08 July 2026
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Arguably the most iconic road in the U.S., California’s Highway 1 is legendary for its scenery: towering cliffs, sheer drops to the Pacific Ocean, cinematographic bridges and ancient forests — all of it cut by a narrow track of pavement that winds nearly 700 miles (1126.5 km) from the redwood groves of the state’s North Coast to the surf beaches of Orange County in the south.
While all those sights are notable, Highway 1 is also a paradise for lovers of food, drink and fine hotels, as even the remotest parts of the coast are home to bountiful farms that supply MICHELIN-caliber restaurants, vineyards that benefit from cool marine weather to produce fantastic wines and luxurious lodgings that take full advantage of their picturesque settings. With the road now fully reopened following three years of repairs due to storm damage in Big Sur, now’s the time to tackle Highway 1. Whether you’re going to fill your camera roll or your stomach, we have one piece of advice: go slow.
At a Glance
- Route: Elk → Point Reyes → Carmel → Los Olivos → Santa Monica → Laguna Beach
- Distance: ~690 miles
- Duration: 5 days
- Best for: Food and wine lovers, slow travel, outdoors enthusiasts
- Best time to go: The route can be done year-round, although it can be stormy during winter and heavily trafficked during summer; we suggest shoulder seasons.
The Route: California Highway Highway 1
You’ll be on Highway 1, with its postcard ocean views, for almost the entire trip, although there are a few stretches where the road runs concurrently with U.S. Route 101, such as when crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco or going along the coast in parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. This itinerary suggests a couple of slight inland detours, to enjoy wine in Carmel Valley and the Santa Ynez Valley, but you’re never more than a few miles from the beach, even when passing through San Francisco and greater Los Angeles.
Day 1: Rocky Beaches and Oysters, from Mendocino to Point Reyes
Mendocino County — known for its rocky coast, redwood trees, artist enclaves and remoteness (it’s more than 100 miles/160.9 km of twisting roads north from San Francisco) — is a relatively unexplored gem. You’ll start in the tiny unincorporated community of Elk (population 275), which is home to one of California’s best restaurants, Harbor House Inn, where Chef Matthew Kammerer crafts kaiseki-inspired prix-fixe meals, with artfully presented dishes such as red abalone with Koshihikari rice and black cod smoked over bay laurel.
After a night at the oceanfront Harbor House Inn, spend a leisurely morning in the village of Mendocino, just 15 miles/24.5 km to the north, where you can visit small art galleries and boutique shops, including Gallery Bookshop, The Study Club and Lansing Street Gallery. If you didn’t have dinner at Harbor House the previous night, you can book lunch (Thursday through Monday) before hitting the road.
Headed south from Elk, you’ll pass the 115-foot tall Point Arena Lighthouse and the 93-foot-tall “Madonna of Peace” obelisk sculpture, created by Italian-American artist Beniamino "Benny" Bufano. In Jenner, stop to visit Goat Rock Beach and its mammoth, eponymous sea stack, as well as The Siren’s Cellar, the brand-new wine bar from acclaimed sommelier and winemaker Patrick Cappiello. Dinner is alongside Tomales Bay, famed for its oysters, at Tony’s Seafood, which serves Hog Island oysters raw and grilled, plus a can’t-miss clam chowder. Your bed is just 10 miles farther, at Olema House Point Reyes, a 150-year-old, 24-room lodge that was tastefully updated in 2019.
Day 2: Redwood Trees in Marin, the Streets of San Francisco and the Bounty of Carmel
Get up early to beat the crowds at Muir Woods National Monument, a protected grove of old-growth redwoods that’s home to millennia-old giants that climb as high as 250 feet. From here, Highway 1 snakes over the hill to cross the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco, where you’ll pass through the Presidio and Golden Gate Park, both perfect for an outdoor stroll or picnic. You’ll be in the sleepier, even foggier westside of the city, and the best place for brunch is Outerlands, a reclaimed-wood-lined spot where you’ll join Ocean Beach surfers and other locals for house-baked sourdough bread and fried mortadella sandwiches.
South of San Francisco you’ll pass the small coastal town of Half Moon Bay and its historic Main Street dating back to the mid-1800s (if visiting in October, check out mammoth gourds at the Art & Pumpkin Festival). Nearby is Mavericks beach, which draws brave surfers from around the world thanks to its powerful waves.
Between Santa Cruz and Monterey, the roadsides are lined with farms and stands selling strawberries and artichokes. Just south of Monterey you can cruise the 17-Mile Drive past Pebble Beach Golf Links, which has hosted many of the most memorable U.S. Open tournaments; go for a walk on the white sand of Carmel Beach; or peruse the shops in the European-style village of Carmel-by-the-Sea, known for its fairy-tale architecture.
There are a lot of winery tasting rooms here, but zip a few miles inland to Carmel Valley and the Bernardus Winery, which pours excellent single-vineyard pinot noir and chardonnay, as well as a signature Bordeaux blend (a rarity in these parts).
