San Francisco area questions
 

HI - I'm planning a trip to San Fancisco and the central coast and wine country in March. I'm doing the coast first (down as far as San Simeon), then wine country, then San Francisco last (after dropping the rental car).

From San Simeon I can either go down as far as Cambria or San Luis Obispo and then back north on the inland route. Or I can go back up the coast and go over the Golden Gate Bridge. That option appeals to me but I wonder what the driving around San Francisco and over the bridge is like. It will probably be on a Sunday, late afternoon when I would be doing that portion of it. So - is that a good idea or not? I would probably leave San Simeon around noon, would not need to stop (too much) between there and Monterey as I will have just done it in the opposite direction the day before, and would aim to stop for the night around Sausilito or San Rafael.

Cambria is very near the beautiful Paso Robles wine district: http://www.pasowine.com

HTTY

On a weekend I wouldn't be concerned about the drive up the coast and across the GG bridge. You might run into some traffic but likely nothing bad. In fact I'd rather go that way then up the inland route.

I would suggest you stay in Cambria - a cute little town just a few miles south of San Simeon/Hearst Castle.

And if you arrive early enough - you can drive from Cambria over toward Paso Robles (an hour or so) and see plenty of Chateaux/B&B/Wineries on the way - and return to Cambria, or plan it how you like.

FYI - driving down the beautiful Coast Hiway/1 - from SF to San Simeon - will probably take six hours, maybe more depending on what you want to stop and see.

So - on your return trip - I would suggest you leave Cambria/San Simeon early (9 AM) - and head back up the coast route. From the Carmel/Monterrey - check out a map - and then you might consider taking a back route to Napa - and then coming back to SF over the Golden Gate Bridge. It's not a tough drive over the Bridge - and in March the traffic should not be too bad coming back into SF over the Golden Gate - although there should could be some.

Another treat is to pull off the hiway just north of San Simeon - about two? miles - to see the huge Elephant Seals on the beach.

This starts at Hearst Castle (just north of San Simeon)and heads to Carmel - but it should give you some good ideas.
http://byways.org/explore/byways/2301/itinerary/63350

This Fodor's thread also has some good info - and in about the 5th or so response - there is a good way to proceed from the Monterrey area - to Napa - bypassing the more crowded SF route. http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...el-to-napa.cfm

Here is the particular part about bypassing SF when heading to Napa from Carmel/Monterrey. My best advice - get a good Cal state map and study it.

As far as going from Monterey to Napa the best route is route 1 north to 17 north then 680 north to 80 west to 12 west. This route will allow to avoid the nasty SF traffic since route 1 is actually 19th Avenue(basically a surface street with stop lights) Traffic on 19th Avenue is notoriously bad at any time of the day.

She is going on a Sunday . . . No need IMO to bypass SF. Driving across the GG Bridge is an experience. 680/80 - not so much.

Tomsd--the advice that you are giving is based on a post about weekday traffic. Traffic on 19th Avenue is NOT bad on Sundays going north and I would not recommend by passing SF and crossing the GGB to take the very non-scenic 680.

If your wine country destination you speak of is the Sonoma area or the Napa Valley area, there is really no need to spend the night in Sausalito or San Rafael on your way north. The cute town of Sonoma is an hour or less north of the GG Bridge. Napa Valley destinations may be a bit further. Both would be worth the extra time spent in the car that day.

Depends.

March is still rainy weather and the weather along the coast may be fantastic or may be blustery or may be foggy. Or it could be all of these in one day. The weather could possibly have a great deal of influence on your choice of roads.

If I were you, I'd map out a couple of alternative routes: one for sunshine and one for rain.

That said, the drive from north to south is usually better because you'll be on the ocean side of the road, which gives you an unobstructed view of the ocean and coast - and makes it easier to get in and out of the view turnouts as you don't have to cross the road to get to them.

If you are planning to leave San Simeon around noon and go along the coast all the way up to San Rafael, that makes for one heck of a long day driving. Since you will have already seen the coast on the way down, might I suggest that you first go south from San Simeon and cross over on Highway 46 to Highway 101 (near Templeton),which is pretty much a straight shot up to the Bay area. It should take you about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to get from Templeton to San Jose on Highway 101.

In San Jose, take Interstate 280 to San Francisco. 280 is more scenic than 101. This should take you about an hour.

