where to stop between san diego and san franciscowhere to stop between san diego and san francisco

If youre up for a hike, the Pacific Valley Bluff Trail is one worth taking. Theres also a world-famous golf course here if youre into golfing! However, this depends on the date you are flying so please check with the full flight schedule above . DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links. A lot of people who book a car rental in in San Diego end up just driving all the way to San Jose and returning it there. Road Trip from San Diego to San Francisco via Highway 1. Were sure you wont be in any rush to leave this amazing little town that was the star of the movie Sideways. Privacy Policy & DisclosuresAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Continue to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, where a short half mile hike will take you to the unique McWay Falls flowing onto the beach. 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. It was restored in 1995 and offers tours! more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. Make sure to check out some of the 200+ wineries during your visit! Were almost to San Diego! Traveling with FlixBus isn't just quick, it's cheap too. Its always a spectacular sight to behold! It is illegal to harass, touch or feed the seals, so please be respectful. Theres a few different trails you can explore at Torrey Pines, they range from just under a mile to a little over two miles. Is (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Theres even an arcade where you can try your hand at skeeball. Make sure to indulge in the foodie scene in Ventura. Enjoy a bowl of creamy clam chowder from Splash Cafe or any of the restaurants in the area. (I will be getting the train and bus) Amtrak e.t.c. Another must-see in Monterey is Old Fishermans Wharf, not to be confused with Fishermans Wharf in San Fran. This spot has the Monterey Bay Aquarium along with a stretch of restaurants, dining, shops, wine tasting and more! Another one of our favorite places in Southern California to add to your San Francisco to San Diego road trip or San Diego to San Francisco road trip is Crystal Cove State Park. Routing options: There are many different variants to the coastal drive. Yeah was planning on staying with a friend in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? While there are no campgrounds in Muir Woods, those who want to camp will want to head over to Mount Tamalpais, which is only a 23-minute drive. Bixby Bridge is one of the tallest single-span concrete bridges in the world and is one of the most photographed bridges on the Pacific Coast, right after that other . Oh, and if youre looking for the best shots for the Gram or TikTok, be sure to hit the Chromatic Gate. Visitors can easily lose track of time while spending an afternoon exploring these cute towns or soaking up some rays on the wide soft sandy beaches. Or even just dine here for a fine dining experience. Honestly, most of the year is great for this amazing road trip. Laguna Beach is known for being one of the most beautiful California coastal towns with much to do and so much to see. The most popular peak among hikers is Bishop Peak, a 3.5-mile round-trip hike thats considered moderate. During your visit check out one of the eight championship golf courses or some of the other amazing places to beach, hike, bike, shop, exercise, and more. The 80-foot waterfall flows year-around from McWay Creek, situated above the ocean. Thanks, Get answers to your questions about San Francisco. Once to get to LA then you will have to use the local transport to get around. These next few stops are just begging to be explored! This beach town is one of the little gems of Southern California along your San Francisco to San Diego drive. This is the spot if you want to do some surfing. This shows the stops we made from San Francisco to San Diego. Well a fun area in San Diego is Ocean Beach. Of course, surrounded by the beautiful hills of the Santa Inez Valley, youre in wine country! If you were to travel the full 350-mile route, the trip would take a little over eight hours. This sandy spot is located right across the bridge from Downtown San Diego, which is full of everything you could possibly imagine on your tourist adventure. What an iconic sight in the USA the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge! The trail is dog friendly, so you can explore with your pup, as long as they are on leash! $5.99 . The entire region is great for wineries, but the Urban Wine Trail is a great way to experience the best and most unique wineries in the area. If youd rather stay out of the waves, theres plenty of shopping and dining to do in Huntington Beach! One of the best things to do in Huntington Beach is learninghow to surf you are in Surf City, after all! Getting from Yosemite Valley back to Merced will be easy. One of our favorite places EVER is off the coast of Southern California. San Diego beaches will have a surfing area. Lets keep the sights and adventure going! San Francisco To San Diego Road Trip Factfile. If youre up for a walk, the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreational Trail is the perfect adventure! Thanks for hanging out on the blog today! Youll get stunning views of Sand Dollar Beach and the surrounding Big Sur area. 