California Coastline San Francisco to San Diego
Driving the California Coast in a convertible! It’s the California dream, right? I’m lucky enough to live in the LA area and own a little convertible Miata. So, here is my list of my favorite places to stop while driving along the coast. This article is meant to be a sampler of places to visit. Based on your likes, you may want to dive deeper into a particular city so I’ve included a lot of links. Have fun and make your own memory driving the California Coastline.
Going north to south, these are my suggested stops.
San Francisco
Monterey
San Simon
Morro Bay
Pismo
Santa Maria/Lompoc
Solvan
Santa Barbara
Ventura
Malibu
Santa Monica/Venice
Long Beach
Huntington Beach
Laguna Beach
San Diego
San Francisco: The City by the Bay
San Francisco has so many places to see, you have to prioritize your choices. I love this City and visit often but still haven’t seen it all. Here are some of the highlights.
Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. 
You can get a view like nowhere else by walking across the bridge. Often this walk is chilly as the natural breezes and the fog can blow off the Pacific Ocean so you might want to see if you need a jacket before you set off.
From the Sausalito or northern side of the bridge, you can look back at the City skyline and watch the sail boats. The walk is loud and noisy with all of the cars racing by but pedestrians have their own protected path so it’s safe and easy to leave all of that behind to enjoy the view.
Afterward, relax in Chrissy Field, take a nap, another selfie with the bridge behind you or watch people flying kites. The Painted Lady Homes are also near here. At this end of the Bay is the Walt Disney Family Museum with hours upon hours of sight-seeing memorabilia collected by Walt and his daughter who has a home here. The Ghiradelli Chocolate store is right up the hill if you’re hankering for something sweet and close by is the end of the cable car track so you can literally watch the workers turn the cable cars turn around.
Walking along the bay from Chrissy Field, you pass Fisherman’s Warf, Pier 39 and can walk down along the Embarcadero. If you go out on the piers, you can see and hear the seals barking, smell the fisherman’s catches, eat clam chowder in a bread bowl at one of the many restaurants and visit the Ferry Building filled with small shops and gourmet foods. If your feet are exhausted from all this walking, you can always hop a cable cars that travels parallel to the Bay. From the east end, you can see the Bay Bridge, which is my favorite at night when they turn on the LEDs, fish float alongside the bridge in lights.
Another option is to take a tour on boat under the Golden Gate or visit Alcatraz Island, the notorious prison that claims it was impossible to escape or spend the day at the California Academy of Sciences. They have more than 20 exhibits daily and you can spend hours here.
If you’re really up for a hike, walk up hill to Lombard Street, the curviest street around or to Coit Tower for an unbelievable view. Want the view without the walk, I’d suggest a drink at The View Lounge at the Marriott. -Make sure you get there when it first opens for the best seat.
Monterey: Cannery Row
One of Monterey’s claim to fames is John Steinbeck who wrote many novels here including Cannery Row. Many of the canneries are now restaurants and shops that you can browse through. Monterey is also known for its world-renown aquarium. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is huge and the best that I’ve been in. You can touch a starfish, poke a sea anemone and see humongous fishes swimming all around you. One of my favorite things to watch here are the jellyfish that slowly glide through the water. Monterey is also along the whale migration route and in the spring, you can go out on a boat whale watching. On our trip, we saw a few whales but what was more fun for me was the hundreds of dolphins that followed our boat, riding along our bow. One must do is the 17-mile drive in Monterey. Pebble Beach is here and the curvy road goes along some of the most beautiful coastline in the world.
Big Sur: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
If you haven’t had your fill of hiking yet, stop in Big Sur for a walk within the State Park. There are huge Redwood trees and plenty of hikes to choose from.
San Simeon: Home of Hearst Castle
William Randolph Hearst was a newspaper and media mogul who control much of the newspaper messaging during the late 1800s/early 1900s, relying on sensationalism and crude exaggeration, he was either loved or hated by his readers. Yes, Patti Hearst is his granddaughter. With his millions of dollars and an inheritance, William Randolph creating Hearst Ranch, a spread that included 250,000 acres and building Hearst Castle designed by architect Julia Morgan, By 1947, included 165 rooms and 123 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways and was still considered unfinished. You a take a variety of tours.
I also recommending stopping at Hearst Ranch Winery on your way out or beforehand. It sits on the westside of Highway 1 next to the beach and has some really good wines. This is one of my “must stops” for wine lovers along the way.
Morro Bay: The Big Rock
Morro Bay is the epidemy of a smaller beach town and I love it. Looking out to the bay is Morro Rock, a huge bolder that springs up out of the water and gives the town its name. Along, the water are small shops and places to eat. This town has a lazy layback feel and you can sit and watch the sea otters, seals and birds play in the bay for hours, especially in the morning before it gets busy. If you’re more energetic, walk the rock!
Pismo: Drive on the Beach
Pismo Beach is another small beach town and is super popular with sports enthusiast. This is the only area in California where you actually drive on the beach, so its worth spending some time here. There are about 3,500 acres of sand dunes at the Oceano Dunes SVRA/Pismo State Park that also offers camping. As you cruise the sand, there will be plenty of people watching with See-Doos jumping the waves, dune buggies and quads racing around and kites flying high. You can also dig up the famous Pismo Clams but make sure you have a license.
