Drive from San Francisco to LA along the coast

G%26#39;day everyone. Boy am I finding this site useful. How did people previously travel without your help!!! The final leg of our Californian trip is from San Francisco to LA in late August. Our family of five (3 children 10,14.16) are keen surfers currently living near The Great Ocean Road in Victoria AUS. We are spending three days traveling down the coast after spending a few days in San Francisco. I thought we would overnight at Monterey and Santa Barbara (only a thought at this stage). I am open to any suggestions and advice on great surf beaches, cheap accommodation (we are on a tight budget and with five people), %26#39;not to be missed%26#39; sights, and cheap places to eat. I have done a lot of reading on this site but it is difficult to work out distances and travel times. We certainly don%26#39;t want to be in the car all day. Looking forward to your local knowledge. Mick from down under

Drive from San Francisco to LA along the coast

Just a thought here...

You might want to consider staying in Santa Cruz which is about 35 minutes or so before Monterey. The surfing there in my opion would be much better than in Monterey. Many contests to be had there over Monterey.

Then possibly down to Pismo Beach. It%26#39;s not quite as far down as Santa Barbara.

I would take Highway 101, not Highway 1. Although it is a beautiful drive, it%26#39;s curvy and takes much longer to get down south.

As far a cheap stays go, you pretty much can%26#39;t go wrong with a Motel 6. Inexpensive and clean!

I%26#39;m a native Californian, a coastal one at that, so if you have any questions I%26#39;d be happy to help.

I don%26#39;t want to blab your ears off..

Drive from San Francisco to LA along the coast

For cheap places to stay and eat en route, your best advice will come from your fellow surfers at the beaches. You will see many beaches with surfers all the way down The Coast.

Please visit the DRIVING DIRECTIONS page geocities.com/touringsfo/…DriveDir.html where some of your questions are answered. It%26#39;s augmented by reports linked to the TouringSFO site at http://geocities.com/touringsfo/ entitled ';A Trip to Las Vegas…'; and ';A Trip to Anaheim…';

Some posts that TripAdvisor%26#39;s Moderator removed prior to 00:01 GMT of May 4, 2008, may be seen at http://geocities.com/swingcha/Moderate.html

I could only agree with chefchik about driving on the 101 south instead of 1 if I actually lived in California like she does, and could easily visit the area at will.

Yes, 1 is a longer route, but it%26#39;s one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the US, if not the world. The 101 passes through nondescript countryside many miles from the ocean until just south of San Luis Obispo. Anyone visiting California should take the 1.

If you%26#39;re looking for cheap accomodation, the best bets might be chain motels (like Motel 6) just outside of Monterey the first night (about 2.5-3 hours from San Francisco). The next day, take a leisurely drive down 1 through Big Sur, perhaps stopping at Sand Dollar Beach, where I%26#39;ve seen surfers, then spend the second and third nights in San Luis Obispo (which has two Motel 6 locations), traveling on to LA the next morning. The San Luis Obispo area has many gorgeous beaches and plenty of unspoiled, scenic countryside.

This GoList might give you some more ideas in Big Sur.

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i14592-Big_Sur_…