If it seems like California is rugged, perhaps that’s because the state has more coastline than any other in the lower forty-eight. The stretch is as varied as it is spectacular — sandy beaches give way to urban jungles, precipitous bluffs and eventually rows upon rows of vineyards.
Cruising the route 1 or the Pacific Coast Highway works best in a larger dream ride so you can get an elevated view of the epic scenery, or a convertable with the top down, but watch out for the coastal fog. This multi-stop road trip samples the best of the Golden State, from the outdoor havens of San Diego to luxurious wine country and everything in between.
Start: San Diego
San Diego is vibrant, exhilarating and a whole lot of fun. Must-sees in San Diego include the 1,200-acre Balboa Park, home of the San Diego Zoo, multiple art museums, restaurants and playgrounds, and La Jolla Cove, which attracts wild seals and sea lions by the dozen. Stay at the circa-1910 US GRANT, a Luxury Collection Hotel, and shop at the upscale galleries and boutiques dotting the sidewalks in Little Italy.
When you’re ready to stretch your legs, head out for a run along the Embarcadero and make a stop at the USS Midway en route. Stop at one of the many restaurants and boutiques along the water.
Stop 1: Los Angeles
Distance from San Diego: 115 miles
From San Diego, drive three hours north to Los Angeles, the largest urban area in California. Without question the hottest neighborhood here these days is Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA), where original art deco buildings mix with new and glimmering skyscrapers.
Head west from DTLA to the beach in Santa Monica and stay awhile. Here, using the Sandbourne Santa Monica, Autograph Collection as a home base, engage in retail therapy at Santa Monica Place mall or go people watching on the pier.
Summer is also a great time to hit the ornate marble swimming pool at the Annenberg Community Beach House. The pool, and the house itself, dates back to the 1920s, and today both are open to the public.
Stop 2: San Francisco
Distance from Los Angeles: About 400 miles
You can get from L.A. to San Francisco in six hours if you rush, but the journey is much more enjoyable when you take your time and savor every bend of Highway One as it hugs the Pacific. Perhaps the most dramatic panoramas are in Big Sur, where mountains drop thousands of feet into the ocean below.
For a more peaceful perspective, pull up to a fire pit at the bluff-top The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay and sip a handcrafted cocktail while watching the sun sink beneath the line where the Pacific meets the sky.
Your visit to San Francisco doesn’t officially begin until you ride one of the iconic cable cars, which you can find a short walk up Market Street from The Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco. A few blocks walk away, the SF MoMA is home to more than 33,000 works of art and the largest public living wall in the United States.
Get a dose of the city’s hippie culture in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, where the famed Summer of Love began in 1967. Take a guided walking tour for the inside scoop on the history of the neighborhood and some its famous residents like Janis Joplin. Then chow down on Puerto Rican comfort food at the upscale and intimate Parada 22.
End: Wine Country
Distance from San Francisco: About 50 miles
About 90 minutes north past the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the waves of the Pacific give way to waves of a different kind: rolling hills lined with vineyards. Here in Napa and Sonoma counties, farmers and scientists work together to turn ordinary grapes into extraordinary wine.
The fruits of their labor are renowned throughout the world — especially cabernets from Rutherford and pinot noirs from the Russian River Valley.
On the Napa side of the Mayacamas Mountains, book an a tasting at award-winning wineries like Trefethen Family Vineyards. On the Sonoma side, wine tasting is a bit more relaxed. Spend the day tasting in the Dry Creek Valley and make sure to try locally grown zinfandel.
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