San Francisco to Los Angeles Road Trip – 10 DAY CALIFORNIA ITINERARY
To celebrate finishing university this summer, there was nothing I wanted to do more than go on a big trip. After finding a great deal on return flights from London to San Francisco, myself and two friends set off on a 10 day California road trip. This was the first leg of our trip before continuing on to Hawaii, to visit 4 islands in 4 weeks. Our goal was to follow the scenic Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, on a San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip. We also spent an incredible 3 days in Yosemite National Park. This was a slight detour from the coast which I would highly recommend making time for! Here I have written up our 10 day San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip itinerary, with all the stops you need to make and the best places to stay the night.
Tip: Both San Francisco and Los Angeles are well known for having terrible traffic congestion. With all the other transport options available in both cities, using a car to get around just isn’t necessary. I recommend collecting your hire car for the road trip on your last day in San Francisco, just before you set off on the road trip. Then, when you get to LA you can drop off the car at LAX airport. This will save you money (on car hire and fuel) and a lot of time!
Days 1-3: First Stop, San Francisco
San Francisco was our starting point for the road trip. We decided to spend 4 nights here, as it’s such an enormous city with so much on offer. Like I mentioned above, we didn’t hire our car for the road trip until we were leaving San Francisco. We got by just fine without a car, using a combination of bus, bike, Uber and walking to get around the city.
Where to Stay:
Whilst in San Francisco, we stayed in both HI Fisherman’s Wharf hostel and HI Downtown San Francisco hostel. We found them on Hostelworld, and I’d highly recommend both of them for their convenient locations. My personal favourite was the Fisherman’s Wharf hostel. It is located in the beautiful Fort Mason park overlooking San Francisco Bay, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the city’s hilly skyline. We stayed in a 24 bed mixed dorm, but thanks to a pair of ear plugs this wasn’t a problem at all. They do also have a lot of smaller rooms in the hostel. However, the big room was the only one still available when we booked.
Days 4-6: Yosemite National Park
Downtown San Francisco to Yosemite National Park drive time: approx. 4 hours
After collecting our hire car we set off on our San Francisco to Lose Angeles road trip. First, we veered away from the Pacific Coast inland to Yosemite National Park. We decided to stay for two nights, as this was as much as our time constraints and budget allowed for. However, I would love to return in future and see more of this incredible place. Two nights is the absolute minimum stay I would recommend for Yosemite, as there is just so much natural beauty to explore!
Where to Stay:
Tip: The cheapest option is to stay outside of the National Park and drive in each day to explore, hike etc. However, we chose to stay in the park to make the most of our short time there.
We stayed in Half Dome Village (recently changed its name to Curry Village) which is located in Yosemite Valley and overlooked by the famous Half Dome Peak. Half Dome Village was the cheapest option we could find within the park itself, but still cost a great deal more than all other accommodations on this trip.
We stayed in a canvas tent – more permanent than a regular camping tent – sort of like a cabin but with canvas walls. The tent could sleep five people, so it was very roomy as there were only three of us. It also came with equipped with blankets and a heater. Outside the tent was a metal box with a lock for storing any food and scented toiletries in, so as not to attract bears to the campsite. This certainly added to the thrill of the experience – it’s not a problem you face when camping in the UK! I would really recommend staying here if you enjoy camping, as I personally do. You also might find that you’re so busy in the day that it doesn’t matter much where you’re staying just to rest your head at night.
Where to Stop:
Stop at the all the viewpoints on the sides of the roads! There are many small car parks and viewpoints along the roads in Yosemite. From these you’ll get to see famous peaks from different angles, as well as beautiful views of the valleys from high up.
To read more about what’s on offer in Yosemite, you can check out my post here: A Weekend in Yosemite National Park – Top Tips & 12 Things to Do
Day 6: Santa Cruz
Yosemite National Park to Santa Cruz drive time: approx. 4 hours
After Yosemite we drove back to the coast to join the Pacific Coast Highway. We then followed this highway (Highway 1) for the rest of our San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip. Our next next stop for the night was in Santa Cruz. We had a walk around the town and the pier, but the amusement park was closed and nothing really jumped out at us. Therefore, we decided to set off early the next morning, as we had a long drive ahead of us.
