Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Itinerary

California is one of my favorite places to visit and here is my 10 day California Pacific Coast Highway Itinerary is an adventure I would highly recommend! It is one of the most beautiful road trips in the world.

I am so thankful for friends who are down for adventures. I love this Country and will never take for granted that we have the freedom to travel safely and explore God’s beautiful creation!

These itinerary covers some of my favorite spots and a few helpful tips for the trip. Checkout the PCH Itinerary, A weekend in LA to San Diego, a weekend in San Francisco, a day trip to Catalina Island and other fun things to do in/ around LA.

For the 10-day PCH itinerary, we drove South to North with a few short detours. I definitely think driving South to North is the best way to drive the PCH!

Before beginning the trip, my traveling companion and dear friend, Kately, and I made a rough list of places we wanted to hit along the way. Neither of us are detailed planners but we both made a bucket list of things we wanted to do and see! We made sure we would be in certain spots on specific days but left a lot of the days open for unplanned adventure. I think this is the best way to travel!

Apple Map 10 Day California HWY 1 Road Trip Guide

California HWY 1 day 1-3 highlight 📷 dump

LA ➡️ Santa Monica ➡️ Venice Beach ➡️ Hermosa Beach ➡️ Marina Del Ray ➡️ Malibu ➡️ Beverly Hills ➡️ West Hollywood

FAVORITES:

☕️ @philzcoffee

🏖 @hermosabeachcity

🏄🏽‍♀️ Malibu with @alemao1028

🍳 Fav breakfast spots: @malibufarm @coastbeachcafeandbar @kreations

🍽 Fav lunch spot: @loulousantamonica

🥗 Fav vegan spot: The Spot at Hermosa

🍽 Fav dinner spots: @elephante @catch @sugarfishbynozawa

🍸 Fav hangout spots: @thebungalowsm @eplosangeles @melroserooftoptheatre

🛍 @abbotkinneyblvd & @rodeodrive

🥾 Hike Runyon Canyon Park to see the Hollywood Sign & amazing views of Downtown LA!

NOTES:

I could spend a month in LA and never get bored! There are so many fun things to do and restaurants to try! After arriving at Los Angeles International Airport, I recommend spending the first nights near the beach in Santa Monica or Malibu. Santa Monica/ Venice are definitely much busier than the surrounding beaches. If you want entertainment, I recommend those two but if you are looking for a little quieter areas, Hermosa Beach and Malibu may be better suited!

Accommodation possibilities are plenteous - just book what fits your budget in the area that you want to be in!

After you get settled in from traveling, go walk on the beach, scooter on the Strand, and enjoy the views! Try to plan your evenings around the sunset! Whether you are at a rooftop restaurant or go to a late-night dinner after watching the sunset on the beach! They are always beautiful, and you don’t want to miss them!

I never go to LA without going to CATCH so I typically always book this for the first or second night! It is an all-time fav and there’s something on the menu for everyone! For the dinner spots in LA, try to book these as far in advance as possible! They book up quickly!

Try not to get caught up on creating a perfect schedule. There’s so much going on - just take it all in! If you don’t have a set place to be, just search on Maps when you get hungry, and 100 places will come up and I’m sure they will be good. I have not been to a bad restaurant in California!

My recommendation would be to spend one beach day in Santa Monica/ Venice, a half day exploring Marina Del Ray/ Hermosa Beach and go to West Hollywood/ Rodeo that afternoon/ evening. Hit Malibu the day you leave the LA area on your way up the coast!

California HWY 1 day 4-5 highlight 📷 dump

Ventura ➡️ Santa Barbara ➡️ Montecito ➡️ Solvang ➡️ San Luis Obispo

FAVORITES:

☕️ @krakencoffeeco

🏖 Arroyo Burro Beach

🏄🏽‍♀️ @surferspointventura

🌻 @madonnainn1958

🍽 @hendrysbeach @csgsolvang

🛍 @visitslo @sanluisobispoguide

NOTES:

While driving from Malibu, you definitely want to stop at Surfer Point! It is one of the best surf spots along the coast.

Next stop- Santa Barbara!!! One of the most iconic California destinations that I recommend spending a couple hours or even staying the night in Santa Barbara!

Drive from Santa Barbara to Solvang. Solvang is a very unique Danish town that is worth the visit! In the 19th century, a lot of Danish moved to California and created their own town, so it looks like you were dropped in the middle of Denmark!

