Over the course of our six days in California, we didn’t get much time at each stop, but our goal was to cover as much ground as possible. Plus, then we know which destinations will be worth making more time for during our next visit! We decided to start in Los Angeles and work our way north because the car rental was about half the cost compared to starting in San Francisco and heading south. We also traveled in April with the majority of our travel being midweek so we had no trouble pulling over to stop. If you’re wanting to drive the Pacific Coast Highway in California, hopefully our busy, fun-filled itinerary gives you some inspiration! Side note, Paso Robles was a slight detour inland off of Highway 1, but well worth it if you enjoy visiting wine regions. Safe travels!

Day 1: LOS ANGELES to Santa barbara

SPANISH STYLE ACCOMMODATIONS – LA PLAYA INN

The first leg of our trip was a short and sweet drive from LAX to Santa Barbara. We drove through beautiful Santa Monica and Malibu before arriving at our first hotel. We stayed at La Playa Inn, just two blocks from the Santa Barbara Waterfront. This hotel just opened in 2020, was full of Spanish charm, and was a great value.

THE FIRST OF MANY SUNSET HAPPY HOURS – DEEP SEA TASTING ROOM ON STEARNS WHARF

What better way to get the lay of the land, than by exploring the city on foot immediately after dropping your luggage? Stearns Wharf is the pier in Santa Barbara, offering shops, restaurants, and even a wine tasting room! We made it just in time to enjoy a glass of wine while the sun was setting at the Deep Sea Tasting Room. The views don’t get much better than their balcony overlooking both the ocean and the city!

MODERN MEXICAN AND MIXOLOGY – SANTO MEZCAL

You work up quite the appetite after a long day of travel, so it’s important for the first meal of the trip to make a good first impression! Santo Mezcal did not disappoint; from their craft tequila cocktails to their fresh seafood tacos…this may have been some of the most authentic California Mexican cuisine we’ve had!

DAY 2: EXPLORE SANTA BARBARA

SUNRISE ON THE WATER – SANTA BARBARA HARBOR

The Harbor, the West Beach, and the East Beach are the perfect setting for a morning run or walk. It’s only about a 2 mile stretch from one end of East Beach to the Harbor, but it’s filled with scenic views. Treat yourself, and grab a coffee first.

BREAKFAST AT A BAKERY – HELENA AVENUE BAKERY + HOOK & PRESS DONUTS

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is scope out the cutest local bakeries; Helena Avenue Bakery and Hook & Press Donuts are a sweet way to start any morning!

Order the Strawberry Mascarpone Cruffin at Helena Avenue Bakery. Don’t know what a Cruffin is? Just take my word for it.

Trade in the Car for a Bike – BCycle App Bike Rentals

Downtown Santa Barbara is about a mile from the water, so we rented bikes through the BCycle app that are docked throughout the city. Take State Street for endless shops, restaurants, and beautiful landscaping. P.S. Make sure you get a bike with a basket to store all your souvenirs!

SANTA BARBARA FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE – SANTA BARBARA COUNTY COURTHOUSE CLOCKTOWER

The Clocktower at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse is something that we almost skipped, but I’m so glad we didn’t. It’s completely free to take the elevator or stairs up to the top, and offers some of the best views in the city.

LUNCH FOR A GROUP WITH DIFFERENT CRAVINGS – SANTA BARBARA PUBLIC MARKET

When you’re ready for lunch, head over to the Santa Barbara Public Market. This is an indoor food hall with many food and drink options. If you’re like us, get small plates from multiple vendors so you can try as much as possible!

Make sure one of those small plates includes the pulled pork sliders from Shalhoob Meat Co.

SIP YOUR WAY THROUGH THE FUNK ZONE – MARGERUM WINE COMPANY + J.WILKES

I’m not kidding when I say you will run out of time before you can visit all the tasting rooms in Santa Barbara. Search wine tasting rooms on a map, and well over a dozen will pop up in the Funk Zone and along State Street. We visited Margerum and J.Wilkes.

