Driving LA to San Fran
 

Two Aussies driving LA to San Fran in a day at end of April. What are the roads like? Which route would be most interesting? Is this road trip worth doing or simply forget and take a cheap flight. Sharing driving we like sightseeing and driving through some history if possible. Don't mind stopping over one night somewhere in between. Which town is most interesting - Santa Barbara? Monterey? Thanks

Hi, bozi!

The coastal route - "Highway 1" - is by far the more interesting route, but it is best not to do that in one day.

The fastest route is Highway 5 - it'll take you about 7-8 hours on Highway 5.

If you go along the coastal route, then plan on spending a night in Cambria or further north in Carmel.

People stop in Cambria because they are planning a side trip to Hearst Castle.

People stop in Carmel because it is a quaint town and there are several attractions in the area: Point Lobos, 17 Mile Drive, Monterey Bay Aquarium, etc.

You could easily spend a week doing Highway 1, it is one of the most spectacular drives in the world. This topic has been discussed numerous times on this forum. Just type in "Cambria" "Carmel" etc in the Search Box above and you'll come upon dozens of threads.

Happy travels and welcome to California! :)

Drive if you have the time to take the Pacific Coast Highway (1). Amazing! If you are driving the freeway (5) then you might as well fly instead IMO.

Hwy 1 is definitely the way to go if you have the time. It would be a shame to come all this way and not take this drive. You take Hwy 101 to San Luis Obispo and then Hwy 1 north from there. Distance-wise, the route isn't that long, but the road north of San Luis Obispo is narrow with a lot of curves.

I would stop in Cambria or Monterey - Santa Barbara is nice, but it isn't far enough north to justify stopping for the night. A lot of people like Carmel, although it isn't my style.

You can also stop right in Big Sur for the night.
There is a reasonable and neat inn called the Big Sur River Inn that is nice if you want to get away from it all for the night. There are some high end resorts there too if that's your style.
If you stop in Cambria for the night, you'll be doing the Big Sur drive (the most scenic part) in the morning. If you go into Big Sur or on to Carmel, you'll be doing the Big Sur drive in the afternoon. Depends on foggy conditions whether the morning might be bad.

Thanks heaps. Hwy 1 is the go.Roughly how long is LA to Cambria, then Cambria to SF (driving time?) Any ideas for super highlights in SF (in your best priority order). Naturally Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz? Got 2 days there. Thanks again.