On Interstate 280 near San Francisco, take the exit that says "19th Avenue, Highway 1", the exit will be to the left of the freeway. Go on the surface streets of 19th Avenue/Hwy 1, and just keep going north. Highway 1 then merges with Highway 101 at the Golden Gate Bridge and you'll then be going across the GG Bridge.

By this time you should be pretty much running out of daylight. You'll have just enough time to get to your Sausalito hotel before it gets too dark.


On the Central Coast wine country, I don't know how much time you have allotted yourself for the winetasting but there are three Central Coast regions: the one centered around Paso Robles, the second one centered around San Luis Obispo and the third one in Santa Barbara County further south.

http://www.pasowine.com/

http://slowine.com/cm/wineries_viney...sting_map.html

http://www.sbcountywines.com/

Although Napa has the greater international reputation, these Central Coast wineries aren't second-rate but are quite good. The Rhone wines are so good that there's a group of growers called the "Rhone Rangers" just for the Central Coast.

Here's an article from 2007 by Robert Parker (curious that he doesn't mention the Justin Winery which is one of the best in the area that he picked)

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/...of-paso-robles


If you want to save some time, you can visit a local wine bar:

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2006/11...specialty.html

I've only been to the Central Coast Wines International in San Luis Obispo but found it had quite a diversity of wines. There are also a few wine shops in downtown San Luis Obispo which you might find interesting.

Enjoy!

Thanks so much for the fast responses. I'm leaning towards the coastal route. I'm not afraid of a little driving in/around cities - I grew up in NY and routinely drive in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Boston, etc. I just didn't want to do that route if it was extremely complicated or would likely take much, much longer than the inland route. I am excited about getting to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Here is what I'm thinking of - I appreciate any one pointing out any flaws in my logic.

Thurs March 8 at 11:20 - arrive at OAK, Get car and drive to Santa Cruz

Fri Mar 9 - Santa Cruz to Monterey/Carmel. Explore that area, spend night in one or the other.

Sat Mar 10 - Drive Monterey to San Simeon. The guide books all say it's a 2-3 hour drive and allow double that for sightseeing. I'm figuring I'll have close to 10 hours of daylight. I'm a photographer so I'll be stopping A LOT.

Sun Mar 11 - See Hearst Castle in the morning (I think first tour is at 9) - then drive to north of San Francisco.

Monday, Tues, Wed - explore Napa, Sonoma, etc. I really haven't figured this part out yet.

I'm returning the car Wed evening and spending from then till Sunday the 18th (flight back east is at 10:40pm) staying with my son who lives in Lafayette and commuting into San Francisco.

How far are you flying/how tired are you likely to be?

If it was me, I'd drive over to Santa Cruz for a bit and then on to Monterey/Carmel late in the late afternoon. I'd stay 2 nights there instead of just the one since there is sooooo much to see/do. This won't net you <i>that</i> much extra time there, but will a bit.

Santa Cruz and environs is nice but IMO Carmel/Monterey is more so. (But staying in SC is certainly OK too - I love both areas)

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough - but I was originally suggesting taking the GG Bridge back into SF - from Napa. To me - that is even more dramatic the first time than coming from the SF Side. If she is going to drive back to SF from San Simeon and stay the night there, that would also be fine to go sometime the next couple of days over the GG Bridge, or even walk it - or rent a bike and ride over. Used to love to ride our bikes from the Marina over to Sausalito and on to Mill Valley, etc

As for staying in SF - the area around Lombard St has some cute little Motels with parking (or usually there is some street parking) - and I think one down by the Palace of Fine Arts merits checking out - and then you can wonder up charming Chestnut St. Again, lived in the Marina area for years (really on Union St) - and loved it. I don't see the cute little place by Palace of Fine arts on this list - but if you google - it's a block or so toward the bay from Lombard. http://www.lombardstreethotels.com/

BTW - if you are going to be near Hearst Castle - Cambria has more lodging alternatives than San Simeon - but you might really enjoy going another 45 minutes toward Paso Robles -which is making some great wines - and has some classic Chateaux/B& B places - such as Justin - where my nephew stayed for their honeymoon. He thinks the California Zins are really coming on strong now - and I am starting to like them - although way back when - in the "old days" - I was more of a Cab afficinadio - although they have gotten way more expensive today. see: http://www.justinwine.com/?utm_sourc...FWgaQgodIjoMlw

Uno Mas: There are many cute places to stay in the greater Napa/Sanoma area, but at one end - the little town of Sanoma is very cute - and up at the other end - you can take mud baths in Calistoga if you are so inclined. :) see http://www.goldenhaven.com/press1.html

And there are many wineries to tour in the area. We used to ride our bicycles all around. Some of our favorites are the classic Gundlach Bundschu - down by Carneros,http://www.gunbun.com/ the very beautiful Chateau Montelena up at Calistoga http://www.montelena.com/ , BV and/or Beaulieu, - and the list is endless.