GET YOUR LATE-NIGHT PIZZA FIX – LUCKY PENNY

If you’re a pizza connoisseur like us, it’s crucial to find the best pizza joint when you visit a new city. We usually save it for a night when we’re too exhausted to dress up for a fancy restaurant after a long day of activities (or need something to soak up all the wine), and nothing says comfort food like pizza! In Santa Barbara, we found the Lucky Penny, and boy did it satisfy our pizza craving. I’d recommend the OG Pizza and Spicy Pork Meatballs

DAY 3: SANTA BARBARA TO PASO ROBLES

START THE DAY ON A HIGH NOTE — GAVIOTA STATE PARK

We had to work off our donuts this morning, so we climbed our way to ocean views at Gaviota State Park. This hike was short and steep! The bright side of a calf stretching hike that feels like you’re at an incline the entire time, is that it doesn’t take long to reach amazing ocean views!

EXPERIENCE EUROPEAN CHARM – SOLVANG

Having some friends from Solvang, we had to stop by to check out this Danish town as we were passing through. In all honesty, I watched the movie Sideways on the plane so that was also part of the reason I wanted to see the area. With all the European charm that Solvang boasts, we almost forgot that we were in California.

Enjoy a danish from the Solvang Bakery. (Side note, are you sick of my obsession with breakfast pastries yet?)

VINEYARD VISITS IN SANTA YNEZ VALLEY – SUNSTONE WINERY

It seemed fitting that our midday break between all our stops was at a vineyard. We enjoyed a wine tasting on the garden patio at Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez. Fun fact, if you’re a Modern Family or Bachelor in Paradise fan — this is where Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams tied the knot last summer!

LOCAL DELICACY FOR LUNCH – IN-N-OUT BURGER

When in California…In-N-Out Burger. It doesn’t get much quicker than a drive-thru lunch from this popular burger joint to fuel an afternoon of hiking. I wasn’t expecting much from a fast food joint, but I was pleasantly surprised at how fresh the ingredients were; to the extent that we almost broke our rule of eating at the same place twice on vacation…almost.

GET SANDY – OCEANO DUNES NATURAL PRESERVE STATE PARK

Any chance you get to visit sand dunes, you should take it! My first encounter with sand dunes was at the Oregon Sand Dunes, and I was blown away. Making your way over a giant sand dune to find the beach is such a cool experience. We were limited on time, so we just explored on foot, but there are many activities offered at the Oceano Dunes Natural Park Reserve State Park.

If you’re feeling adventurous, rent out an ATV or dune buggy as your mode of transportation through the sand dunes.

SOMETHING YOU’LL NEVER FIND IN MINNESOTA…OCEAN BLUFFS – MONTAÑA DE ORO STATE PARK

This trail involved a little interpretive hiking, but the end result was so worth it. We worked our way up and over a hill to find a valley that led to the beach. Once we made it to the beach we looked back to see the breathtaking cliffs that we just conquered, which also reminded me of the fact that we had to do it all over again to get back to our car.

STEP BACK IN TIME – PASO ROBLES INN

Our second hotel stay was at the one and only Paso Robles Inn. Such a cute historic hotel (built in 1891) right in the heart of downtown. The rooms were small, but that’s usually the trade off for being just steps from everything. The flowers in their courtyard were breathtaking!

DINNER & DRINKS IN THE SQUARE – TASTE! CRAFT EATERY + THE ALCHEMISTS’ GARDEN

Our first dinner in Paso Robles set some high standards right off the bat. We sat on the front patio at TASTE! Craft Eatery overlooking downtown. Their menu was very unique! They offered trios so you could mix and match endless types of sliders, salads, and Mac and Cheese to satisfy your differing cravings.

We ended our first night in Paso with a nightcap at The Alchemists' Garden. Such a fun and whimsical spot, with thoughtfully curated cocktails. We had the Nicolas Flamel, (spicy margarita inspired) and the Alchemists’ Gold, (old fashioned inspired).

