It's a lot of driving, but the only thing I would recommend changing is Tuesday - I'd drive only as far as Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove, and finish the drive to Napa or Sonoma on Wednesday. That way, you wouldn't be in a rush driving up the coast.

Thanks! That makes alot more sense. Where would you recommend stopping on Monday?

I would recommend Cambria - it's a charming little seaside town - shops and restaurants - and it's quite close to San Simeon, which is where Hearst Castle is located, should you want to take a tour (the only way you can visit the house itself).

I agree with sf, also note that there are other wineries in California that you will be near, such as Santa Ynez Valley, inland and north of Santa Barbara, Paso Robles area just a few miles inland from Cambria, also San Luis Obispo area, most of those would be less pricey and crowded than Napa/Sonoma.

Just above Santa Barbara - west of the Danish themed town of Solvang (which is in the Santa Ynez Valley/area) - are the Santa Rita Hills - a nice appellation for both Pinot and Chardonnay.

Also - in Solvang are several good tasting rooms/retailers. You could visit some wineries/tasting rooms http://www.solvangusa.com/explore-solvang/what-to-do/wine-country/wineries-and-tasting-rooms/ and stay the night.

You might watch the movie Sideways for a little more info. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375063/

The next day - continue on to say Hearst Castle for a late morning tour - and then finish driving through beautiful Big Sur into Carmel/Monterrey.

Hey - taking an extra day on the Coast ain't all bad.

Or - head inland from Cambria to one of the B & B's at the wineries along route 46 - toward Paso Robles. http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/paso-robles-wineries-2.html

Our nephew spent his honeymoon at Justin Vinyard - and they loved it. http://www.justinwine.com/

Change of pace, but there are also a number of emerging wineries in the Gold Rush country (Sierra foothills), and that area is seriously beautiful in the spring - lots of historic towns and back roads.

Oooh thanks for all the tips! I will have to research all of these places. I remember loving the Santa Barbara area as a kid.

Let's see - you are leaving LA on Monday morning and might encounter horrible rush hour traffic. Then you might see more rush hour traffic as you near San Jose, San Francisco, and maybe even Santa Rosa. Your Mon & Tuesday schedule will consume a lot more sitting-in-the-car time than you think.

This is just my opinion, but for a first-timer in very early April, I think you might find the Big Sur coast, Hearst Castle, Big Sur (Nepenthe), Pt Lobos, and Carmel/Monterey a lot more interesting than the Napa Valley. And a lot less time in the car also. You want to do the Big Sur coast SLOWLY.

I would visit the wineries in Paso Robles, and end the trip in San Francisco without going to the Napa Valley.

Here are some SF Bay Area ideas:
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/san-francisco---stu-dudleys-recommendations.cfm

Stu Dudley

I agree with the other posters regarding skipping Napa/Sonoma. Both the Santa Ynez area and Paso Robles are well with visting and will fit in better with your time frame. From Santa Barbara to Monterey County are tons of vineyards and wineries to visit.

Just to be clear - I for one wasn't suggesting skipping Napa/Sonomaa but rather perhaps allocating another day to the drive up the Coast and taking in a winery or two on the way.

As for leaving LA on a Monday morning - coffee up and get out at Oh Dark thirty and beat the rush hour traffic (enjoy a Danish pastry in Solvang for breakfast?) - or have a nice breakfast and head out after it's over - say 9 AM or so.

And from the Carmel area - you can cut over to the Napa area and mostly avoid the heavy Bay Area traffic (early on a Wed afternoon? http://www.distancebetweencities.net/napa_ca_and_carmel_ca/route ) - and driving into the city from there is fine on on a Saturday am - couple hours or so.

Do a little research on the Amtrak Coast Starlight (14) from LAX to Santa Barbara to avoid the Monday morning traffic. Rent you car in SB or take the city bus out to the the airport to rent your car.
You get the chance to look at the Pacific ocean all morning without driving. You also get to have a late lunch in Santa Barbara before heading north as far as you wish.