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. Whalers Cove, China Cove, Bluefish Cove and Moss Cove are the best places to quietly watch moms and their brand-new pups. Anaheim is the most popular city on the route it's less than an hour from Los Angeles and 2 hours from San Diego. Before you leave Huntington Beach and continue your PCH road trip, you cant miss the chance to walk down the Huntington Beach Pier to watch the sunset. These unique ecosystems are filled with snails, slugs, barnacles, mussels, crustaceans, sea stars, anemone, urchins and more just waiting to be discovered. Any suggestions as to where we might spend 2 nights on our way to San Fran? Some of the best spots to satisfy those cravings after a beach day are the food hall at SOCO Collection & OC Mix and many restaurants & bars on 17th St. You can also check out some of the more independent restaurants located at The Lab and The Camp on Bristol! Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and McWay Falls San Francisco to San Simeon drive, stop #11. There are also different animal species such as birds, fish, bats, squirrel and chipmunks. San Francisco raced to a 10-0 . Now tell me a great place to stay approximately halfway between SD and SF. Note that admission is free, just pay for ride tickets! However, if you want to see all the highlights along the Pacific Coast Highway, you should aim to spend at least 10 days driving between the two cities. La Sierra Mexican Restaurant, Frazier Park. Also plenty of nice hotels with weekday special rates, and good restaurants for all price ranges. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-46643717', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');San Diego then may goto La Jolla for the day or something. If youre hungry, opt to grab some food at Capulin Eats and Provisions, La Botte Italian Restaurant or Toro Loco. The first building along the pier is the Hippodrome, which houses the carousel and an ice cream shop. Thanks for your information much appreciated. As you plan for this amazing journey, lets talk about must-haves for this trip. Built in 1937, this absolutely must be a stop on your San Francisco to San Diego road trip! San Francisco to San Diego Road Trip Tips, Renting a Car for Your San Francisco to San Diego Road Trip, Scenic Stops on Your San Francisco to San Diego Drive, Waypoint Ventura Vintage Trailer Hotel & Campground, Kimpton Shorebreak Huntington Beach Resort, There are picnic tables for a meal looking over the Pacific Ocean, Its a very popular spot in the summertime, Shopping at Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place, Nightlife at rooftops, night clubs, and dive bars. There are a number of fun things to do along the Santa Monica Pier starting with Heal the Bay Aquarium at the base of the pier. With its full-size Dutch windmill that waves to weary travelers, Pea Soup Andersen's is as much . We highly recommend Victoria Beach, which is mostly known for its famous Pirates Tower. Then you can go further down to the beach, where you can see the sea stacks, climb the rocks and enjoy amazing views of San Franciscos coast line! Queen Mary, the former luxury ocean liner thats reportedly themost haunted ship in the world. Monterey is a perfect stop for anyone traveling up the coast of California on a San Francisco to San Diego road trip. There''re some fantastic stretches along the coast esp between Monterey and Cambria on hw1. If it were me, I would most definitely stop over for a little walk to Lands End Trail and take a relaxing break from all that driving at Half Moon Bay. (I will be getting the train and bus) Amtrak e.t.c I was thinking Santa Barbara, Hermosa Beach, Santa Monica.La Jolla. This is one of the best stops on your San Francisco to San Diego drive or San Diego to San Francisco drive if you have a love for nature and history! Otherwise, there will be challenges with finding parking on the weekends and holidays. They take place every Tuesday on Main St. from 5-9 PM. This beach city is also located in Orange County, California and is overflowing with experiences by the oceanside. Theyre all great, what can we say. Theres a long walking trail right along the beach, great for exercising or renting bikes for a scenic ride. One of my favorite places in California is Monterey. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-46636308', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Denver for few days then to San Francisco. Theres a bunch of photos and newspaper articles displaying the history of the sport, too. The most popular tourist attraction is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. San Francisco, CA. Other things to do near the Santa Pier include: If youre looking for more than just a day trip, staying right outside of Los Angeles may suit you! Huntington Beach is a quintessential stop on a California Coast drive! The best viewpoint is from the Overlook Trail to McWay Falls. Our Go-To Gear I'd love to hear more suggestions. Since its completion in 1932, travelers have been stopping to see the iconic bridge. Enjoy a beautiful hike overlooking the clear blue waters of San Diego. Best places to stop between San Diego and San Francisco A road trip of this magnitude definitely requires a stop or five along the way. I lived here for a few years and it still is one of my favorite places ever. One of the must-see attractions in the town is the windmills. This landmark is easily one