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USA · 8-14 days

California Coast: San Francisco-Big Sur-LA-San Diego

37.8°N · 122.4°W
At a glanceThe Pacific Coast Highway road trip. Hire car essential. Sep-Oct is warmest/clearest; summer brings SF fog.
~11h flight estimate8 to 14 days£80 to £435+ per dayStraightforward
Before bookingEntry rules, health advice and local conditions change. Always check current official advice.Check current FCDO advice

The itinerary

  1. San Francisco3 nights
  2. Big Sur1 night
  3. Los Angeles3 nights
  4. San Diego2 nights

Why this trip works

This itinerary combines beaches and coastal time, city breaks, natural landscapes, food and drink, and road trips across San Francisco, Big Sur, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Bringing the stops together gives the holiday a clearer progression and makes better use of the outward journey than booking each place separately.

How flexible is it? This itinerary can credibly be planned with a relaxed to active daytime pace, balanced to buzzing evenings and popular to hotspot crowd settings within its fixed route. The typical version has balanced days, lively evenings and a hotspot setting. The quiz selects the closest credible version rather than treating it as one fixed product.

Best time to go

The strongest travel period is May to June and September to October. April and July to August are good quieter alternatives. Getting around is mainly by road transfers or a hire car.

Jan18°COther
Feb18°COther
Mar19°COther
Apr21°CShoulder
May21°CBest
Jun24°CBest
Jul25°CShoulder
Aug26°CShoulder
Sep25°CBest
Oct24°CBest
Nov20°COther
Dec18°COther

Cost

On the ground, including accommodation and everyday spending, allow roughly £80 a day at the budget end, around £150 a day mid-range, and £435+ for high-end travel. Including estimated return travel from London, a typical version of this itinerary is best treated as a planning range of £1890 to £2640 per person. These are planning estimates rather than live quotes. Available accommodation spans simple, comfortable, premium and luxury. The quiz prices the highest available tier that fits your selected minimum and total budget.

Places on this trip

Frequently asked questions

How long do you need for California Coast: San Francisco-Big Sur-LA-San Diego?

This itinerary works best over 8 to 14 days across 4 stops: San Francisco, Big Sur, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

When is the best time for this trip?

The strongest travel period is May to June and September to October. April and July to August are useful quieter alternatives.

How much does it cost?

On the ground, including accommodation and everyday spending, allow roughly £80 a day at the budget end, around £150 a day mid-range, and £435+ for high-end travel. Including estimated return travel from London, a typical version of this itinerary is best treated as a planning range of £1890 to £2640 per person. These are planning estimates rather than live quotes.

Other multi-stop trips

Pacific Northwest: Seattle-Vancouver-Whistler USA, Canada · 6-10 days ~11h flight estimate£70+/day3 stops Deep South Music Trail: New Orleans-Memphis-Nashville USA · 7-11 days ~9h flight estimate£60+/day3 stops South Africa: Cape Town-Winelands-Garden Route South Africa · 8-14 days ~12h flight estimate£50+/day3 stops USA Cross-Country: New York to Los Angeles USA · 21-26 days ~7.5h flight estimate£70+/day8 stops Florida: Miami-Florida Keys-Orlando USA · 7-12 days ~9h flight estimate£70+/day3 stops USA Southwest: Vegas, Grand Canyon & California USA · 9-14 days ~11h flight estimate£75+/day4 stops
Torn between ten tabs?Two minutes of questions, up to seven strong matches, realistic cost ranges and every trade-off spelled out.
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