@StuDudley, thanks for your advice. I have been to Monterrey, Big Sur and Hearst Castle, but have never taken the time to explore the Napa area which is why I was so interested in that. Would you all really suggest spending time in the Santa Ynez vineyards over Napa/Sonoma? Why? Is Napa/Sonoma overrated or is it just because it would fit in better with our itinerary? Thanks!

Also, @StuDudley, I really enjoyed browsing through your guide that you posted, will have to read it thouroughly. Thanks!

BTW - not all of us recommended the Santa Rita Hills/Santa Ynez Valley over Napa. I think it's a nice area to explore/enjoy - but Napa is still King.

Napa has gotten more congested and expensive over the years - but it is still THE wine area for California.

Personally - I/we prefer the cute little town square of Sonoma as a base - and everything is stil within an hour or so drive from there.

Here's a bit more info on the Napa v. Sonoma choice of where to visit - and if you are going to visit a number of wineries - you might consider some kind of shuttle.

This one also has some good background info: http://www.blueherontours.com/newsletter.asp?number=21

and http://www.yelp.com/topic/san-francisco-sonoma-or-napa-which-is-best-and-specific-wineries-and-shuttles-to-from-sf

Napa/Sonoma is beautiful and not overrated. I think the other ares were suggested because they would work into your itinerary better and save you the long drive up to N. Cal. If you visited Santa Ynez, you could slow it down and then go in and out of LA. If you have your heart set on Napa, then go for it, or save N. Cal for another trip. In April, the hills will be green, but the grapes will just be waking up and doing their bud break.

Hi all, I really do have my heart set on the north and I have always wanted to do the road trip along the coast, but I don't feel the need to stop and see everything because I did this trip many times as a kid. I am thinking it would be wiser to start our trip up north and work our way south, saving LA for last since this is the most flexible part of our trip. (We would be staying with family so won't have to worry about hotel reservations and if our time in LA gets cut short it won't be that big of a deal) Here is my revised itinerary:

Day 1 (Sat): Fly into San Francisco, get an early flight.
Day 2 (Sun): Either stay in San Fran today or head out to Sonoma. This will depend on what we want to do in SF as we have already been here before and won't need to cross anything off a checklist.
Day 3 (Mon): Base ourselves in Sonoma and spend time touring Sonoma/Napa area.
Day 4 (Tues): Sonoma
Day 5 (Wed): Start road trip down coast, visit Monterrey and stay somewhere along Big Sur overnight.
Day 6 (Thurs): Flexible day, either drive the rest of the way to LA or stop somewhere overnight before finishing the trip. I haven't worked out exactly what we will want to see on the drive down. So far, from your suggestions, I am considering Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez and Paso Robles.
Day 7 (Fri): LA
Day 8 (Sat): LA
Day 9 (Sun): Fly Home.

What do you think?

I think that's excellent, although I'd probably plan to sleep in the Monterey area on Day 5, and head down the coast starting the next morning!

Here's a link to a day-trip we took a couple of years ago, starting just south of SFO and ending in the Big Sur area (and returning the same day):

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/little-trip-report-day-trip-down-the-ca-coast-part-way.cfm?38

For nights 5 and 6 do you think we would need to make hotel reservations? Or could we just wing it? I usually make reservations in advance but for the road trip part of this vacation I am partial to the idea of not making them. This would give us some flexibility.

Cambria would maybe be a better stop than Paso, it is on the ocean, Paso is only a few miles inland on Route 46, plenty of wineries to visit along there. We have stayed in both, last trip stayed at the Paso Robles Inn. In Cambria look into staying somewhere along Moonstone Beach.
If you do go to Sonoma (visited with my late husband 7 years ago) look into sharing a glass to cut down on tasting fees and the amount of vino consumed. Also you do not have to taste every wine, we preferred reds and would skip all or most of the whites and head straight to tasting the reds.

