A few years ago, I read about driving up or down the PCH and it had been my goal for a while. Finally in May 2024, I was able to drive up the PCH starting in LA to San Francisco. This was a condensed version as I didnt have as much time as I wanted to.
Lets start with the flights, I booked a one way from JFk to LAX, then one way from San Fran to Seattle, and finally a one way from Seattle to JFK. I could have driven from San Fran to Seattle, but like I said I was in a time crunch and I wanted to make most of my time. The drive would have been 8 to 9 hours compared to the 2 hour flight.
For accomadations, from LA to San Fran we stayed in 3 different hotels and one airbnb. In Seattle we stayed at another Airbnb. I will link them as I go through the itinerary. For getting around, we rented a car however I apparently rented a “manager’s special” which mean fully electric, as if I someone from CT was supposed to know that. So if renting a car in California, definitely look to see if it fully electric or not. This probably wouldn’t have been a problem, since the car does tell you where you can charge it, charging it wasnt in our plans. I didn’t book hotels that had a charging area and the PCH doesnt really have any spots for charging. After our first hotel stay, we had to go switch out the car, we went from a 2024 Kia to a 2010 Chevy, talk about a downgrade.
Alright so, day 1 – we flew from JFK to LAX on the earliest flight possible and picked up our rental car. We drove around LA, saw the Hollywood sign, walked the Walk of Fame, saw Santa Monica and drove through Malibu. Once it was closer to check in time we made our way to our hotel, Comfort Inn Anaheim Resort, we booked this hotel for 2 nights. We grabbed dinner at a mexican place near by and then rested up for the next day.
Day 2 – We booked tickets for Disneyland. Since we still had the fully electric car, we opted to drive the 5 mins to Disneyland and park, so we can charge the car while we were in the parks. We booked a park hopper ticket and were able to get on all the rides we wanted. My friend planned our route within Disney and I believe we only paid for one lightening lane but the rest I think we waited in line. The whole day was spent in Disney, so we ate dinner there before heading back to the hotel.
Day 3- We packed up, made the pit stop to switch out the rental and then drove to Santa Barbara. When putting the desination in the GPS remember to put avoid highways so it can put you on the PCH if that isn’t an option. In Santa Barbara, we grabbed a quick lunch and walked around a bit. If we had more time, there are some cool hike to do and sites to see. After lunch, we made our way to Solvang, where we spent the night at the Wine Valley Inn. I learned about Solvang during a Lifetime Christmas movie and wanted to check it out. It is a cute Danish town, that makes you feel like you are in the middle of Denmark. While Solvang is more popular in the winter due to their Christmad festivites. There are still several things to do. When we arrived, our hotel was within walking distance to downtown. We were able to visit a microbrewery and sat outside while reading our kindles. We walked around to a couple of shops. We did an escape room and then got drinks at a Tiki bar, all before grabbing dinner.
Day 4 – We grabbed breakfast to go and started making the 3 hour drive to Monterey. We were able to get to Monterey shortly after lunch, since we stopped at the elephant seal vista point on the way. Once we were in Monterey, we booked a pass to Pebble Beach and drove the 17 mile coastal route. Within the 17 mile route, there are 17 stops with many stunning lookouts. After the drive, we checked into our hotel Days Inn by Wyndham Monterey Downtown, and then grabbed dinner and drinks at a nearby pub before going to bed. My original plan prior to getting to Monterrey was to go thru Big Sur, however due to a slide, the roads were closed during the time we were there.
Day 5 – We made our way to San Francisco, this was about a 4 hr drive on thr PCH, so we made it to San Fran around 1pm, we were able to stop at the Golden Gate Bridge and takes some pictures before checking into our airbnb. The airbnb was a cute airstream in Mill Valley right over the Golden Gate Bridge. Once we checked in we made our way to Muir Woods were we had a tour time for 4pm. In the Muir Woods, we did the one hour loop trail, it was a little difficult but very scenic. After the hike, we drove around Mill Valley for a bit and then headed to Tam Tavern for dinner.
Day 6 – Our last day in San Fran, we did a tour of Alcatraz in the morning, then visited all the landmarks in San Fran. We saw the Painted Ladies, Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Ghiradelli Square.We also visited Madame Tussauds and Ripley’s Believe it or not.
Day 7 – On this day, we had a lazy morning at the airstream before we made our way to the airport. Our flight wasn’t until 4pm however I had United Lounge access, so we decided to make use of it. We got to the airport around noon, since we had to check out of the airbnb at 11am and we didnt want to waste more gas. Once in the lounge, we read and ate before our flight to Seattle. Once we landed, we got an uber to our airbnb. We checked in and then walked around the area for a bit before grabbing dinner at an asian restaurant near by.
Day 8 – We had reservations at the Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Space Needle, which are conveniently next to each other. After visiting the Space Needle. We booked a ticket on the City Siteseeing bus. This way we were able to see most of Seattle and even stop at Pike Place Market, where we saw some fish throwing and were able to add our gum to the famous gum wall. After visiting those, we made our way to the Starbucks Roastery. While there, I decided to get a tattoo at a place across the street and my friend got a piercing at a place near by. After this eventful day, we grabbed dinner and then went back to the airbnb to pack. The next day, we flew back to JFK and that was the end of our trip.
Like I said before, if I had more time I would have made a couple more stops along the way, and maybe even started in San Diego instead of LA, but now if I do it again, I can skip the places i’ve been and see all new places. The PCH is a drive I would recommend for anyone who likes road trips.
Wanderlust & bust 
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