Great Itineraries

Great Itineraries

If You Have 3 Days

Start your trip in Santa Barbara -, where you can tour the Santa Barbara County Courthouse and Mission Santa Barbara. In the afternoon explore Stearns Wharf and other waterfront sights, and stroll State Street if you like to shop, or have some fun at the Santa Barbara Zoo. The next day, drive up to San Luis Obispo and visit Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and the nearby County Historical Museum. Pausing north of town to poke your head into the kitschy Madonna Inn, drive to Morro Bay to stroll the Embarcadero and see Morro Rock. Stop at Montaña de Oro State Park for a late-afternoon hike and spend the evening in San Luis Obispo. In the morning, start bright and early, driving north through Cambria to San Simeon for a tour of Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument. Next, head for the Big Sur coastline, where you can have a sunset dinner at Nepenthe and spend the night in or near Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in Central Big Sur.

If You Have 7 Days

Get your tour off to a natural start in Ventura, on a morning cruise to Channel Islands National Park. In the afternoon, take Highway 33 east to see Ojai. On Day 2, drive to Santa Barbara - and get a feel for the city's architecture, history, and vegetation at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, Mission Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Have dinner in Montecito and explore the Coast Village Road shopping district. It's a short walk south from here to the shore to catch the sunset before or after you eat. The next day take it easy with a visit to Stearns Wharf, a walk or bike along East Beach, and a prowl through Andree Clark Bird Refuge. Have dinner on State Street and check out the area's shops and clubs. Day 4 starts with a drive up U.S. 101 to Highway 246 west to reach La Purisima Mission State Historic Park in Lompoc. Spend the afternoon in Santa Barbara wine country, stopping at wineries in Santa Ynez and Los Olivos. Another option is to browse the shops in Danish Solvang, where there are plenty of places to choose from for dinner. In the morning continue north through Morro Bay to Cambria, a good place for lunch, and take an afternoon tour of Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument. After a night in San Simeon, head for the Big Sur coast on Day 6. Observe the glories of Los Padres National Forest up close by hiking one of the many trails in the Ventana Wilderness. Overnight at one of the spots around Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in Central Big Sur, and on your last day watch the waves break on Pfeiffer Beach, one of the few places in the area where you can actually set foot on the shore. If you're here on a weekend (or on Wednesday, April through October), tour Point Sur State Historic Park.