Costal California itinerary

Hi,

I%26#39;m italian and I%26#39;m planning my trip for august 2008 with my wife and daughter of 7.

After 3 days betwenn L.A., Santa Monica and Disneyland, we will rent a car on 08/18 afternoon and drive to arrive in San Francisco on 08/20 evening for a 3 days stay.

I%26#39;m thinking to have a first stop in Santa Barbara to enjoy a full day at beach (08/19), then drive in the evening to Pismo Beach and enjoy the next day (08/20) on Ocean dunes/beach and finally move in the late afternoon to San Francisco.

I realize that we will have a short time but I fear that we will miss some place peerless and so, considering also that we love beaches, I will ask to you if you have any suggestion for my itinerary or if I have to change something (avoid Santa Barbara or Pismo Beach, visit Carmel or Monterey, stay one day less in San Francisco, etc.)

Costal California itinerary

Santa Barbara and Pismo are both relatively close to the L.A. area, so as your schedule stands now, you%26#39;ll be spending both your nights on the way to San Francisco at the south end of your route--and then you%26#39;ll have a rather long drive (a good 4 hrs. without stopping) into San Francisco from Pismo. You%26#39;ll be making that drive on a weekday and may encounter commute traffic along #101 during the late afternoon/early evening hours, which will add more time to your drive. Altho%26#39; both Santa Barbara and Pismo Beach are great places to visit, I would recommend spending at least one of the nights further north--in the Carmel, Monterey or Santa Cruz areas.

Costal California itinerary

I think stopping in Monterey would be a great idea. That way you could also plan to visit the wonderful aquarium! I think your family would really enjoy it.

Yes, don%26#39;t miss the Monterey Bay Aquarium and time in Monterey and Carmel, both are beautiful places. You could stay at the Monterey Plaza Hotel, check out their website to see if you like the property, have a meal at either Schooner%26#39;s or the Duck Club, their two restaurants on-site. Have fun! :)

Your daughter will love the children%26#39;s area of the aquarium--she can pick up a starfish, etc.

You will, without a doubt, miss a lot of wonderful scenery with only a two night stop between LA and SF. However, since your plan is to leave each area late in the day, I don%26#39;t see how you can fit everything in without missing something.

Since your daughter is so young, your plan of Santa Barbara and Pismo Beach is probably your best plan.

I know everyone here is thinking about how you%26#39;ll be missing out on Hwy 1, but I think it might be too much for a 7 year old with the twisting drive it entails. Yes, you%26#39;ll miss Monterey, but your family beach time sounds like what%26#39;s most important to you on this trip.

But... if you can fit another night in between LA and SF, then I, too, recommend Monterey for it%26#39;s beautiful coastline and wonderful aquarium. You can access Monterey from Salinas, if driving Hwy 1 is too much for you.

I actually was NOT thinking about driving on rte 1 . I thought tha t the 2 towns ,Santa Barbara and Pismo were just too close together and going on 101 up to Monterey would make a better more interesting stop.

riffsmom

I agree wholeheartedly with you. That%26#39;s why I suggested they try adding an extra night to the drive northward. They want to hang out on the beach, but Monterey doesn%26#39;t have a really great sandy beach like Pismo does.

I appreciate your kindly suggestions!

As Kibblesmom says, my family beach time is most important in my trip and so I planned my stops in Santa Barbara and Pismo Beach.

But... if I can fit a whole afternoon in Carmel/Monterey area to enjoy the scenic route, do you suggest to visit Monterey (even if we saw too many aquarium and we are not interested in another one) or spend a few hours in Carmel?

Many thanks at all of you