California Driving Tour: 21 Days San Fransisco to San Diego
- karenconnolly59
- Apr 28
- 19 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
"It doesn't matter where you are going. It matters who is beside you"
(Anonymous)
Have you ever dreamt of driving down the California coast from San Fransisco to San Diego? Well our guide will show you a circular route and all the places to see along the way.
We took this California driving tour just after we both early retired and spent 21 days enjoying some of the well known sights plus some hidden gems which we will share with you to help you plan your next trip.
We stayed in a variety of accommodation and so as we travel through the California and Nevada states we will highlight where we stayed and what we thought of each place including costs. We can say at the outset this was not an inexpensive tour. This was our 40th Wedding Anniversary celebration and so we did push the boat out a bit! California is also home to many wealthy residents and so attracts a high price tariff in many parts.
We flew into San Fransisco from Heathrow with Virgin Airlines and were very fortunate to be able to fly business class. We actually had a free seat from a previous downgrade (long story for another time!) and so the additional flight was £1600 which seemed like a bargain.
California Driving Tour: 21 Days San Fransisco to San Diego
Day 1 San Fransisco and the Fairmont Hotel
We collected our hire car from the airport and drove to the fabulous Fairmont Hotel located in Nob Hill. The hotel cost £349 per night for room only. This was a great place to start our tour of this amazing city and the first thing you can't avoid are those steep hills where it looks like the road ends in mid air. Having a car is not essential in SF but it is certainly an experience driving and parking on those vertical hills!
The famous cable cars are a must to take a ride on. To see how they reverse on their turning circle and how they navigate those steep hills is brilliant. We took the Powell and Mason Street line jut so we could see the turning circle and in the summer the queues can be a bit long but hop on either inside or hang on to the outside. (Yep you can literally hang on!). The fares are $7 for a single trip which must be paid in advance at the terminus before you board. You can buy a 1/3/7 day pass too. These cable cars have been in existence since 1873 and if you want to know more about them you can visit the free Cable Car Museum close by.
Once you know you can get about on public transport or self drive there is so much to see here and so we planned half of our 'must do's' for the start of our tour and saved some for the end when we were returning to San Fransisco to fly home.
Nob Hill is a place in its own right which deserves a visit. It is considered to be up market and has many historic buildings, Michellin Star restaurants and stunning views. From here you are close to Chinatown, the Financial District and Fishermans wharf.
Parking overnight in San Fransisco is not cheap and places are limited so you have to be prepared to add this as an expense to your tour. We parked a few metres away from our hotel in a secure garage. There are parking websites available to help you choose and these are often cheaper than opting for valet parking at the hotel. You could also decide to delay collecting your car until you leave SF and use public transport as the airport is only 20 minutes away from Nob Hill.
Day 2 The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is the iconic sight of SF and is stunning in its own right. You can literally spend half a day here and marvel at this 1.7 mile expansive structure and walk the length (and back) enjoying the engineering, the views of the towers and cables and the ocean. We even saw seals in the bay.
The bridge was constructed in the 1930's at the time of the great depression and links San Fransisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean. It carries Route 101 for vehicles and the Bicycle Route 95. As a pedestrian or a driver you will be one of 10 million visitors per year!
The bridge is a stunning orange colour with the origin being the red lead primer that covered the steel when it left the foundry in Pennsylvania. This was seen by a consulting architect, I Morrow, who was inspired by the colour as he commuted to the construction site on the ferry. Morrow undertook colour studies and specified International Orange was the ideal colour for the bridge as it contrasted perfectly with the surrounding hills and skyline. This colour was not unique as it was already in existence and used in the aerospace industry. (It is not the same as saftey orange). If you would like more facts about the GGB you can visit www.goldengate.org
Staying at the Fairmont we were able to visit the Hurricane Bar and dine in the Tonga Restaurant which was a real treat as this Tiki style restaurant is located around an indoor lagoon with tropical rain, thunder and lightening storms accompanying your evening meal. You are serenaded by a band playing aboard a boat in the lagoon and the whole atmosphere is magical. The Asian-Fusion menu had plant based options so we picked a few and shared the different flavours. The food was delicious and the atmosphere one we can recommend.
This bar was originally built in 1929 as the hotels's plunge pool but was later transformed by a Hollywood set designer into the legendery Tonga Room you see today.
