Wine Country & LA
 

My husband and I plan on going to California in May. We would like to go to wine country and LA. Our trip will be approx. 10-11 days. What would be the best way to do this trip flying in from New York? I know it's a long drive but I am not sure how long. We don't mind driving or stopping somewhere along the way. Should we just fly between areas? Thanks for the feedback.

Depending on the route, it could take anywhere between 7 and 13 hours. It's between 350 and 400 miles from WLA to S.F. (depending on the route taken). If you enjoy driving, and you don't take the 5, the 1 or the 101 is a really nice drive. On the other hand, if you don't want to waste an entire day driving, a quick flight is the way to go.

Cts,
Hate to sound like my typical SA self but which wine country in Calif?

We have some goodun's in Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Monteray, Livermore, Amador/Calaveras/Eldo Cos as well as our favorites in Napa/Sonoma/Mendocino.

If it's Napa/Son/Men, my own personal pref would be to fly from NY to LA then maybe fly up to SF/Oakland or Sacramento and rent a car to go to the valleys.

Too bad you're not here now. AbFab day in Nor Cal. So clear you can see the skiers on the Sierra Nevada from Sacramento! Well, if you got really good eyes you can! ;)

Thanks so much for the feedback. Sorry I didn't clarify but you are correct we plan on visiting napa / sonoma. We haven't really planned those details yet. I do prefer the idea of going to LA first and then head up north. I hear about all these beautiful drives up the coast but given our timeframe I'm not sure if that would be the best thing to do...perhaps another trip.

With 10-11 days, you could easily make the drive up to Sonoma/Napa and see plenty of things along the way plus have time to spend in LA. Some of the most beautiful coastline in the world is between LA and SF. It all depends on what you want to do.

If you are just interested in visiting some wineries rather than going to "The Wine Country", there are some within a few hours of LA

Thanks -- just so we fully understand our options...if we wanted to drive from LA to SF, is there just one main road we would take? Are there certain places recommended for an overnight stay if we wanted to break it up? It would depend on how many days we wanted to stay in LA and Napa / Sonoma.

There are several major highways on the way up: the oldest "modern" highway is Highway 99 up the Central Valley, not recommended.

Next over is Interstate 5, which is the fastest way to get between LA and SF (about 6 hours)

Next westward is Highway 101, along the old El Camino Real used by the Spanish/Mexicans. This is fairly scenic.

Right along the coast is Highway 1, the most scenic of all and the one most recommended for the incomparable views along the Pacific Ocean.

You should be able to drive from LA to SF using 101 and Highway 1, stop off in Santa Barbara, see Hearst Castle, continue on through spectacular Big Sur, spend the night in Carmel/Pacific Grove/Monterey, then on up Highway 1 to SF.

Fundamentally, there are two ways to drive from Southern California to the Bay Area. Highway 5 is straight, fast and boring, right up the central valley of California. It is close to 400 miles from LA to San Francisco along that route and can be done in 7 hours if in a hurry. The second choice is along the coast, along Highways 101 and 1. 101 is significantly faster than 1, but still amounts to maybe ten or 12 hours of driving time total. The coast route is beautiful and charming. It allows stops in great places like Santa Barbara, San Simeon (Hearst Castle), Big Sur, Monterey, Carmel, and then on to San Francisco. From the broad sandy beaches of Southern California to the dramatic rugged central California coast. A great drive if you have the time. Highly recommended.

easytravler has done a good job of outlining the different routes up to Wine Country from LA. I agree with starting on Highway 101 from LA and then connecting with Highway 1. I would take Highway 1 as far up as Santa Cruz then take Highway 17 through the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains then 680 north to Highway 12 into Wine Country. I wouldn't advise taking Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz as it is not nearly as scenic as the stretch of Highway 1 to the south of Santa Cruz.

Along the way notable sites to see are Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle, Morro Bay, Big Sur, Monterey, and the redwoods at Big Basin Park are what I would recommend. I would recommend stopping in Santa Barbara and Monterey. The link below is to an interactive map of Highway 1 outlining the main points of interest.

http://www.pelicannetwork.net/big.sur.coast.htm

First of all do you have your flight yet? I generally fly to California from Florida (American Airlines) and find that I can fly into LA but back from SF for the same price as either round trip. You can also usually rent a car from airport to airport without a drop off fee. I think it would be worth it to spend two of your 10-11 days driving up the coast with an overnight in Big Sur or Carmel. Or if you decide to fly between the two, you can still return from SF.

Patrick - I agree that we should fly into LA and out of San Francisco.

Thanks to everyone for the tips. It looks like we will be making the drive from LA to Napa / Sonoma. If we take one or two nights on the drive...it seems like either monterey, carmel or santa barbara are desired spots along the way. How do they differ?

Santa Barbara is a lovely town, but awfully close to LA for a night stop. It might be a good place to stop for lunch and wander the streets for a bit. We've often stopped for lunch, then moved on to Carmel for the night.

The other option is stopping just short of Big Sur at Cambria and visiting the Hearst Castle late in the afternoon or early the next morning, then heading on up the coast.

There are a couple of beautiful resort hotels in Big Sur -- nothing to do, except stare at the beautiful scenery and have a romantic encounter.

Carmel is one of the prettiest towns in the US -- almost too cute to be real. No traffic lights, no street addresses (everybody lists their address as the nearest corner even if they're not on a corner). Pretty little inns, great and quaint restaurants, flowers everywhere, very upscale.

Monterey and Pacific Grove have lots of B&B's and one of the greatest aquariums in the country.

Patrick has really good ideas, and he's right, of course. Santa Barbara is 2 hours from L.A. We like to stop there for lunch on the way up.

If you're going the full coastal (hwy 1) route (as opposed to the partial coastal route (hwy 101), stop in Carmel or Big Sur for the night. If you like the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, Big Sur is a better choice. If you want a choice of great restaurants and time to walk around and peak into nifty art galleries, Carmel is for you.

If you take 101, though, head out at Salinas to the Monterey Peninsula and stay the night in Monterey. Then the following morning, you can head down to Carmel for breakfast (a 10 minute drive south on hwy 1) and check out the town, before heading back up the 1 towards San Francisco, perhaps with a stop in Santa Cruz for lunch.