California Travel Answers

That's a tough one as it all depends on your likes / dislikes. My first choice is Carmel/Monterey, but Sal Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Malibu/Santa Monica (any of the beach towns), San Clemente all offer some attraction.

San Clemente? You mean San Simeon? Carmel or Monterey is a definite stop. Your other nights depend on your interests. There are good wine regions around San Luis Obispo and Solvang, which are both wonderful towns, so it's a good area to do some winery touring. However, you could easily spend two night (one full day) in Santa Barabara and not be bored as it's also a gorgeous and charming town.

To be more precise I'd like to know if there are any particularities worth enjoying, beside the beach. For example, nice places to spend the evening and enjoy a good meal, an interesting places to stop for the night, etc. All this is for next month.

20 miles below Carmel is the most beautiful stretch of California coastline, Big Sur. Stop at Nepenthe for a meal outside on their deck, overlooking 50 miles of coastline. Spend the night at the charming Deetjen's Big Sur Inn. Spend a few hours hiking in the Pfeiffer State Park Redwood Forest.

My favorite spot on a trip last year was Cambria. The small inns along the ocean are lovely, and The Black Cat is a fantastic, nearby restaurant but book ahead for that one. Monterey or Carmel is another wonderful stop - so much to see and enjoy in that area. The Hearst Castle, if you haven't been there, is near Cambria and definitely worth a visit - also needs booking ahead.

You can strike San Clemente off of that list, that is south of Santa Monica. I agree with the other suggested cities and here is my list (approximately from North to south): 1. Big Sur area (Julia Pfeiffer St. Park) If you don't mind hostels, this is a nice one just south of SF at Pigeon Point: http://norcalhostels.org/pigeon/ 2. Monterrey (Cannery Row in particular) and Carmel 3. Santa Cruz (Has a nice boardwalk with roller coaster. Hotels will be expensive). State parks next by are nice as well. 4. San Simeon (Hertz Castle, nice place to stay since it has beautiful pastoral views) and closeby Cambria is a nice quaint town (not much to do since its so small). Cayucos is cute too, but small so can be skipped if stretched for time 5. Morro Bay (also should have inexpensive lodging). Nice boardwalk and you could go kayaking there. 6. Pismo Beach (nice beach), some shops there. 7. Santa Barbara (lots of good eats, expensive lodging) 8. Ventura/Oxnard has a nice pier and downtown and harbor. You can visit the channel islands by boat, but that will take up a whole day. There are outlet Shops in Camarillo and an In-N-Out hamburger shop so that is a good inexpensive rest stop. 9. Malibu Nice beaches, may be hard to find free parking. 10. Santa Monica (Pier, 3rd street promenade). Good eating here. I would suggest Father's Office for hamburgers/beer or California Chicken Cafe for a healthier option. This is probably more than 3 days worth of stuff, so you'll have to do some research and pick and choose which ones you want to skip. I'm glad you're not rushing the trip, as it is quite a beautiful coastline.

Just consulted a map. Sorry for my mistake.I seem to always confuse Big Sur with Half Moon Bay North to south should be: Half Moon Bay Santa Cruz Monterey Big Sur Cambria Morro Bay San Louis Obispo (also forgot to mention the California Mission and downtown areas are worth visiting and eating in here). Santa Barbara Ventura Malibu Santa Monica Have fun!

thank you all for the inputs