California is one of the most beautiful states in the country and has some of the most interesting cities to visit. You could spend weeks exploring between these two major cities, but most people do not have weeks of vacation time to spare. On this 10-day San Francisco to San Diego road trip, you will get a taste of California’s most fascinating cities while also discovering some of its natural beauty.
When to Do a San Francisco to San Diego Road Trip
The best time for a San Francisco to San Diego road trip is March to May and September to November. The weather is fairly warm and the crowds are much fewer than the summer months. California gets 75% of its annual rainfall between November and March, so it is best not to travel here during that time.
San Francisco to San Diego Map and Itinerary
| Day 1 | San Francisco |
| Day 2 | San Francisco |
| Day 3 | San Jose to Santa Cruz |
| Day 4 | Carmel-by-the-Sea to Big Sur |
| Day 5 | Santa Barbara |
| Day 6 | Los Angeles |
| Day 7 | Los Angeles |
| Day 8 | San Diego |
| Day 9 | San Diego |
| Day 10 | San Diego to San Francisco |
What to Pack for this San Francisco to Las Vegas Road Trip
- Water!! Carry bottled water to keep hydrated on your road trip!
- Sunscreen – Protect your skin from the sun, and do not forget to reapply.
- Hat – More sun protection to block the sun from your face
- RTIC Soft-Sided Cooler – Keep your drinks snacks cool in this cooler.
- Packing Cubes – Keep your clothes and toiletries organized on this San Francisco to San Diego road trip.
- Backseat Organizer – This tool can be great for people in the backseat, especially kiddos.
- Tire Inflator – This is a tool I keep in my car on the daily to inflate deflated tires while on the go.
- Jacket – Even in warmer months, the temps can be cool in the mornings and evening so pack a light men’s or women’s jacket.
Day 1 – San Francisco
Lombard Street
Start the morning off with a walk to Lombard Street to get your first taste of the famous San Francisco hills. The walk up Russian Hill will get your blood pumping. At the top is Lombard Street, which is well-known because of it’s steep, hairpin turns.
Alcatraz Island
The tour to Alcatraz Island is a must-do activity in the Bay City so you can see first hand the life of the prisoners that were incarcerated at The Rock. The tour begins with a ferry ride from the mainland to the island. Watch a short video before touring the prison. There are various touring options, so make sure you check them all out.
Boudin Bakery & Café
Boudin Bakery has been a San Franciscan staple since 1849. This flagship shop on Pier 59 has an area where they sell various bread products including their legendary sourdough. They also have a café where we ate clam chowder in a bread bowl for lunch.
Ferry to Sausalito
After lunch, hop on a ferry to Sausalito. Sit back and relax as the boat ride takes you to Sausalito after making two other stops. After departing the ferry, take time to look inside the cute shops of Sausalito because walking to Golden Gate Bridge!
Sausalito to Golden Gate Bridge
If you are in the mood for some exercise, walk the 4.2 mile trek from Sausalito to Golden Gate Bridge. Walk along the shoreline, past Fort Baker, and up the steep hill just under the head of Golden Gate Bridge. I advise you map the route before you go, or follow Google Maps in real-time. At the top of the hill visit the Golden Gate Bridge View Vista Point for excellent views of the bridge and the city. Crossing the 1-mile suspension bridge was more difficult than the walk from Sausalito. It is like walking through a hurricane-strength wind tunnel, and it almost blew us away.
If you do not want to walk from Sausalito (and I do not blame you if you do not), you should opt for a Bay Cruise to get views of the city and Golden Gate bridge.
Ghiradelli Square
After your long walk or bay cruise, stop at Ghiradelli Square. Check out the area and have dinner. Inside the Ghiradelli store, we bought tons of chocolate to eat throughout the trip.
Day 2 – San Francisco
Breakfast at Mama’s
Have breakfast at the famous Mama’s on Washington Square, which doesn’t open until 8am. Make sure to get here super early to avoid long lines. The food was exquisite, and I highly recommend the breakfast sandwich. This restaurant only accepts cash and debit card so plan accordingly.
Chinatown
Next walk off your breakfast with a half-mile stroll to the infamous San Francisco Chinatown. Stop in the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, which is not a typical factory. Inside the doorway, four or five women were folding the cookies by hand.
