As Katy Perry once so poetically said, “You could travel the world, but nothing comes close to the golden coast” and after visiting, I would have to agree with her! Ben and I were trying to think of a fun place to go in California for a birthday getaway and after doing some serious googling we realized that we didn’t want to pick just one city. We wanted to try and see it all!
We did narrow it down a little (California is obviously huge!) and decided to fly into San Francisco and out of Los Angeles and then road trip between the two. Driving down the Pacific Coast highway has always been a bucket list item for me and so this plan seemed perfect.
This post is going to be a little different then my other travel guides because I want to highlight the road trip stops and also touch on what we did in San Francisco and LA. This guide is more of an overview of our favorite stops in the cities we visited in hopes that it will give you some ideas on how to plan your own California adventure!
SAN FRANCISCO: 3 NIGHTS
Everyone told us how breezy and chilly it would be in San Francisco and we didn’t believe them. I now have a beautiful long sleeve sweatshirt with the city’s name plastered across the back as evidence that our friends were right! Outside of the breezy May weather, this city was b-e-a-utiful during the Spring. So beautiful in fact that Ben and I started pricing out apartments in hopes that we could somehow live there one day!
WHERE WE STAYED:
The San Francisco Marriott Marquis: A classy and modern hotel in the center of the city! It’s located right near Union Square with easy access to all of San Francisco’s main tourist attractions. The hotel also has a snazzy rooftop lounge called The View with great drinks and amazing panoramic views of the city.
WHAT WE DID:
Muir Woods, Sausalito and Wine Tour: We booked this through a A Taste of SF & Beyond and it was definitely a memorable experience! They picked us up at our hotel for this 9 hour tour and brought us to Muir Woods, the town of Sausalito and then to a few wineries in Sonoma. The tour was $140 per person which is a little steep but the price tag was worth it. You have the opportunity to see so much in such a short amount of time and (bonus!) they take you right over the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Full House House: A must for any Tanner fans out there. This house is one of the many homes in the Painted Ladies strip and it’s so fun to see in person. As you would expect, the street in front of the house is filled with fans taking photos so it can be a little hectic. If you have the chance swing by and give your best “You got it dude” out front. The house is located at 1709 Broderick Street.
Union Square: This is one of the most visited neighborhoods in the city. There’s tons of live events and a large collection of cafes, galleries and high end shops. This area is also known for their nightlife.
Ride a Cable Car: Ok, Ben and I cheated a little with this one and just took a photo on a car that wasn’t in use, but that’s only because we were in a time crunch! If you go to an area with less of a tourist population you’ll be able to jump on one of these much quicker.
Alcatraz: If you have a solid chunk of free time, make sure you see Alcatraz through a guided tour. It’s most famous for being the prison which once held some of the US’ most notorious criminals. Here is the tour company that I would recommend.
Ghirardelli Square: Who doesn’t love a good piece of chocolate? Swing by Ghiradelli Square to check out the original home of chocolate manufacturing in San Francisco, plus enjoy the added bonus of fun shops, cafes and restaurants!
The Beach: As I mentioned, it was pretty chilly when we were in the city, but we still managed to stumble upon a beach and spent some time watching the sail boats pass by with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. There’s a handful of beaches in the bay area, but one of the most popular is Baker Beach.
Walk Around + Explore: We walked SO much in this city! My phone recorded us as 15 miles one day and (while my legs have never been so sore) it was so worth it. It gave us the ability to really get a feel for the city and pretend like we were locals for the day.
WHERE WE ATE:
Fisherman’s Wharf: To this day, the lobster roll we got at Fisherman’s Wharf was easily the best lobster roll I’ve ever had. I’m tearing up a little just thinking about it. Fisherman’s Wharf is a really cool (and really touristy) area with shops and restaurants and tons of options for delicious seafood!
Chinatown: Don’t leave without checking out Chinatown, it was a such a unique and eccentric area filled with restaurants, dim sum joints, shops and so much more. Our hotel made us a reservation at Fang which had a great vibe and amazing food. Fang also happened to be the spot where I drank too much Saki and professed my love to Ben for the first time. Ah, embarrassing memories.
The Buena Vista: The Buena Vista used to be a boarding house until 1916 when they converted the first floor into a saloon. The saloon soon became a meeting spot for fisherman and dockers; it was a place where they could have a whiskey and still see out to the ocean for incoming vessels. Buena Vista means “good view” and it most definitely had that. If you go, make sure to get their famous Irish Coffee.
ROAD TRIP TIME: 2 NIGHTS
Ok, on to my favorite part of the trip–our drive down Pacific Coast 1! And when I say “our drive” I really mean Ben’s drive–those roads were a little too windy for me to navigate.
So first off, in order to road trip, we had to rent a car. We decided to rent a bright red Camaro convertible for this trip and it may have just been one the best decisions ever! Cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway with the breeze in your hair, the ocean by your side and the music up loud was so insanely perfect.
We did this this trip all in one day, but if I could go back I would do it in two or three days and stay overnight in a few of the spots. The little towns and cities throughout the journey were just so lovely and had so much to see and explore.
ROAD TRIP ITINERARY
Leave San Francisco early to make the most of the daylight! We left at 7:30am.
