Too bad you aren't able to venture farther north - or can you? Redwood National Park is indescribable. We are watching our vacation DVD as I write...

You might well start a bit north of SF and drive south.

From there - the #1 attraction - IMO - is the drive along the Big Sur area, although from the Cliff House in SF - down to Half Moon Bay and on into Monterrey/Carmel is certainly worth the time.

In Monterrey - the Aquarium is a must see - and you will be on Cannery Row - and I love the 17 mile drive.

From there - the Pt. Lobos Reserve is great (dove off there years ago) - and I also love touring Hearst Castle.

Heading inland from Cambria on 46 to see some of the notable Paso Robles wineries is a treat - and the wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley are also worth note - as is the Danish themed village of Solvang. Oops - you might want to see the neat "rock" at Morro Bay.

OK - not sure how many that adds up to - but when you get to SD - be sure to get to the Safari Park (formerly called the Wild Animal Park) and over the beautiful Coronado Bridge to the Hotel Del.

One of our best times was spent in Pt. Lobos at the recommendation of Fodorites. Have some good pics of jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Acquarium, but honestly didn't think it was all THAT awesome comparatively.

Haven't been up to Mendocino for many years since I moved from San Fran area... but the shoreline there was a "best memory."

Just got back from a couple weeks in Carlsbad on the ocean and San Diego area... things flatten out quite a bit. I prefer the ocean views with cliff drop-offs, rocks in the water, etc. - don't expect that so much there.

We used to make an annual trek from the San Fran Bay Area to relatives north of Seattle, a 3 day trip. Stopped at Eureka or Crescent City, to spend time in northern California, then along the Oregon coast to enjoy that area. Crescent City is convenient but a little homely, and farther north than you plan anyway.

Point Lobos, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Pacific Grove hiking/biking coastal trail, Carmel by the Sea village, the drive from Carmel to Big Sur.

Different strokes for different folks. I think the Monterrey Aquarium is amazing and I have been to a number.

Add to that getting out to some tide pools, and you will have some memorable times from this trip.

More on Pt. Reyes, and here in SD - get down to the tide pools below Cabrillo Point - which also has a neat museum.

http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm

Oops. I like Pt. Reyes also - north of SF, but Pt. Lobos is down by Monterrey. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=571

1. Pt Reyes - Oyster Farm & nice beaches, hikes
2. Muir Woods then on to the Marin Headlands for the best views of the GG Bridge, nice beach & youth hostel for all ages.
3. Ano Nuevo State park (San Mateo)- View Elephant Seals then on to Monterey - Monterey Bay Aquarium (can even sleep overnight there inside aquarium certain nights in July)
4. Big Sur - Fernwood Tent cabins, hikes
5. Catalina Island - Take a ferry fr. L.A.
ENJOY!

Hmmmm....

Mt. Tam -- I think it was this hike we took -- the view was one of the most awesome I've encountered, and I've lived here for nearly 40 years. http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGS061-B13

Coast drive from Carmel to Big Sur, with a stop at Nepenthe for lunch or a snack

Pfeiffer Beach

Cambria village

The jellyfish (honestly, only the jellyfish) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The rest of the aquarium is nice, the jellyfish are spectacular.

Ahhh - love the views from Mt. Tam and the drive up. We used to get an "altitute adjustment" and then play frisbee in the meadow at the top. Great stuff that - waaaay back when.

And there is a ton of stuff that is very interesting at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, from the fresh fish to the saltwater, history of the area, and more. Honestly - much more than just jellyfish.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

I agree with sludick that you should start north instead of south on 101. Visit Redwood NP and then leave 101 in Crescent City and travel US 199 to Grants Pass OR. South on I-5 to Gold Hill and then over to Rt. 62 toward Crater Lake.
If you can't get lodging at the Crater Lake Lodge, try for the Prospect Hotel or a little cabin at Union Creek.
Depending on how much time you spend in Redwood you should be able to make it to Prospect in 9 hours.
Enter Crater Lake in the morning. Drive all the way around and then exit the south entrance onto Rt. 62 east to US 97 south which will take you past Upper Klamath Lake. I have on occasion seen Bald Eagles while driving past Upper Klamath Lake. US 97 takes you back to I-5 at Weed, CA. (great view of Mt. Shasta).
A magazine recently rated Crater Lake as one of the top 10 scenic places in the world.