Santa Maria/Lompoc: Wineries
When you get to Santa Maria/Lompoc area, the highway cuts inland and I suggest you go a little further to go wine tasting in this area. The Edna Valley and San Luis Obispo wine regions are world renown for their many award-winning wineries and tasting rooms. Some of my favorites are listed in this blog post.
Solvang: Get your Danish On
Solvang is next. It’s a Danish town with windmills and cute Danish cottages that host shops and restaurants. If you can’t make it to some of the local wineries, Solvang also has lots of tasting rooms so you can sample many of the local wineries at once.
Santa Barbara: High-end Eating and Shopping
Santa Barbara is a mission style town along the beach. This town is expensive to live in and reflects a more sophisticated lifestyle. The downtown offers many gourmet eateries that you can sit outside and enjoy the dependably wonderful weather. Or attend an array of events offered each weekend. Santa Barbara also has some really good farmer’s markets for you to enjoy. If your camping and can get reservations at Gaviota, Emma Wood (no tent camping) or Carpenteria, book it now, as they fill up fast and are right on the water. Santa Barbara is hosts one of the California Missions that were built up and down California to provide housing and sanctuary for the Catholic priests of the Franciscan order. There are 21 missions and Santa Barbara’s mission is called the Old Mission San Barbara and offers tours.
Malibu: Home of the Rich and Mega Rich
Malibu goes on forever with some of the most beautiful ocean front property around. Much of it is fronted with homes so you can’t see the beach as you drive along it but get out of the car and walk though one of the public access areas to the water, (look for the little signs) you get to not only view the Pacific to the west can see some huge homes to the right. Malibu is also home to the Getty Villa. Paul Getty, an oil magnate, built the Getty Villa adjacent to his home to house his art collection. T
oday it acts as an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. The tickets are free but you need to order them early and pay for parking. There are many events held at the Getty include Greek plays in the outdoor auditorium. You can spend an entire morning or afternoon roaming the gardens and art collections.
If you have time to go inland, visit Malibu State Park and go hiking in the hills. There is a vast array of trails to choose from.
Santa Monica: Home to the Famous Pier and Ferris Wheel
Santa Monica is known for the Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park. Located right on Pacific Coast Highway (the 101) freeway, a walk along the pier, especially at sunset is fun. There are shops along the pier and the famous Ferris wheel in Pacific Park (This is the one you often see in Hollywood movies) along with a small rollercoaster and midway. At the end of the Pier are fishermen and the Marisol (Mexican) restaurant. Get there early if you want a table at sunset. If you travel eastward from the Pier, there are a large amount of national and local chain restaurants and shopping at Third Street Promenade.
Venice Beach: Street Performers, Musclemen & Women
Venice Beach is just south of Santa Monica and it resembles your eclectic, hippy black sheep brother-in-law. It’s a fun area with street performers, small shops and the home of Muscle Beach although Santa Monica also claims their own Muscle Beach too. Many years ago, when I was here, there were a ton of people smoking marijuana. This was before it was legal in California and it was rampant. You may want to think twice before bringing your kids here.
Long Beach, Ports, an Aquarium and the Queen Mary
Long Beach is home to the RMS Queen Mary and Long Beach Aquarium. The Port of Los Angeles is comprised of the Port of LA and the Port of Long Beach. It’s one of the world’s busiest seaports for international trade in North America and the number one container port in the U.S. with 9.5M containers handled in 2018. Within Long Beach is also the RMS Queen Mary. It now acts as a hotel, museum and restaurant. It needs some maintenance but if you are into haunted old ships, this is the place for you. The ship was delivered in 1936 and sailed until 1967. I know many friends who have stayed here and absolutely believe its haunted although I didn’t have this experience when I spent the night many years ago. Long Beach is also host the Aquarium of the Pacific and has lots of restaurants to choose from in its Downtown and at Shoreline Village.
Huntington Beach: The Place the Locals Hangout
Huntington Beach is one of the few beaches that have fire pits on the sand. You have to get here early to grab one but the smell of a campfire mixed with the smell of sea air is one of my fondest memories as a kid.
Laguna Beach: Arts and Shopping
Along Highway 101 or commonly known as PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) is the arts district of Laguna Beach. The many galleries display a wide variety of art along with shopping and yummy restaurants. The Pageant of the Masters (July-September), an outdoor show where real people recreate works of art along with the annual Sawdust Festival, an arts and crafts fair, is held here from June to August.
San Diego: Sea World, Old Town and Gas Lamp
San Diego is a huge city with many things to see and do. During the last 30 years, the Gas Lamp district has undergone a renaissances and now has a large amount of stores and restaurants. On Friday and Saturday nights, the streets are filled with people partying, slipping into the bars to hear music or just dancing along the sidewalks. There are plenty of pedi-cars to take you from place to place but negotiate the price before you hop in. In the Gas Lamp is also PetCo Stadium, home to the San Diego Padres Baseball Team. Also in San Diego’s Mission Bay is Sea World and in Old Town, you can visit 36 historical sites and museums, shops and restaurants.
That’s it San Francisco to San Diego or vice-a-versa. Once you’ve finished this trip, try San Francisco to Seattle. Its just as cool. Promise…