Six days to travel from San Fran to San Diego...itinerary help needed !!!

[busy mom]

We are travelling to CA this weekend, and have 6 days to see the west coast. Our trip starts in San Francisco and we plan to drive down the coast and end our trip in San Diego.

This will be our first visit to the West Coast, so we would love any suggestions for "must see" locations, restaurants as well as any tips you may have learned in your travels of this area.

Our itinerary is wide open, except for plans to visit Alcatraz on Sunday. We like to walk, shop, eat , and are hoping to see the highlights of the CA coast during our short trip.

We have purposely not booked any hotels, with the exception of San Fran, so that we are free to roam as we please.

Any suggestions welcome!

 

[kymom99]

I have not been to SF but its on the list. I have been to SD. You will want to stop in san Simeon and see the hurst castle. A friend stayed at a best western there, right on the coast overlooking the ocean. She said it was amazing. That's my plan when I get there.

In San Diego, look into the Best western Island Palms. I spent a week there and loved it. Between Newport Beach and San Diego is Ruby's Crystal Cove. It's an ice cream/sandwich place where you order at the window and sit on a picnic table overlooking the ocean. It was our first glimpse of the Pacific and it was breath taking.

We took a bike tour in La Jolla from Hike Bike Kayak. They described it as gently rolling hills, but let's just say I pushed the bike up some pretty steep, but short hills. The tour was worth doing. Very cool.

Hope that gives you a start.

 

[Lain]

You might get better responses and ideas on the California & the West board.

 

[pblack]

Carmel/Monterey area is great. Especially Carmel, it's a very cute little beach town. While in SF you must try Boudin (2 different locations on the wharf/pier) they have the best sour dough bread. Santa Cruz can also be a fun little stop. It's only about 30-45 minutes from the Monterey/Carmel area so you could essentially hit up all 3 in one day. The 17 mile drive may also be of interest to you. https://www.pebblebeach.com/17-mile-drive/ They do charge for this though so I would have cash on you.

 

[Lvsdisney]

If you a Lost Boys fan you may get a get out of Santa Cruz. Otherwise it was pretty much a normal beach town/boardwalk (IMHO). I agree with PP that Carmel or Monterey would be fun.
Big Sur or any of the big trees to me is a must. They are absolutely incredible.
If you're a wine drinker, I would do a winery.

These are all Northern Cali stuff. I haven't been to SoCal in many years, but I remember loving the SD Zoo.

Have fun!!

 

[Albort]

Big Sur or any of the big trees to me is a must. They are absolutely incredible.

Keep in mind about Big Sur...
http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/highway_conditions.html

 

[busy mom]

Lain - Thanks for that suggestion!

Many great ideas...keep em' coming! I also appreciate the details on Big Sur Albort.

 

[StarCruiser]

Solvang is a cool little town about an hour north of Santa Barbara: http://www.solvangusa.com/
There are also several wineries in Santa Barbara County. Bridlewood is one of my favorites: www.bridlewoodestatewinery.com/
Fess Parker winery is also in the area, if you're a fan.
There are a couple of quality steakhouses in the area as well: Far Western in Orcutt (www.farwesterntavern.com/) and Hitching Post in Casmalia (https://www.hitchingpost1.com/)
Cold Springs Tavern is also a cool little place on an old stagecoach road (http://www.coldspringtavern.com/index.html). They have a neat Tri-tip BBQ on Saturday and Sunday, but it sounds like you won't be in the area on those days.

HTH. Have a great trip.

 

[RangerPooh]

I miss the Santa Cruz area as I grew up 30 minutes away from there. If you are not from the area (and doesn't sound like you are), then I would suggest checking out the coast redwoods at Big Basin State Park. You can easily fold this into a Santa Cruz day. Head over HWY 9 from the San Jose area, spend a few hours hiking and then continue to the beach. If you have little ones who like trains there's also Roaring Camp-Big Trees Railroad.

