Pacific Coast Highway Travel Guide: LA to San Francisco
A couple of years ago we were seriously feeling the travel bug, but didn’t have much money. We decided to take a long weekend trip and go somewhere we’d never been, bringing a 10 month old Eliot along with us. Taking a road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway (or PCH) from LA to San Fransisco sounded like the perfect destination!
We found cheap tickets into LA and out of San Francisco and decided to just go for it! When you have time to take a trip but want to make sure to save money where you can, I highly recommend being open to your destination and looking for money-saving deals rather than specific locations!
When we found these tickets, we could have gone to LA, Chicago or Fort Lauderdale, all for under $75 roundtrip/person. A California coast road trip has always been on our bucket list so cheap flights to LA sounded great.
We settled on LA because neither of us had ever been and after a dreary winter, nothing sounded better than some fresh air and sunshine! We decided to rent a car and drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco and make some fun stops along the way.
We stopped in Venice Beach, Malibu, Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, Big Sur and finally ended in San Francisco! Driving from LA to San Francisco ended up being just the getaway we were looking for!
A tip for flying to LA- the wait to get our suitcases were forever and we wished we had just brought carryons instead! If you’re looking for a new carryon, check out our favorite carryon backpacks here!
We landed in LA in the afternoon, rented a car at the airport and headed to stay with some friends that graciously let us crash in their living room.
On the way to their place, we stopped to spend a few hours in Venice Beach. I wish we had more time there! I was completely in love. I immediately felt like I was in a real life Rocket Power episode (showing my 90’s kid culture here).
Keep reading to hear all about where to stop on your California road trip on the Pacific Coast highway!
Venice Beach
We headed to a recommended restaurant, The Butcher’s Daughter and got on the waitlist. The wait wasn’t long and we didn’t mind because the weather was unreal.
We were pretty hungry from traveling, so we walked in across the street to grab a donut at Blue Star Donuts to hold us over. It was honestly incredible. Maybe partly because we were so hungry, but also because it was just really that good.
Our lunch at The Butcher’s Daughter ended up being amazing. We ordered pizza and were not disappointed at all. We ate every single bite, I still dream about this pizza.
After lunch we walked around for a bit and then headed to our friend’s apartment for the night! This area is so walkable, plan to park your car and wonder around for a bit! We aren’t huge shoppers but if you are, Venice has a huge variety of super cool California shops!
Malibu
The next day we got up early and drove from LA to Malibu to do a photo shoot. We were stunned at how perfect El Matador Beach was. I wished we could have stayed all day but we were heading to stay with some other friends in Santa Barbara for the night.
When you imagine a picturesque California beach, El Matador beach is exactly that. Surfers scattered around the water, waves crashing and a stunning cliff edge leading to the ocean. If you have more time than we did, pack lunches and plan to stay for a while!
We easily could have spent all day just hanging out and relaxing on the beach. It was too cold for us to get into the water, but if you come a bit later in the summer I’m sure it’s incredible.
Santa Barbara
After reluctantly leaving Malibu, we got in the car to drive to Santa Barbara. When we got there, we headed straight to Mesa Lane Beach. It was almost completely empty and so dreamy. The remote feeling of this beach made it one of my favorite stops of the entire trip.
After hanging out on the beach for a while we went to meet our friends for dinner! Santa Barbara was like this little slice of Europe with a Californian coast. It was beautiful and fancy and so pristine. The shops and restaurants all looked incredible and there were tons of shopping options.
Pismo Beach
After a fun night in Santa Barbara, we left to head to Big Sur! The drive is about 3 hours, so we decided to stop for lunch to stretch our legs in Pismo beach and try some famous Clam Chowder we had heard about at Splash Cafe.
We completely underestimated how good the clam chowder would be, it was amazing. There was a pretty long line, but we called in our order, picked it up and took it to the beach to eat. It was one of my favorite memories from the whole trip, honestly.
The beach had some construction going on, so it wasn’t completely picturesque from the street, but once you get down onto the sand it’s beautiful. We also took photos under the boardwalk, because of course! This was the busiest beach we went to, but there was still plenty of room to spread out. Do yourself a favor and take the time to stop in Pismo, grab some clam chowder and enjoy it on the beach!
Big Sur
By the time we actually got into the Big Sur area, it was a lot later than we hoped (probably spent too long roaming around Pismo Beach) but we made the best of it!
When I say I have never seen something comparable the beauty of Big Sur, I so genuinely mean it. It was incredible and I can’t wait to go back soon and spend a lot longer taking it all in.
We drove through as much as we could and made it to the Bixby Bridge right as the sun was about to set. We parked and watched the sunset, just the three of us. It was peaceful and quiet and I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so small, in the best way.
That night we stayed in a small Airbnb in Seaside California. It was the perfect little house for the night!
San Francisco
By the time we actually got into the Big Sur area, it was a lot later than we hoped (probably spent too long roaming around Pismo Beach) but we made the best of it!
When I say I have never seen something comparable the beauty of Big Sur, I so genuinely mean it. It was incredible and I can’t wait to go back soon and spend a lot longer taking it all in.
We drove through as much as we could and made it to the Bixby Bridge right as the sun was about to set. We parked and watched the sunset, just the three of us. It was peaceful and quiet and I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so small, in the best way.
That night we stayed in a small Airbnb in Seaside California. It was the perfect little house for the night!
After we found parking (not as bad as I expected) we took off! We stopped at a random Italian restaurant for cannolis and then made our way through China Town where we grabbed some lunch. After lunch we made our way to the water and took pictures of Alcatraz.
We decided on a whim to get tickets to see a Giant’s game so we headed straight to the stadium. We got a couple $40 tickets and found our way to our seats! Eliot was exhausted and cold so we only made it through a few innings, but it was just long enough to eat some hot dogs and take in their beautiful stadium!
The next day was our last but we had the morning to explore before heading to the airport, so we made our to the famous San Francisco bridge to take some pictures. After that we headed to see the famous painted ladies!
I’m sure we looked like quite a sight rolling our luggage around the park with us! After that, got lunch at Lighthouse in the beautiful town of Sausalito right across the golden gate bridge. It was the perfect last meal wrapping up a perfect getaway.
4 days is definitely not long enough to take in the beauty of this trip, but it was just long enough for us to get a taste of all the things that we want to do whenever we get back!
You can't beat spending time driving the pacific coast highway. Driving along the pacific ocean, surrounded by all of the beauty that is California made for a trip that we will never forget!