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Big Creek Bridge in Big Sur, carrying Highway 1 above the rocks and the turquoise Pacific

Sample journey · 12–14 days

California's coast, slowly: San Francisco to Los Angeles

San Francisco, Sonoma, Monterey & Carmel, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara & Los Angeles

Photo: Owen Hills-Klaus / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles is one of the world's best-known roads, but its pleasure lies in the stops rather than the speed. A morning when fog still hangs over the Big Sur cliffs, lunch of freshly caught fish in Monterey, an afternoon at a winery in the Sonoma hills or a walk along Carmel beach at sunset: all of it asks for time.

This sample route is shaped so the driving days stay short and every place has at least two nights. It suits a honeymoon, or a first long-haul journey beyond Europe, beautifully: clear logistics, comfortable places to stay and plenty of room simply to be there. It's easy to add Yosemite Valley, a longer stay by the ocean or another day among the vines.

The route

The journey

  1. San Francisco
  2. Sonoma
  3. Monterey & Carmel
  4. Big Sur
  5. San Luis Obispo
  6. Santa Barbara
  7. Los Angeles
  1. A cable car climbing a tree-lined street in San Francisco

    01Days 1–3 · San Francisco

    Hills, fog and cable cars

    After the long flight, the first day is gentle: a walk along the waterfront to the Ferry Building market, where local farmers sell cheese, oysters and sourdough. The following days bring a cable car over Russian Hill, the murals of the Mission District and a loop through the Presidio with the whole bay in view. Evenings are for one of the city's many small restaurants, where Californian cooking meets the flavours of Asia and Mexico.

  2. Tall redwoods and a sunlit path in the Armstrong Redwoods reserve, Sonoma County

    02Days 4–5 · Sonoma

    Wine and the quiet of the redwoods

    About an hour north over the Golden Gate Bridge lies Sonoma, quieter and more rural than neighbouring Napa. Two nights among the vineyards: tastings at small family wineries, lunch on the square in Healdsburg and a bike ride through the Dry Creek valley. One morning is worth giving to the Armstrong Redwoods reserve near the Russian River, where ancient trees stand in a silence so deep that even footsteps seem loud.

  3. The Lone Cypress on its rock above the Pacific at sunset, on the 17-Mile Drive near Carmel

    03Days 6–7 · Monterey & Carmel

    Sea otters and cypresses

    Around three hours south, skirting the city, and you reach Monterey Bay. At the aquarium you can see a kelp forest from below the water, and along the shore sea otters are often spotted floating on their backs among the kelp. The 17-Mile Drive passes wind-bent cypresses and rocky headlands, while Carmel means storybook cottages, galleries and a white-sand beach at its loveliest around sunset.

  4. The Big Sur coast: cloud-wrapped hills, rocks and a calm Pacific

    04Days 8–9 · Big Sur

    Where the mountains fall into the ocean

    Big Sur begins at Carmel: roughly 140 kilometres of coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop straight into the Pacific. Two nights here leave time to stop at the viewpoints, walk the redwood canyons of the Pfeiffer parks and watch McWay Falls pour into its cove. You might stay in a cabin among the trees or at a hotel on the cliffs, with dinner facing the sunset, if the fog allows.

  5. Kayakers on the calm bay at Santa Barbara in evening light, with palms and mountains behind

    05Days 10–12 · San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara

    Missions, farmers' markets and light

    Heading south, there's the elephant seal colony at Piedras Blancas, where animals are present for much of the year, and a night in San Luis Obispo, whose Thursday evening farmers' market is a favourite local meeting place. Then Santa Barbara, a city of Spanish tiles and palms between the mountains and the sea. It's worth lingering here: the mission on its hill, kayaks on the bay in the morning or evening light, tastings in the Funk Zone and a day in the Santa Ynez Valley.

  6. The stone buildings and garden of the Getty Center on its hill, with Los Angeles spreading into the distance

    06Days 13–14 · Los Angeles

    Art on a hill, a beach to finish

    The final two nights are on the coast, in Santa Monica or Malibu, keeping the city traffic at a distance. A morning at the Getty Center, where the art collection and gardens sit above the whole of Los Angeles, an afternoon cycling along the beach to the Venice canals, and a last dinner by the ocean. From here it's a natural place to fly home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Two nights in Big Sur

    Not just driving through but staying: a misty morning, trails through redwood canyons and a sunset over the ocean.

  2. 02

    The Sonoma wine hills

    Small family wineries, bike rides between the vines and a redwood grove close by.

  3. 03

    Life in Monterey Bay

    The kelp forest at the aquarium, and sea otters that can often be seen right from the shore.

  4. 04

    Santa Barbara's rhythm

    A mission, kayaks on the bay and wine in the valley: slow days before the big city.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With Yosemite

    After San Francisco, two or three nights in Yosemite Valley, then across the Central Valley to Monterey. It adds a few days to the journey.

  • For a honeymoon

    Fewer stops and more nights in exceptional places: on the cliffs at Big Sur, by the ocean in Santa Barbara.

  • Start in the south

    The route can run the other way, Los Angeles to San Francisco, though driving south keeps the ocean on your side of the road.

  • Extend into the desert

    From Los Angeles, a few days in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park, best in winter and spring.

Practical considerations

  • Highway 1 through Big Sur is sometimes closed for long periods on individual stretches after landslides; check whether the road is open before and during the trip, and if needed the route can detour through the inland valleys.
  • In summer the coast is often wrapped in fog, especially in the mornings; September and October are frequently the sunniest months. Wildfires are possible in late summer and autumn, so plans sometimes need to stay flexible.
  • This is a self-drive journey; most legs take two to three hours, but the Big Sur road is winding and slow, so it's worth allowing extra time.
  • Big Sur has few places to stay, and they fill early at weekends and in summer, so they're worth planning first.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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