Santa Barbara, CA | About 95 miles and two hours on US 101
4:30 PM | Stay | Hotel Californian, 36 State St, Santa Barbara, CA | Or wherever the group is staying. Steps from the beach and Stearns Wharf
7:00 PM | Eat | Brophy Bros., 119 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA | Seafood at the harbor; join the waitlist early
Maybe | Do | Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, 751 Palm St, San Luis Obispo, CA | Two blocks from Firestone Grill
Maybe | Do | Stearns Wharf, 217 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA | Walk out at sunset from the bottom of State Street
Day 4 – Santa Barbara to Malibu and LA
9:30 AM | Do | Old Mission Santa Barbara, 2201 Laguna St, Santa Barbara, CA | Self-guided tours open at 9:30 AM Monday to Saturday and 12:30 PM on Sundays
11:00 AM | Travel | Santa Barbara, CA > Drive to Malibu, 42505 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA | About 65 miles and 75 minutes on US 101, then Highway 1 down the coast from Oxnard
12:30 PM | Eat | Neptune's Net, 42505 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA | Casual seafood, open daily
2:00 PM | Do | El Matador State Beach, Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach, Malibu, CA | Small paid lot on the bluff, then stairs down to the beach. Check the tide first
3:30 PM | Travel | El Matador State Beach, Malibu, CA > Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 1 World Way, Los Angeles, CA | About 40 miles; allow at least 90 minutes in afternoon traffic. Return the rental car first