California's coast road runs from the Golden Gate past Monterey, Carmel and the Big Sur cliffs to Hearst Castle, Santa Barbara and finally Los Angeles. Allow at least five days; drive south so the ocean is on your side. Spring and autumn are clearest; summer mornings are often foggy.
Road trip route for your dates
5 days from Sat, Dec 5.
- Days 1–2 San Francisco
- Day 3 Monterey, Carmel & Big SurDrive from San Francisco to Monterey, Carmel & Big Sur (about 2.5 hours)
- Day 4 Santa BarbaraDrive from Monterey, Carmel & Big Sur to Santa Barbara (about 5 hours)
- Day 5 Los AngelesDrive from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles (about 2 hours)
Good to know
- Landslides close parts of Highway 1 through Big Sur from time to time (it fully reopened in January 2026 after the Regent's Slide closure); check Caltrans QuickMap before you set off.
- A one-way rental has a drop-off fee; booking early keeps it down.
- There's little fuel or phone signal in Big Sur; fill up in Carmel or Cambria.
Eat this
Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
Walk or bike partway across the bridge, or view it from the beach at Crissy Field with the city skyline behind you.
Ferry out to the former federal prison for the acclaimed audio tour, narrated partly by former guards and inmates. Book weeks ahead.
Hop the Powell-Hyde line for the steepest, most scenic route, ending near Fisherman's Wharf.
The oldest Chinatown in North America — dim sum, herbal shops and a tiny factory folding fortunes into cookies by hand.
Balmy Alley's political murals alongside the taquerias that claim to have invented the Mission burrito.
The famously crooked block, eight switchbacks of brick lined with hydrangeas — walk down rather than drive to skip the car queue.
Artisan food hall in a restored 1898 terminal, with a farmers market outside Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Cantonese and Hong Kong-style dim sum carts away from the tourist prices of Chinatown.
Iconic concrete arch bridge over the coast, with turnouts on both sides for views.
Waterfall dropping onto a turquoise cove, reached by a short boardwalk trail.
Purple-sand beach with a rock arch where the sun passes through in winter; the unmarked turn-off is easy to miss.
World-class aquarium with sea otters, a kelp forest tank and jellyfish exhibits.
Former sardine canneries turned shops and seafood restaurants, from Steinbeck's novel.
Toll road past the Lone Cypress, golf links and sea lion rocks.
Storybook village with galleries, tasting rooms and a white-sand beach.
Coastal trails with harbor seals, otters and cypress groves; arrive early as parking is limited.
Quirky bookstore and arts space in the redwoods celebrating Beat-era Big Sur.
Cliffside restaurant famous for its ambrosia burger and sunset terrace.
Boat trips for humpback and gray whales, with year-round sightings and dolphins.
William Randolph Hearst's hilltop palace of Mediterranean art, gardens and the Neptune Pool; tours by reservation.
Thousands of elephant seals hauled out on the beach right beside the highway, free to watch.
The 'Queen of the Missions', a rose-garden Spanish mission from 1786 with a museum.
Converted warehouses by the beach pouring Santa Barbara County wines, all walkable.
Wooden pier with fish shacks, then the Spanish-revival shops of State Street.
Tiled Spanish-Moorish courthouse with a free clock-tower view over the red roofs to the sea.
Hilltop museum of European art, gardens and a tram ride in, with some of the best views over the basin. Parking and entry are by timed reservation.
Free observatory perched above the city with views of the Hollywood Sign; hike up from the Fern Dell trailhead and stay for sunset.
Ferris wheel and arcade on the pier, then a bike or walk south along the Venice boardwalk, skate park and canals.
Free contemporary art museum with Kusama's infinity room, next to Walt Disney Concert Hall and Grand Central Market.
Century-old food hall with stalls for tacos, ramen, egg sandwiches and the famous Eggslut.
The Walk of Fame and handprints at the TCL Chinese Theatre; touristy but worth an hour before heading somewhere calmer.
Pacific Coast Highway sea caves and tide pools at El Matador, then the headland trail at Point Dume for whale-watching in winter.
All-night BBQ houses, dessert cafes and private karaoke rooms in a neighborhood that never quite sleeps.