10 Beautiful Stops along the Pacific Coast Highway

Summer kicked off with the entire fambam attending a beautiful wedding in Westlake Village, California. Congratulations and best wishes again to the newlyweds #kimla! 🙂 

We all went on our own way after that. While some went outlet shopping, some went to the usual theme parks. As for me and the kids, we went with the brother to tick off an item off our travel bucket list – go on a road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). For the uninitiated, the PCH is a popular scenic highway in the US that runs along Pacific coastline of the state of California. It’s literally along the coast with the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing on the rocks below. 

They say it’s nicer to go from South to North but we had no choice but to do it the other way around as we had to start from LA. Our route went from LA to San Francisco with these 10 beautiful stops in between. I’ll share with you the day to day itinerary with lots of photos and other info once I’ve had more time to settle in.

As promised, here’s the detailed account of the itinerary, if you’re interested. 🙂 

In the meantime, do enjoy! 🙂

1. Santa Barbara

Known as the American Riviera, this city has strong Spanish influences as is evident from the Mission Santa Barbara and the county’s courthouse. 

 

2. Solvang

Located in Santa Ynez Valley, this quaint little town is the little Denmark in the US. It is home to a number of bakeries, restaurants, merchants, and architecture that offer a look and taste of Denmark in California. 

 

3. Pismo Beach

This classic beach town is located on California’s famous central coast, halfway between LA and San Francisco. 

 

4. San Luis Obispo

Known for the disgusting yet amusing tourist attraction – the Bubblegum Alley. 

 

5. Morro Bay

A waterfront city in San Luis Obispo, this town’s most striking feature is the Morro Rock, which is a 576 foot high, volcanic plug. 

 

6. San Simeon

Home to the iconic Hearst Castle and to thousands of elephant seals giving birth, molting, mating, and resting. 

 

7. Big Sur

85 miles of stunning scenery!

 

8. Monterey

Attractions here include Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Cannery Row.

9. Santa Cruz

Home to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an oceanfront amusement park operating since 1907!

 

10. San Francisco

We all know this one. Known for its iconic Golden Gate Bridge, we ended our road trip here and flew to Phoenix for the second leg of our trip. More on that later!  🙂