Driving California’s Pacific Coast Highway
Driving California’s Pacific Coast Highway
words: Sophie Alexander-Osman
photography: Sophie Alexander-Osman
published: October 14, 2026
The only way to do this trip is to hire a Mustang, get the roof down, put on your favourite playlist and hit the road. California’s Pacific Coast Highway is one of those journeys where the drive really is the holiday. The classic route between San Francisco and Los Angeles follows Highway 1 through the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur and California’s Central Coast before reaching Santa Barbara and eventually LA. Highway 1 stretches for more than 650 miles along California’s coastline, but the San Francisco to LA section is the one to focus on for a classic road trip.
The key is to give yourself time. Three or four days is a good starting point, but five would be even better. Drive south from San Francisco and you will spend much of the journey with the Pacific beside you, moving between cities, small coastal towns, beaches, cliffs and long stretches where there is little more than the road and the ocean. Stay in Monterey or Carmel, spend a night or two in Big Sur, then continue south through San Simeon, Morro Bay and Santa Barbara before arriving in Los Angeles.
Monterey is a natural first stop. Cannery Row and the waterfront are worth exploring, while the Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the city’s main attractions. From here, take the 17-Mile Drive around the Monterey Peninsula, passing Pebble Beach, rocky coves and the Lone Cypress before reaching Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel is compact enough to explore on foot, with galleries, restaurants and a wide beach, and makes a natural place to spend the night before continuing south.
Then comes Big Sur. This is the stretch most people have in mind when they picture the Pacific Coast Highway, and it is where you should slow down. Highway 1 follows the cliffs above the Pacific, passing Bixby Creek Bridge, redwood forests, beaches and viewpoints before continuing towards Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and McWay Falls. There is no point trying to rush through it. Pull over where you can, take the detours and accept that you are not going to see everything.
If there is one place worth building the journey around, it is Big Sur. You can camp, stay in a cabin or book somewhere considerably more luxurious, including Post Ranch Inn or Alila Ventana Big Sur. Spending the night means you can experience the coastline outside the busiest part of the day and avoid turning one of the most spectacular parts of the journey into a few hours behind the wheel. The Big Sur coastline is roughly 90 miles long, stretching between Carmel-by-the-Sea and the San Simeon area, so there is plenty to see beyond the most photographed viewpoints.
South of Big Sur, the coastline begins to open out. Stop at Piedras Blancas to see the elephant seals, visit Hearst Castle in San Simeon if you have time, then continue towards Cambria and Morro Bay. Morro Rock, a 576-foot volcanic plug rising from the shoreline, is difficult to miss and makes a worthwhile stop before the drive continues through San Luis Obispo County. From here, you can continue through Santa Barbara, a good final overnight stop before Los Angeles, with beaches, restaurants and Spanish-influenced architecture offering a completely different side of California.
The route is also easy to adapt. You can make it a luxury road trip, moving between some of California’s best hotels, or camp your way down the coast. You can spend the days beach hopping, hiking, eating your way through Monterey and Santa Barbara, detouring inland to wine country or simply stopping whenever something catches your eye. The important thing is not to over-plan it. This is a road trip where the unexpected stops are often the best ones.
By the time you reach Los Angeles, the cities at either end almost feel secondary. The real trip is everything in between. Every bend brings another view worth stopping for. Hire the sports car, get the roof down, put on your favourite playlist and enjoy the ride. California has plenty of famous drives, but this remains one of the best road trips you can do.
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