Was thinking about going to SF for 4-5 days. After some research, LA looks neat too. Would like to do both (maybe an 8-day vacation) but understand there's about 8 hours driving time between them. I guess we could rent a car and make some stops in between. Also checked Amtrak, which doesn't look practical.

Plan to take guided tours. Want to do Disneyland 1 day, see Hollywood, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, and maybe sneak off to Yosemite for a (very long) day.

Thought about squeezing the Yosemite time between LA & SF, spending 1 night in the area.

What are your thoughts? Anyone packed this much activity into only 8 days or so? Thanks.

LA & SF are done all the time in a week vacation. You won't have a ton of time in either city, but enough to have fun. Instead of Yosemite, another option is to drive down Hwy 1 through Carmel, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, etc. A tour at Hearst Castle is a must along the way. Most airlines don't charge any extra to fly into SF and fly back out of LA. Don't rent a car in SF until you're leaving town for your drive south.

I forgot to mention that we will be flying into one city and out of the other, not sure which we will visit first.

How slow do you drive? You can make it to LA in between 4-5 hours if you take I-5. It's very direct, there's nothing touristy on the way it's just farmland, but it will get you to LA fast. Yosemite might be a bit difficult to add into the equation, you'd be spending so much time driving all over the state. If you're going for San Francisco first and you want to spent 4-5 days there, then you'd need to spend the rest in LA or else you'll die from exhaustion. If you were to drive from SF to LA, you could spend the afternoon/evening looking around Hollywood - although there isn't very much to see in my opinion. Hollywood/LA really isn't all that cool unless you have something specific to do there, I only go down for concerts. That eats day 6, then day 7 if you wanted to spend at Disney, then you'd probably be too tired to drive anywhere else and spend the night, and then it's day 8 and it's time to leave...

4 to 5 hours to drive from LA to SF? I think not.

Why would she drive the fast route on the 5 freeway, when one of the most popular things to do on a California vacation is to drive Hwy 1 through Big Sur?

I agree with all that Hannah says.

Hire a car when you're about to leave San Fran and leave it at LA airport at the end of your holiday. For 8 nights holiday I'd have 2 nights in San Fran (Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz and of course the cable cars). Then take Highway 1 and stay overnight in Carmel. Then go to San Simeon for 1 night and a trip to Hearst Castle (some say you should book the tickets in advance). Next, drive to Santa Barbara for 2 nights and have a good look around this lovely town and surrounding area. Finally, drive to the LA area and spend 2 nights there if you want to see the theme parks.

check the car rental rates both ways, sometimes you save $200 a week by driving NORTH and dropping off than vice versa. Alamo usually has an added drop-off charge but National, Hertz, Avis and Budget do not.

san fran for 3 nights then hwy 1 for one or two and then l.a. (anaheim for disneyland). you could stay at carmel or monterey (cheaper) for one night. that is just a relatively short drive from san fran then either head straight for anaheim or stop for another night further south. it is a beautiful drive and spending 2 nights would make it more enjoyable but if you prefer the "city" then just do one night in monterey and then get to l.a. area. the castle is suppose to be beautiful but depends if that's your type of thing as far as spending a few hours there.

Kristy,
If you drive the Pacific Coast Highway, suggest you start in LA and go north. There are few, if any, guardrails in the scenic area, and having an extra lane between car and cliff can be comforting.

The drive from SF to LA is a great way to see the state, but you can also easily fill 8 days just seeing SF and LA. I'll make a different suggestion. Fly into SF, don't rent a car and stay for four days. If you've never been, there are more than enough things to see and do to occupy your time. Then fly one way on Southwest Airlines to Los Angeles and rent a car. Stay near the beach if you can and see LA for four days. SF and LA are so different from each other, it will be fun to experience the contrast.

It sounds like you have a lot of good ideas for spending your time in both cities. Yosemite is not practical to include on a drive between the two, it is really out of the way and not worth the drive for one night. Come back and spend time in the middle of the state, seeing Yosemite, Big Sur, Hearst Castle and Monterey another time. Have fun!

The idea to fly to LA from San Francisco to save time would have been a decent thought at one time. But now with the security lines and early check-ins, you might spend just as much time in the airport. Might as well get out on the open road and see one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. I travel quite often to San Francisco and have lost count of how many times I've got stuck in the SFO waiting for delayed planes and weather problems - my least favorite airport to fly out of.

xxx, that might be true of SFO, but Southwest Airlines doesn't fly there anymore. I'd suggest Kristy get thee to Oakland Airport if she opts to fly. Easy to get there via BART from SF. I've breezed through there a few times since 9/11, no problems.

I like the SWA flying between SF and LA. You can also do it from San Jose but maybe from the city Oakland makes more sense. SWA is changing its checkin policy which will make it easier and I read recently that they are offering a $39 one way fare. You can get to LA from SF in about 5 hours on I5 going about 90 mph on one of the most boring, smelly, hot roads I've ever driven. This route would bring you closest to Yosemite, but I really think it's best left for another trip.

Finally found this thread again. The search is not working right.

Thanks for the replies. I've got another question--what time of year would be ideal to go to both LA & SF? I don't want terribly hot or rain everyday. Cool I can handle, although warm enough to swim at a beach (in LA) would be nice.

Thanks again.

Now is a good time. Weather was great in SF when I was there 10 days ago.

I would look at seeing the city on your won rather than take the guided tour - much cheaper and yoiu can take you time. Public transportatin is convenient in SF. Get a daily pass (3 day pass if you are going to be there that long)

I stayed at the Pacific Motor Inn on Lombard St in the Marina District. Decent place, good location with lots of other motels in the area - we paid $100 per day including tax. Bus #30 is two short blocks away, goes to Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Pac Bell Park.

Visit the (free) cable car museum for a look at the cables in operation. Hardest place to get a cable car is near Ghiradelli Sq.

Lots to do if you want to see the coast on the way down to LA. Or you can just get on the freeway and drive - that's up to your interests. If you don't ever know if you will get back to the area, I would visit Monterey (see the Aquarium) and Big Sur and visit Hearst Castle on the way down the coast.