Ed

The wife and I are going for 8 days/9 nights to San Francisco and surrounding area for the first time. We want to spend time in SF, Napa/Sonoma, and driving the Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur coast. We arrive into SF at noon on Fri (after a 7hr flt) and leave out of SF on a Sat around 11am. How would you split up the days between the sites and still not over do the driving on any one day so you can sightsee along the way? Thanks...

kam

I would suggest 4 days in the city and then you must choose whether you want to go to Napa Valley or Sonoma for wine country (I would suggest Sonoma) Then drive down to Monterey/Carmel and you can be back to SFO in 3 hours comfortably. So, leaving there at 8 AM. Have fun.

joesorce

Weekends are expensive in Napa and Carmel, so I would say spend Fri and Sat nights in San Fran, drive down to Carmel on Sunday afternoon or evening (sunset would be pretty), stay 3 nights, drive up the coast to Wine Country on Wednesday morning (don't hit the afternoon traffic!)stay Wed and Thurs and through the day on Friday, wait for traffic to die down and then back to San Fran airport area late Friday night to be situated near the airport in the morning.
The Best Western El Rancho is a nice place to stay the night before flying out of SFO, the restaurant there is surprisingly good.

Mitch

Maybe something like this:

Arrival day (Fri): go to a comfy, well-located SF hotel and settle in for 3 nights. Enjoy the weekend seeing the sights, both day and night.

Monday: Rent a car downtown (Hertz, National, others)/ check out of hotel and go to Sonoma for 2 nights. Stop at the welcome center as you enter the wine region and get advice.

Wednesday: Long haul - leave Sonoma, drive back across the Golden Gate and then follow the coast (in SF turn rt onto Geary Blvd over to Cliff House, follow Great Highway south, then follow signs for Highway 1 towards Pacifica). This will be a long but beautiful drive hugging the coast. Stop in places like Pacifica, Moss Beach, Princeton, Half Moon Bay, San Gregorio, Pescadero, Davenport, Santa Cruz and explore. There will also be many State Beaches along the way. Stay in Carmel Wednesday and Thursday nights. Drive down to see Big Sur Thursday afternoon - maybe a picnic.

Friday: Back to SF for 1 final night of fun. (when renting the car, check to see if it makes much difference in price if it is returned Fri. at renting location or Sat at airport).

Footnote: Try to do the bulk of driving on weekdays because the locals like to get out & about on weekends (and tack on Fri. & Mon.) With over 7m people in the region, this can make for crowds.

Ed

Mitch... like your plan... sounds like you prefer Sonoma over Napa? Can you recommend inns/hotels to spend the night in each locale? Thinking of Grand Hyatt in SF (what do you think), but not sure where to stay in wine country & Carmel? Thanks for the advice.

Betsy

Ed, the Park Hyatt in SF often goes for $55/night on Priceline. Grand Hyatt is often available at PL for around $55 too. Both are centrally located. Go to www.biddingfortravel.com and scroll down to the hotel section and open the "California--San Francisco/Oakland" section and read the responses from successful bidders. Site administrators will help you with your bid. Good luck.

David

Probably 3 days in SF should be enough time time to see things, then 2 days in Napa/Sonoma Wine Country, and the rest of the time down in Monterey and Carmel(www.monterey.com) After Monterey, I would not suggest going back to SF again since you would have to backtrack again south to the San Francisco Airport. If you could change your flight plans to fly into San Jose International Airport, it will save you at least hour of drive time from Monterey. 3 hours from Monterey to San Francisco is a little optimistic. I would plan on at least 3.5 hours. On the way down to the Monterey Area from SF I would suggest the scenic 280 freeway toward San Jose with a stop at the Filoli Estate(www.filoli.org)for a tour of the Georgian Mansion and gardens. From 280 you could connect to 17 south to Santa Cruz through the Santa Cruz Mountains and 1 south to Monterey and Carmel. If you have some time, there points of interest in the San Jose area worth checking out(www.sanjose.org) such as the Tech Museum(www.thetech.org), SJ Museum of Art(www.sjmusart.org), and the Rosicrucian Museum(www.rosicrucian.org). The intersting Winchester Mystery House(www.winchestermysteryhouse.com) is a touristy but bizarre Victorian Mansion. There are many great restaurants in the Downtown area. If you like nature, I would recommend a stop at the Big Basin Redwoods State Park(www.bigbasin.org) In nearby Felton there is a steam train that takes you for a great tour through the redwood forest(www.roaringcamp.com) In Monterey don't miss the Monterey Bay Aquarium and 17 Mile Drive. Spend some time enjoying the quaint atmosphere of Carmel by the Sea(www.carmelbythesea.com) You will definitely enjoy the breathtaking coastal scenery along highway 1 south of Monterey to Big Sur and San Simeon. In San Simeon I would suggest a tour of the Hearst Castle(www.hearstcastle.org) Make reservations for Hearst Castle in advance. Have a great trip.