Please don't only look at flights to SFO. Oakland and San Jose would also work into your latest plan.
If there is a drop off fee involved, drive back up I-5 and turn in where you rented on day 9 and take the red-eye home.
LAX and SFO are among my least favorite airports.
Santa Barbara has a nice airport with good bus service to downtown SB.

>>For nights 5 and 6 do you think we would need to make hotel reservations? <<

You're doing this during Easter vacation - right????

Once you get past Carmel, there are not many places to stay until you get to San Simeon/Cambria. You don't want to roll into Big Sur and find it "sold out" and have to continue on, or backtrack.

Stu Dudley

The dates for our trip are April 6-April 14, I believe Easter is March 31st, but this will be spring break for alot of folks. I didn't know what the hotel availability is like along the coast during this time of the year.

Would certainly check ahead on reservations in the Big Sur area - since - as noted - there a limited # of places. You will get a much better feel for availability if you do check ahead at some of the places, and maybe even make a reservation - but just be sure to know their cancellation policy.

And Moonstone Beach in Cambria is just beautiful: http://www.cambriachamber.org/motels-beach.php

Personally - I would leave Sonoma in the early afternoon on say - Tues - heading over to Carmel/Monterrey - and stay the night there - or an hour south somewhere in Big Sur.

Then the next day - really enjoy taking in everything in Big Sur area - and maybe spend the night in Cambria and visit Hearst Castle early the following day - and then finish up as time allows.

Ok, so our plans have changed a little bit and we need to fly home on Friday, April 7th (after all of that planning!). This gives us 6 nights and 5 1/2 days of time on the ground. We've decided to fly in and out of SFO and concentrate our time up north. As much as I would love to visit LA, we will have to save that for another trip. We would still like to spend one day in SF, visit Sonoma/Napa and see Big Sur/Monterey if possible. Below is my revised itinerary (again, I know, I'm sorry!!):

Sat: Fly into SFO, pick up rental car and head straight for Sonoma.
Sun: Sonoma
Mon: Drive to Big Sur, stop in Monterey on the way.
Tues: Stay somewhere in Big Sur.
Wed: Head back up to SF.
Thurs: SF
Fri: Fly home in the morning.

What do you think? Too much driving/moving around? I would like to see Muir woods, as we didn't go there the last time we were in SF. Should we see that on Wed before heading into the city and dropping off the rental car?

You could stop by Muir Woods on your way to Sonoma (see map below - it's in Marin county 11 miles from the Golden Gate) - or drive there from SF when you return on Wed.

http://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/directions.htm

Actually - you could also drive over on Thursday - assuming you keep the car another day.

That's a lot of driving on Monday - a work/commute day. For many reasons, I think Healdsburg is a lot more interesting/scenic place to stay than the town of Sonoma - but Sonoma is OK.

Anyway, here is what Monday might look like:

- Leave Sonoma early in the morning. Stop & visit Muir Woods. I would not visit Muir Woods on Saturday (your arrival day) at Easter/Spring Break Saturday because it may be "sold out. And if not - certainly crowded. It is a 1 1/4 hr drive from the town of Sonoma to Muir Woods. You may hit some commute traffic through San Rafael. I have not visited Muir Woods in over 35 years, so I don't recall how long a visit will take - perhaps 1 1/2 hrs. So if you leave Sonoma at 9:00 you will finish Muir Woods at 11:30-12:00 or so.

- Drive on to Monterey. Do not take any East Bay route that Mapquest may suggest - ugly, ugly, ugly. Take Hwy 280 from San Francisco (a very scenic drive). It is a 3 hr drive so you should get to Monterey around 2:30-3:00PM. I don't know what you want to visit in Monterey. Almost anything will take several hours - but you don't have several hours.

- Continue on to Big Sur. It is a 3/4 to 1 hr drive from Monterey with minimal stops. If you don't do anything in Monterey you'll get to Big Sur around 3:30-4:00PM.

