Pogopat

We will be in Santa Barbara for a seminar and then want to get to Seattle to visit a relative. Should we drive, take the train or fly. What is the best route to go. We will be able to leave on Wed morning the 18th and would like to be in Seattle no later than Friday evening.

Gardyloo

Leaving Wednesday morning and trying to be in town by Friday night means some pretty heavy driving. Doable but not terribly comfortable. Same goes for the train - doable but not a lot of fun, and prone to delays.

What have you seen of the west coast? Have you been to the redwoods or the Oregon coast or Hwy 1? If so, maybe just bite the bullet and fly, and maybe use the extra time to tour around the Puget Sound region.

Another option might be to rent a car in SB and drive via Hwy 1 up to the Bay Area, then fly from there. You could have a very enjoyable day toodling up SR1 - visit Hearst Castle and Big Sur, overnight somewhere around Monterey or Carmel, then the next day drive to San Jose or San Francisco airport, drop the car, and fly to Seattle. You could spend most of a day in the SF area and still get to Seattle with time to spare.

Gardyloo

Just realized I was having a brain cramp. You'd have 2 nights on the road, not one. Doh.

In which case, sure, it's drivable.

First night to SF area (or preferably a little north) - use either SR 1 (long day) or 101 (short.)

Second night to somewhere around Bandon or Coos Bay on the Oregon coast, via 101 through the redwoods. Longish but not killer day.

Third night into Seattle. I've done this trip maybe 50 times - easy as pie.

TTess

Fly.

Bobmrg

If time gets tight, zip over to I-5 from the Bay area and head north. But gardyloo's suggestion exposes you to the best scenery.

FainaAgain

How long do you plan to be in Seattle?

Do you need to relax between the seminar and the relative? Train.

If not, take Gardyloo's suggestion to drive part of the way, and fly to Seattle.

Or fly and explore the Seattle area.

happytrailstoyou

The drive on Highway 1 to Monterey is spectacular, but the rest of the drive to Seattle isn't too thrilling.

I would fly. Or, as suggested elsewhere, drive to Monterey or the Bay Area and fly the rest of the way.

curmudgeon

It's a nice drive, but lots of hours on the road (especially the scenic coastal 1/101 route). If you had another day or two to allow for more sightseeing stops, I'd say drive; as it is, I think the idea of driving to San Jose or SF and flying the rest is a good one. Spend a night (or two) in Monterey/Carmel area. I don't think the 1-way drop charge for a rental car should be too bad, but check first to avoid surprises.