- Stop 1-Santa Cruz: 2 Hours from San Francisco
- Explore the Santa Cruz Boardwalk
- Stop 2-Monterey: 60 Minutes from Santa Cruz
- Enjoy the Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Taste some wine in Monterey Wine Country
- Have lunch at the Sandbar and Grill
- Stop 3-Carmel: 12 minutes from Monterey:
- Carmel would be a great place to stay overnight. It is such a sweet town with so much to explore. Plus they have a beautiful beach. We didn’t stay here, but my mom recommended The Tickle Pink Inn and the photos are honestly swoon worthy.
- Check out Carmel-by-the-Sea (Seaside village with shops and café’s)
- Have lunch at Mission Ranch (Clint Eastwood’s place)
- Grab a sample of cheese and glass of vino at The Cheese Shop
- Stop 4-Big Sur: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes from Carmel
- Explore Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
- Just driving through Big Sur you’ll see at ton of places to stop off the road and take photos. The view is breathtaking and if you’re lucky, you’ll also catch some seals snoozing on the beach!
- Stop 5-Santa Barbara: Around 4 hours from Big Sur. It’s a part coastal and part inland drive.
- This would be another great stop to spend the night! A hotel recommended to us was The Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort.
- Check out The Funk Zone (hipster area)
- Walk around State Street
- Have a meal at Milk and Honey Tapas
- Stop 6-Malibu: 1 hour and 30 minutes from Santa Barbara
- Check out Malibu Pier
- Stop 7-Santa Monica: 30 minutes from Malibu
- Channel your inner I Love You Man and walk around the Venice Beach Boardwalk
- Grab a photo in front of the iconic Venice Beach Sign
- Stop 8-Los Angeles: 25 Minutes from Santa Monica
- More to come on LA below!
LOS ANGELES: 3 NIGHTS
WHERE WE STAYED:
The Westin Bonaventure Hotel: This hotel was very pretty, reasonably priced and centrally located in downtown LA. Although, one thing that we did learn on this trip was that “downtown LA” wasn’t necessarily the best spot to be. Downtown Los Angeles was primarily a business district; there were some great restaurants, but it is pretty far from all of the main tourist attractions and also far from the beach. I would try to stay in West Hollywood or Beverly Hills if you can!
WHAT WE DID:
Disneyland: Every Disney lover out there will probably disown me for saying this, but I wasn’t a huge fan of Disneyland! I grew up on the East Coast with Disney World, so Disneyland was a little underwhelming for me. Although, at the same time, it still encompasses all of that Disney magic we’ve come to love and so if you’re a fan of the theme park, or a first timer, then it’s still worth the day trip! You have the ability to choose between Disneyland and California Adventure Theme Park, both parks have day passes for $97 per person.
Jimmy Kimmel Live Show: This was by far the coolest thing we did in LA! To get tickets, you’ll just create an account on 1iota, request them for the day you’re looking to go and you’ll get notified about 2 weeks prior to the tapping if you’re in! You can request 2-4 tickets per household and the tapping is usually around 2 hours total. We were able to explore Hollywood Blvd and then head over to check in across the street from The Dolby theater!
Venice Beach: We weren’t able to get to the beach during our road trip, so we took a ½ day while we were in LA and went to check it out. Venice Beach was such a great spot to walk around, catch some skateboarding action, enjoy the waves and have a casual lunch. I was dying to go to Venice Beach and it definitely lived up to the hype. Keep in mind that if you’re staying in downtown LA, the traffic getting to and from the beach can be insane, so make sure you have a solid block of time!
Hollywood Sign: There are a ton of different spots where you can easily view the Hollywood sign, but our favorite was from The Griffith Observatory. Admission is free and you can get a killer view of downtown LA, the sign and even the pacific ocean.
Beverly Hills: Such a dreamy area and a must on your to see list! I’m just going to go ahead and admit that the number one reason I wanted to go to Beverly Hills was so that I could go into Boulmiche and say, “Big mistake, huge, I have to go shopping now!” Pretty Women anyone?
Angels Game: The Angels were in town while we were there and so we scooted over to Anaheim and grabbed tickets to a game. Getting there was super easy-you can just grab the train from Union Station and the ride is only about 30 minutes.
WHERE WE ATE: We grabbed a lot of casual street meals while we were in LA since we were constantly on the move, so I don’t have a ton of restaurant recs. Below were two spots we loved downtown though!
Rooftop Bar at The Standard: Expensive cocktails, but breathtaking view of the city. We swung by for a drink before dinner and loved spending sunset out on the roof.
Takami Sushi & Robata: Takami means “high” or “elevated place” and, staying true to its name, this restaurant is located on the 21st floor of a downtown high-rise and overlooks the LA financial district. Serving up sushi, Japanese inspired entrees, and creative cocktails, this swanky dinner spot is perfection. With indoor and outdoor seating and an adjacent bar called Elevate, you can easily enjoy a great evening out on the town.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
California is such an incredible place to visit and I can’t wait to go back. I hope this was helpful for anyone planning a trip to California and trying to figure out how to divide up their time and pick out some fun activities! If you’ve already been, what are some of your must see cities, restaurants or attractions?