You will have been in the car driving for 5 to 5 1/2 hrs with perhaps only 1 stop (Muir Woods) along the way. IMO, that's a very high "getting there" to "being there" ratio.

Wednesday, head out of Big Sur & visit Pt Lobos on the way to SF.

Stu Dudley

Looking at the revised schedule, I would do a price comparison of flying to Oakland, San Jose or even Sacramento airports. You don't want to drive through San Francisco twice when you can avoid it and probably pay less for the rental car as well.

@Stu Dudley, that is exactly what I needed. It's hard to tell what the drive will be like when you have never done it before.
@romfuller, prices were higher to fly in or out of san jose and oakland last time i checked, which was a few days ago.

Ok, so I guess I can't have it all! I was really hoping to visit Sonoma/Napa and Big Sur. It looks like I may need to pick either one or the other to avoid too much driving.

If you think driving through places you haven't seen is going to be drudgery - than I guess perhaps you should not try it.

If it were me - and you didn't stop by Muir Woods on the way to Sonoma - then I would leave Sonoma after a nice breakfast, and you probably would not hit any real traffic on the way to Muir Woods, then stretch the legs in Muir Woods - and then drive through SF (over the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge) - and on down hiway 280 to head toward Carmel/Monterrey.

You could take a short break many places along the way - or if you continued on through to Cannery Row in Monterrey - it's a great place for a late lunch - or grabbing a Starbucks while walking around - and then finish up driving to your "pad" in Big Sur.

No real big problem as far as I see it.

Five days to do both Sonoma wine country and Big Sur. I don't know. Sounds like a lot of time in the car.

Have you thought about flying in/out of Sacramento(SMF). It is my home airport and very easy to get to the Napa/Sonoma area. Much smaller airport than SFO. Just a thought.

What if we base ourselves in Monterey or Carmel and drive through Big Sur as a daytrip?

.... I just would hate to go all that way and not re-visit Monterey and Big Sur. We live in Atlanta and don't make it to the west coast too often.

nspotz.

I would not entirely rule out the Wine Country. I sense that you really want to visit it. Perhaps give up San Francisco - or only visit it for a day since you've already been there.

Consider:
- Sat - Healdsburg
- Sun - Healdsburg & Dry Creek Valley, Russian River
- Monday - drive through the beautiful Alexander Valley on the way to Calistoga and the Napa Valley. Spend much of the day in the Napa Valley. Then on to Muir Woods. Spend the night on Lombard Street in SF in a motel (choose one with free car parking) & explore Union St, Chestnut St, Crissy Field. Have dinner on Union St at Betelnut.
- Tues drive down to Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove/Big Sur area & stay.
- Wed Big Sur. Nepenthe, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State park/waterfall
- Thurs Visit Pt Lobos, Carmel, etc Drive along the coast through Santa Cruz, along the San Mateo Coast, and spend the night at a B&B in Half Moon Bay. Consider San Benito house for the B&B & dinner (don't know if it still does this). Explore Main St in Half Moon Bay.
- Fri Drive 45 mins to SFO & fly home

Check the link I gave you for info on Healdsburg/Dry Creek/Alexander Valley/Napa Valley.

Stu Dudley

As far as driving - it all depends on how you travel. I for one find it energizing and like driving and seeing the scenery pass by - and if you had one day with some longer car time out of the six, what's the big deal?

You would probably find more accommodations in the Carmel/Monterrey area than Big Sur - and it's easy to take a nice drive through Big Sur from Carmel/Mont - and return.

Also - you would be a little closer to San Francisco when you returned.

Would also check ahead with Muir Woods and see what they offer on a Sat (as it has been a while since I went through the "front gate" - as a friend of mine lived in the woods by Mill Valley and his place backed right up to Muir Woods) and depending on how much time you have on Sat - stop by on your way to Sonoma.

Then, you could leave Sonoma later on Monday if you wished - just as long as you get through SF before 2 PM or so - and be on your way to Carmel/Monterrey.

