The Open Road Travel

A road trip from San Francisco to San Diego takes you along the coast of southern California.

A more than 500 mile road trip from San Francisco to San Diego will take you up the coast of the Golden State, along one of the most scenic routes in the country, past huge mountains, small towns, beautiful beaches, and stunning ocean vistas.

If you are thinking of making this incredible journey yourself but need a little help planning it, then this is the article for you.

There are two great route options for a road trip from San Francisco to San Diego. The quickest route will cover 500 miles and take around 7 hours 45 minutes to complete.

This option will see you set off east on the I-80, then, after crossing the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, use Exit 8B to merge with the I-580. Continue following this southeast until it ends and merges with the I-5, which you’ll follow south the remaining 430 miles to San Diego.

The second option, which I would consider the best route for a road trip from San Francisco to San Diego, covers 590 miles and takes around 13 hours to complete.

While this option is admittedly much longer, it takes you along one of the most scenic routes in the Unites States, the Pacific Coast Highway, and has enough attractions to make it a more than worthwhile option.

For this route, you will leave the city heading south on California State Route 1 and follow it until it terminates, some 525 miles away in Dana Point. Here you’ll merge with the I-5 and take it the remaining 65 miles to San Diego.

Los Angeles is the 2nd most populous city in the United States, behind New York City, as well as the 8th largest by area in the lower 48 states.

Originally settled in 1781, it was declared a city in 1835. However, it wasn’t until almost 100 years later that LA as it is known today began to take shape.

Los Angeles was the epicentre of the explosion of the film industry in the early 1900s. With all of the prominent movie houses of the day setting up shop, it became a who’s who of the entertainment elite.

Many of the original studios, locations, and sites dedicated to the stars can still be found throughout the city, along with the countless others that have been added in the century since. This makes it the best place on Earth to visit for any movie buffs or film fans.

Aside from the film industry, Los Angeles is also known for its warm climate, stunning beaches, and iconic landmarks.

This has made it a popular destination for both tourists and celebrities, as well as the people from a diverse range of backgrounds who have chosen to make the city their home.

All of this has helped Los Angeles to become the second most visited city in the United States, again behind NYC, with an average of 50 million visitors each year.

Whether you choose to spend just a day in LA or decide to make it a longer stop, our guide on the best areas to stay in Los Angeles should help make sure you find a location to make your visit to the “City Of Angels” perfect from start to finish.

Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel is a beautiful, 5-star beach resort in Santa Monica. Its beautiful rooms feature stylish, comfortable furnishings and boast their own balconies, where you can enjoy the stunning views of Santa Monica Pier and the Pacific Ocean.

Among the amenities included in every room are, air conditioning, a flat screen TV, minibar, and Wi-Fi that can be accessed throughout the property. Room service is also available, for those who want to maximise the time spent in their room.

A 4th floor pool provides a great place swim or make the most of the sun, while soaking in the breathtaking ocean views. Meanwhile, 13 campfire style fire pits offer plenty of ways to relax when the temperature dips in the evening.

The wonderful restaurant and coffee house will have all your dining needs covered around the clock. Outdoor and indoor meeting facilities are offered to all guests, while a fully equipped fitness centre means you won’t have to miss a workout during your stay.

The best time for a road trip from San Francisco to San Diego is between early March and mid-August. As a city that generally boasts fabulous weather all year round, there really isn’t a bad time to visit San Diego.

However, the suggested window will help you to avoid the slightly cooler months in the winter, as well as the peak of wildfire season, which affects the California coast from late August into November.

We now move on to examining the top attractions on a road trip from San Francisco to San Diego. With our route taking us through one of the most beautiful, scenic parts of the United States, it is simply brimming with fabulous places to stop and see.

While it would take weeks to explore everything there is enjoy between our two locations, the following list contains the absolute best sights and sounds, that are sure to entertain and amaze travellers of all different interests.

San Jose is California’s third most populous city, behind Los Angeles and San Diego, as well as the 10th most populous in the entire United States. The city is best known for being the largest, most populous area in “Silicon Valley”.

As the central hub of the technology industry in the United States, as well as one of the main such locations in the entire world, San Jose is a city that is always on the cutting edge and will be filled with some of the most innovative attractions and buildings you will find.

Combine that with the fact that San Jose has established itself as one of the country’s front runners in both the arts and dining industries, and it becomes a fantastic destination for a stylish, sophisticated stop along your route.

Pinnacles National Park is one of the more recent additions to the United States register of national parks. First awarded the designation in January 2013, it was included for its incredible, rugged, volcanic landscape.

It is one of the smallest national parks in the country at 26,686 acres, as well as one of the least visited in the contiguous United States, with just 166,000 people making the journey each year.

A collection of stunning geographical features, including rock formations, pinnacles, spires, and caves awaits visitors. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this has led to it becoming a hotspot for rock climbers of all different abilities, as well as those interested in caving.

That said, the numerous hiking trails are also incredibly popular with birdwatchers and nature lovers. More than 180 species of birds, including the California condor, inhabit the park, as do creatures such as deer, foxes, bats, and bobcats.

If you happen to visit during the spring, you will even find that the park is alive with beautiful wildflowers, which paint it in a range of different colours.

Carmel-By-The-Sea is a historic town centred around the famed Mission San Carlos Borromeo De Carmelo. Constructed by Spanish colonists in 1770, it is among the oldest, most traditional Roman Catholic mission churches in the United States.