Susan

I like Mitch's plan too! If you go the priceline route, you can probably get a room at the Lodge at Sonoma for around $90 per night. Have a look at biddingfortravel.com to get a bidding strategy and see the hotels priceline is offering.

I prefer Sonoma as well, and for your trip, which will involve some driving, Sonoma is closer to SF and will serve your needs well. Some great meals are to be had in Sonoma town, at Cafe La Haye and Della Santina's. Enjoy!

Suzie

I too like Mitch's plan. I stayed at Lodge at Sonoma in Feb and thought it was nice and convenient to town and surrounding wineries. Also easy drive to Napa if you decide you want to vist there for awhile.

The part I most like about Mitch's plan is the last night in the city. You should definitely have the last fling in SF on a Friday night. What a blast!

ben

Ed,
It does not make too much sense to spend the last night of the trip in San Francisco. As David pointed out, you would have to backtrack to SFO again the next day. The best bet is to see everything you want in SF/Napa/Sonoma first and then spend the rest of the time south of SF as David has pointed out. The idea about flying into San Jose makes alot of sense.

Mitch

Ed, The Grand Hyatt would be a good choice. I say that based on location (walk by it all the time) and word of mouth. Don't be afraid to ask for an upgrade to one of the "better rooms" - couldn't hurt. Yes, I do prefer Sonoma. The setting, I think, lends itself to a better experience in the wine country. Of course, if time permits, skip over the ridge to Napa also. St Helena is my favorite area in Napa. I do not know the best lodging in either Sonoma or Carmel as I almost always make daytrips or stay with someone. Lastly, I'll stick with my other post telling you to go back to SF for your last night. (How San Jose enters into this I do not know). People seem to think that going 12 miles from downtown SF to the airport on a Saturday morning is worth deferring a perfectly good Farewell Friday afternoon/night in the City. I don't get that -- it's a very easy ride, especially at the time you depart on Saturday. Anyway, have a blast -- just play it by ear, basically, and don't make the trip too structured. It's easy to find things to do.

Ed

Mitch, thanks again. I'll go with Grand Hyatt. I'm thinking about Lodge at Sonoma & Spa (any idea on a good price for a stay during weekday in a cottage room and how about the location)... Still working on where to stay on the coast the 1st night there...since I'll do Napa for a half day (leave in early afternoon) before heading down to the coast... Do you think reaching Carmel is doable that day going at a pace where we can sightsee a bit on the way down from Napa? Don't want to rush it or miss out on the drive down. Thanks again for the help.

Mitch

Re Sonoma Lodge, sorry - have no idea of rates - I'm sure others will respond.

You should definitely take the coast route down to Carmel. There are quicker ways (freeways), more congested routes (freeways) and less scenic paths (freeways) but Highway 1 is really something special. You are probably right about needing to stay overnight (getting a late start and wanting to take a leisurely pace). I would think Half Moon Bay might be about half-way. In that area I would suggest:
B&B - San Benito House
luxury - Ritz Carleton
nature - Costanoa

There are probably websites for each of these.

mare

Anyone know how late the ferries run? We will be in Larkspur for dinner at 7pm and wanted to ferry back to San Francisco.

Jerry

Ed,

You would be better off picking up Highway 1 in Santa Cruz via the 280 and the 17 as David has suggested. Taking Highway 1 from SF area all the way down to Carmel will will not allow you to do any sightseeing along the way to Carmel since the drive will take at least 3 or 3.5 hours assuming you do not stop along the way. The coastal scenery above the Northern Monterey Bay Area is not nearly as scenic as the Central Coast from Santa Cruz south.

Suzie

Ed we paid $189 for 4 in a cottage room at the Lodge at Sonoma in Feb. Saw coupons for $179 in some publications once we got there. Hope there are some deals out there that are less. We really liked our stay in the cottage room. We got building 5 which is right outside the pool. Some friends recently stayed there and got a room overlooking the pool and really enjoyed their stay. If I were getting a room rather than the cottage this would be the location I'd want as most other rooms faced parking lots.

Terri

Why not do Pacific Coast (Highway 1) going south and doing the Central Coast (280 & 17) heading back up to SF (or vice versa). That way there's no backtracking.

Just a thought,