California Coast by Bus/Car????
 

My hubby and i want to travel from San Francisco to San Diego in 2007 traveling the costal route.We have 7-10 days. I've checked on line for bus tours and am overwhelmed!!! My hubby is afraid if we do this trip by car, we will have trouble finding lodging every night since we won't know how far we will travel each day.The bus tours do not give enough time in SF and we're not interested in doing wine tours and they don't allow enough time on some areas and to much in other.Also, we have been told late Sept. early October is the best time to do this trip???? We are in our mid sixties. Thanks for any help.

If you can fly to San Diego (Southwest, Jetblue?) and out of San Francisco (SFO or OAK) you can take a tour and stay in SF after it.

What is your budget? For cheaper tours I'd check Cosmos (www.globusandcosmos.com) or Elderhostel

Sept-Oct are usually the best.

If you do a search of this site for California coast you will see that there are definite stopping points on the coast such as Monterey/Carmel, Big Sur, Cambria, Santa Barbara, and they are anywhere from 2 to 4 hours of driving apart. Many people drive from SF to LA/SD with 2 or 3 overnight stops. Your husband's concern about not knowing how far you will travel each day doesn't really apply. You will have to travel certain distances just to find lodging, so you may as well pick the 2 or 3 places that you want to stay overnight and make reservations.

Also, you could check into train travel via Amtrak:
www.amtrak.com

The train is fine, but if I were doing this trip just once in my lifetime, I would definitely drive. Lots to see and so much more freedom with the car. Late Sept/ Early Oct you shouldn't have any trouble with accomodations, just try to make your city days (San Fran, L.A.) on Fri & Sat nights and your beachside days during the weeknights.

Unless you are going on a holiday weekend, you should not have trouble finding places to stay. There are many motels and smaller places to stay along this route. Get a AAA book and you'll be fine.

In addition, the entire trip is about 10-15 hours of driving, so if you're spending 7-10 days, each day you will have lots of opportunities to look for a place!

>>the entire trip is about 10-15 hours of driving<<

Are you sure about those times? If this person is going the coastal route, including the coastal section from Oxnard to San Diego, they are going to go through a lot of stop & go and congestion. 80% of that section is also not very scenic (compared with SLO to Carmel).

Stu Dudley

driving is the only way to go. There are so many beautiful sites along the way and if you want to stop and the bus doesn't then you will miss out. The drive is easy, I have done this trip many times and I would stay 2 nights SF, 1 night carmel (not monterey) 2 nights santa barbara or nearby area, then san diego area/del mar/ coronado, its all wonderful. mid sept. to early oct would be nice and no crowds. in San diego many colleges start mid sept. so less crowding at beaches.

I agree that driving is the best. After a stay in Carmel, drive down route #1 and then spend the night in Cambria or San Luis Obispo. Visit all the California Missions as you drive. You can plan to stop by 4 pm every day and you'll have no trouble picking a motel/hotel. Get the AAA book, and go for it.

You may be right Stu. Probably more like 15+ hours. What we call the cloast route is actually part coast, part cutting over to 5.

But, either way, they can drive 4 hours a day and still have lots of time for sightseeing in the 7-10 days.

Joesorce makes a good point. Early fall weekends are very popular and pricey along the CA coast. Plan your coastal stops on weekdays (Sunday - Thursday nights), and you should be fine.

WOW....i can't believe all the wonderful replys. We diffently are going by car now...lol.Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to stay in SF so we can use public transportation. Has anyone done the SF tours (Alcatraz,etc)? Also, how much time to spend at the Monteray Aquarium..is this a full day to see all or just a few hours?

In SF, I would probably stay downtown - around Union Square east and Embarcadero for easy access to public transportation. Most lines either go down or cross Market street, so it is really convinient.

Alcatraz is great. You take the boat out there, wander around and then come back when you want. The audio tours are good.

For the Monterey Aquarium, I would plan on about 3 hours there. If you will be visiting on a weekend, I would buy tickets ahead of time. That way you can skip the line and go straight to the will call window. Saves time.

I agree about Aquarium--3-4 hours. One tip--if you do it closer to the end of the day, the school kids leave (because they have to get back to school for dismissal). That shouldn't be a scheduling problem for you if you stay in the Carmel/Monterey area. I'd also put in a plug for staying in the San Simeon/Cambria area farther south as your next stop and taking a tour of Hearst Castle. It's a unique, amazing place.

And working your way just south of that, hit Morro Bay, Montana de Oro, SLO, Avila Beach (See Canyon drive at Avila that time of year is nice), Shell Beach, Pismo Beach, are all along the 1 & 101 which are very scenic.

Continue on 101 to Santa Barbara, or take the back way over Cachuma Pass (Cachuma Lake) into SB. Either direction you can make a quick pull over into Solvang if that’s your style. From SB you may want to look around Montecito and Carpinteria. The drive on 101 is scenic to about Ventura. Then it’s ‘Mad Max’ from there south. Should be lots of fun in a car. The only way to fly! (-:

We did a very similary trip this summer but we went from San Diego to San Francisco. It was amazing! Here is my trip report which may be somewhat helpful.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34860247

I'm glad you decided to drive, it is much more enjoyable going at your own speed. Be sure to do the SF to SD drive. You will be on the coastal side of the highway for better views. I did the route north then back south with no reservations. Just guide books and cell phone as we got close to time to stop, always found good rooms, and actually better prices. That is more my style of travel, I don't like things planned too much. You can do that easily on this route.

one more suggestion, although maybe you are already planning to do this. Rent your car only when you are ready to leave SF. Driving in SF is a real challenge, but as bad are parking fees even at hotels--$35 to $50 per night.

As for the rest, you're getting great tips, and the drive from SF to San Diego is very nice.