Walk to Union Square
I hope you wore your walking shoes because you’re about to walk ’til you drop. The total distance for the next part of today’s journey is only a mile, but the steep ups and downs of the hill makes it a challenging walk. Hike up the famous Nob Hill, and check out the lobby of the Hotel Fairmont. From here walk downhill past Huntington Park to Grace Cathedral. Finally, end your trek at Union Square.
Painted Ladies
Make sure to visit the Painted Ladies, a row of Victorian houses made famous in the “Full House” opening credits.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Spend the rest of the night walking around Fisherman’s Wharf shopping, people watching, and marveling at the sea lions. This will be your last day in the city for your San Francisco to San Diego road trip.
Day 3 – San Jose to Santa Cruz
When you wake up, make your way towards San Jose. Along the way, we made short detours to Stanford University and the Googleplex just to see the campuses. This is something you can opt to do as well depending on how early you get moving.
Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose is a must-see attraction. It was once the residence of Sarah Winchester, the heir of the Winchester firearm fortune. She believed the house was haunted by all the people killed by Winchester guns. The only way to appease the ghosts was to never stop construction on the house, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The house has several architectural mysteries like stairways that lead to no where and second-floor doors that open to the outside with no landing or stairs, just a drop-off.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Before heading to the Santa Cruz area, check out the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains for a walk through giant trees. The Redwood Loop Trail is an easy, flat 0.8-mile walk. This trail allows you to walk amongst giant redwoods without having to drive all the way to Redwood National Park.
Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Next, walk along the Santa Cruz Boardwalk where admission is free. Each attraction costs to ride or play, but we did not ride anything while there. Then, stroll along the shoreline to get a panoramic view of the iconic Boardwalk and Giant Dipper, a historic wooden roller coaster. Walk out on the Santa Cruz wharf for views of the sea and look for seals and sea lions swimming around.
West Cliff Drive and Lighthouse Point
Walk along West Cliff Drive along the shores of Monterey Bay to Lighthouse Point. Inside the light house is a small museum dedicated to surfing history. Right outside the lighthouse is a viewing platform on the edge of ocean cliffs where you can watch dozen of surfers catching waves.
Natural Bridges State Park
If you have time, drive to Natural Bridges State Park and walk onto the beach. After millions of years of water erosion, the sea carved the Natural Bridge out of the existing cliff and carved an arch in the middle. From here, watch the sunset on the Pacific Ocean on the third day of your San Francisco to San Diego road trip.
Day 4 – Carmel-by-the-Sea to Big Sur
On day 4 of your San Francisco to San Diego road trip, start driving around Monterey Bay towards Carmel-by-the-Sea. You can stop at Monterey along the way to see Cannery Row and Old Fisherman’s Wharf.
Pebble Beach Golf Course and 17-Mile Drive
Next, stop at the Pebble Beach Golf Course. We perused the golf and gift shops, and then walked to the 18th hole where golfers were making their last putts of the day. Then, start the scenic 17-mile drive in and around Pebble Beach. Admission to the drive is $11.25 per vehicle. Make sure to get a map so you do not miss any of the notable stops!
Bixby Creek Bridge
Bixby Creek Bridge is a reinforced concrete, open spandrel arch bridge that crosses Bixby Creek allowing the Pacific Coast Highway to continue seaside in California. When this amazing bridge was completed in 1932, it was the highest single span arch bridge in the world. In 1996, the bridge began a retrofit to address its seismic vulnerabilities. Even with the retrofit, the bridge is considered “functionally obsolete” because it still does not meet all seismic standards.
Big Sur
The Pacific Coast Highway drive was stunning through the Big Sur area with the mountains on one side and the beach below. Stop at McWay Falls and hike a short distance to a beautiful viewpoint of the waterfall emptying into the ocean.
Make sure to check the status of the road in this area before traveling here. Often mudslides cause washouts and road closures. Finish the day with a long drive to Santa Barbara. If the Pacific Coast Highway is washed out, you will need to take US-101.
Day 5 – Santa Barbara
The first 4 days of this San Francisco to San Diego road trip have been pretty hectic, so today is a good day to slow down. Take your time exploring Stearns Wharf, California’s oldest working pier, and Old Mission Santa Barbara 1786. Relax on one of Santa Barbara’s beaches, such as Arroyo Burro Beach and Butterfly Beach. You can even spend the day tasting wine on the Urban Wine Trail. See migrating or resident whales in their natural habitat with a whale watching cruise.
