California itinerary, day by day

From the Golden Gate to Hollywood along Highway 1, by way of the cliffs of Big Sur and the beaches of Malibu: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

🗓️ 4 or 7 days📍 3 stops☀️ Best time: April to June and September to October

Big Sur · Photo Rockwell Agency / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

California in 4 days

2 stops · 7 things to do · ≈ 300 km

1San Francisco

Days 1-2

A city of some forty hills at the mouth of the bay, with cable cars, summer fog and neighbourhoods that each keep their own character.

🎟️ Worth booking

Bay cruise and Alcatraz2h30 · from €45
The Golden Gate Bridge from the water, and the former island prison that once held Al Capone.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Golden Gate Bridge, on foot or by bike · Lombard Street and the cable cars · Fisherman's Wharf and the sea lions of Pier 39

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Green Tortoise Hostel San Francisco (€45 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Caza Fisherman's Wharf (€145 a night) · Luxury: Fairmont San Francisco (€450 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

House of Prime Rib ★ 4.7 · 7291 reviews · €€€
Piccolo Forno ★ 4.7 · 2249 reviews · €€
Liholiho Yacht Club ★ 4.7 · 1957 reviews · €€€
Restaurant Chez Maman ★ 4.7 · 1738 reviews · €€
Rich Table ★ 4.7 · 1579 reviews · €€€

Photo Taylen Lundequam / Pexels

🚗 Car · 3h · 230 km

2Highway 1 and Big Sur

Days 3-4

Around 90 miles of road cut into the cliffs between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop straight into the Pacific.

🎟️ Worth booking

Monterey and the 17-Mile DriveHalf day · from €12
A toll road through Pebble Beach, past wind-bent cypresses, golf links and ocean-front houses.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Bixby Creek Bridge · McWay Falls, dropping onto the beach

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Fernwood Resort (€110 a night) · Mid-range: Big Sur Lodge (€145 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Deetjen's Big Sur Inn ★ 4.7 · 370 reviews
Deetjen's Restaurant ★ 4.7 · 223 reviews
Mission Ranch Restaurant ★ 4.6 · 2580 reviews · €€€
Big Sur Taphouse ★ 4.6 · 632 reviews · €€
Post Ranch Inn ★ 4.6 · 481 reviews · €€€€

Photo Skyler Sion / Pexels

California in 7 days

3 stops · 11 things to do · ≈ 750 km

1San Francisco

Days 1-2

A city of some forty hills at the mouth of the bay, with cable cars, summer fog and neighbourhoods that each keep their own character.

🎟️ Worth booking

Bay cruise and Alcatraz2h30 · from €45
The Golden Gate Bridge from the water, and the former island prison that once held Al Capone.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Golden Gate Bridge, on foot or by bike · Lombard Street and the cable cars · Fisherman's Wharf and the sea lions of Pier 39

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Taylen Lundequam / Pexels

🚗 Car · 3h · 230 km

2Highway 1 and Big Sur

Day 3

Around 90 miles of road cut into the cliffs between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop straight into the Pacific.

🎟️ Worth booking

Monterey and the 17-Mile DriveHalf day · from €12
A toll road through Pebble Beach, past wind-bent cypresses, golf links and ocean-front houses.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Bixby Creek Bridge · McWay Falls, dropping onto the beach

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Fernwood Resort (€110 a night) · Mid-range: Big Sur Lodge (€145 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Skyler Sion / Pexels

🚗 Car · 4h30 · 350 km

3Los Angeles and Malibu

Days 4-5

The capital of the film industry, spread between the beaches of Santa Monica and Malibu and the Hollywood Hills.

🎟️ Worth booking

Studio tour and HollywoodHalf day · from €60
The Walk of Fame, the Hollywood sign and a look behind the scenes of a working film studio.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Santa Monica and Venice Beach · The Malibu beaches · Griffith Observatory

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Freehand Los Angeles (€60 a night) · Mid-range: The Hollywood Historic Hotel (€130 a night) · Luxury: The West Hollywood EDITION (€450 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Holbox ★ 4.8 · 2765 reviews · €€
The Grove ★ 4.6 · 28202 reviews · €€
Malibu Seafood Marché de Poisson Frais et Café-Patio ★ 4.6 · 5302 reviews · €€
Zinqué Malibu ★ 4.6 · 591 reviews · €€
Le Restaurant et le Bar du V ★ 4.6 · 426 reviews · €€

Photo Paul Deetman / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Take this itinerary with you

The free printable California guide: map, stops day by day, hotels by budget. Works offline.

📥 Get the free guide

Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

Fish tacos: grilled or battered fish in a corn tortilla with cabbage and lime, the lunch of the southern coast.
Sourdough and clam chowder: San Francisco's tangy bread, hollowed out and filled with creamy clam soup.
Dungeness crab: the local crab, cracked and eaten at Fisherman's Wharf when in season, from late autumn.
Mission burrito: the oversized, foil-wrapped burrito of San Francisco's Mission District.
Californian wine: from Napa and Sonoma north of the bay, and from Paso Robles, inland from the southern end of Big Sur.

⚠️ What to avoid

Tipping is not optional: 15 to 20% in restaurants is the norm.
Prices are shown before sales tax, which is added at the till.
Leave nothing visible in a parked car, above all in San Francisco, where break-ins are common.
Do not underestimate the drive: San Francisco to Los Angeles by the coast takes two full days to enjoy.
Take out travel insurance with good medical cover: treatment in the US is very expensive.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable California guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit California, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

Similar itineraries

The American West itinerary→Canada itinerary→Madeira itinerary→Iceland itinerary→Norway itinerary→Scotland itinerary→