Treat yourself to a road trip of a lifetime by traveling down California’s Coast on Highway 1 (also known as the Pacific Coast Highway)! This coastal drive was on bucket list for years and it did not disappoint. I am so thrilled to share the recommendations with you below!
To travel the Pacific Coast Highway, we recommend starting north (we started in San Francisco) and driving south (we ended in Los Angeles, but you can certainly go further to San Diego). By doing this, the ocean will be on your right and available for you to enjoy as you drive!
Here is how we spent one week traveling the PCH!
Day 1: Flight to San Francisco
We flew into San Francisco in the evening and didn’t do anything but get acquainted with the area and review plans for the next day. We have been to San Francisco a few times so if you’d like to read how to spend three days in San Francisco, we will add another blog on that soon and link it here! Otherwise, below is how we spent one day in this active city!
San Francisco Hotel: The Marriott – we chose The Marriott near Union Square because it is a great location to explore downtown near shopping, but also walkable to other popular locations, like Chinatown and Little Italy.
Day 2: A full day in San Francisco
You can fit a lot into a day in San Francisco. This “City by the Bay” is one with so much variety, everyone will find something to enjoy.
For our day here, we spent the day walking through all the fun areas of San Francisco, we share the highlights in this section. The full walk from our hotel in Union Square to Ghiradelli was about 3.2 miles. If you don’t care to walk, you can always grab the free Cable Cars, which is a super fun experience! Of course, Ubers and Taxis are also always available.
To start our day, after brunch, we walked to China Town and enjoyed window shopping in all the little shops. We were lucky and got to watch dancers practicing the dragon dance on the street.
After China Town, we continued our walk to Little Italy in North Beach, San Francisco (note – there isn’t actually a beach in North Beach!). For dinner, we love eating at Barbara Pinseria and Cocktail Bar. It is on the corner of two streets in Little Italy so you’re surrounded by windows with lots of activity to watch while you enjoy their amazing Italian dishes! We walked back here that evening.
After traveling through Little Italy, keep walking down to Fisherman’s Wharf to see the famous Pier 39 for lots of activities, shops and restaurants. Our favorite is always seeing the sea lions. We also highly recommend grabbing clam chowder soup at Boudin Bakery for lunch (even if just a can or two to bring home).
The final stop we recommend on your day in San Francisco is Ghiradelli Square. It’s a quick walk from Pier 39. This area is fun, with more shopping, a brewery, restaurants and, of course, the famous Ghiradelli Factory. Make sure you get a hot chocolate from Ghiradelli. It is the best! If you’re looking for a restaurant, we I can’t recommend the Pallette Tea House any higher.
If you have more time to spend this day, you can also walk the the fishing pier to get closer to the water and see the city from a different view. If you have more than a day to spend in San Francisco or just want to consider all the possibilities for this city, we will add another blog this week for you.
Summary of favorite San Francisco restaurants:
- Little Italy: Barbara Pinseria and Cocktail Bar is where we have had dinner a few times and always love it.
- Fisherman’s Wharf: Boudin Bakery is great for lunch! They have Clam Chowder, sandwiches, and lots of wonderful cafe food.
- Ghiradelli Square: Pallette Tea House is a must-stop for incredible dumplings and dishes! We have enjoyed both lunch and dinner here.
Day 3: Drive to Carmel-by-the-Sea
The next day we drove from San Francisco to Carmel, about a two-hour drive. The drive itself is through a lot of farm land and really cool to experience. Visiting Carmel is a treat. It truly feels like you are in a in a different country with the beautiful tree-lined streets, surrounded by stunning cottage homes.
When you arrive, grab a bite to eat for lunch and shop. There are wonderful boutiques and fun alleyways to explore.
After you’ve become acquainted with the town, we recommend you drive to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve to hike. We did just a one-hour easy walk but were able to go on two trails during that time, both from the same trailhead. One has a more of prairie-feel, but along the seaside cliffs which is stunning. The other is through a wooded area, full of Cypress Trees that feel old and mysterious. It does take you to a few beautiful lookout spots over the ocean as well!
Where to eat in Carmel:
- Vesuvio has an amazing rooftop and happy hour. Get the deep friend gnocchi!
- Portabella is the place to go for dinner. It is an incredible Italian restaurant we know anyone will love!
- Mission Ranch – we heard great things about this restaurant and that it had incredible views. Definitely one we would check out if we went back.
Carmel by the Sea Hotel: La Playa Carmel is where we stayed and we recommend it 100%.
Day 4: Drive to Solvang – Stop in Big Sur
The next stop on our Pacific Coast Highway adventures was Solvang. Solvang is the “Danish capital of America” and worth a night there to eat at the yummy bakeries, visit a winery and just take in the amazing culture of this town.
On the way to Solvang:
- Plan to stop and hike in Big Sur
- Stop in Santa Barbara to enjoy lunch on their pier. We had wonderful Clam Chowder at Moby Dick – a casual restaurant with great views and tasty food.
Solvang Hotel: The Landsby is a gorgeous boutique hotel where you will find a stylish yet cozy setting. They also have a wonderful restaurant called Mad & Vin you have to try. We ate here the the first night.