I agree with sludick that you should start north instead of south on 101. Visit Redwood NP and then leave 101 in Crescent City and travel US 199 to Grants Pass OR. South on I-5 to Gold Hill and then over to Rt. 62 toward Crater Lake.
If you can't get lodging at the Crater Lake Lodge, try for the Prospect Hotel or a little cabin at Union Creek.
Depending on how much time you spend in Redwood you should be able to make it to Prospect in 9 hours.
Enter Crater Lake in the morning. Drive all the way around and then exit the south entrance onto Rt. 62 east to US 97 south which will take you past Upper Klamath Lake. I have on occasion seen Bald Eagles while driving past Upper Klamath Lake. US 97 takes you back to I-5 at Weed, CA. (great view of Mt. Shasta).
A magazine recently rated Crater Lake as one of the top 10 scenic places in the world.

Crater Lake is magnificent -- I didn't include it because it's so far north.

BTW, I'm not saying skip the aquarium -- it's really very nice. I just don't find anything to be a huge "wow" other than the jellyfish, and I also think it's pretty small overall.

Others on my list:

Tomales Bay (barbecued oysters at The Marshall Store)

Point Reyes Station (cute town with good restaurants and unique shops) (Tomales Bay, Point Reyes Station and Mt. Tam are a good combination for one day)

Berkeley and Stanford campuses

Big Basin

Capitola

Santa Cruz

Paso Robles

Oh, and not knowing exactly when you'll be there, there's this. We went last summer to see Maroon 5 and it was a blast:

http://www.midstatefair.com/

sf7: Monterrey Aquarium small? What do you think is big?

Even as one who has done a lot of snorkeling/diving - I was enthralled to see the exhibit with different reef fish, and there were many other exhibits that were very interesting.

And I have been to the great Scripps Aquarium here, the good one in Seattle (where the cagy octapus kept escaping from it's tank , in Hawaii, and can't remember how many other places.

I put Monterrey in the front rank with any of them.

Thanks all. I'm currently researching your suggestions. If you think of anything else, please inform.

Here are my top 5 in and close to the San Francisco Bay Area:

1) Do you like to hike?

A unique experience on a clear day is to take the ferry from Sausalito out to Angel Island and hike to its highest point, Mt. Livermore. You will get an unparalleled and beautiful view of almost the entire San Francisco Bay Area. You'll feel like you could almost reach out and touch Alcatraz.

2. The view from Hawk Hill in Marin County which is the closest you could get to the Golden Gate Bridge. You could drive further westward along Conzelman Road to the Point Bonita Lighthouse. (The best view is before you get to Hawk Hill right at the top of the first hill at the batteries - we can give you better directions if you're interested. Terrific area for photography!)

http://www.ggro.org/visit/

3. Cliff House, Sutro Baths area on the Western edge of San Francisco

5. Stanford University campus in Palo Alto(just to say you've been there!) Good for photography also.

4. Point Lobos State Reserve which is about two miles south of Carmel on Highway 1. One of the most beautiful spots along the coast.

5. Almost anywhere else - this is a beautiful area of the country! Much to explore!

PS: also agree that you should not miss Redwood National Park.

Re Easy's no. 3 - the Land's End Trail, which starts near the Cliff House, is a wonderful walk, again with fantastic views.

Point Lobos for sure, Big Sur, Los Olivos/Wineries, Nojoqui Falls Park, San Juan Capistrano.
July is difficult for finding one-night accomodation availability along the coast. Friday and Saturday especially. Some cozy places to keep in mind include howardjohnsonmonterey.com , sspines.com , shellbeachinn.com , coastvillageinn.com , emeraldiguana,com , marinaintlhotel.com , seaviewinnatthebeach.com , lagunariviera.com

Thanks all for suggestions!

Utrectman, are you from Utrecht, The Netherlands?