Jay was working in California two weekends in a row (in Los Angeles and San Francisco), so we decided to make a work trip into a fun trip.  We’ve been wanting to see the drive along the coast, so this was a perfect time.  I had heard that it is best to travel north to south because you drive on the side of the road next to the water, but we went south to north and didn’t think that was an issue at all.  We originally had 6 days to explore, but because of multiple delayed flights due to winter weather conditions across the country I arrived a day late so we lost a day.

Our goal for this trip was to see the beauty of the Pacific Coast.  We wanted to find the most beautiful spots along the coast, walk around all the pretty areas of the beach towns and along the water, hike on trails with fabulous views, visit wineries, and eat delicious food with incredible views.  We wanted a relaxing, slow-paced trip that showed us the beauty of the area.

If your goals are be much more active, there are definitely plenty ways to include that like surfing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and lots of hiking.  There are also aquariums, museums, boat tours, and much more.  You will find ways to plan it either way in this Pacific Coast Highway road trip itinerary.

We were planning to go to Santa Barbara on the first day.  We had to skip it because of the delayed flights, but I’ll keep this as a 6-day itinerary and list what we were planning to do there.  We rented a car at LAX (Los Angeles airport) and dropped it off at SFO (San Francisco airport).

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DAY 1

Santa Barbara

We were only planning to be in Santa Barbara for a day, so obviously we wouldn’t have time to do nearly everything on this list, but these are things we were looking at.

• State Street for shopping, restaurants and bars
• Leadbetter Beach, Summerland Beach
• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
• Santa Barbara Harbour and Stearns Wharf
• Wine tasting on the Urban Wine Trail and in the Funk Zone

The plan was to drive onto Solvang that evening (45-minute drive) and stay there for the night.

DAY 2

Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley

We arrived in Solvang in the early evening of Day 1.  We stayed at the Sideways Inn, so we went to the lounge at the hotel for drinks.  We had planned to go elsewhere for dinner, but we really liked the lounge and the drinks.   The bartenders were very friendly, so we stayed there for dinner as well.  They have an airstream outside where they make delicious Santa Ynez sausage hoagies.

After dinner, we went into Solvang to walk around and explore.  Solvang is a quaint Danish village in the Santa Ynez Valley.  It is known for its Danish architecture, its Christmas-y feel, twinkling lights, bakeries, and wineries.

The next day we went to Paula’s Pancake House in Solvang for brunch.  It was yummy!  We had pancakes, Danish sausage and fruit.  Then we walked around the town and did some shopping in the Christmas stores.  After we walked off our brunch we headed to the Sunstone Winery.  We sat outside in their beautiful Provencal French courtyard for a wine tasting.  The wine was very good, and the scenery was superb.

Next we went to Roblar Winery for a tasting in their beautiful rustic outdoor seating area.  Then we had dinner at the Clean Slate Wine Bar in Solvang.  We had more local wine, and their small plate dishes were very good!

We stayed in Solvang again that night.

DAY 3

Big Sur, Carmel by the Sea, Pebble Beach

The next morning we drove to Big Sur.  Big Sur is a rugged, mountainous stretch along the Pacific coastline known for its winding roads, seaside cliffs and dramatic scenery.  It is often referred to as one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.  It is a stunning drive, which is an experience in itself.  I should point out that if you are prone to car sickness be prepared with a medication like Dramamine® or Bonine® just in case.

I will begin by saying that the very general list you see above for Day 3 is impossible in a day.  You could easily spend a week or more just in this area.  So, of course, we only saw a small fraction of it.  This Pacific Coast Highway road trip itinerary will point out the things that we wish we could’ve fit in as well.

We drove most of the morning from Solvang and stopped at Big Sur River Inn Country Dining for lunch.  We ate on a really pretty deck out back that overlooked the forest and a creek.

Not far from there we arrived at the Bixby Creek Bridge, one of the most recognizable features in Big Sur.  It is one the highest bridges of its kind and is known for its design and its magnificent setting.  We, of course, stopped for photos.

Here are the many other places in Big Sur we wanted to see but didn’t:

• Ragged Point-  elephant seals, nearby Salmon Creek Falls
• Limekiln State Park- hiking trails, waterfalls, coastal views
• Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park-  Ewoldsen Trail, McWay Falls
• Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park-  Pfeiffer Beach, Keyhole Rock
• Point Sur Lighthouse
• Garrapata State Park-  Garrapata Beach, Soberanes Point, coastal canyon hiking trails
• Point Lobos State Natural Reserve-  many hiking trails, scuba diving

As much as we wanted to see more in Big Sur we also wanted to get to the 17-mile drive in Pebble Beach, so we drove to Carmel By The Sea to one of the entrance gates.  Carmel By The Sea is a delightful mix of modern elegance and vintage charm offering plenty of shops, eateries, art and wine experiences, and beaches.

