RichinPA

What is the shortest / quickest route from SF airport to Pebble Beach. Not interested in sight seeing on the way down. We come back to SF another day and will have time for seeing the views then.

We will be arriving at airport approximately 9:30 AM, so shuld be on the road within an hour or so after that.

Thanks to all

stumpworks73

101S to 85S to 17S to 1S. About two hours.

TTess

I live in Carmel. The directions someone else gave you are not the best. Highway 17 is windy and scary and it's just a two lane highway between Watsonville and Castroville.

Two best ways: straight shot down 101 to 156 Castroville to 1 South. Another, 380 from the airport, to 280 to 85 to 101 to 156 to 1.

Which hotel at Pebble? I can give you the fastest directions to your hotel, too.

TTess

Duh....you said the Lodge. OK, take the Highway One Pebble Beach/Pacific Grove exit. Head straight across the over pass, to the gate. Locals go right and wind their way around...you'll get lost if you do that. Go left and follow 17 Mile Drive straight to the Lodge.

RichinPA

TTess, thanks for the tips.

Any local tips on a good, not resortlike local restaurant. Not picky eaters here, just love goodfood and like to get away from the resorts form time to time.

J_Correa

I'd take Tess's route too. Although I don't think Hwy 17 is scary or anything, heading down 101 to 156 is generally quicker.

I usually only take Hwy 17 if I am going someplace north of Watsonville.

TTess

Lots of them - just type in "Carmel" in the search area and you'll find them.

Any particular cuisine?

TTess

JCorrea - The scary part to me on 17 is when it's raining hard, a truck jackknives around a curve and your stuck for hours. Hopefully, not plowed into the truck in front you because the curve was blind.

TTess

your=you're

J_Correa

That is sort of an extreme circumstance No doubt it was scary though. I've been going over Hwy 17 for 25 years and thankfully never experienced anything worse than bad traffic.

TTess

Actually, it happens quite often. Hwy 17 was closed just 12 days ago.

RichinPA

OK, so now my wife tells me we will have planty of time for a more leasurly drive down to PB from the airport.

Is it worth the time and effort to do take another route down that is more scenic. I looked at a map and see a route one that follows the coast all the way down. Worth it or NOT??

easytraveler

It would depend on the month of your arrival.

The coastal route along Higway 1 is beautiful and I'd higly reocmmend it, except that during certain months of the year the coast is socked in by fog.

It's also not worthwhile going along the coatal route when there is rain.

In both those situations it would be best to follow the original route that TTess gave you.

Can you give us some idea of when you will be arriving?

RichinPA

We will be flying in to SFO on Wed March 5, going to Pebble Beach till Sat the 8th and driving back to SF for a week.