>>the drive from SF to San Diego is very nice.<<

I don't quite share that opinion. I think the drive along the coast in the LA county & north Orange Co section is not that nice/scenic. Also, most of the other coastline between Ventura & SD is not nearly as jaw-dropping georgeous as the section from SF to San Simeon.

Also, I prefer to drive south to north from San Simeon to SF. Because of the "lay of the land", there seems to be more scenic things in front of you going in the S to N direction. Also, (and BIG also) in late Sept/early Oct the sun won't be in your face in the south to north direction.

For someone in their sixties going in late Sept/early Oct, I don't think the "buzz" of Venice/Manhattan/Redondo/Hungington etc would be that appealing. I'm almost 60, and I much prefer to spend my time exploring Carmel, Pt Lobos, Big Sur, Pfeiffer, Hearst castle, village & coves in Laguna Beach, some of Newport and a lot of San Francisco & the Bay Area.

Stu Dudley.

San Fran 3nights
(day trip to Muir Woods or Napa)

Carmel 1 night
Santa Barbara 1 night
Beverly Hills or Malibu 1 night
Laguna Beach 1 night
San Diego or La Jolla 2 nights

Check the one-way car rates from both the airport and from downtown San Fran...if it's a lot less from the airport, rent on arrival and book a hotel like the Columbus Motor Inn where parking is included. Nice location...short walk to Wharf or North Beach....short walk to cable cars.

I think, with so much to see and do on the way...you need to stick to a loose schedule at least, rather than "not know how far we'll get each day".

Please rent a car. Travel by train and bus is a good option in Europe, but not on the California coast.

Tracy provided one logical itinerary; there are many other options.

When you have decided your itinerary, book your rooms. That's what we have done many times on this route.

Sorry to be so negative here, but Tracy's pace looks like something I would do 35 years ago when I was in my early twenties & liked to spend the day in the car.

Where is the time to admire the beautiful surroundings along the way? The OP is in their mid 60s, and I suspect they are more like me now - preferring not to spend all day in the car. That pace of only 1 day in locations quite far from each other would wear me out & not be that enjoyable at all. Plus, once you get past Malibu, you are going to be in some horrendous traffic if you hit this area on a work day.

If you are only going to be gone for 7 days, I would not even venture past Malibu. Leave from LAX. For 10 days, you could probably make it to Laguna withoug killing yourself.

I spend a lot of time vacationing in Europe, and for hectic schedules like this, I try to see how my itinerary fits into an hourly schedule.

For example, after SF it will probably take you 3+ hours to get to Carmel along the coast without stopping. Therefore, if you leave SF at 10 (after getting car & checking out of hotel), you will get to Carmel at 1 at the earliest. Along the way, you may want to stop in Half Moon Bay, or watch the seals at Ano Nuevo, and also perhaps walk the beach at San Gregornio or other spots. This would get you to Carmel at around 3:00 at the earliest. Browsing pretty Carmel for someone who has never been to the coast before is at least 4 hours - which consumes the rest of the day - and then some. Next morning, a visit to Monterey Bay Aquarium is at least 2 hours, and a drive through Pacific Grove and along the coast around the Inn at Spanish Bay. It will be around noon now, so it's time to head south. However, you've missed a lot in the Carmel/Monterey area. There is a beautiful walk along the coast at Carmel Beach. The 17 Mile Drive is quite popular. Carmel Mission is nice, and I bet you'll really want to spend more time just lingering in Carmel. However, you don't have time for those things if you need to make it to Santa Barbara today (which is impossible, as you will see). Under no circumstances should you miss Pt Lobos - just on the southern outskirts of Carmel. Many people have called this area the most beautiful meeting of land & sea. It will take about 2 hrs for a short visit - now it's 2:30 and you have not really left Carmel. A leisurly drive to Big Sur is about 1 hour - so you'll get there at 3:30. With stops along the way, that will be 4:30. I love lunches & dinners at Nepenthe in Big Sur. The food is passible but the ambience & views are fantastic. This is a "must see", IMO. I've been going there for 40 years. If you only have a drink at the terrace and wander in the bookstore - it will take 1 1/2 hrs. It's now 6:00 and you are hours away from Santa Barbara with no stops. I would want to stop at several places along the way to admire what is perhaps the most scenic coastline anywhere. I would also stop at Hearst Castle for a tour, and perhaps Cambria. All these things are before Santa Barbara.

Malibu to Laguna, 1 night in Laguna, and then to La Jolla is also a pace that I would not want to undertake.

SLOW DOWN THE PACE and smell the roses.

I would pace a 8 night schedule like this:

SF 3 nights - don't leave the City, you'll have plenty to do in 3 days.

Carmel 2 nights

San Simeon (Hearst castle) 1 night

Santa Barbara 1 night

Malibu 1 night.

Stu Dudley

It is about 440 miles from San Francisco to Malibu, hugging the coast all the way, and it is about 120 miles from Los Angeles to San Diego. I'm older than dirt, and this is not too much driving for me in 7-10 days (especially if I am eager to see places I've never been before).

We drive between the SF Bay Area and San Diego frequently (to see our grandson). Our favorite stopping point is Cambria - Moonstone Beach, cute shops, close to Hearst Castle and Piedras Blancas for Elephant Seals, and good restaurants. I recommend either the Burton Inn B&B (next to shopping in town) or one of the motels on Moonstone Beach. Cambria is much nicer than San Simeon.

Also, allow several hours for Point Lobos State Reserve, just south of Carmel - as others have said, the scenery there is gorgeous.

I would also recommend choosing a B&B in Santa Barbara near downtown. There are many to choose from.

For San Francisco, I would suggest using Priceline for a hotel in either the downtown or fisherman's wharf area. Check www.biddingfortravel.com to see what others are paying for Priceline bids in SF.