After driving through Solvang, you do not want to miss San Luis Obispo. You must stop at Madonna Inn. It was one of our favorite stops on the whole trip!

California HWY 1 day 5-6 highlight 📷 dump

Pismo Beach ➡️ Morro Bay ➡️ Cayucos ➡️ Paso Robles

FAVORITES:

☕️ sunnbunsbakery_

🏄🏽‍♀️ @morrobayca Rock Beach

🥾 Hike Black Hill

🦭 Kayak with sea lions in the Bay

🌊 @montanadeoro

🍽 Thai Elephant, Luanda Garden Bistro

🐴 @centralcoasttrailrides

🍷@cass_winery for lunch after riding

NOTES:

Pismo Beach is an incredible spot for activities- beach, surf, bike, or rent dune buggies/ ATVs.

After spending time in Pismo Beach, head to Morro Bay. There is a giant volcanic rock that is the attraction of the area. Morro Bay feels like the perfect California beach town. We woke up early, hiked Black Hill, rented kayaks to see all of the sea lions and cute little seals then almost got lost at sea while surfing in the afternoon. One of my favorite days on the trip!

After leaving Morro Bay, drive a little inland to Paso Robles, wine country. Ride horses on a vineyard! We went through Central Coast Trail Rides, and it was so worth it!

California HWY 1 day 6-7 highlight 📷 dump

San Simeon ➡️ Big Sur ➡️ Monterey ➡️ Carmel ➡️ Pebble Beach ➡️ Santa Cruz

FAVORITES:

☕️ @raggedpointinn

🏕 @saddlemountaincarmelcamping

🚲 @bigsuradv 17- Mile

🌊 Elephant Seal Vista Point; McWay Falls

🏖 Shark Fin Cove Beach

🚗 Bixby Bridge

🍽 @pebblebeachresorts @villagecorner

NOTES:

From Paso Robles, head to San Simeon to begin one of the most scenic parts of the drive! If you have the chance, make a pit stop at Hearst Castle! It was closed during our drive, or else we definitely would have stopped!

If you’re making the drive between December and March, stop at The Elephant Seal Vista Point to see these loved marine animals!

Definitely stop at McWay Falls- a waterfall that goes directly into the ocean!

The next couple of hours of your drive are majestic. We wanted to pull over every 10 minutes to take a picture! Looking back at the pictures, they don’t do the views justice! It is truly jaw dropping!

Keep heading north towards Carmel. I definitely recommend “glamping” in this area if it is not too cold!

Ride bikes in Pebble Beach but make sure you bring heavier jackets for this part of your trip! It gets surprisingly chilly, and we were not prepared!!

We did not spend a lot of time in Santa Cruz because it was a little too weird and crowded for our taste, but the Santa Cruz boardwalk is iconic if you have a chance to stop!

California HWY 1 Day 7-9 highlight 📷 dump

San Francisco ➡️ Napa Valley ➡️ Calistoga ➡️ Mendocino ➡️ Ft. Bragg ➡️ Humboldt ➡️ Sausalito

Favorites:

☕️ @sausalitobakeryandcafe @goodlifecafemendo

🌳 Shrine Drive Thru Tree; Avenue of The Giants

🌉 @golden_gate_bridge

🍷 @chmontelena

🏖 Glass Beach

🍽 @samssocialclub @the_spinnaker

NOTES:

Okay, this part of the trip you will be squeezing in a lot!! Later in the blog, we have more recommendations if you are able to spend more time in San Francisco!

TIPS:

I highly recommend a car that you can take the top off! The PCH drive in a topless car is truly unbeatable! One trip we had a jeep, another we went with the mustang (favorite) and the third trip we did the Tesla (I don’t recommend the Tesla because figuring out charging stations when you have long drives is a pain)! The mustang is definitely easier but there is no way it would fit more than two people with luggage!

Because we didn’t know exactly where we would be on which days, we would pull up Airbnb/ VRBO/ hotel searches near our location and book whatever looked best! This worked great for us and there was never a time that we could not find somewhere reasonable to stay. Plus, we typically would get really good rates for last minute bookings!

PACKING LIST:

⁃ Bathing Suits

⁃ Rain Jacket

⁃ Light sweaters & heavy Jacket (California is colder than you would think at night and especially the more North you go no matter the season)

⁃ Hiking Attire

⁃ Phone Accessories- Portable Charger; Car charging connectors

⁃ Outfits with Comfortable walking shoes

⁃ Athleisure