Day 3 Lombard Street
Lombard Street is a must if you are in your own or a hire car. This steep incline (27 degrees) has 8 hairpin bends (or switchbacks) and is paved in red blocks. The road is lined by residential properties and perfectly manicured shrubs. It is a one way road and so you travel from the top and be prepared to queue on the otherside of the road before you start as it gets many visitors each day.
This is free to drive or walk but try to avoid weekends and rush hour and if you can see if you can visit at night time too as the city views and lights are amazing. The view from the top of the hill stretches out over Fisherman's Wharf, San Fransisco Bay and The Golden Gate Bridge. Whilst the views are amazing take your time traversing this hill and navigating those bends and importantly when you get to the bottom park up and take the obligatory photo of this reportedly crookiest street in the world! (This isn't exactly true as the real title goes to Vermont Street in Potrero Hill also in SF)
After driving down Lombard Street we had lunch at the Marina and headed out across the Golden Gate Bridge to our next destination Yountville in the Napa Valley. Many visitors go to the Napa Valley to see the vineyards and wine cellars but we had something more special planned.
We checked into the Napa Valley Lodge, were greeted with a refreshing drink and walked around the town before preparing for our early morning rise the next day. The Napa Valley Lodge was booked through Booking.com and cost almost £1400 for 2 nights including breakfast. (Very expensive for this type of accommodation).
Day 4 Napa Valley Hot Air Balloon Ride
We booked a sunrise hot air balloon ride through Viator costing £471 for the two of us. The flight was taking place at 05.45 hours and gave you a view across the Napa Valley.
Our pilot was fantastic, funny and very experienced flying hot air balloons all over the world including Africa. He gave us fun facts, kept us safe and even performed a 'splash and dash' by touching down in a pond and rising up again. We were the only balloon to experience this on this morning and so it felt very special. The other balloons watched in awe and took photos for us to keep.
We spent the afternoon strolling around Yountville and found a couple of great places to eat. This was a lovely chilled out place with gardens, lovely shops and a famous bakery where the queues were outside first thing in the morning.
Day 5 Lake Tahoe
Leaving the Napa Valley we drove via Sacramento through the Tahoe National Forest to Lake Tahoe. We stopped on the way for a picnic in the Sacramento Park in glorious sun and then as we approached Tahoe we were met with crisp white snow. To be honest we didn't expect it (I don't know why as we were heading to the mountains and it was April) and so it was a real surprise.
Lake Tahoe is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and is the largest alpine lake in North America. It is known for its Heavenly Ski Resort and Emerald Bay State Park amongst other things. Lake Tahoe is 1645' deep being the second deepest lake in the USA. It is this depth compared to the surface area which prevents it freezing over and also provides the glorious aquamarine colours.
We stayed at the Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort which was £304 for 2 nights and was in sharp contrast to our previous accommodation. It was very basic but set against the lake shore with free parking. Our room had a microwave/kitchenette so we were able to make lunch/breakfast. When we planned this trip we wanted to try different styles of accommodation and didn't want to only experience the large chain hotels. This was listed as superb rated 9 on Booking.com and gave us the perfect base to explore everything Lake Tahoe had to offer.
Day 6 Heavenly Village and Emerald Bay State Park
Today's plan was to drive all the way around the lake and stop off along the way. We were staying on the north shore of the lake and so headed clockwise around until we arrived at Heavenly Village. This is a ski resort with everything you would expect for skiing and apres ski. We had arrived just as the season finished and so the gondola was closed which was a shame but there are plenty of great places to eat, lots of shops and a mulitplex cinema. We sat outside and had a pizza for lunch from the Base Camp Pizza Co and meandered through the cobbled streets. Heavenly even spans two states of California and Nevada!
After lunch we headed off to the Emerald Bay south west Lake Tahoe. The colours of lake Tahoe are surreal and even more so at Emerald Bay. You drive along Highway 89 and stop at Inspiration Point. There are several places to park (paid for) so no problem being able to get out and walk but there is no parking overnight allowed.
Located in the middle of the bay is Fanette Island where Mrs Knight's Teahouse is located. Here Mrs Knight would enjoy her tea admiring the 360 degree views of the lake. We stayed a while taking photos and videos of Eagle Falls then headed along the Rubicon trail back towards our lodge.
