This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
This is one of those occasions where it really is worth taking the scenic route. Weaving for 656 miles in a series of adrenaline-rushing curves on State Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway links seaside towns with sandstone cliffs on one side, crashing Pacific waves on the other and limitless sky overhead. San Francisco to Santa Monica is the blockbuster stretch, packing in palm-fringed beaches, kitsch attractions and architectural icons.
Day 1: Monterey
With the Golden Gate Bridge in your rear-view mirror, drive 60 miles south to Pigeon Point Lighthouse, five miles before Pescadero. The tallest lighthouse on the coast, it provides a great perch from which to watch snoozing seals.
Further south, your next stop is Monterey, home to colourful fishing boats and Cannery Row, a former sardine-packing hub where repurposed warehouses brim with indie shops.
Don’t miss: Tasting the abalone at nearby restaurant Aubergine, which sources the sea snails from Monterey’s Municipal Wharf 2.
Day 2: Carmel-by-the-Sea
Four miles south of Monterey, the seaside town of Carmel-by-the-Sea has long flaunted its quirky side: Clint Eastwood is a former mayor; there are no street addresses; and a permit is required to wear high heels.
Over recent years, a new crowd has been drawn here, thanks to a fresh crop of restaurant openings. You’ll need to book ahead for Chez Noir, a European-inspired restaurant that draws heavily on the bounties of the coast. The chef owners live upstairs and eating here feels like having dinner at a friend’s house — if your friend has a Michelin star.
Don’t miss: Another stellar restaurant, Stationæry, serving everything from lobster rolls to sausage bánh mì.
Day 3: Big Sur
Just south of Carmel, the landscape switches to cloud-grazing bluffs blanketed in oaks. You’re entering Carmel Highlands, the gateway to Big Sur. Considered one of the most scenic drives in the world, the 90-mile stretch of Route 1, which ends in San Simeon, unfurls between two sheer rock faces — one going straight up, the other plunging down. It’s not for the fainthearted, but worth it for the Pacific views.
Along the way you’ll cross the Bixby Bridge, soaring 260ft above the sea. Stop at the turnouts for photos, before detouring to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for redwoods.
Don’t miss: The ocean views from Nepenthe, an architectural-landmark restaurant Elizabeth Taylor was a fan of.
Day 4: San Simeon
The rolling hills of grapevines flashing by thewindow are your cue that you’ve entered wine country. Schedule a pit stop at one of the leafy estates to taste the spoils — Baileyana is a good choice, with a tasting room housed inside a former schoolhouse.
The big-ticket attraction here is Hearst Castle, publishing tycoon and art collector William Randolph Hearst’s more-is-more mansion, based on the design of a Spanish cathedral. Book a place on the house tour to gawp at the OTT interiors — all neoclassical statues and medieval-inspired banquet halls.
Don’t miss: Peering through binoculars at the inhabitants of the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery in San Simeon.
Day 5: Santa Barbara
Palm-fringed beach towns and campervans dot the coast between San Simeon and Santa Barbara. Pause at Pismo Beach, a hotspot for humpbacks from December to April.
Arriving into Santa Barbara, it’s impossible not to be seduced by its coastal promenade lined with swaying palms and neat rows of white stucco homes (there’s a reason this is known as the ‘American Riviera’). But it’s not all pristine lawns — the Funk Zone district’s former fishing outhouses have been turned into galleries, microbreweries and surf shops, and nearby you can pick up the urban wine trail.
Don’t miss: Visiting fortune teller Madame Rosinka at Stearns Wharf, the oldest working wharf in California.
Day 6: Santa Monica
Finish in Santa Monica, the seaside hub that brings all the fun of the fair. Jump on the rides at Pacific Park, on the Santa Monica Pier, and watch the bodybuilders at the nearby Original Muscle Beach, which originated during the Great Depression as a place for wrestlers, acrobats and stunt performers to workshop their acts. pacpark.com
Don’t miss: A film at the Aero Theatre, an art deco beauty that’s been going since the 1940s.
Published in the July/August issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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