If you are feeling really adventurous, you could spend the day exploring Channel Islands National Park. The only way to access these islands is by park ferry or private boat. Once on the island, you can explore on your own, or you can participate in a guided kayaking tour.
Day 6 – Los Angeles
With only 2 days allotted for Los Angeles, you will need to make some tough decisions about what sights you want to see while you are here.
Studio Tour
The making of movies and television shows is what L.A. is most known for, so I would highly recommend taking a studio tour. I have done the Paramount Pictures studio tour and the Warner Bros (WB) studio tour. Both tours were really interesting and will give you an opportunity to possibly see an actor at their workplace. If you are a Friends or Gilmore Girls fan, then the WB tour is a must do!
Hit the Highlights
Spend the rest of the day checking out the typical LA icons across the city such as Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood sign, Hollywood Walk of Fame, and TCL Chinese Theatre. Don’t forget to have lunch at Mel’s Diner. Then, head to the coast to see Venice Beach, Muscle Beach, and Santa Monica Pier.
Day 7 – Los Angeles
Day 7 of your San Francisco to San Diego road trip can be spent at a local theme park. L.A. has some pretty notable ones. Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Six Flags Magic Mountain are the three most visited parks in Los Angeles. If you do not care for theme parks, you could visit the Griffith Observatory, add another studio tour, and go on a guided tour of the city to fill your day.
After leaving the park, start the 2.5-hour drive towards San Diego stopping at Huntington, Newport, and Laguna Beaches along the way.
Day 8 – San Diego
Balboa Park
Balboa Park is over 1,000 acres and houses museums, culture centers, gardens, and the San Diego Zoo. You will spend most of the day in Balboa Park. Pick a museum or the zoo to explore while you are in the park. When we visited, we chose the world-renowned San Diego Zoo. And it was amazing! You could also choose San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Natural History Museum, or San Diego Air & Space Museum as other options. I also really loved the Kate O Sessions Cactus Garden!
Gaslamp Quarter
The Gaslamp Quarter is an area in downtown San Diego near the Padres’ Petco Park. Sixth Street is lined with restaurants and bars. After a long day at Balboa Park, go to Gaslamp Quarter to relax at dinner and have some late night drinks.
Day 9 – San Diego
This is your last full day on your San Francisco to San Diego road trip, and there are a lot of ways you can spend this day. You will not be able to fit all these activities into one day, so you will need to make some tough decisions on what to do.
USS Midway Museum
The USS Midway was the longest serving air craft carrier in the 20th century. You can tour this out-of-service military ship along with its many exhibits. Walk below deck, on the hangar deck, and up top on the flight deck on this massive ship.
Cabrillo National Monument
Visit Cabrillo National Monument to explore the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and amazing views of San Diego. Time your visit around low tide to see tide pools and walk around the rocky shoreline.
Old Town
Walk around Old Town to see art galleries, shopping boutiques, and amazing restaurants while you hear mariachi bands playing around you. You can also board the Old Town Trolley Tours in this area, which is a hop-on/hop-off tour of San Diego.
La Jolla Cove
La Jolla is the place most people told me to visit during my time in San Diego. At the shoreline of La Jolla is La Jolla Cove which is a small sandy beach area where you can swim. But be careful of the true locals who also live here…seals and sea lions! There are so many seals and sea lions lying along the rocky parts of this area. Also in this area are tons of shopping and restaurants, so plan on spending quite a bit of time here. If you have time, visit Sunny Jim’s Cave and Store.
Sunset Cliffs
Backtrack to get to Sunset Cliffs if you want to watch the sunset. If you do not care about sunsets, then stop here after Cabrillo National Monument but before Old Town, as it is on the way. Sunset Cliffs Park has a walking trail along the cliffside for great views of the Pacific Ocean.
Day 10 – San Diego to San Francisco
If you have to return to San Francisco, the last day of this San Francisco to San Diego road trip will not be a fun one. You will need to spend the day driving the nearly 9 hours back to the Bay Area. A one-way car rental can be expensive, but may be worth the extra costs to avoid having to make this long drive. And you can fly out of San Diego. Either way, the 10th day is a travel-back-home day. I hope you enjoyed your 10-day San Francisco to San Diego road trip!
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