Designated a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register Of Historic Places, it has been incredibly well preserved and is the only one remaining in California to still feature its original tower and bell.

Functioning as both a museum and an active parish church, you can take in exhibits and learn about the history of both the area and the building, while also attending a service for an authentic experience.

Big Sur is a coastal region of California consisting of beautiful ocean views, distinctive mountains, and abundant wildlife.

It is also where you will find the town of Big Sur, which has some of the best shopping, dining, and educational experiences for more than 70 miles in any direction.

Considered by many to be the most scenic stretch in the lower 48 states, Big Sur is a perfect choice for a slow drive taking in the sights or a hike on one of the many trails through the beaches and forests in the area.

So popular is Big Sur that it receives almost as many annual visitors as the legendary Yosemite National Park, which is located just a short drive inland.

San Simeon is a small, Pacific coast village, which is popular with nature lovers coming to visit its large northern elephant seal nesting ground, known as the Piedras Blancas Rookery.

However, the area in general is perhaps even better known for being the location of Hearst Castle.

Hearst Castle is a mansion built by William Randolph Hearst in the early 20th century, in the hills overlooking San Simeon.

Its incredible façade was built using a combination of Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, while also featuring elements of various other 19th and 20th century revival styles.

Meanwhile, the lavish interiors boast ornate furniture and works of art, while also displaying Hearst’s personal collections of this such as art and antiques.

In the grounds of the castle are features like pools and pergolas, as well as the site’s legendary zebra population.

Part of a planned zoo that never materialised, they have been freely roaming the grounds for decades, creating a sight you are unlikely to witness anywhere else in the United States.

Listed as both a California and United States National Historic Landmark, as well as listed on the U.S. National Register Of Historic Places, Hearst Castle is now a museum and California State Park, where you can learn about its incredible history and see the sights for yourself.

Channel Islands National Park features 5 of the 8 Channel Islands located just off the coast of Santa Barbra.

Despite being located so close to one of the biggest cities in the United States, Channel Islands National Park is a natural gem that is overlooked by most people who visit the area.

The islands offer the opportunity to see remote landscapes, stunning ocean vistas, and unique features like kelp forests, which grow up to 100 feet down to the ocean floor.

They are also bursting with wildlife like dolphins, seals, whales, sea lions, spiny lobsters, and the incredibly rare island fox, as well as more nearly 400 species of birds.

Daily ferries will take visitors to the islands, where they can engage in activities such as camping, hiking the Anacapa Island Loop, snorkelling or scuba diving in the kelp forest, and much much more.

Known to locals as “The Bu”, Malibu is an upmarket beach town, filled with stylish beachfront properties and businesses. With some of the longest, most serene stretches of golden sand in the country, it is well known for offering “21 miles of scenic beauty”.

It is incredibly popular with both celebrities and those seeking a more relaxing vacation, due to the considerably quieter beaches than you will find nearer to Los Angeles.

Malibu is equally popular with the surfing community as well, thanks to the powerful breaks and strong currents present at many of its beaches.

In fact, Surfrider Beach in Malibu was the first beach in the world to be designated a World Surfing Reserve, when it gained the title in 2010.

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) covers nearly 157,000 acres, on the northern edge of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.

Considered the largest urban national park on Earth, it is filled with mountains, rock formations, wildlife, and stunning vistas.

Whether you want to go camping, climbing, hiking, or simply just relax and take in views of both the natural landscape and the nearby city, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is the perfect location to help you take a break from the urban press of the city to its south.

Huntington Beach is a vibrant beachfront community that is one of the most popular surfing areas in the United States.

Its wonderful beaches and strong current make it the perfect opportunity for surfers of all abilities to head out and hit the waves. Meanwhile, the boardwalk that surrounds the beach is filled with surf shacks and stores selling items specifically aimed at the surf crowd.

There is even the International Surfing Museum, where you can see historic surfboards and other memorabilia, dedicated to helping fans learn more about the history and growth of the sport.

Laguna Beach is a small town that is well known for its vibrant arts scene. Galleries litter Laguna Beach, offering plenty of options for art fans of all different tastes to see works of the highest quality, by both local and internationally renowned artists.

Like many coastal towns in southern California, it is also popular for its fabulous beaches. However, what sets it apart from many similar locations is an abundance of tide pools.

This gives visitors the chance to enjoy the views and the ocean, without having to worry about the region’s strong tides.

Other popular features of Laguna Beach include beach, wilderness, and underwater parks, as well as fabulous gardens, where visitors can take in the diverse nature of the region.

Dana Point is a picturesque harbour town, with its marina and waterfront establishments creating a sophisticated and cultured environment.

Whether you are planning on taking one of the many cruises that depart daily from the marina or simply want to sit and relax with a drink while watching the boats bob up and down on the water, Dana Point is a destination that will have you covered.

That concludes our article on the perfect road trip from San Francisco to San Diego. Hopefully, you will now have a much better idea of how to go about planning your journey.

From where to stay and what to see, to when to go and how to get there, you should have all the information you need to fill out your ideal travel itinerary and make it a magical trip that you remember for years to come.

That mean’s all that’s left is to start getting everything booked. That way, you can start looking forward to experiencing it all for yourself, as soon as possible.