The ultimate Pacific Coast Highway itinerary, from San Francisco to Santa Monica (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to drive Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles? ›

By design, Highway 1 gives you incredible ocean views from start to finish. At almost 500 miles, around 10-12 hours of driving are involved, but it would be a waste to do it all in a day with so much to see en route.

Here is a Pacific Coast Highway itinerary for 7 days, that will allow you time to exploring beach towns, eat plenty of seafood, and get a taste of two major California cities to bookend each end of the trip. This post contains affiliate links (with no extra cost to you).

Big Sur. At Big Sur, the most spectacular portion of the Pacific Coast Highway 1 begins, where huge, rugged cliffs and forested inlets overlook the pounding surf below. Whale-watching is popular here at certain times of year; depending on the season you can see blue, gray or humpback species breeching off the coast.

We would choose May/June or September/October as the best times to drive the west coast. If you're driving from south to north then do it in the spring, so the weather ought to get better as you head north. And if you're driving north-south, the opposite applies and you should drive it in the fall.

The Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most famous routes. It offers stunning and charming coastal towns to visit such as Santa Cruz or Santa Monica. If you want to take your time to visit these famous places in California, we recommend a 3 to 4-day road trip.

California's Pacific Coast Highway is one of America's most scenic drives, with stunning bluffs and designated vista points featuring sparkling ocean views. While Highway 1 extends more than 600 miles, the most photogenic stretch can be found along California's Central Coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Practicalities of driving the Pacific Coast Highway

It's best to travel from north to south as you'll be on the right side of the road for uninterrupted views and to pull over to take photographs. Parking in cities can be expensive. It's better to leave your rental vehicle and use public transport.

Ideally your road trip should be four to six hours between stopping points, maximum. Sometimes your stopping points are along the way, so you might do two hours, then have an hour or two stop, then two more hours with an hour or two stop, then two more hours.

The Highway 1, aka Pacific Coast Highway, road trip that passes through Big Sur on California's Central Coast is perhaps the most famous scenic drive in the Golden State.

Where to start on Pacific Coast Highway? ›

This route begins with California State Route 1 starting at the junction with Interstate 5 in Dana Point, running north where Route 1 ends in Legget, California. From there, it continues on US 101 along the coast all the way through Oregon and Washington, around the Olympic peninsula, and ending at Olympia, Washington.

In California, Interstate 5 (Oregon's Pacific Highway) immediately becomes the Cascade Wonderland Highway as soon as it crosses the border, as far as Red Bluff, south of Redding. South from there, it takes on other names such as West Side Freeway or Golden State Freeway, through southern California.

The NHTSA reports that Tuesday is the safest day to drive as there are the least number of auto accidents to report. For instance, while Saturdays average 6,826 crashes, Tuesdays average 4,455. As far as the best times to drive, traffic picks up during "rush hour" when Americans are on their way to and from work.

The Safest Day to Drive

Less Rush Hour Stress: Wednesdays often experience a more even distribution of traffic throughout the day, reducing the intensity of traditional rush hours. This balanced flow can alleviate stress and impatience among drivers.

It's best to travel from north to south as you'll be on the right side of the road for uninterrupted views and to pull over to take photographs. Parking in cities can be expensive. It's better to leave your rental vehicle and use public transport. Plan in plenty of stops along the way.

The Pacific Coast Highway, also known as Highway 101 on its north end and Highway 1 to the south, runs 1,650 miles from Port Townsend, Washington, to San Diego, California.

There are no tolls on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway except for the Golden Gate Bridge. The toll is only collected in one direction for vehicles headed southbound into San Francisco. If you're already starting in San Francisco below the bridge, then you can skip the toll altogether.

Driving route: Pacific Coast Highway. Driving time: approximately 10 hours and 38 minutes in total. Duration: 5-10 days (depending on your preferred length of stay per stop!) Route maps: San Francisco to San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo to San Diego (map divided into two because only 10 stops are allowed per route map)