LOL - just remembered we use to stop and have a quick picnic on the grassy area in front of Beringer, until the old security guard would come out and tell us to leave. :) http://www.beringer.com/winery

And here is the page for BV: If you can arrange a tour of their cellar - it's really pretty cool. 55 degrees? :)

http://www.beringer.com/winery

Janis - I think I'll be pretty tired - flying from New England and flight leaves here at 6:30, so 3:30 Calif time so I'll have been up since around midnight Calif time. Thus the thinking of stopping in the closest coastal town.

Tom - thanks for the info on the wineries. I am actually not that interested in wineries, I want to see Napa and Sonoma for the landscape. I'll visit a few while up there, but while on the coast I'll concentrate on that.

I will have four days to explore San Francisco itself at the end of the trip and plan to walk the areas near the bridge at that time. So driving across it and seeing it briefly from the other side is appealing.

I don't need a place to stay in San Francisco but I welcome any suggestions for places to stay in all the other areas I'm going (not hostels, but lower end of the budget spectrum).

Just google away to find places to stay and see what hits your pricepoint. San Simeon and Cambria are both reassonable and Monterrey usually has less expensive accommodations than Carmel, and Pacific Grove is literally and figurtively - in between. :) Also would suggest you stay in the Monterrey area after driving to/thru Half Moon Bay - as you would be an hour closer to Big Sur and on down to San Simeon you have more things to see/do in Monterrey to Half Moon Bay.

Definitely take the 17 mile drive into Carmel, along the storied Pebble Beach. Very beautiful.

BTW - take a nap on the plane and driving down the beautiful coastline will invigorate you when you get there. :)

From Lafayette - you can take Bart into the city and even catch the ferry over to Sausalito, etc. Also - nearby Danville has a cute downtown area - as does Lafayette, Walnut Creek, etc.

Another vote for Cambria and the Paso Robles wine area as extremely scenic. And near San Simeon, stop at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery.

http://www.elephantseal.org/Rookery/where.htm

Tours of the light station and area are very worthwhile, and are offered at 10:00 AM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. http://www.piedrasblancas.org/piedra...nformation.php

Point Lobos State Preserve, south of Carmel is highly recommended. It is a unique and special place that you will not want to miss.

Whether you stay in Carmel (I suggest it) or not, don't miss taking a walk down to the beach in town. It is lovely. Great place for a picnic lunch weather permitting.

There's also an elephant seal rookery farther north should that work out better:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=523

Since you are looking for great scenery, I highly recommend the views from the decks at Nepenthe (and the food isn't bad either!), as Pfeiffer Beach (south of Carmel).

In that case-- yes -- Santa Cruz is a good stopover.

Apologies to our San Diego poster, but there really is no reason at all to take the 17 mile Drive <i>unless</i> you are into golf/Pebble Beach big time. There are better views elsewhere w/o the cost.

As for where to stay . . . what is your actual budget? In the Santa Cruz/Carmel/Monterey areas that makes a HUGE difference.

Can't agree more w/ sf7307 re lunch at Nepenthe if the weather is the least bit clear-ish.

Here's a link to a few pictures I took with my cellphone:

https://picasaweb.google.com/dmlove5...eat=directlink

With all due respect to JanisJ: I have driven/ridden bicycles all over the area (got certified Scuba diving in Monterrey Bay back in the 70's, for Rugby tournaments, conventions, wine-tasting, whatnot - and I still think the 17 mile drive has some of the best beach scenery et al. :)

Nepenthene also makes a great coffee/breakfast/lunch stop when driving through the Big Sur area. And yes, sometimes there may be a marine layer/fog - but you just takes your chances.

UGH. Too many see Paso Robles wine country. The tourist word is out. :( The wine is horrible too!
Stick with Napa and Sonoma!!!!

isabel: Forgive me, I misunderstood. When you wrote "I'm planning a trip to San Fancisco and the central coast and wine country", I thought you wanted to visit the wineries along the Central Coast.

Let's start over. Are you visiting the Napa/Sonoma wine country for the scenery or to see beautiful wineries like the Artesa Winery in Napa or the Ferrari-Carano Winery in Sonoma?