We didn't spot any bald eagles which often fly above you here and if we had allocated more time we would have considered either taking the paddle boat across the lake or even kayaking to Mrs Knight's Tearoom.
Our advice would be to head for Emerald Bay at either sunrise or sunset to get the best colours in either Spring or Autumn.
A short stop off at Tahoe City provided a last opportunity to become immersed in the local culture and to get a sense of how these towns developed over 100 years ago.
Day 7 Lake Tahoe to Yosemite
As we left Mourelatos Lodge we again drove clockwise around Lake Tahoe stopping off the 3 mile walk along the Tahoe East Shore Trail. This was designed as a cycle route but also allows safe access to the beachline and offers spectacular views. It spans from Incline Village to Sand Harbour. Along the way you can see how people have donated to help maintain the trail with lots of metal fish decorating the walk way and there are bike maintenance facilties too. Definitely a great little walk.
We had a 4-5 hour drive next to El Portal where we were staying for the night at Yosemite View Lodge. This was £400 for two nights and located just outside the main Yosemite National Park. There are campsites located around and in the park but lodge/hotel accommodation is limited so we would advise you to book well in advance.
We arrived in the evening and planned to get out early in the morning as parking within the Yosemite Valley is notoriously difficult so aim for before 9am. We were there in spring which was busy and in summer there are extended delays. The park has over 4 million visitors per year so plan ahead! We ate in the Lodge that evening enjoying freshly made pizza.
Day 8 Yosemite National Park
Deciding how to spend your time in the Yosemite National Park isn't easy as there is so much to see and you also need to consider the time of year you are travelling as some things may be closed, not visible or inaccessible. Most of the park is covered in snow for example from November to May with most of the rain fall in a similar period. The national park covers nearly 1,200 square miles so lots to take in!
Activities in the park include hiking, cycling, camping, backpacking and tours to name a few. A great website to plan the most of this part of your trip is www.nps.gov or download the National Park Service App
Waterfalls are in abundance especially when we travelled in spring and the backdrop of the mountains against the blue skies was spectacular. However in late summer and autumn there is little water run off to be seen. We spent the day just marvelling at these wonderful sights and took in the main ones such as El Capitan, Cathedral Rocks and Spires, The Half Dome and Yosemite Falls. The night skies were pretty amazing too with such little light pollution.
The Giant Sequoia can be seen at Mariposa Grove. This Grove is home to over 500 trees and was protected in 1864 by President Lincoln for future generations. This was a significant act when the country was embroiled in civil war and in current times the Grove has seen significant restoration from 2015-2018 as they were found to be in declining health.
Entrance into the park is $35 per car and was well worth the early start .
Day 9 Drive to Pasadena
It was time to move on and we had a 5 hour drive from El Portal to Huntington, Pasadena where we checked in at The Langham Hotel. We were only staying here for 1 night which was a shame as the hotel was gorgeous. It cost £348 per night and when the staff knew we were there celebrating our Ruby Wedding Anniversary they treated us to champagne and strawberries. It was such a lovely touch.
Day 10 Pasadena Old Town and Drive to San Diego
Pasadena Old Town was a great place to visit and first stop was brunch at Sage, a plant based bistro and brewery. This quirky place had a great menu and funky interior. The brewery is women owned and brewed having the only hops yard in the Los Angeles area.
Having a chilled morning we set off again for San Diego. This would be the most southern point of our trip. It was only a 2.5 hour drive today so there was no rush but it meant we could check into the hotel and get ready for our celebratory dinner. We were celebrating a day early as the restaurant was not able to accommodate us on the actual day of our anniversary 1st May but that didnt matter .
We checked into The U.S. Grant a Luxury Collection Hotel for 3 nights and immediately became immersed into the history of this building and the surrounding area. It is located near the gaslight area which is a vibrant part of the city coming alive at night time.
It is one of the oldest hotels in San diego and was orginally purchased in 1895 for Fannie Chaffee Grant by her father, Jerome Chaffee, one of Colorado's first senators, as women were not allowed to buy real estate. Fannie's husband had no money and after Fannie tore the hotel down in 1905 her husband oversaw the rebuild and the new hotel reopening in 1910. It was named after his father Ulysses S. Grant former president. In 1952 women were not allowed in the Grant Grill before 3pm and so in 1969 prominent local women staged a sit in and the men only policy was abandoned.