The last stop of the day is practically next door: The 73-room Bernardus Lodge & Spa is a tranquil, beautifully landscaped Two-MICHELIN-Key resort where you can also have dinner, at Lucia Restaurant & Bar. Chef Gus Trejo focuses on fresh produce in dishes such as locally caught wild king salmon tartare on Monterey Bay seaweed and otto file polenta made with flint corn from Marquita Farm in nearby Watsonville.
Day 3: Farm-To-Table Food and Natural Wine in Big Sur, Los Alamos and Los Olivos
Head off on the most legendary stretch of Highway 1 in Big Sur, where the road hugs towering cliffs over the Pacific Ocean, creating some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the world.
Just 15 miles south of Carmel, you’ll cross the Bixby Bridge — the one from the “Big Little Lies” opening credits — and meander slowly down the winding road, stopping at the many vista points, including one for the cliffside McWay Falls. Then stop for a prix-fixe lunch with an awe-inspiring view at Sierra Mar, the ingredient-driven restaurant at Post Ranch Inn, which is best exemplified by the chef’s garden harvest course, a meze-style platter featuring local greens, vegetables and giardiniera (an Italian-style relish of pickled vegetables) .
If you get down the coast quickly enough (and have a tour reserved) you can visit Hearst Castle, William Randolph Heart’s landmark coastal redoubt. Wine lovers, though, may want to breeze past this attraction in favor of a tasting at Parr Wines in Cambria, where you can sample natural-leaning wines from noted winemaker Raj Parr, who mostly works with grapes that are organically grown on the Central Coast.
From here, it’s straight on to the Old West-inflected small town of Los Alamos in the Santa Ynez Valley. If you have time, do a tasting at A Tribute to Grace, the winery from “goddess of grenache” Angela Osborne, before dinner at Bell’s, a beloved French-style bistro serving treasures such as a mille crêpe of Santa Barbara sea urchin and Regiis Ova caviar or Badger Flame beets with Spanish anchovies and and ruby red grapefruit. To continue the Western theme, spend the night at The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, a 19th-century stagecoach stop that has been transformed into a posh resort in Los Olivos, the heart of Santa Barbara wine country.
Day 4: Wine in the Santa Ynez Valley and Fine Dining in Santa Monica
The Santa Ynez Valley is chockfull of wineries, so spend the morning sampling the local pinot noir, chardonnay and syrah, whether it's at one of the tasting rooms in Los Olivos — including Brewer-Clifton, Dreamcôte and Story of Soil — or at a pastoral vineyard estate like Fess Parker (where the infamous spit-bucket scene in “Sideways” was filmed).
For a bit of surrealness (and a freshly baked Danish), take a quick detour through the windmill- and bakery-laden, Scandinavian-style village of Solvang, then zip down the stunning Gaviota Coast and through the Spanish Colonial architecture of Santa Barbara for pizza at Bettina (opened by two expats from Brooklyn’s Roberta’s) in the tony Montecito Country Mart.
Spend the rest of the afternoon driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, passing the oceanfront mansions of Malibu on the way to Santa Monica, known for its pier, beach and being the terminus of America’s other iconic highway, Route 66. Check into the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, perched on the palisades above Santa Monica Beach, before having dinner at Mélisse, the 14-seat, French-Japanese-Californian restaurant-within-a-restaurant at Citrin. The multicourse tasting menu here is laced with Miyazaki Wagyu, uni from Santa Barbara and Hokkaido and N25 Osetra caviar.
Day 5: Farmers Markets, Beaches and Sushi, From Santa Monica to Laguna Beach
The Santa Monica Farmers Market is so popular that there are actually four of them, held on three different days; if you want to see the original downtown one, time your visit for Wednesday or Saturday. Don’t buy too many snacks here, though, because after beach- and pier-hopping from Venice to Hermosa, you can stop for a late brunch in Long Beach at The Attic, which slings chicken and waffles and biscuits and gravy in a 1920s Craftsman bungalow.
South of here is Orange County, which means more beaches — some better for surfers (Huntington Beach, which styles itself “Surf City USA”), others for sailors (Newport Beach, with its harbor that can be floated on everything from a kayak to a yacht).
From here it’s about an hour (without stops) along the coast to the southern terminus of Highway 1, in Dana Point. Touch the Pacific Coast Highway Monument to confirm you’ve hit the end of the road, take in the sunset at nearby Capistrano Beach Park and backtrack a few miles to Laguna Beach — known for its protected coastline and canyons, as well as the eponymous MTV reality show that made Kristin Cavallari famous. Here, you can celebrate the end of your journey with an omakase sushi dinner at R|O Rebel Omakase and check into the Montage Laguna Beach for a well-earned spa treatment and a night of rest.
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Hero image: Highway 1 collage - © Yellow Nguyen/RO-Rebel Omakase | © Stan Lee/Mélisse | © Bonjwing Lee/Bell's | © Bonjwing Lee/Bell's | © Harbor House Inn | © Erin Miller
