Driving California Highway 1 from Los Angeles to Cambria. A drive along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) can be a vacation in itself.
Probably you will ask, a highway as a destination? Absolutely, yes, when the highway connects two "must see" metropolises and lets you experience one of the great scenic drives of the world.
Tourists come from all over the world to see Los Angeles and San Francisco. Air crafts fly up and down the coast between them. You can take Highway 5 and Highway 101 to get you between them faster. But a drive along California Highway 1 will let you enjoy California coastal sights, a few cute small towns, taste some wines and even visit a castle!
The Pacific Coast Highway stretches all the way from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada, however the most popular part to drive is that section between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
It's possible to make this drive over 485 mile (620 km) in one day, but that would be really a shame. You should take at least two days to enjoy a little sightseeing. It's always better you have more time, may be 3 or 4 days or even a week. A week on a highway? No, a week to vacation along this scenic highway.
You can drive this in either direction, but we'll give it to you south to north. And we'll explore it in three sections. First part from Los Angeles to Cambria and San Simeon; then the central section from Cambria to Carmel and Monterrey, and finally from Carmel to San Francisco. Have in mind what we told you, make this drive a vacation.
Leaving Los Angeles, you drive through Malibu past homes of the rich and famous. For about 75 miles (120 km), you'll pass through farmlands and cities like Ventura and Oxnard and drive along beautiful beaches before you arrive at Santa Barbara. Take a break and explore this attractive town and its Old Mission Santa Barbara, called the Queen of the Missions because it is so beautiful.
If you can spend an extra day or two, you can also make some side trips and do several wine tasting. If you have time for some more side trips, you can also find some more of those Spanish Missions. Exits to them are clearly marked along the highway.
A little further north, you pass through three towns, any one of which will make a nice base to explore the others.
At Pismo Beach you can explore great sand dunes on an 8 mile long beach.
San Luis Obispo is a college town where you can explore a nice little downtown and another Spanish Mission.
Morro Bay is a fishing port with a landmark, huge volcanic rock rising out of the water in the middle of the bay. Galleries, restaurants and an aquarium line the waterfront.
In the end you get to Cambria. This little coastal town provides many good hotels and B&Bs, and it makes a great base to visit Hearst Castle. This impressive estate is a little further north close to San Simeon. Hearst Castle was built in the 1930's and 40's by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. To tour Hearst Castle you should arrange early in advance for reservations because tours can be sold out at popular times of the year.
Now we're only about a third of the way up California Highway 1 and you already feel like you're having a great vacation, don't you? Next section from Cambria to Carmel and Monterrey you're in for the really scenic part of the drive.
