I’ve road tripped down the iconic Pacific Coast Highway twice in my life. The first was about 5 years ago with my family, embarking from Vegas and taking two weeks to make it up to San Francisco and back. If you would have told me I’d be living just miles from the PCH 5 years on, I wouldn’t have believed it for a second. When we found out that we’d be moving to California after our 3 years in Germany, I knew the first thing I wanted my husband to experience was a week on the Pacific Coast Highway, one of the world’s best drives.
Here’s One Week on California’s Pacific Coast Highway:
The One Week Pacific Coast Highway Itinerary
Days 1-2: San Francisco to Santa Cruz
Day 3: Monterey to Carmel-By-The-Sea
Day 4: Big Sur
Day 5: Big Sur to Santa Barbara
Days 6-7: Santa Barbara to LA
Check the DOT’s website here for current road conditions on Highway 1
Days 1-2: San Francisco → Santa Cruz
San Francisco
Start your one week Pacific Coast Highway trip off by exploring the city by the bay. Famed for that beautiful red bridge and trolleys clanging uphill, you could spend a week in San Francisco and the outskirts alone.
Visiting the Golden Gate Bridge is a must on a trip to San Fran, as well as Alcatraz if you get the chance. The most popular thing to do is to spend some time down on the water at Pier 39 and the Fisherman’s Wharf. Watch the sea lions plop themselves on top of the docks, snag some fresh clam chowder and enjoy the local street performances.
The Painted Ladies, Lombard Street, Mission Delores, Chinatown, Little Italy, Alamo Square and Castro District are other unique areas to visit in San Francisco.
Read More: 18 Free Things to Do in San Francisco \ Instagram Spots in San Fran
Don’t forget to stop at Shark’s Fin Cove near Davenport on the way!
Drive the hour and a half south via Highway 1 to Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
The oldest boardwalk in California calls Santa Cruz home with a fully-operating amusement park right on the beach.
The historic Wharf is the longest in California and offers many restaurants and shops. The nearby Redwoods give you the opportunity to see these giants up close and personal with various campsites and trails.
Read More: Things to Do in Santa Cruz
From Santa Cruz, continue on Highway 1 south for 50 minutes to Monterey.
Day 3: Monterey → Carmel By The Sea
Monterey
Historic Monterey is the next stop on your one week Pacific Coast Highway trip. Take a stroll down Cannery Row popping in different shops and cafes. Experience local wines at various tasting rooms and witness local marine life at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
From Monterey, take the famous 17 Mile Drive to Pebble Beach, passing by the Lone Cypress.
Carmel By The Sea
15 minutes south of Monterey on Highway 1 is one of my favorite coastal towns in all of California. This charming little village is a historic artist colony with traditions dating back to its establishment in the early 1900s. Carmel By The Sea uses names for houses instead of numbers, prohibit building on a lot if a tree doesn’t exist and ban chain restaurants.
Read More: Carmel By The Sea: California’s Cutest Coastal Town
Day 4: Big Sur
Drive south on the Pacific Coast Highway, with your first stop at Garrapata Beach. The Calla Lily Valley hosts a variety of colorful flowers on the cliff side hugging the Pacific Ocean.
Drive 5 minutes to the south to the Bixby Creek Bridge, a famous Pacific Coast Highway stop.
Read More: Bixby Creek Bridge – Manmade Beauty on the Pacific Coast
Head 15 minutes south on Highway 1 to Big Sur, where trees become more prominent than the ocean.
Dip your toes in the purple sand at Pfeiffer Beach or take a stroll through Big Sur’s beautiful wooded cliffside trails. One of my favorites is Partington Cove, leading through tall trees and an old mine shaft exiting out to the Pacific Ocean.
The next stop to make on the road trip is in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. With many different trails leading to waterfalls or to the beach, the main attraction is the ever-stunning McWay Falls.
Read More: McWay Falls – The Prettiest Spot in Big Sur
Discover how to spend one day in Big Sur here
Day 5: Big Sur → Santa Barbara
The route directly from Big Sur to Santa Barbara via the Pacific Coast Highway takes about 5 hours but it’s one of the most scenic drives you’ll take in your life. A couple worthy places to stop at on the way to Santa Barbara are Hearst Castle, Morro Rock, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach and Solvang.
Santa Barbara
One of the most relaxed and laid back coastal towns on the PCH is Santa Barbara. The best area to stay is in Lower State, closer to the water where you can visit the bustling Stearn’s Wharf. Can’t-miss things in Santa Barbara are State Street, Funk Zone, El Presidio Park, Butterfly Beach and Old Mission. If the weather’s nice, check out why Santa Barbara is rated as having some of the best beaches by taking some surf lessons with a local.
Heading south on Highway 1, drive an hour and 15 minutes with your next stop in Malibu.
Days 6-7: Santa Barbara → L.A.
Malibu
Famed for having some of the most expensive beachfront real estate in the world, you’ll feel like you skated right into luxury in Malibu. Take a walk on the shoreline to see the Malibu Beach Villas or visit one of the other gorgeous beaches around. El Matador State Beach is my personal favorite! Walk out on the Malibu Pier and have lunch at the popular Malibu Farm Cafe, head a little inland for a short hike to Escondido Falls. End your evening sipping wine overlooking the ocean at Malibu Wines.
Santa Monica
Drive about 30-45 minutes to the south, arriving in the ever-popular Santa Monica. Spend some time shopping on the Promenade or dipping your toes in the sand on the powder-white beaches. Stroll over to the Santa Monica Pier, where Route 66 ends, for some carnival food and a ferris wheel ride.
Venice Beach
You don’t even have to get back in your car to head to Venice Beach. Pick up an electric scooter while on the boardwalk in Santa Monica and whizz your way south to Venice Beach.
While in Venice, check out the famous Venice Beach Boardwalk featuring Muscle Beach and the art district. Stroll along the historic canals, go shopping on Abbot Kinney and take some pictures of that famous Venice sign.
Read More: How to Spend an Evening in Venice Beach
Drive the 10-20 miles into Los Angeles from Venice Beach, which is usually backed up in traffic so expect some major delays.
Los Angeles
Some noteable areas to explore in L.A. are Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Hollywood. You could definitely spend multiple days in L.A. with all of the exploring but the major areas are very doable in a day.
Extra Days
If you get extra time for your itinerary, you can head down south, continuing on Highway 1. Laguna Beach and San Diego are some worthy stops! Another great option is heading inland to the deserts of Palm Springs, Joshua Tree or up to Death Valley. You can read about my time in those National Parks here.
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