In Monterrey there's also the aquarium. IMO it's the best! I've been to the Georgia Aquarium which loads of people rave about, but I wasn't that impressed by anything there other than the whale shark. The MBA is located right on the ocean in Cannery Row (John Steinbeck wrote a book called Cannery Row). You could also venture down the coast to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and check out the stunning coastline. Keep in mind that the Big Sur Highway is currently closed for a large section south of Carmel towards Cambria due to landslides last winter.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I lived on the Monterey Peninsula for 16 years. It's beautiful there and worth a stop. In Monterey: Cannery Row. There you will find the Monterey Bay Aquarium and tourist places like Bubba Gumps. But if you want a great place to eat where the locals go, it's Awakenings. Right across the street from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Heads up, they're only open till 2 p.m. and it's very popular. The "night life" in Monterey is on Alvarado. A couple of bars, restaurants, etc. A popular spot there is Rosine's (check at their desserts!). Another stop in Monterey, which is right down from Cannery Row is Fisherman's Wharf. It's small, a tourist spot, etc. If you like seafood, I'd suggest not having it there, it's very expensive. The best seafood in the area (again, where locals go) is in the next town over called Seaside. The Fishwife and Monterey Fish House. Check hours and days they're open because it really varies. If you leave Monterey, say directly from the aquarium and drive right along the ocean, you'll get to Pacific Grove. It's a cute little town but not much to do and see but the short drive along the coast is pretty. If you keep driving that way, it will take you into Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach is a gated community and has a gate on the Pebble Beach side and the more popular one right off Highway 68/1. There you can do 17 mile drive, a must see is the lone Cypress. There is also The Lodge at Pebble Beach. It has a pretty popular restaurant called Roys. If you don't want a meal but want to go a see the sites, you can always go outside and order small bites and drinks and take in the BEAUTIFUL scenery. TIP: get there before sunset and you can watch/hear the bagpiper come out and play. Carmel is really 3 areas: Carmel by the Sea, Carmel Valley and Carmel Highlands. Carmel by the Sea if a must do. Very, very cute town with shopping (some very high end) and some of the best restaurants/food I've ever had! Our go to places to eat in Carmel by the Sea are Club Jalapeno (Mexican), Little Napoli (Italian), and Tommy Woks (Chinese). There is also a place called the Tuck House. A darling little cottage that serves food, but check times/days of operations. Also go to Carmel Beach. One of the most beautiful beaches. Before you go to the beach, grab some wine, cheese and crackers and enjoy. Highly recommend. Carmel Valley is a place for wine tasting but it's no Napa. Carmel Highlands has some very pretty state parks/beaches. Very popular with hikers. If you keep driving from Monterey, to Pacific Grove, to Carmel and keep going thru the Highlands, you get to Big Sur. But you need to check conditions because of fires in recent years. They've had rock slides and many road closures. You'll eventually see signs for Hearst Castle. You'll need tickets for that. If you're driving that route, right along the coast, be careful. It's also takes longer.

 

[LizzyS]

The Walt Disney Family Museum is in San Francisco, if I'm remembering correctly.

I've also done a bike tour of La Jolla before and that was amazing.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

We did a trip like that once, but ours was only driving down from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Check road conditions before you go, and my best tip is to be spontaneous. If you see something that looks fun - make that detour! Have a great trip!

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

The Walt Disney Family Museum is in San Francisco, if I'm remembering correctly.

I've also done a bike tour of La Jolla before and that was amazing.

The Walt Disney Family Museum is indeed in San Francisco (Presidio) and is an incredible experience although I wouldn't go with small children (under 8). It's A LOT of information and not so much hands on or entertaining (for a child any way) like you'd think with it being Disney. But it is a wonderful, wonderful museum for older children and especially adults. It is great for everyone - not just Disney fans! If you do go, plan for a minimum of 3 hours but you could realistically spend 4-5 hours if you take your time through it all.

You should 100% visit Hearst Castle. It's a beautiful place to visit. Last time we ventured up that way we did an Air B&B in Cambria for a few days but not necessary to spend that much time there.

There's a billion things to do in L.A. if you plan to visit there. The Getty Center is a popular site among the locals. Of course Hollywood and the Hollywood Sign. Olvera Street is a cute little authentic Mexican village located across the street from L.A. Union Station and a block away is Philippe's the Original (Famous for their French Dipped sandwich of which I've consumed about 300 of in my lifetime - 5 generations of my family have enjoyed those sandwiches!). You might be interested in a tour of Dodger Stadium as it is a pretty historical spot for sport's fans or not. All of that from Olvera Street to Dodger Stadium are located within about 3 miles of each other.

Santa Monica (west of L.A.) has a famous pier with lots of fun things to do.

Of course you have Universal Studios just north of L.A. but if you have experienced USO you may not be too thrilled with our's. Knott's Berry Farm is a miss for me. But please, please do Disneyland if it's not already on your list. There is just something special about it. I love WDW but something about Disneyland is just very charming and unique.

Orange County, other than Disneyland doesn't have much more to offer. Although, I do love the Huntington Beach pier and the fire pits on a nice evening to enjoy the sunset and roast mallows It's our go-to, local beach. Another fun spot is Balboa Island in Newport Beach, just south of Huntington. We like to take the ferry - my kids get a kick out of the 5 minute ride They have cute little shops and restaurants and it's just nice to walk along the sea wall at sunset or rent a bike. You can also rent duffys and such there or perhaps ride the ferris wheel.

Then San Diego has lots as many have already mentioned. The San Diego Zoo is world famous. I also enjoy the Safari Park. Sea World is there as is Legoland (Carlsbad) but I loathe Legoland and would not recommend it unless you have really small children. (Even then it's excruciating for me to go )

That's about all I can think of right now but would be happy to answer any questions!

 

[clutter]

We went to CA for the first time in a LONG time about 5 years ago. What a great trip!

In spite of having been there many many times in the past, this one was my first time to Sequoia National Park. Simply loved it. We also loved the San Diego Zoo and it's Safari Park. At both, we invested in one of the more in-depth tours. Well worth it.

But one of our favorites was the Warner Bros tour in LA. That was bunch of fun.

In San Diego, we stayed at a Best Western that was on the ocean in Pacific Beach. Very eclectic place, but we loved it. Had the best breakfast ever there, but the 50 year old restaurant sold out a couple years later. Otherwise, I'd tell you it would be worth the search to find it. More recently, we did a whale watching tour in San Diego and enjoyed it. And in San Diego, there's a bakery/restaurant called Extraordinary Desserts. Holy cow.