Where to Stay:
We stayed in Santa Cruz for one night at HI Santa Cruz hostel, which we found on Hostelworld. We were luckily able to book a 3 person private dorm for the same price as a shared dorm, so this was a nice treat. The hostel was great value for money and had good facilities – we jumped at the chance to wash our clothes here. Our room was really comfortable and felt more like a hotel room than a hostel.
Day 7: Monterey, Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls, Big Creek Bridge
Santa Cruz to Monterey drive time: approx. 55 mins
Monterey to McWay Falls drive time: approx. 1 hour
McWay Falls to Santa Barbara drive time: approx. 3 hours 40 mins
Day 7 of our San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip was the day made up of the most driving – just over 6 hours in total. In just one day we actually managed to make our way down the majority of the coastline. After setting off from Santa Cruz, we were unsure of how far we would drive that day. By the evening, we had managed to get to just outside of Santa Barbara, which was further than we were expecting! The time it takes you to drive Highway 1 will of course depend on traffic, as the route is extremely popular. It also depends on how many stops you make, as there are regular viewpoints worth stopping for. Overall, the journey took us far longer than just the 6 hours drive time. We made sure to drive carefully, and made frequent stops to enjoy the views.
Where to Stop:
This stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway is extremely scenic and beautiful. The main stops we made were; Monterey Marina, Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, and Big Creek Bridge. There are also viewpoints on the side of the road at regular intervals along the highway. My best advice is to drive carefully, and stop as regularly as you want. We stopped at pretty much every available opportunity as the views are incredible.
McWay Falls is a beautiful 80ft waterfall which flows directly into the sea – one of only two in California that do this. It was one of the things on our San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip that I was most looking forward to. I can confirm – it certainly did not disappoint. McWay Falls can be seen from the side of the Highway, and many people tend to park along both sides of the road here. There is also a small car park which leads to a paved path and tunnel under the road. This path is lower down the cliff, and takes you a little closer to the falls if you want a better view.
Where to Stay:
We stayed the night at a Motel 6 on the outskirts of Santa Barbara, which was decent and reasonably priced. We booked at reception when we arrived on the night, and they offered us a lower rate than online. This motel was a really convenient option, and there are plenty of motels located along Highway 1 to choose from.
Day 8: Santa Barbara
On day 8 of our San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip, we spent the majority of the day exploring downtown Santa Barbara. The highlight for me was the pier, which has views of the palm tree lined beach in both directions. The mountains in the background also make for a beautiful backdrop. From our motel on the outskirts, it was just a short drive into downtown Santa Barbara. We parked in a multi-story car park for the day, before continuing on to Los Angeles in the late afternoon.
Days 8-10: Last stop Los Angeles
Santa Barbara to LA drive time: approx. 1 hour 50 mins
And finally, the last stop of our San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip – Los Angeles itself. The first thing we did was drop off our car at LAX airport, as we wouldn’t need it any more. We did pay slightly more for the option to collect and return the car to two different places. However, it was obviously essential for a road trip like this. To get around LA we mainly used Uber, as with three of us to split the fare they were quite affordable. We also used electric scooters on one of the days, to get from Santa Monica Pier to Venice Beach. This was a lot of fun!
We also planned to hire bikes and take the metro to get around the city, but ended up making some friends from LA who kindly gave us lifts to places instead. However, these are good transport options if you don’t happen to meet anyone with a car who can show you around the city!
Where to Stay:
For the last stop on our San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip we stayed at the Freehand Hostel 3 nights. We also found this incredible hostel on Hostelworld. The Freehand Hostel was easily one of my favourite accommodations of the whole trip. We actually thought we had arrived at the wrong address, as it looks like a fancy hotel rather than a hostel. It even had two bars, one on the ground floor and the other on the rooftop complete with a pool. It was one of the cleanest hostels ever, and although we were in a 6 bed mixed dorm it felt more like a hotel. The location in Downtown Los Angeles was great, and there were a lot of popular clubs and bars nearby so that was fun.
So there you have it, our 10 day San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip itinerary; where to stop and all the best places to rest your head for the night along the way! I hope this road trip itinerary inspires you to go on your own road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway. Thanks for reading!
Abbey x