DAY 4: EXPLORE PASO ROBLES

WINE TASTING IN PASO ROBLES – HOYT FAMILY VINEYARDS + TOOTH & NAIL WINE

One of my all time favorite wine tour experiences was at Hoyt Family Vineyards in Paso Robles (as long as your car can make it up the hill). When we have so little time in such a big wine region, I always try to seek out unique experiences. So naturally, Hoyt Family Vineyard’s off-road vehicle tour through the vineyards sold me. We had a two hour tour through the vineyards by ATV with our guide and her dog to explore the vineyards and see the goats. Our second wine tasting experience was quite a bit different than the first. Imagine a castle-like winery surrounded by a moat, that pours sustainably crafted wines — and you get Tooth & Nail.

DRINK YOUR WAY THROUGH TIN CITY

ONX Wines
BarrelHouse Brewing Co.
Tin City Cider
Wine Shine and Tin City Distillery

A GOLDEN HAPPY HOUR – THE ROOFTOP AT THE PICCOLO

I think my dad and I would both agree that this was the highlight of our entire trip. Sometimes you just can’t beat a rooftop at sunset with live music, a cheese board, and cocktails. One of my favorite memories!

On my next trip to Paso Robles, I’ll stay at The Piccolo — not only for the Moët & Chandon Champagne vending machine in their lobby, but also for their rooftop music and happy hour service.

NOTEWORTHY MENTIONS

Ice cream flights – Negranti Creamery
Relax, shop, and taste – Paso Market Walk
When you’re sick of wine (Trust me, I’m surprised that it’s possible too) – Paso Robles Brewing Company

DAY 5: PASO ROBLES TO CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA

CHECK OFF A BUCKET LIST ITEM – BIG SUR

I have been dreaming of visiting Big Sur for almost a decade. This is my third time planning a trip to finally see the infamous Big Sur, and although the fog tried to get in the way, we didn’t let it stop us from seeing all the best spots. To be honest, I was a little white knuckled during this winding Pacific Coast Highway stretch being so close to the eerie, foggy edge.

We visited the Bixby Creek Bridge, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, McWay Falls, the Big Sur Deli, and COAST Big Sur. This place lives up to the hype and is breathtaking!

COASTAL TOWNS – CARMEL-BY-THE SEA

As we made our way to our third and final hotel of the trip, we squeezed in a few more stops along the way. Calla Lily Valley was the perfect reminder of why it’s important to allow time for spontaneous detours on a road trip, (to stop and smell the roses as some would say). This valley was exactly as it sounds…filled with beautiful tall-stemmed calla lilies that lead out to Garrapata Beach.

We stopped at the windy Point Lobos State Natural Preserve and we were able to hear the vocal sea lions. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see them due to the fog, but just another reason to go back!

We checked into the Carmel Mission Inn just in time for their happy hour at The Shearwater Tavern before we went and explored downtown. Downtown Carmel-By-The-Sea was full of charm! We visited shops, got some goodies at the Carmel Bakery, and had cocktails at Barmel before getting takeout wood-fired pizza from La Bicyclette Restaurant.

DAY 6: CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA TO SAN FRANCISCO

TRAVEL DAY FUEL, AKA COFFEE AND CARBS – LAFAYETTE BAKERY & CAFE

For our last morning we walked to the Barnyard Shopping Village for coffee and French pastries from Lafayette Bakery & Cafe before departure. If you have more time, try to get breakfast at From Scratch Restaurant.

TAKE THE SCENIC ROUTE – 17-MILE DRIVE

Our first stop was Pebble Beach, which was even cooler than I thought! The Pebble Beach Visitor’s Center had interesting golf statistics, trophies, and merchandise. The sights didn’t stop there though, there were 21 points of interest along this route. I’d recommend stopping in the Pebble Beach Market to grab supplies for a picnic lunch along the 17-mile drive.

SAVOR FRESH SEAFOOD BEFORE YOU CAN’T ANYMORE – WILD FISH

We enjoyed our last lunch at Wild Fish in Pacific Grove before heading to catch our flight from SFO. One of my goals for this trip was to get Moules Frites with Champagne, so mussels, my dad’s “chips” from his Fish and Chips, and brut rosé was the closest I was going to get! I couldn’t have asked for a better last meal before heading home.

A WEEK ON THE CALIFORNIA PCH