Exploring California's major coastal cities in two weeks

We’d like to do the California coast in two weeks this September. Two adults, rental car, and Airbnb. First time except for San Francisco, where we’re starting a cruise. Is San Francisco-Los Angeles-San Diego doable? If not, what are the must-sees? Thanks! !

We did this kind of trip over 17 days, but it can be shortened to 2 weeks depending on your priorities/interests.

Our itinerary: - Day 1: Arrival in SF - Days 2 to 5: SF, including 1 day in the surrounding area with a car rental - Day 6: Gilroy Outlets (near Monterey) - Day 7: Monterey - Days 8 and 9: Drive along the coast from Monterey to LA, then continue to San Diego - Day 10: San Diego - Day 11: San Diego and drive to LA - Days 12 to 16: LA, including 1 day at Universal Studios - Day 17: End of LA and return flight at the end of the day.

Oh wow! What a beautiful itinerary. The route from Monterey along the coast to LA and then SD—does it follow the Pacific Ocean? You did it in two days, so that leaves time to admire the scenery with stops as needed? Thanks for these great tips.

The route from Monterey along the coast to LA then SD follows the Pacific Ocean? You did it over two days, so that leaves time to admire the scenery with stops as needed?

From Monterey to San Luis Obispo, it's the legendary Highway 1, a road that runs along the coast. It's definitely worth doing over 2 days because there are quite a few spots with stunning landscapes and a few visits (including Hearst Castle depending on your tastes and Santa Barbara). After that, we drove straight down to San Diego on the freeway since there wasn't much to see along the way.

Thanks so much! 😊

Hi, the California coast is huge and stretches from Oregon to Arizona, with some great viewpoints and parks in the north too.

Thanks!

ah, Highway 1.... except it collapsed!

California: Highway 1 still closed, won’t reopen in 2024 | Lost In The USA

Thanks for the info, but I was still under the impression it had reopened. So I was misled without even realizing it?

Oh no! What a bummer. I checked the updates, and it’s awful to see such a beautiful road closed. I’ll keep following the construction progress. Thanks! !

Thanks for the info, but I was still under the impression it had reopened. So I was misled without even realizing it?

Good evening, I’m in the same boat—I heard on the radio a week or two ago that the H1 was reopened!

Awesome! Thanks!

you enter a route that takes Hwy 1 on maps and ....

I’ll let you map out your own itinerary and choose your stops and accommodations—it’s the best way to make the most of your trip!

Here are a few places that come to mind and are worth seeing: Sausalito, Carmel, and Muir Woods (not far from San Francisco) with its giant redwoods. There’s also a town between LA and SF that’s worth a visit—it’ll make you feel like you’re in Scandinavia. Really surprising! A little excursion that’ll leave you with a great memory: walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, preferably in the morning. There’s parking at the base of the bridge. Check about the fog. San Diego: a charming "small-town" vibe, pleasant, friendly, and lovely... plus the SD-SF drive you’ll do round-trip. Have you considered skipping San Diego and doing a wine-country detour instead? Sonoma or Napa—even if you’re not a wine lover, you’ll love the incredible countryside.

PS: I’ll stop here because I’m booking a flight tomorrow morning!

Sausalito.... It’s the hipster city, and we even found a super cool bookstore that sold Tintin comics... in French, and some retro TVs from our childhood! There’s a huge parking lot with an amazing view of SF on the other side of the bay. But most importantly, just a few kilometers north, there’s the houseboat neighborhood—a former hippie settlement on stilts that’s really charming.

Sausalito houseboats, the houses on the water | Lost In The USA

As for the Danish town, it’s Solvang—it’s so refreshing to see real, colorful houses...

Thanks so much! I drink almost exclusively California Chardonnay!!!!! I’ve been to Niagara-on-the-Lake twice and loved it… so I can only imagine how amazing the vineyards in Napa or Sonoma must be.

For Highway 1, I found this site with up-to-date info: https://roads.dot.ca.gov/?roadnumber=1

Roughly, from north to south, you can go as far as Big Sur and even a bit farther south to the Henry Miller Memorial Library (for the scenery, not necessarily the writer’s museum), but after that... you have to turn back! But having done it before, that stretch alone is worth the detour. Because what I just noticed looking closely at the map is that there’s no bypass route for the closed section of Highway 1 (between Slate Hot Springs and Lucia). You’ll have to head back up to take Interstate 101!

@Hélène: No, don’t thank me—it’s self-serving! The flight tickets were booked yesterday (so expensive!), and we’ll be there at the end of June 2025🙂

Oh wow! Awesome! Have a great trip, we’ll be there in September instead.