You could also add another day to your stay in the Carmel area (or spend a night in Big Sur and then two days in Carmel?) - and head back to SF Thursday morning?

Check out this map of the Big Sur for more information/ideas. http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/map.html

BTW - just read Stu's last suggestions - and that could work too. Guess I was typing mine while he was posting.

Anywho - it's all up to you as to how you want to do it. You have five and a half to six days on the ground - right? (not counting your departure date) - so it would certainly be doable for moi.

One more thing: I like to keep some flexibility (when possible) in my travel plans.

And applying it to your possible schedule - suggest you check ahead to see about the mid-week availability of aon Lombard St in SF - and if you don't need a firm reservation - you could see how it goes on the day you depart Sonoma - and decide if you want to visit Muir Woods that day - or just head on down to Carmel and think about coming back later.

On the Carmel end - after checking - you should also have an idea about accommodations there and also in Big Sur - and how much flexibility you could have in your dates there.

@Tomsd, I agree with your philosphy on driving. If you are driving through beautiful scenery and have time to make lots of stops, then getting there is half the fun! My husband and I drove around Ireland last year and it was a blast. We had a few days of very long driving, but since we were there for two weeks it wasn't that bad. My only concern is since this trip is much shorter I do not want to feel like we spent the majority of the trip in the car getting from one place to another.

The reasons I am considering saving SF for last are: I do not want a car in the city, and I like the idea of being closer to the airport the night before our flight leaves.

So far, I am considering spending the first two nights in the Sonoma area (will have to research Healdsburg as StuDudley suggested). Then driving down to Monterey or Carmel and basing ourselves there for the next two nights, spending the second day exploring Big Sur. On Wednesday we would make our way back to SF, drop off the rental car and spend Wed and Thurs night in SF before flying out on Friday morning. My main concern with this is if one full day in Sonoma will be enough time to get a "taste" of the area. We would be getting there in the afternoon on Sat, so our only full day would be Sunday. Of course, we could take our time getting to Monterey on Monday if we wanted to stay in the area a little longer.

If you check ahead - on Sat - you might be able to get to a winery or two in the area you finally choose - assuming you arrive before say 4 PM.

We like Healdsburg - but know Sonoma better as my brother in law had a small ranch outside of Sonoma.

I think wineries such as Gundlach Bundschu - ( http://www.gunbun.com/index.cfm?method=homepage.showpage - call ahead to confirm their April hours, or what they might be able to do for you on a tour, etc) or one in the nearby Carneros region might be still open on Sat when you arrive - ( http://winequesters.com/California-wineries/Carneros-wineries.php )and Gloria Ferrer bubbly might also be a good visit. http://www.gloriaferrer.com/

If you do stay in or near the town of Sonoma - think they might also have some wine tasting opportunities available at some of the wine shops - such as this one? http://www.yelp.com/biz/sonoma-wine-shop-sonoma - or in the plaza? http://tinyurl.com/3awt727

And you could also drive around Napa/Sonoma a bit on the day you leave (may have breakfast up in Calistoga - the mud bath haven) - but again - try to get through the City by say 2 PM to avoid the heavier traffic.

You are doing two nights in each place, which will be OK for getting a taste of these areas. You will have one full day of wine tasting in Sonoma/Napa. Unless you are a huge wine fan, that will be plenty. How much can you drink in a day? 3 wineries in a day is plenty for me. Plan on Sat night to have a great meal and relax. You can also do wine tasting in Monterey County and the Carmel Valley. Carmel Valley has small, boutique wineries and will be green and beautiful that time of year- if you want to taste more wine....

Stick with your plan. You will have a great time!