The hotel decor was stunning and having dressed for the occasion we had a gorgeous evening of fine dining.
Day 11 & 12 San Diego
San Diego is a vibrant city with great weather. It offers lots for you to see and has a really chilled vibe. We walked all around the city going to the Seaport Village for the best coffee and vegan filled bagels at ' Spill The Beans' where we could chill our beans each morning. To sit in the sunshine reading and not rushing about was great.
The Gaslamp Quarter was a busy eclectic area with properties dating back to the victorian era from when this was a merchant district. This area was busy both day and night but at night its definitely more of a party nightclub scene.
The walk to the International Conference Centre alonge Martin Luther King Jr Proemade was fascinating. It was lined with sayings/statements encouraged to make you think combined with an amazing sculpture to also make you consider things like mental health issues.
Balboa Park covers 1200 acres and is home to museums, walking trails botanical gardens and the Zoo. You can easily spend a full day here.
Petco Park is San Diego's Baseball Stadium with amazing views of the city skyline. It also hosts other events, stadium tours and concerts so if this is for you check out the MLB website
Day 13 Santa Monica
We continued our tour to Santa Monica. This is on the outskirts of Los Angeles and whilst we could have gone into LA for the full tourist fix we chose to stay in Santa Monica. We checked into the Shutters On The Beach Hotel for the next 2 nights costing £1250 for the 2 nights.
A trip to Santa Monica is all about the end of Route 66, the pier and the pristine white sandy beach!
This was a great place to stop with plenty of places to eat and enjoy the chilled atmosphere. Our hotel was fabulous but again we wanted to experience the local culture and chose to eat in various cafes and restaurants outside. We got dressed for dinner and set off to find a vegan Thai eatery we had seen advertised. We were the only ones sat outside this takeaway dressed as if we were going for formal dining! 😂 After such an extravagant dinner (not) we returned to our hotel for drinks and card playing.
Day 14 Tongva Park Santa Monica
Walking around Tongva Park was beautiful. It is 6 acres of an urban park in the centre odf Santa Monica with great water features, sculptures, the City Hall and the Court House. This hidden gem is a place of tranquility with diverse planting for all seasons. It is named after the indigenous Tongva people who lived in this area for 1,000's of years.
We rounded off our visit to the park with delicious vegan ice cream from the Gelatoguy then a relax by the hotel pool. Perfect day!
Day 15 Cambria
The drive to Cambria took 4 hours as we travelled along the coast road. We stayed in an AirBnB called The Overlook. This was a separate floor with your own private entrance occupying the whole downstairs of Lisa's house. We had a full balcony where you could dine outside overooking the ocean. Inside the decor was very retro 70's style (with a modern flair) and very chic. The cost was £566 for 2 nights.
We drove into the local town main street which was true vintage and you felt like you had walked back in time. It was here we saw a fabulous vintage car and after speaking to the owners they told us about the vintage car rally taking place in Morro Bay the next day. We had our plans for tomorrow now sorted!
You can see fabulous sunsets from the balcony here and in the morning the rolling sea mists.
Day 16 Morro Bay
The big event today was the vintage car rally and so we arrived early to explore Morro Bay and watched the procession of cars from 5.30pm onwards. The town had a great atmosphere with the beach, seals basingk and Morro Rock nearby. There were some great shops for browsing and restaurants along the front.
We chose to sit outside the Stax Wine Bar and Bistro where we had mushrooms on ciabatta with chips, chilled wine and beer. The atmosphere was brilliant as we had a great view from here watching the vintage cars passing by getting ready for tonights main event. The paintwork on these cars was like glass, they were stunning and the owners only too happy to tell you all about their beloved vehicles. We spoke to other visitors to the bistro who told us about other palces to visit along the coast and places to stop off at and eat so we made a note it was now in our itinery.
At 5.30 we took our road side positions and watched in awe as the vehicles lined up, revved their engines, sounded their sirens and honked thier horns. It was such a treat that if we hadn't been in Cambria the day before we would have missed this spectacular show.