Day 5: Full Day in Solvang
Exploring this little town is a wonderful way to spend the day. Start it off with breakfast at Paula’s Pancake House. You will, of course, want to stop at one of the many bakeries to get yourself a famous Danish donut as well!
In the afternoon, we recommend visiting a local winery in the Santa Ynez Valley where Solvang is located. Pick up your own snacks or lunch to bring along and enjoy the beautiful courtyards over wine. If you don’t feel like venturing out to a winery, don’t worry! There are plenty of tasting rooms lining the streets of Solvang as well.
Other favorite shops and restaurants of ours in Solvang:
- Copenhagen Sausage and Beer Garden
- Danish Mill Bakery
- Mortenson’s Danish Bakery
- Ingeborg’s Danish Chocolates
For dinner, Mad & Vin at the Solvang Hotel, is where we ate one night and got apps the second. It was always busy, full of energy and the place many recommended. The second night we actually found that the Clean Slate Wine Bar had a local catering company serving tacos that evening. It was delicious, casual and affordable. We would recommend checking in to see if they’ll have any fun dinner events like this during your stay.
Days 6: Drive to Los Angeles – Stop at Malibu Pier
Our drive from Solvang to Los Angeles was two and a half hours. We do recommend you stop for brunch or lunch (depending on when you leave Solvang) in Malibu at Malibu Pier. Have a bite to eat at Malibu Farm and enjoy shopping at the end of the Pier afterward. You’ll most likely also get to see the surfers out, enjoying the sun and waves.
Los Angeles Hotel: We stayed at the Andaz in West Hollywood. The location was amazing, right off of Sunset Boulevard with access to exquisite restaurants and shopping. The staff was wonderful there as well and it was great to have valet parking included. The bummer for us was that the pool was closed for a taping (I still want to know who was filming that day!). I’d also ask about the rooms, ours was a little dated, but rooms may have been updated since then.
Days 7: Los Angeles – Visiting Santa Monica
Two full days in Los Angeles was wonderful for us. When many warned us about the traffic in LA, we were worried we would feel overwhelmed and stressed in the sprawling city; however, Los Angeles turned out to be one of our favorite stops!
The first full day in LA, we decided to drive 30-minutes to Santa Monica State Beach. If you have the time in your itinerary, we recommend you make time to do the same. It is 3.5 miles long and has a wonderful boardwalk to walk, run or bike on. It’s also home to the well-known landmark, the Santa Monica Pier, where there is shopping, restaurants and an amusement park!
For a restaurant in Santa Monica, we ate at King and Queen Cantina on the patio and loved it. There was so much energy, great tacos and sushi!
After exploring the pier and relaxing on the beach, we went back to LA to get dinner at the famous SUR Restaurant and Lounge! Any other Vanderpump Rules fans?! If so, I won’t need to say more. For those that haven’t seen the show, still go! This restaurant is romantic and over-the-top in decor. It is an experience and reservations do book a few weeks out so grab your time in advance of your trip!
Days 8: Los Angeles – Rodeo Drive and a Lakers Game
The second day we went shopping on Rodeo Drive and on Melrose Avenue afterwards. Even if you’re not planning to purchase any luxury goods, we definitely recommend visiting and walking the streets of Rodeo Drive. It’s a stunning neighborhood with cute cafes to grab breakfast or a coffee while you stroll and take in the fashion. Melrose Avenue is about a 15-minute drive from Rodeo Drive and has more shops and restaurants to explore.
Then, for a recommendation on how to spend your evening (if you’re able to land your trip on one of their game nights) we recommend a Lakers Game! The energy and entertainment is incredible. Just know venue is a bit of drive, so plan your day in the morning to allow enough time for getting there.
Day 9: Flight Home
We flew home on our 9th day, but as you probably are seeing, you can certainly spend more days in some locations or plan to continue to south to San Diego if you have the time! For San Diego recommendations, check out this blog post: https://briannamaeco.com/things-to-do-in-san-diego/!
Additional Recommendations we heard for the PCH from Locals:
Listed from North to South, here are some stops and restaurants shared with us:
- If you’re able to stop in Santa Cruz, visit the Capitola area for great restaurants.
- In Monterrey, you’ll want to visit Canary Row. Apparently all the restaurants compete and hand out samples of their Clam Chowder. The restaurants recommended were the Fish Hopper and Old Fisherman’s Grotto.
- In Pebble Beach there is an awesome restaurant called The Bench. We heard it overlooks the golf course and is beautiful for a meal.
- If you get more time in Big Sur then just fitting in a hike and want a bite to eat there, The River Inn has a chill vibe to stop at. Le Pente was also a recommended place to eat and is a bit nicer than The River Inn.
- For Santa Barbara recommendations, we heard State Street and the pier are great places to adventure.
- Lastly, between San Diego and LA is Temecula. While it’s known for the wine, it sounded like a great place to also get outside, find live music, golf, hike and so much more. We are definitely adding Temecula Valley to a future itinerary!
ENJOY YOUR TRIP!
We hope this blog helps guide you on your Californian adventure! If any of the recommendations helped, I always love to hear so feel free to shoot me a message. In addition, be sure to subscribe to my email list. I send one monthly newsletter and would love to have you in the community!
Thanks again for stopping by!
Bri