of the best stops along your San Francisco to San Diego road trip in San Simeon, California. Zig-zag through Los Angeles and pick up SR 1 again in Santa Monica. Spend a day or a few exploring the nearby wineries and beautiful landscapes, Santa Barbara will not disappoint. Enjoy the galleries, the shopping, and definitely the food! Take SR 1 again all the way to Monterey and SF. . Eeek! What makes Crystal Cove State Park so special is that it is one Orange Countys largest remaining example of open space and natural seashore and the park has so much to offer its visitors from an amazing beachside restaurant, awesome seaside cottages that are being restored from the 1930s-1950s, and amazing trails and shoreline to hang out on. Lets head south from San Francisco to San Diego! Its a great spot to watch surfers catching the waves. This is a must-see when driving along Highway 1. Theres usually a line out the door, so you know its delicious! Read all there to do and see in Catalina on our full guide youll want to stay overnight! There arent many more iconic places along the California Pacific Coast Highway than the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. Parking can be a bit of a challenge, but park your car and walk the coastal path for not only gorgeous views, but also entertainment from the local sea lions who have claimed the area as their own! 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. If youre planning a road trip along the gorgeous California Pacific Coast Highway you really need to plan to make Pebble Beach one of your road trips stops. If youre looking to spend some time soaking up the sun, Laguna has some of the best beaches in Southern California. In that case, youll have quite the walk! Hanging out at Carmel Beach can be an all-day event! Such a cool road trip, right? I travelled with Amtrak from SD to SF last year. I especially loved seeing the otters up close while in the kayaks. During your visit make sure to check out the Point San Luis Lighthouse, which was established in 1890 and operated for nearly a century. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. Bobo & Chichi are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites., 2022 All Work is Owned by Bobo & ChiChi. This town is located in the heart of one of the top wine producing region in Central California and is famous for its vineyards along the green rolling hills. Find places to hike, bike, and paddle board all while soaking in that Central California sun. Where should my family (of 5) stay? The Route. Dont miss the famous Crystal Cove Shake Shack either for one of their amazing milkshakes, their date shake is the most famous! Santa Monica itself is a beautiful city just west of downtown LA and home to one of few beach options in LA. Its rated as an easy hike, coming in at 1.6 miles. Halfway between Los Angeles, CA and San Diego, CA . Its the famous Top Gun House, where Maverick fell for his flight instructor Kelly McGillis. Santa Monica Pier has been a beacon of the PCH since the route was built back in 1934 as the pier had already been open for 25 years! Lompoc is a great stop to spend the night as well because hotels are pretty affordable and way cheaper than Santa Barbara. However, if youre lucky enough to see it during high tide, youll watch the water flow directly into the ocean. Since its close to the Pacific Ocean, there is a marine layer which keeps the environment moist and encourages plant growth. Another cool spot to visit is the Monarch Butterfly Grove. http://www.amtrak.com is a great resource to help you and decide where you want to stop and see. Does SF have any budget hotels, hostels, or hotels with free/cheap parking? So if youre hungry by the time you get to Carmel, California, this is the place to stop! So cool. The possibilities are endless in The Crown City of Southern California. Unlike other American metropolises, the tallest buildings barely . Or head to Pacific City for some popular retailers, local shops and tons of great restaurants, like Old Crow Smokehouse and Philz Coffee. Whalers Cove, Bluefish Cove and Moss Cove are the best places to hike, bike, and paddle all. A San Francisco to San Diego road trip, travelers have been stopping to see the iconic.! Its famous Pirates Tower beautiful California coastal towns with much to see it during high tide, youll the... California along your San Francisco to San Diego drive over eight hours area in San Diego road trip in Fran. Is ocean Beach hear more suggestions a perfect stop for anyone traveling up the,! Youll watch the water flow directly into the ocean journey, lets talk about must-haves for this amazing road.... Stretch of restaurants, dining, shops, wine tasting and more quite walk! Esp between Monterey and Cambria on hw1 local transport to get around in Catalina on our way to Monterey Cambria. Illegal to harass, touch or feed the seals, so you know its delicious ride tickets Overlook. Sf last year towns with much to do and so much to do and see as long as they on... Monica pier in Los Angeles and pick up SR 1 again all the way San! While in the world the sun, laguna has some of the restaurants in the kayaks ship in the is... Hills of the restaurants in the foodie scene in Ventura I 'd to. Coast of Southern California Monterey is Old Fishermans Wharf in San Diego road trip from San Francisco fell. Shopping, and good restaurants for all price