US West Coast
California
A first California road trip for UK travellers: the San Francisco–Big Sur–LA run, where Yosemite and wine country fit, real drive times in hours not miles, and whether you fly home open-jaw.
In short
California at a glance
California is the US road trip most UK first-timers actually mean when they say 'fly-drive': pick up a car in San Francisco, run the Pacific Coast Highway down through Big Sur to Los Angeles, and finish in San Diego, with Yosemite and Napa as optional detours. The state is huge — San Francisco to San Diego is roughly 500 miles and a full day's driving if you do it in one go — so the trick is going one direction and flying home open-jaw from a different airport than you flew into. Allow 10–14 days for the headline coast run with one inland detour; a week only really covers one half. You drive on the right, distances are in miles, and you'll want a US eSIM because coverage drops out in Big Sur and the parks.
California is the road trip most British travellers picture when they say “fly-drive”: the Golden Gate fog, the cliff-edge run through Big Sur, palm trees and Hollywood, finished off on a San Diego beach. The classic first trip is a one-way arc — San Francisco down the Pacific Coast Highway to Los Angeles and on to San Diego — which strings the headline coast together without ever doubling back, with Yosemite and Napa as optional inland detours you decide on before you start driving.
The mistake nearly everyone makes is reading the map in miles and assuming it’ll drive like the M5. It won’t: Highway 1 through Big Sur is a slow, winding, single-lane-each-way road where 100 miles can swallow half a day, and the state is the size of several UK countries stacked together. Plan in hours rather than miles, fly home open-jaw from a different airport than you arrived at, and don’t try to bolt Yosemite onto the coast as though it were on the way — it’s a deliberate detour east, best done before you point the car south.
Towns & places in California
The route
A one-direction run down the coast that strings San Francisco, Big Sur and Los Angeles together without doubling back, with Yosemite slotted in before you start the drive south. Times are real driving estimates on the day's roads — Highway 1 through Big Sur is slow and winding, so budget far more than the mileage suggests. Fly home open-jaw from LA or San Diego to close it cleanly.
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Days 1–3
San Francisco
Land at SFO, take BART into the city (~$10, ~30 min) and leave the car until you head out — parking is brutal and the city is walkable plus cable-car and Muni. Do Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz (book the ferry weeks ahead, it sells out) and the Ferry Building. Pick up the hire car as you leave, not on arrival.
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Days 4–5
Yosemite detour (optional)
About 3h30–4h east of San Francisco. If you want the granite cliffs and Half Dome, do it now as an out-and-back before the coast — it's nowhere near Highway 1. Book lodging inside or just outside the park months ahead; the $35-per-vehicle entry covers seven days. Skip it and go straight to Big Sur if you only have a week.
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Days 6–7
Big Sur & Highway 1
The headline drive: Monterey and Carmel, then the slow, cliff-hugging run through Big Sur to San Simeon (about 2h30 of actual driving but a full day with stops). Check Highway 1 is open before you set off — landslides close sections for months at a time. Fuel up in Monterey; there's little between.
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Days 8–11
Los Angeles & San Diego
Down to LA (about 3h from San Simeon) for Santa Monica, Hollywood and Griffith Observatory, then an easy 2h hop south to San Diego for the beaches, the zoo and a gentler finish. Drop the car before you fly and leave a big buffer — US airport security is slower than you expect.
Where to base yourself
Pick one or two bases rather than moving every night.
San Francisco (Union Square / North Beach)
£££ premiumThe best first base: walkable, on the cable-car and Muni lines, and close to the Ferry Building and the wharf. Hotels are pricey (£150–250 a night for mid-range) and some blocks near Union Square feel rough at night, so check the specific street. Skip the car here entirely.
Best for: First three nights, walkability, no car needed
Monterey / Carmel (last stop before Big Sur)
££ mid-rangeThe sensible overnight before the Big Sur drive: pretty, walkable Carmel-by-the-Sea and the Monterey aquarium, with the last reliable fuel and supermarkets before Highway 1 narrows. Far better value and easier than staying inside Big Sur itself, where the few lodges charge resort prices.
Best for: Breaking the coast drive, the aquarium
Santa Monica / Venice (Los Angeles)
£££ premiumThe beach base most first-timers actually enjoy — walkable and breezy, against an inland LA hotel where you need the car for everything. LA is a driving city, so a walkable beach pocket saves you hours; pricier than downtown but worth it for a first trip.
Best for: A first LA stay without living in the car
Getting around California
California is built around the car and there's no real alternative for the coast run — Amtrak's Coast Starlight is scenic but slow and doesn't reach Big Sur, and the towns between cities have little public transport. Hire a car for the whole trip but don't keep it in San Francisco or downtown LA, where parking is expensive and a liability; pick it up as you leave the city and drop it before you fly. Two things that catch Brits out: you drive on the right, and many petrol pumps demand a US ZIP code that your UK card won't have, so pay inside at the kiosk. Distances show in miles, and Highway 1 through Big Sur is far slower than the mileage implies, so plan in hours, not miles, and download offline maps before you lose signal in the parks.
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California FAQs
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