Day 17 Big Sur
Today was our day for travelling Route 1 to the rugged coastline of Big Sur. This is a beautiful stretch of coast road from Carmel to San Simeon with stunning views either hugging the sea or up in the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The day before it was recommended we stop at Nepenthe Cafe in the hills as this has great food and great views overlooking the ocean. It gets very busy and there may be a wait but if you get a seat along the edge you are in for a treat. We had chilled lemonade and our vegan burger and fries in a basket.
This evening we checked into Hotel Abrego in Monterey. This was £345 for 2 nights and was positioned ideally for exploring this old canning town.
Day 18 Monterey
Monterey was an old sardine canning town and there are numerous reminders that this is what was the main business of this area. Walking around you are treated to seals in the bay just basking and lots of places to eat or just sit and have coffee watching the world go by.
We saw cannery row and fisherman's wharf and if you wanted you can also visit the aquarium.
We spent the day exploring and headed of to a plant based Mexican cafe for our vegan lunch. El Cantaro was a little walk outside of the main town centre but well worth the walk There was such a lot of choice we were spoilt.
Day 19 Pebble Beach/SF
Pebble beach is in Monterey County close to Carmel-by-the-sea and part of the 17 mile drive. This was a gated community and unless you are resident the drive way is a toll road. We had booked an AirBnB in the heart of Pebble Beach and as we drove in we were looking at multi million dollar homes. We thought we had hit the jackpot until we arrived!
Our AirBnB was awful! Whilst we are a mature couple we didnt want to stay in the equivalent of an old folks home. The room was attached to the main house and was essentially in the conservatory with a bedroom connected by patio doors. The privacy was controlled by the owner and the cleanliness was dubious. We were so disappointed we decided the £366 we paid for 2 nights we would forego and we moved out to a nearby hotel which we couldn't fault and the staff were extremely friendly. Our tip would be to read the reviews not just the top ones as when we looked deeper we found others we less than satisfied too with this property.
Day 20 Pebble Beach
We drove the 17 mile road and visited the famous Pebble Beach golf course. This was superb to explore the hotel and shops, the grounds and ultimately to have lunch in the restaurant. Whilst we are not golfers it was a beautiful place to visit with stunning views.
We made our way in the afternoon back to San Fransisco to the Four Seasons Hotel which we had booked for 2 nights costing £1190. Our room was beautiful and unfortunately the hotel was being upgraded so we couldnt dine in the restaurant and our previous experience of this chain is that the food is superb.
We had planned to spend the day exploring the other parts of San Fransisco the next day and to take a boat trip to the famous Alcatraz.
Day 21 San Fransisco and Alcatraz
It was an early start (08.45) for Alcatraz as we knew it gets busy and we wanted to visit this infamous island before the main rush. We took the Alcatraz City Cruise costing $77 for 2 of us as seniors.
The ride across the bay and landing on the island was brilliant. We learnt so much about this prison but also about the native Americans who occupied this island before it became the prison we know it for today. We could talk a lot about this trip but its best to visit and see for yourself as there is so much history here.
Our time on the island was very well organised and we would highly recommend this as a highlight for your visit to San Fransisco.
In the afternoon we carried on touring around the Piers, we saw the sinking Millenium Hotel, the financial district with the Federal Reserve Bank building and the various sculptures scattered around the city.
As we cross the main highway we were greeted by the loud noise of the cherry -headed conures. These green and red birds are a mid sized parrot native to Ecuador and Peru but inhabited the Telegraph Hill neighbourhood in SF in the 1980s after being imported as an exotic bird which then became illegal in 1992. It's not really clear whether they were then set free or escaped and have since increased in numbers. They were great to watch and definitely noisy.
Our last evening dinner was at La Mar at Pier 1 1/2. This Peruvian restaurant has diverse cultural flavours served from their cebiche bar or charcoal fired oven. They have a good vegan selection which was superbly presented and tasted divine.
We were sad this was our last night as we walked back to our hotel taking in for the last time the cityscapes. The hotels lit up, the bridges across the bay and the buzzing atmosphere as people enjoyed the balmy evening.
Tomorrow we would head off to the airport for our journey back to London then Manchester. This was definitely a tour to remember.
And finally: Some simple facts
We visited 2 states and 6 national parks
We walked 223,000 steps or 95 miles
We drove 1778 miles
We had 10 stopovers
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