>>The reasons I am considering saving SF for last are: I do not want a car in the city<<<

You are going to be driving through the City anyway. What's the "big deal" about pulling into a motel on Lombard street (4 lane blvd, right off the GG bridge), parking the car in a motel garage, and then enjoying the Cow Hollow, Marina, and Crissy Fields areas. Even Polk St is within walking distance. The Marina/Cow Hollow area is very easy to drive in. Next morning back in the car, through the City on Gough (wide one-way for most of the trip) to Central Freeway, to 101 Fwy, to 280 fwy. How had you planned to get rid of the car if you visit SF last??? Return it at the airport, taxi to the city??? That will consume some valuable time.

We lived in SF for 7 years, and then near SFO (our house is 20 mins from Half Moon Bay - which we visit frequently - just 3 days ago) for the last 31 years.


>>> and I like the idea of being closer to the airport the night before our flight leaves.<<

Half Moon Bay is 28 minutes from SFO, according to Mapquest and my own experience. Union Square in SF is 20 mins from SFO - longer if you are staying at the Wharf (ugh). There is massive construction in & around Union Square, and also on the way to 101 from Union Square. That may cause delays also. It does for us when we visit the Union Sq area by car.

Stu Dudley

Have you considered taking the red-eye? Or has it been suggested? Instead of "wasting" a day in flight here and then another whole day in flight back, you can gain two days for your vacation. Or, depending on how well you sleep on planes, you can take the redeye back but take a daytime flight out here. Just a suggestion.

When you do get to Sonoma/Healdsberg/Napa - and somebody may have mentioned this - there are really two main roads up and down the Napa Valley, one being hiway 29 - and the other the Silverado trail.

Now if you are in Sonoma - you could easily find plenty to do there for a couple of days/nights - but if you really wanted to explore - you could drive up one of these - and then return down the other if you want to see/cruise most of the greater Napa Valley.

http://napavalley.com/visitorsinfo/Napa_Valley_Winery_Map.pdf and http://www.napavintners.com/maps/maps_of_napa_wineries.asp

And while I haven't tried it - my wife and sister liked the mud bath experience in Calistoga - at least once that is. It's at the far end of the Napa Valley - if you are coming from Sonoma.

Calistoga also has a cute town area - and one of our favorite wineries - Chateau Montelena. We knew the former owner (may he RIP) and enjoyed touring the winery. http://www.montelena.com/visit/tastingRoom

And I think it's at Buena Vista (which is in Sonoma but I always get it mixed up with Beaulieu - in Rutherford - perhaps because Beaulieu has BV on their labels - for Beaulieu Winery) - where they have a classic wine cave - assuming they are still taking tours through it. Years ago - before the build up in car traffic - we loved riding our bicycles around the area and this was always one of our favorite stops.

See http://www.buenavistawinery.com/ and it's great history: http://www.buenavistawinery.com/about-us/the-entire-story

And here is Beaulieu - which also has a great history. http://www.bvwines.com/home

Sent an email to Buena Vista Winery - inquiring about their wine cellars and received this in return from Ms. Haynes;

Good Morning Tom:

Buena Vista Winery just recently opened it's Historical Champagne Cellar & Caves. We offer history tour and barrel tastings of the facility at 11:00am and 2:00pm everyday, $30.00 per person. On Saturday we offer a tour and tasting with The Count of Buena Vista at 10:00am and 1:00pm, $20.00 per person. If this is something that you might be interested in please give us a call to book your reservation. We look forward to your visit.

Thanks Tom! I will look into that!

You have to spend some time in Santa Barbara ... California's most beautiful town.

I agree with Taos6: You MUST stop in Santa Barbara. I went to UCSB and it's the most fabulous little chic beach town. Walk up and down State Street for great cafes and shopping. If you can, take the 10 minute drive down to Montecito (one or two freeway exits south). Oprah has a house in the estates as do many others (Kevin Costner, too). Again, great shops and cafes in downtown Montecito - a VERY upscale, yet quaint beach side town that is unforgettable.

Santa Barbara is a lovely town with great weather - and more homeless people per linear foot on State Street than even in San Francisco. It was downright shocking.