We entered the 17-mile drive along Pebble Beach at the Carmel Gate.  The cost is $10.50 per vehicle to enter, and they give you a map outlining all of the 17 stops along the way.  There are SO many beautiful stops on this drive.  We started at the Pebble Beach Golf Links and ended at Spanish Bay at sunset.  The drive was incredibly beautiful!

We drove into Pacific Grove and ate at a nice little Italian restaurant called Aliotti’s Victorian Corner Restaurant.  Then we checked into our hotel in Monterey at Casa Munras Garden Hotel and Spa where we spent the next two nights.

DAY 4

Monterey

Our day in Monterey was a very lazy, slow one.  We slept very late.  Then we walked about 10 minutes from the hotel for brunch at the Old Monterey Cafe, a small cafe with a very good breakfast.  We actually ate there the next morning as well.  You may be picking up on the fact that we do’t usually eat at a normal breakfast time.  We start with brunch and go straight to dinner. 😜

We mostly walked around Monterey and Cannery Row.  We had some happy hour drinks by the water at The Fish Hopper and had dinner later by the water at Louie Linguini’s.  We stayed at Casa Munras again that night.

Top things to do in Monterey:

• Whale watching
• Cannery Row
• Old Fisherman’s Wharf
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Lovers Point Park
• Point Pinos Lighthouse
• The Links at Spanish Bay

DAY 5

Half Moon Bay and Pacifica

We had brunch again at the Old Monterey Cafe and then drove to Half Moon Bay.  On the way we stopped at Pigeon Point Lighthouse.  We walked around the lighthouse and the beach some and then continued our drive north.

Half Moon Bay is a sleepy little beach town known for its giant waves, its beaches and trails, and its small shops and eateries downtown and at Pillar Point Harbor.  We walked through some of the shops in the downtown area and bought some really good peanut brittle at Small Town Sweets 😋.  Then we drove to Pillar Point Harbor, walked a little, then headed toward Pacifica.

We arrived in Pacifica right around dinner time, so we ate at the Moonraker Restaurant that overlooked Rockaway Beach.  Just as the sun was beginning to set we walked outside onto the beach and got some gorgeous sunset photos.

Top things to do in Half Moon Bay:

• Mavericks Beach (big waves for surfers!)
• Poplar Beach, Dunes Beach, Rockaway Beach
• California Coastal Trail
• Pillar Point Harbor
• Pillar Point Bluff
• Purisma Creek Redwoods Open

Top things to do in Pacifica:

• Pacifica State Beach
• Mori Point
• Pacifica Municipal Pier
• Gray Whale Cove State Beach
• San Pedro Valley Park

We drove to Belmont that night.

DAY 6

San Francisco

We had brunch at a really nice restaurant in San Carlos called Drake’s.  We really liked this place.  Good French toast, Crab Benedict and mimosas!

Then we drove into San Francisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge.  We’ve been there before and seen the bridge, but I wanted more photos.  The last time we went I had an older iPhone, and the pictures weren’t the best.   We went to Fort Point and walked along the bay which is a perfect walkway to take photos of the bridge and the bay.  Then we went to Fisherman’s Wharf.  We walked around and had drinks and a lobster roll at the Buena Vista Cafe, a friendly pub that opened in 1916 and is famous for bringing Irish coffee to the US.  We walked a little more around the wharf and the harbor and had dessert at the Ghirardelli chocolate shop.

We ended our trip in Cupertino since that is where Jay had to be to work the next day. 

Where to Stay

The hotel pictured above is the Sideways Inn in Buellton (on the edge of Solvang).  We stayed there the first two nights.  It’s a cute hotel that was named after the Academy Award-winning movie for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2005 Sideways.  It has a hip, fun, rustic design, a cute lobby and rooms, and a great lounge.

Since we had a car and were moving around a lot on this trip it was easy to book a hotel anywhere in the area.  We stayed at Casa Munras Garden Hotel and Spa in Monterey.  It was very nice and within walking distance to a breakfast place we liked, the Old Monterey Cafe, and a short drive to Cannery Row.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Belmont and used IHG points.  It was in a nice area near lots of restaurants and bars.  It was a short drive to Drake’s, a restaurant in San Carlos with a really good brunch that we went to the next morning.

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Transportation

For this trip, you need a vehicle of some kind.  We picked up a car in Los Angeles (LAX) and dropped it off in San Francisco (SFO).  There are lots of campgrounds in this area, even some on the beach, so if you have camper of some kind that would be fun. 

In each location, we always walk as much as possible.  Otherwise, this is a trip that requires a good bit of time in the car.

Food

The coastal region obviously has excellent seafood- clams, prawns, uni (sea urchins), and Dungeness crab to name a few.  There’s clam chowder, lobster rolls, taco trucks, California burger with avocado, bakeries, artisan ice cream, and Danish food, especially in Solvang, like aebleskiver (a pancake ball) and Danish sausage.  And don’t forget about the innumerable wineries.  They’re everywhere!

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