We are from Australia, so the decision to drive from San Francisco into the hectic LA traffic on the opposite side of the road, was not taken lightly! Our research told us, however, that the Pacific Coast Highway is a stunning stretch of road and makes for the ultimate road trip.
The Pacific Coast Highway in California, also known as California U.S Route 101, runs directly along the Pacific Ocean between San Diego all the way to the Oregan border. This 100 km stretch of road includes some of the most beautiful scenery in California.
For us, planning our road trip was essential. Where to stop for the night, our must-see list, and planning around any road closures. Landslides are common along the Big Sur stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. Consequently, road closures often affect your driving, requiring detours. In some instances, the detours are significant, so make sure you check for road closures before you start your trip.
Having spent a few fantastic days in San Francisco, we picked up our hire car, a Mustang convertible, and hit the road!
Driving South on the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to LA Itinerary
Before leaving San Francisco, we absolutely had to drive over the Golden Gate bridge, in a convertible no less! That was the first must-do item ticked off our Road trip itinerary.
First stop, Monterey
Just 2 hours south of San Francisco, we made our first stop in Monterey. I have wanted to visit this seaside city since it featured as the setting in a book and series I liked called Big Little Lies.
We wandered along Cannery Row, which became known as the ‘Sardine capital of the world’ due to the predomination of sardine canneries set up here in the late 1800’s by immigrant fisherman. The nickname Cannery Row comes from a novel of the same name by author John Steinbeck.
Erected in 2014, in Steinbeck Plaza, is a large bronze monument dedicated to Steinbeck and other well-known locals. Known as the Cannery Row Monument, it features Steinbeck sitting atop a rocky foundation, overlooking Chinese fishermen, cannery workers, a madam and a marine biologist, Ed Ricketts. We were visiting just before Christmas and the figures were decorated in a bit of lighthearted festive attire.
You can still see old cannery buildings that are now restaurants and shops, with one housing the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Our lunch spot of choice was a seafood restaurant along Cannery Row, with large windows for gorgeous views out across the Bay.
Drive Through Big Sur
This is where we had to do a bit of pre-planning. Due to landslides, a large section of the Pacific Coast Highway was closed in the Big Sur section of the drive. Therefore, we decided to drive as far as we could, as see as much of Big Sur as we could, before turning around and heading back to Carmel-by-the-Sea for the night.
There are not a lot of accommodation options in Big Sur, which is why we made this decision…. plus, Carmel-by-the-Sea looked gorgeous!
The drive through Big Sur is simply breathtaking! I took so many photos it is hard to choose just a couple. Big Sur is a rugged, mountainous stretch of coastline between Carmel in the North and San Simeon in the South. Driving over iconic bridges, viewing the jaw-dropping cliffs and stopping to drink in the stunning sunset over the Pacific Ocean is surely what makes this drive so unforgettable. Do not miss this on your drive of the Pacific Coast Highway, even if you have to turn around and drive back, like we did.
Stop for the night at Carmel-by-the-Sea
As mentioned above, we had to double back to quaint Carmel-by-the-Sea for our first nights’ accommodation on this road trip. We had booked a cute, centrally located little Inn called the Green Lantern Inn. After a long day driving, we were after a comfortable bed within short walking distance to restaurants for some dinner. We were given a loft room on the upper level. The ceiling height and door frames were a little hazardous to my 6ft 3 partner 😂 but the bed was comfortable, and the room was spacious enough.
The town of Carmel-by-the-Sea is so pretty, especially decorated for Christmas with fairy lights everywhere. We opted for dinner at a gorgeous French restaurant in Town. We slept well that night and after a quick breakfast in the morning we had a quick drive through Carmel during the daylight hours before hopping back on Highway 101.
Detour to Hearst Castle
On a recommendation, we made a short detour off the Pacific Coast Highway in San Simeon to visit Hearst Castle. Wow! Practically in the middle of nowhere lies this magnificent estate built by publishing tycoon, William Randolph Hearst. Built between 1919 and 1949, this mansion has 115 rooms in the main house, including a grand dining hall and theatre.
The indoor and outdoor pools have to be seen to be believed. Back in the day, the who’s who of Hollywood partied in these pools and stayed on the estate including Charlie Chaplin, Hedy Lamarr and Cary Grant as well as politicians and journalists – if only those walls could talk!
There is a winding road leading up to the Castle and guests once passed through fenced fields here, populated with all kinds of exotic animals, including zebras, emus, llamas, bison and yaks! There were even some menagerie cages that housed bears, leopards and elephants!
The zoo started being dismantled in 1937, with many animals being donated to public zoos. however, some of the animals including zebra, still freely roam the grounds today. We didn’t see any zebra on our visit, but did see some Tahr goats.
Tickets for various tours of Hearst Castle Estate are available online or at the visitor centre. I recommend including the pools in your tour, they were impressive! Lady Gaga filmed one of music videos in those pools.
See the Otters at Morro Bay
Being a Morrow myself, I knew we were going to stop in here, even before I knew anything about it! So glad we made the decision get a photo of the iconic Morro rock, because while we were there, we saw several Sea Otters splashing around in the calm sheltered waters of the Bay. I’m not sure if Sea Otters are a common sight in California, but it was my first time ever seeing one and I was thrilled!
Stay in Santa Barbara for the Night
Our last overnight stop on our Pacific Coast Highway road trip, was in the relaxed beachside city of Santa Barbara. With palm tree lined avenues and Spanish architecture, this was the perfect place to stop and explore a little. We lucked out on accommodation and managed to find a room last minute. We hadn’t booked anything, thinking there would be a lot of options available, but most hotels had their reception closed as it was late in the day when we arrived. Hotel Milo were very accommodating, right on the esplanade, with ocean views and the staff were lovely giving us suggestions on what would be open for dinner nearby.
We went straight to dinner at the Santa Barbara marina after we dropped off our luggage. Up nice and early in the morning to walk along the pier for a morning coffee and something for breakfast and we were back on the road for the last stretch of our epic drive along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Malibu, Santa Monica & L.A
Passing through Malibu, we didn’t stop as there wasn’t much to see. All the houses on the beach block out any beach view so on we pressed. Traffic was starting to pick up the closer we got to LA. We really wanted to be in LA and returning the rental car before dark, so it was a quick stop at Santa Monica for a photo of the beach and the pier. We weren’t too worried, as we were going to see Santa Monica the following day on an LA tour we had booked.
We made it into LA, but night had fallen, traffic was insane and tensions inside the car were high! I am glad we did the road trip, but was very happy when we returned that car, without damage, and didn’t have to negotiate LA traffic anymore!
