Big Sur Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip 3 Day Itinerary
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A Big Sur Pacific Coast Highway road trip is one of the most classic trips you can take in the US. Driving alongside the beautiful blues of the Pacific Ocean with gorgeous spots to hike and dine along the way is an ideal way to spend a few days in my book.
We enjoyed the region from Monterey to Carmel and ultimately down classic Highway 1 over 3 days. Read on for a helpful starting point for your trip!
Things to know:
- Driving Route 1 is very popular and so the best time to enjoy it with fewer cars would be during the week. We went on a weekday in September which worked out well. Only occasionally were there spots we had to wait for traffic.
- We based ourselves in Carmel and Monterey. You could also find accommodation, including camping, along the route as well.
- The collapse of a section of Highway 1 has closed a portion of the highway. Even though that portion was in tact when we went, we didn’t drive that far south so it’s not included in this itinerary.
- The highway is winding so if you tend to get carsick, make sure you bring something to help with that! We made frequent stops to enjoy the scenery which helped me.
- To get to the Carmel area, you can fly in to SFO (1 hr, 45 min away), San Jose (1 hr, 20 min away) or else a regional airport
- Fill up with gas before you start driving south of Carmel on the Pacific Coast Highway. There are very few gas stations en route. The one we stopped at was insanely pricey!
Where to Stay:
- The Getaway in Carmel: I can’t recommend this beautiful boutique hotel enough! It’s very well located, the rooms are gorgeous and spotless, and included in your rate is a nightly wine/appetizer hour and breakfast. Parking is also included in the lot. Note this is an affiliate link – I appreciate your support!
Important: we visited all of these Big Sur Pacific Coast Highway road trip spots pre-COVID. Make sure to check everything before you plan a visit.
Day One: Carmel
Morning
After arriving in Carmel, take some time to explore the area! We drove to Carmel after spending a few days at Lake Tahoe (the perfect add-on to this trip!). Our hotel (The Getaway) included bikes in our stay so we hopped on the bikes to check out the beach. If you’re in town on a Thursday, make sure to go to the farmer’s market! Hours are generally 9am-12pm.
Afternoon
There are so many great places to dine in Carmel! For lunch (or dinner), check out the incredibly popular La Bicyclette. Then check out some of the great shops in the area along Ocean Avenue. It’s so fun to just stroll the streets and pop in to the side alleys. Lastly, check out the Carmel Mission Basilica. It’s a beautiful basilica from the 1700’s. You have to pay to visit or you can walk the perimeter. I think it would be worth paying to walk the actual grounds (we just walked the perimeter since we were short on time but would love to have learned more!).
Evening
Since our hotel included a wine/cheese hour, we were back at our hotel around 5pm to enjoy it while playing some games together. After this, and a bigger lunch, we decided to skip another meal tonight and just enjoyed watching the sunset at the beach. Perfect relaxing day!
Day Two: Driving the Pacific Coast Highway
Enjoy a delicious breakfast spread at the hotel before setting out for the day. After breakfast, pick up sandwiches, chips and drinks from 5th Avenue Deli to bring on your road trip!
From here, start driving south on the Pacific Coast Highway for a full day of adventuring! Here are my recommendations for top stops:
- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve: this is just south of Carmel and a beautiful area to hike for an hour or so.
- Bixby Creek Bridge: an iconic stop on the highway.
- Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (this is the area we turned around and headed back north; there’s a $10 fee for a day pass which includes all state parks). This could be a quicker stop (~20-30 min).
- Snacks/Drinks with a view at Nepenthe (it’s worth it to wait for a table with a view!)
- There are various look out spots you’ll see along the route so feel free to stop when you want more time to savor a specific view. Those would also be great places to enjoy a picnic lunch!
So much pampas grass! 
Snacks w/ a view 
Sandwiches from 5th Ave.
If you stop at all the places above and go at a leisurely pace, you’ll likely arrive back to Carmel just in time for the wine and appetizer hour. Perfect ending to your Big Sur Pacific Coast Highway day trip!
Day Three: Monterey
Morning
Monterey is just a 10 minute drive from Carmel and a great area to explore for the day! You could drive the famous 17-mile Pebble Beach drive en route. It’s $10.50 entrance per car to see the iconic views. We opted to not do this since we had just seen incredible views the day before but I know many who loved this drive.
Enjoy breakfast at First Awakenings – very centrally located and delicious food!
You can walk off your breakfast by strolling along the waterside path to Lovers Point Beach. En route, you may even see some sea lions!
Afternoon
If you’re a fan of aquatic animals, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best aquariums to visit in the world. Otherwise, walk along Cannery Row and read the historic signs to learn more about this area.
For an early dinner, check out a seafood restaurant! We didn’t have time for this as we were on to our next destination but top ranked places on my list for next time are: Monterey’s Fish House and Schooner’s Coastal Kitchen & Bar.