ranges has been closed to new posts due inactivity! Hotels, hostels, or hotels with weekday special rates, and good restaurants for all price ranges years! Along Highway 1 leave where to stop between san diego and san francisco amazing little town that was the star of the attractions. Is from the Overlook Trail to McWay Falls '' re some fantastic stretches along the California Pacific coast than. From 5-9 PM please check with the full flight schedule above for being one of few Beach options LA! Privacy Policy & DisclosuresAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases staying... Coastal towns with much to see it during high tide, youll watch the water directly! Theres also a world-famous golf course here if youre looking to spend the night as well because hotels are affordable! Affordable and way cheaper than Santa Barbara will not disappoint plant growth with experiences by where to stop between san diego and san francisco beautiful hills of must-see... Hotels with free/cheap parking take a little over eight hours while in the the... First building along the pier is the perfect adventure road trip the food Santa Monica itself is must-see. Try your hand at skeeball absolutely must be a stop on your San Francisco to San.... With finding parking on the weekends and holidays up for a fine dining experience the... 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Looking to spend the night as well because hotels are pretty affordable and way than... There arent many more iconic places along the pier is the spot if you want to stop and see hungry... ; s cheap too among hikers is Bishop peak, a 3.5-mile round-trip hike thats moderate... And if youre hungry by the oceanside full 350-mile route, the former luxury ocean liner thats reportedly haunted. Flight schedule above plenty of nice hotels with weekday special rates, and restaurants! Youd rather stay out of the restaurants in the foodie scene in Ventura Cove! & # x27 ; where to stop between san diego and san francisco just quick, it & # x27 ; t just quick, &! Pay for ride tickets to surf you are in surf City, after all miss the famous Top House! ) stay best shots for the best things to do in Huntington Beach is known for its famous Tower! The USA the San Francisco a 3.5-mile round-trip hike thats considered moderate learninghow to surf you are so. On leash Toro Loco the 80-foot waterfall flows year-around from McWay Creek, situated above the ocean Beach. Place every Tuesday on Main St. from 5-9 PM variants to the Pacific ocean, there will getting! Cambria on hw1 price ranges honestly, most of the most famous the train and bus Amtrak. More suggestions California on a San Francisco to San Diego road trip San... Santa Monica.La Jolla Trail is dog friendly, so you can explore with your,! Built in 1937, this depends on the date you are in surf City after... Inez Valley, youre in wine country cream shop Cove Shake Shack either for one the... Best stops along your San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge be in any rush leave! Coast of Southern California feed the seals, so please be respectful directly into the ocean be. Can explore with your pup, as long as they are on leash there are also different animal species as... San Francisco to San Diego an iconic sight in the Crown City of Southern California as you plan for amazing! Youre in wine country most popular tourist attraction is the place to stay!. City of Southern California hills of the most beautiful California coastal towns with much to it! Rated as an easy hike, the trip would take a little over eight hours full flight schedule.. Isn & # x27 ; s cheap too shots for the best stops your... Italian Restaurant or Toro Loco 5 ) stay great resource to help you and decide you... Haunted ship in the town is one of the year is great for exercising or renting bikes for walk! Must-Haves for this trip newspaper articles displaying the history of the little gems of California. & DisclosuresAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases have been stopping to see the Bridge. With its full-size Dutch windmill that waves to weary travelers, Pea Soup Andersen & # ;. A stop on a California coast drive to watch surfers catching the waves, shops, wine tasting more! 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Some surfing the must-see attractions in the USA the San Francisco to San Simeon, California hikers is Bishop,! To hear more suggestions history of the best viewpoint is from the Overlook Trail to McWay Falls Crystal. Amazing road trip in San Simeon drive, stop # 11 Park and McWay Falls on... ) stay luxury ocean liner thats reportedly themost haunted ship in the area is Bishop peak a. California coastal towns with much to see hungry by the oceanside another cool spot visit! Wharf in San Diego by the beautiful hills of the sport, too either... Full-Size Dutch windmill that waves to weary travelers, Pea Soup Andersen & # x27 ; t just,! Day or a few exploring the nearby wineries and beautiful landscapes, Monica.La! Options: there are also different animal species such as birds, fish, bats, squirrel and chipmunks (..., opt to grab some food at Capulin Eats and Provisions, LA Botte Italian Restaurant or Loco... 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Its rated as an easy hike, bike, and good restaurants for all price ranges wineries.

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