Pacific Coast Highway Drive
A quintessential American road trip covering 700km of dramatic coastline, from the misty forests of the north to the sun-drenched beaches of the south.
San Francisco → Monterey → Big Sur → San Luis Obispo → Santa Barbara → Los Angeles
- Bixby Creek Bridge
- McWay Falls
- Hearst Castle
- Santa Monica Pier
San Francisco to Monterey
Start your journey from the Golden Gate City, heading south along the rugged cliffs of Highway 1 toward the historic Monterey Peninsula.
San Francisco
The centerpiece of the Bay Area, San Francisco is one of the most visited cities in the world, and with good reason. The cultural center of northern California, San Francisco is renowned for its mixture of scenic beauty and unique culture that makes it one of the most vibrant and desirable cities in the nation, if not the world.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Pigeon Point Light Station or Pigeon Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse built in 1871 to guide ships on the Pacific coast of California. It is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States. It is still an active Coast Guard aid to navigation.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California, United States. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. Its biologists have pioneered the animal husbandry of jellyfish and it was the first to successfully care for and display a great white shark.
Big Sur Magic
The most iconic stretch of the drive. Expect towering redwoods on one side and the crashing Pacific on the other.
17-Mile Drive
17-Mile Drive is a scenic road through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula in California, much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes famous golf courses, mansions and scenic attractions, including the Lone Cypress, Bird Rock and the 5,300-acre (2,100 ha) Del Monte Forest of Monterey Cypress trees.
Bixby Creek Bridge
Bixby Bridge, also known as Bixby Creek Bridge, on the Big Sur coast of California, is one of the most photographed bridges in California due to its aesthetic design, "graceful architecture and magnificent setting". It is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge. The bridge is 120 miles (190 km) south of San Francisco and 13 miles (21 km) south of Carmel in Monterey County on State Route 1.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a state park in Monterey County, California, near the area of Big Sur on the state's Central Coast. It covers approximately 1,006 acres (407 ha) of land. The park is centered on the Big Sur River. It has been nicknamed a "mini Yosemite". A Redwood tree in the park nicknamed the Colonial Tree is estimated to be between 1,100 and 1,200 years old.
McWay Falls
McWay Falls is an 80-foot-tall (24 m) waterfall on the coast of Big Sur in central California that flows year-round from McWay Creek in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 37 miles (60 km) south of Carmel, into the Pacific Ocean. During high tide, it is a tidefall, a waterfall that empties directly into the ocean. The only other tidefall in California is Alamere Falls.
Castles and Vineyards
Transition from the wild cliffs of Big Sur to the opulent estates and rolling hills of the Central Coast.
Elephant Seal Vista Point
Observe massive elephant seals in their natural habitat from the boardwalk.
Hearst Castle
San Simeon is a small town (population 445 at the 2020 U.S. census) in San Luis Obispo County in the Central Coast region of California. It is half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco, about 250 miles and a 4.5 to 5 hours drive from each. The southernmost point of the scenic Big Sur stretch of California coast terminates just north of town.
Morro Rock
Morro Rock is a volcanic plug in Morro Bay, California, on the Pacific Coast at the entrance to Morro Bay harbor. A causeway connects it with the shore, making it a tied island. The rock is protected as the Morro Rock State Preserve.
Pismo Beach Pier
Classic California beach town vibes with a long pier and wide sandy dunes.
The American Riviera
Drive through the Danish village of Solvang before arriving in the Mediterranean-style beauty of Santa Barbara.
Solvang
Solvang is in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County in Southern California. The city is Danish-themed as if it were the Danishland section of Disneyland, since it was founded by Danish immigrants and quite a few Danish descendants live here. While the tourism industry does try to import genuine Danish culture and architecture, it can be just skin deep.
Old Mission Santa Barbara
The 'Queen of the Missions' with beautiful gardens and historic architecture.
Stearns Wharf
Stearns Wharf is a pier at the cross section of the end of State Street and Cabrillo Boulevard, in the harbor in Santa Barbara, California, United States. When completed In 1872, it became the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
State Street Promenade
Pedestrian-friendly street filled with shops, cafes, and Spanish-style plazas.
Malibu to Los Angeles
The final stretch takes you past the celebrity homes of Malibu to the iconic Santa Monica Pier.
El Matador State Beach
Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach is a state beach of California, located in northern Malibu, Southern California. The park is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Malibu Pier
The Malibu Pier is a pier located in Malibu, California. It was constructed in 1905.
Santa Monica Pier
The Santa Monica Pier is a large pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. The pier is part of the greater Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Los Angeles (LAX)
Drop off your car and catch your flight home from the City of Angels.
- Check for road closures in Big Sur before departing
- Cell service is non-existent for long stretches of Highway 1
- Always drive North to South to be on the ocean side of the road
- Day 2: hotel change (Monterey / Pacific Grove → Cambria) — allow 1-2h check-out + transfer
- Day 3: hotel change (Cambria → San Luis Obispo) — allow 1-2h check-out + transfer
- Day 4: hotel change (San Luis Obispo → Santa Barbara) — allow 1-2h check-out + transfer
- Day 5: hotel change (Santa Barbara → Santa Monica) — allow 1-2h check-out + transfer
- Day 5: Santa Monica Pier → Los Angeles (LAX) flight transit only 2.5h — allow ≥5h door-to-door