In addition to these nature adventures, SLO has much to offer when it comes to dining and wine tasting. DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links. Find yourself getting spa treatments, having a cocktail or glass of wine at a swanky bar or beach lounge, California-chic shopping, and much more. Most people spend 1-2 days here. My favorites are comfortable enough for hiking yet perfect for the beach. For the second night I would go to (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-46614611', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Denver and then San Fran. The San Francisco to San Diego drive is approximately 615 miles. Its home to Californias oldest museum and famous art festivals like the Sawdust Art Festival, Laguna Art-A-Fair, Festival of Arts, and Pageant of the Masters. Another iconic spot to see in Big Sur is the Bixby Bridge! Seal Beach ~ 409 miles from San Francisco & ~ 102 miles from San Diego. The staff is very knowledgable and helpful and the building itself has an enchanting rustic charm. San Francisco, CA. Check off everything that Santa Barbara has to offer or just kick your feet up and relax on the gorgeous beaches! Don't forget to visit Hearst Castle when you pass through San Simeon! This trail is a must-see, because all the views are absolutely epic! Stop by the harbor for Fish and Chips in Oceanside (where I live), visit LEGOLAND, go to SeaWorld, stop by the zoo, experience the tide pools . One Stop Auto Service Center. The highway technically starts in Washington state and ends in San Juan Capistrano (just south of the Laguna Beach stop on this itinerary). Or spend a few peaceful hours visiting the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. But be sure to check out the Pacific Coast Highway road trip itinerary at the end of this post for a suggested timeline! Live your beach life in Santa Barbara by taking boat tours, whale watching, checking out waterfalls, go kayaking, and so much more! Great stop on your San Francisco to San Diego drive for: beach views, golf, hiking, photos, ~ 492 miles from San Francisco & ~ 13 miles from San Diego. Yes, Southwest flies nonstop from San Francisco (SFO) to San Diego 3 times per day on Saturdays and 4 times per day on Sundays. San Francisco to San Simeon itinerary, stop #9. There''re some fantastic stretches along the coast esp between Monterey and Cambria on hw1. Since San Francisco is not too far now, you can squeeze in another beach hang at any one of the lovely little coves that line Highway 1. Cambria: the best overnight stop on Highway 101. Road trip from Vancouver, B.C. There you can take a leisurely walk along the winding pathways, feed the koi, and relax at the Zen Garden. If youre looking to stay a night in Pismo, check out the camping! Nothing beats the San Diego beaches, La Jolla combines classy yet casual into the perfect beach city to visit on your San Francisco to San Diego road trip. ~ 0 miles from San Francisco & ~ 520 miles from San Diego. Also plenty of nice hotels with weekday special rates, and good restaurants for all price ranges. Laguna Beach is the perfect oceanside destination for your California Coast road trip. Queen Mary, the former luxury ocean liner thats reportedly themost haunted ship in the world. We highly recommend doing the food tour and a tour of the historic Casino if you stay the night be sure to catch a movie in the casino too for a once in a lifetime historic movie theater experience. A place that truly holds a special place in my heart is Laguna Beach. 10. Your next stop will be Point Lobos Natural Reserve, where you can enjoy hiking, a rocky coastline perfect for exploring, and youll have a good chance of spotting some seals or sea lions hanging out on the coast. You can walk around and look for sand dollars. See our 3 days in San Francisco itinerary for more fun ideas as you surely dont want to miss one of the best cities on the west coast before your start your road trip! Recommended by Rebecca of Veggies Abroad follow onInstagram. Note that admission is free, just pay for ride tickets! Great stop on your San Francisco to San Diego drive for: beach, dining, shopping, entertainment, spas, overnight stay, ~ 425 miles from San Francisco & ~ 84 miles from San Diego. There is an entrance fee of $11.25 charged per vehicle if you wish to enter the private community of Pebble Beach and discover 17-Mile Drive. Weekends and holidays offer shuttle services, where you can make reservations and get picked up from the Muir Woods Shuttle in Pohono State Park and Ride in Sausalito. One of the most naturally stunning beaches along the California Coast road trip is Pfeiffer Beach. Known as the home of the U.S. Surf Open, this beach has it all, and we can almost guarantee youll want to make this more than just a pitstop. Halfway Point Between San Diego, CA and San Francisco, CA If you want to meet halfway between San Diego, CA and San Francisco, CA or just make a stop in the middle of your trip, the exact coordinates of the halfway point of this route are 35.561790 and -119.600899, or 35 33' 42.444" N, 119 36' 3.2364" W. Was wondering where is best to stop in Californiabetween San Franciscoand San Diego? Located just a short distance from Los Angeles, this beach town is known as Surf City USA and offers a laid-back lifestyle with plenty of fun things to do, see and experience. Terminal 1 handles most of the passenger traffic, even though Terminal 2 is larger, and boasts modern infrastructure. Suggested Hotel: Shore Hotel. You know you havent seen the beach enough yet, right? I especially loved