planing a trip from san diego to san fran...driving through the coast...

3 days in san diego
1 day in santa barbara
2 days in monterey/carmel
2 days in san fran
day trip to napa

hows that? does anyonne recommend cutting out santa barbara and staying in monterey an extra day?

does any one have def "do not miss" spots in any of these places?
thanks,
k

Any sights between LA and SD via the coastal route, would not be worth the ridiculous amount of time it would take to drive it, IMO.

After Malibu and Santa Monica, I'd hop on the freeway and just shoot down (traffic permitting) to SD.

It sounds to me like you were planning on driving UP from San Diego to San Fran, right?

In any case, I think there are some great stops between SD and LA ... LaJolla (just north of San Diego) Dana Point and Laguna Beach. Even to stop in one to have lunch and walk around. Laguna Beach would be great for that.

Secondly, I would not cut out Santa Barbara. You are going to want an overnight stop between SD and Monterey ... it is a long drive! SD to Santa Barbara will take at least 5 hours and that depends on the traffic around LA and how many stops you make.

And I think Santa Barbara to Monterey/Carmel will be at least another 4-5 hours. And that would not allow you to stop and enjoy some of the beautiful scenery/parks throughout Big Sur.

Besides, Santa Barabara is a great little town. My husband and I did a similar coastal trip a few years ago from San Fran to San Diego, and we stayed one night in Santa Barbara too and loved it. We would love to go back for a long weekend.

Our itinerary was as follows:

San Fran - 3 nights
Monterey/Carmel - 2 nights
San Simeon/Cambria - 1 night (for a morning tour of Hearst Castle ... wonderful!)
Santa Barbara - 1 night
L.A. - 1 night
Laguna Beach - 1 night
San Diego - 2 nights.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

i think your itinerary is great. the coastal drive between san diego to la is beautiful but you go through a lot of towns and since further up the coast you'll be seeing tons of beauty, you could have some time by MOSTLY sticking to the faster freeways till you are north of l.a. however, laguna beach really is beautiful. it is about 1 1/2 hours north of san diego. i'd leave san diego early and plan on having breakfast in laguna and walk around for an hour.
by staying in santa barbara and then again in monterey, you won't be rushed going up the coast and can stop to enjoy the beauty.
have fun. i've done this trip several times and never tire of it.

la jolla is a 5 minute detour off the 5 soon after you enter sd city limits.

My fiance and I did a very similar itinerary to yours last summer. The only thing I would recommend that you are missing is seeing The Hearst Castle in San Simeon. It is a great half way point between Santa Barbara and Monterey. San Simeon is beautiful and if you are interested in history or architechure the tour of the castle is well worth the stop. The Castle is right on the coastal highway. We stayed in the pretty town of Cambria which is about a twenty minute drive from the castle. Also found a nice inexpensive motel there. www.bluebirdmotel.com www.hearstcastle.com You must also stop at Julia Pfeiffer Burn State Park- one of the most beautiful beach/ waterfall landscapes ever. It is just south of Carmel.