what to do driving from san francisco to los angeles
The legendary San Francisco to Los Angeles roadtrip is, of grade, epic. Driving the Pacific Coast Highway is on many people's saucepan lists, and it was certainly i of my 'must-dos'.
Despite having driven around the Us for the last 5 months, nosotros put a lot of idea when planning this stretch of the roadtrip, equally my mother was visiting us from Portugal, and nosotros would need to cut down as many long stretches of driving as possible.
In this article I'm sharing what we did, plus what I wish we had done instead, as now we've been through it, there are some things I wish I had known before setting off. Hopefully if y'all're planning your own San Francisco to Los Angeles roadtrip, it volition be of some help.
If I could practise information technology differently, I would stop in Monterrey/Carmel for one dark, and spend another nighttime in Big Sur/Avila as it would've given us more time to explore both Monterrey and Carmel, but also drive through Big Sur during the twenty-four hours (more on that later!).
I knew nosotros'd been lucky during our San Francisco calendar week-long intermission when the worst traffic nosotros experienced was a 10 infinitesimal delay in Sausalito. The nightmare traffic-jam we got stuck in when we left for LA was a whole different business organisation. It took united states hours just to leave the Bay area, which skewed our plans dramatically and meant skipping Monterey to my huge disappointment, and passing through Big Sur an hour later than expected at sundown, missing nearly of the views. Middle-rending.
SANTA CRUZ
We reached Santa Cruz in the early on-afternoon, looking to catch a quick lunch and run across the beach before making our way further south. We lucked out with a great former-schoolhouse burger articulation called Betty's Burgers exterior the main fun-fair and away from all the (other) tourists.
We had promised our son a quick stop at the fairground then parked up about the beach and hit the coasters. The seaside park didn't disappoint, its beautiful sundae-coloured rides a sweet memory of something I'd never seen in person before. Just gorgeous. The sun was blazing hot though, and I'thousand afraid we didn't concluding long (long enough for me to get snap-happy though!).
CARMEL By THE SEA (17 MILE DRIVE)
Carmel-by-the-Ocean is where yous discover the really iconic 17 mile stretch, an exclusive route that leads you lot through luxurious driveways, the very picturesque boondocks and the famous Solitary Cypress tree (pictured) and Pebble Embankment. Nosotros didn't have enough time to spend in Carmel, and would've loved at least a couple of hours to explore.
TIP: There is a $ten archway fee for the drive
AVILA & PISMO BEACH
The whole W coast is dotted with picturesque seaside towns, pastel-coloured houses and Avila is no exception. We didn't know what to wait around here, just were pleasantly surprised to find a charming niggling beach town, with a long sandy beach, a pier and a quaint seafront.
We spent a full day in Pismo beach, where our son tried bodyboarding for the first fourth dimension (rentals for $5), I dropped my mums phone in the sea whilst trying to snap a photograph of him riding the (very tame) waves, rushed to get some rice to soak it in (it yet died) and too where we were lucky enough to catch the Sunday food market where I snapped up a lobster taco for $vii! It was a simple only memorable family day out.
SANTA BARBARA
On our mode to LA from Avila, we stopped in Santa Barbara for lunch, and it was another 1 of those missed opportunities. Anybody was hangry and tired, so nosotros settled for a sub-par dejeuner by the beach. It wasn't the best only it did the chore. Nosotros spent a few hours relaxing on the beach, where we managed to catch a glimpse of a California-trademark red lifeguard'south choice-up before making our way further due south. The road looked a little busy, and nosotros were all anxious to become going.
MALIBU
Next on our list was a cheeky finish on ane of Malibu's many beaches earlier we made our manner into the City of Angels. After struggling to find a motorcar parking spot and getting stuck in traffic for quite a while, nosotros settled for a random space by some beautiful houses, where we found a fashion onto the sands through an alleyway – BINGO!
The houses behind united states were make clean-lined, modern white and glass villas, the sea a vibrant blue, and there was an incredible party vibe on the embankment. Nosotros couldn't resist the gentle rolling waves, the warm sand and ended up staying until sunset – the best decision we made.
LA
We finally made it to LA at night-fourth dimension. The city was going to be ours for 4 days…Notice out what else we got upwardly to in Los Angeles.
Take you washed the San Francisco to LA roadtrip? Have whatsoever tips you lot'd like to share?
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Source: https://onetinyleap.com/travel-usa-california-san-francisco-la-roadtrip-kids/
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