seeing the otters up close while in the kayaks. We also highly urge you to plan time in both San Francisco and San Diego as both are amazing cities and deserve a few days of exploring each! Lompoc is located about an hour northwest of Santa Barbara. Los Angeles is the most popular city on the route it's 2 hours from San Diego and 6 hours from San Francisco. And there's so many stops, it would be hard to do them all unless you had about a month.. Encinitas has a variety of calm and quiet beaches along with cute coffee spots, restaurants, and tons of surf/antique shops. It's southeast of that stop, and will just add unnecessary driving time to your trip. These next few stops are just begging to be explored! However, there are 4 trains per day to choose from. Posted on Published: May 16, 2022- Last updated: October 26, 2022. Drive by Brushy Peak Regional Preserve, Anthony Chabot Regional Park, and Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, then drive through Oakland and cross the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge to get to San Francisco. Santa Barbara is one of the more famous beach towns in California and is an especially popular stop along the San Francisco to San Diego drive. Other town highlights include Montereys Old Fisherman Wharf and Cannery Row for shopping and dining. Then, the beach has miles of white sand. This out-and-back hike is 1.2 miles round trip on easy terrain and walkable for most still levels, including children. As you move toward the central coast of California, youre gonna come across some amazing beaches. Dana Point, also known as The Whale Watching Capital of the West will provide visitors with an incredible oceanic experience along your San Francisco to San Diego road trip or San Diego to San Francisco road trip. These spots are perfect for surfing and even shell finding! [Privacy] Stroll the wooden boardwalk above the snow-white beach of Spanish Bay going North or South as you begin your day. The Big Basin Redwoods is Californias oldest state park, which was established in 1902. We realize it's about a. Plan a Catalina Island day trip, or better yet an overnight trip to visit the beautiful island on your San Francisco to San Diego road trip. Although there are eight Channel Islands, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Barbara, and Anacapa make up the five islands included in the National Park. Located just an hour north of Los Angeles, Ventura has everything you could imagine on your San Francisco to San Diego drive or San Diego to San Francisco road trip. Great stop on your San Francisco to San Diego drive for: beach bumming, dining, drinks, shopping, entertainment, overnight stay, ~ 429 miles from San Francisco & ~ 86 miles from San Diego. It passes along the coast with brief glimpses of the Pacific Ocean, through Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base and north through Orange County. Road Trip: California Pacific Coast Highway Road Numbers: CA-1 and US-101. You may want to get to San Diego and then take the local transit to La Jolla if that is where you want to go. . Nearby, you can find Montana de Pro State Park, one of Californias largest state parks that is a postcard perfect destination with gorgeous beaches and blooming flowers during spring. Dont miss the famous Crystal Cove Shake Shack either for one of their amazing milkshakes, their date shake is the most famous! There are several walking paths near both Dunes Beach and Francis Beach. The top cities between Los Angeles and San Diego are Anaheim, La Jolla, Carlsbad, Temecula, Laguna Beach, Long Beach, Pasadena, Escondido, Riverside, and Dana Point. The waterfall typically falls directly onto the sand below. Youll still get to fall asleep to the sounds of the ocean waves. San Diego, port and city, seat (1850) of San Diego county, southern California, U.S. Is (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? No matter which direction you go along Californias coast and a good chunk of the US west coast there are tons of incredible and scenic stops along the way. Its a short stop on the road trip, but one you absolutely cannot miss. Venice Beach is unique, edgy, artistic and I highly recommend it - but it may not be your thing. See our full guide to best things to do in Costa Mesa and things to do in Newport Beach for more options! Take SR 1 again all the way to Monterey and SF. Theres so many things to do in Monterey that you could spend a whole weekend visiting the city! Stop for pictures, do a little beach combing or enjoy a picnic by the ocean. Bundle up for a bonfire on the sand with your crew. The beach is located 57 miles north of Malibu and only 12 miles south of Santa Barbara. This includes an average layover time of around 1h 29m. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-46615651', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Santa Monica and while I don't know how exactly you would get there from Union Station, I'm sure it's possible). Recommended by Emilie of Love Life Abroad follow on Instagram. The exact coordinates of the midpoint are: 35 29' 7" N 119 30' 57" W. The best place to meet based on recommendations from Trippy members is Bakersfield. Transform your photos with just one click. Youll see views from several points along the way, but the closest views to the overlook are at the end of the trail. Recommended by Emilie of Love Life Abroad follow on Instagram snow-white Beach of Spanish Bay going north South... Because all the way, but one you absolutely can not miss Shake either... 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