San Francisco/Big Sur Round Road trip help
 

Hello! I'm planning a baby moon. We have ten days we could travel, but if we can fit it in 6/7 that would be even better. We'd be coming from NY into San Francisco (early morning flight), spending the night in San Fran and leaving early the next morning to start our road trip. (Disclaimer: I purposely want to avoid spending a long time in San Francisco, I realize I'm not giving it a lot of time. That's on purpose.) I want the majority of our trip to be spent in the Big Sur area. But I want to hit a couple of spots along the way, including San Jose Winchester Mystery House, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Hearst Castle and Solvang IF we can fit it in. ALSO, I'm trying to not feel rushed on this trip, after all it is a baby moon. So here are my questions:

1) If we leave San Fran in the morning, and all we want to do in San Jose is the tour of the Winchester Mystery House, plus maybe lunch, can/should we try to fit San Jose/Santa Cruz in the same day. I feel like this is probably not a good idea, so where should we stay overnight.

2. Can/should we do Santa Cruz/Monterey in one day before big Sur, or would that be too rushed, if not where is it worth it to stay?

3. How many nights should we spend in Big Sur, to feel relaxed, do hikes, head to the beach, 17 mile drive, to really take it in?

Thank you!

Big Sur is closed from just south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and will be closed for up to a year until a collapsed bridge is replaced.

Thank you for the info! Glad I didn't book! Any recs for a relaxing baby moon in Cali that we would actually be able to get to? lol

Look for a B&B in Pacific Grove.

Yes, you can still go to Monterey/Pacific Grove/ Carmel. Perfect!

I'm curious - why don't you want to spend time in San Francisco (not San Fran), California (not Cali)?

Stu Dudley

Thanks Michael and MichelleY, your responses have been very helpful :). StuDudley I've been to San Francisco before and the purpose of my trip is for relaxation, I'm not interested in spending a lot of time in a city, I'm from New York City (not NYC I guess) and want to get out the city for this trip. Thanks for asking.

Can you fly to an airport other than SFO such as Oakland, San Jose or even Sacramento?
If you fly into SFO, go south to Half Moon Bay or Pigeon Point lighthouse HI hostel for the night. End the trip in San Francisco if you feel you must see the city one more time.

Carmel would be great for a few nights, see if budget will stretch to the Highlands Inn (now a Grand Hyatt) or possibly Tickle Pink Inn, set on a cliff just south of Carmel with beautiful views of the ocean.

Thanks for all of the suggestions!