IMHO, the scenery in Napa County isn't that great, whereas the scenery in Sonoma County is bucolic and charming.

If it is for scenery, then some parts of the Paso Robles wine country are quite beautiful.

California is dotted with wineries. I even had some relatively good wine from Temecula over the Christmas vacation. And where your son lives, over by Livermore are the Livermore wineries.

I may have missed it,but are you a photographer?

Sorry, but I'm just trying to narrow down your interests so as to give you more-targeted suggestions.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

sf7307 - thanks for the link to the photos. Is the 5th one in the top row Capitola?

Is Pfeiffer Beach as hard to find as everyone says it is?

Has anyone done the "old coast road" that is supposedly a dirt road just before (after?) Bixby bridge?

As I perfect my itinerary I'll be back for more input. Thanks a lot.

Yes, Pfeiffer Beach is as hard to find as everyone says it is, so here's a link to my trip report, which includes very specific instructions!

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...t-part-way.cfm

And yes, all of the top row and the first three in the second row are Capitola.

Thanks - I read your trip report in the early stages of my planning and already have your directions. So I'm pretty confident I'll be able to find it. I actually just found some directions on the state park web site that are almost exactly the same. I think I've actually been there once (so many years ago it's practically another life time) - but I have a photo I took that I had labeled "big sur" and now that I'm researching the area I'm thinking it must be that beach. Can't wait to go and find out if it is.

Easytraveler, Isabel is too modest to tell you how beautiful her photos are.

It sounds like you've got a great trip planned.

Hi Nikki - thanks, I can't wait to photograph California.

I'm still working on my itinerary and having trouble making things fit. I've decided that I DO want to go over the Golden Gate Bridge to link the north and south of San Francisco parts of my trip, and doing that on Sunday afternoon seems a lot more sensible than Monday mid day (because of both traffic and light) but then I end up with not quite enough time south of SF and a little too much north.

So question #1 - am I correct in that assumption?

As I have it right now it looks like this:
Day 1 - arrive Santa Cruz mid afternoon (maybe see Natural Bridges Beach, Boardwalk, possibly Capitola)

Day 2 - drive to Monterey and explore Carmel, Pacific Grove, Point Lobos.

Day 3 - drive Monterey to San Simeon - try to get to Hearst Castle by 3pm so can do tour that day.

Day 4 (Sunday) - drive back up coast aiming to get to Golden Gate Bridge by about 4 pm.

Days 5, 6, and 7 (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) - explore Marin Headlands, Sausilito, Muir Woods - possibly Point Reyes - and then Sonoma/Napa. I will only actually tour one or two vineyards as that's not a focus of mine. Just want to see the area. I would like to spend either Monday or Tuesday night in Calistoga - not sure where to spend the other one (returning car on Wednesday around 6 pm at SFO).

So question - how to arrange those three days - seems like 2 days is not enough but not sure I really need three if I'm not touring a lot of vineyards.

A note on Day 4: If time runs short, you don't have to take Hwy 1 north in order to go over the GG Bridge - you can go north on Hwy 101. So for example, if on Day 3 you don't get to tour Hearst Castle, you could tour Hearst in the morning on Day 4 and then take Hwy 101 back north rather than Hwy 1. The drive to SF would take you about 4 hours. The best way to GG bridge is Hwy 101 to San Jose, then Hwy 85 to 280 north to 19th Ave in SF.

The portion of Hwy 101 south of Gilroy is scenic - rural, agricultural, nice green hills (that time of year) with oak trees on them. It isn't as dramatic of scenery as the Big Sur coast, or course, but it is very nice.

Good recommendation from november_moon, even if you don't cut over to 101 until Carmel.

Nikki: Thanks for the heads up!

I don't know Isabel at all but her questions seem to point towards photography.

I drove down the coast on Hwy 1 a few years ago, and after a couple of hours I was so ready to be done because it was so windy and I had to concentrate so much on my driving. I can't imagine driving it both ways! I'd make sure you know the other route just in case you feel the same. That drive really can be exhausting.

"<i>That drive really can be exhausting.</i>" . . . or exhilarating. Mostly depends on how much you like to drive and if you are used to winding roads.

OK - I have a new question/plan. I am now thinking of, on day four (Sunday) only going as far north as Half Moon Bay and spending the night there. That would have me going over the GG Bridge on a Monday morning. I don't mind a little traffic, or slow, I just don't want to be caught in a several hour traffic jam. What do you think?