9 Days California Itinerary: What to see and do in Los Angeles, Pacific Coast Highway and San Francisco

Updated October 2019

Today marks 2 years since the day I set foot in California. Visiting Los Angeles (and California in general) has always been on my wish list! The palm trees, endless beaches, the Hollywood Sign, Beverly Hills and many more! My friends and I spent 9 full days in the Golden State visiting places, walking, dining and taking it all in. I’ve wanted to write down our itinerary, the places we dined and the hotels we stayed for a long time, so here it is! A compact California road trip itinerary which you can use as an inspiration to plan your own trip.

Day 1: Arrival in Los Angeles, Venice Beach, Santa Monica

First stop on our trip:  The Kinney Venice Beach hotel (was going by another name back then). It is located on Venice beach. On the first afternoon, we explored Abbot Kinney Blvd and all its cute stores. Then we walked along the beach all the way to Santa Monica.

Depending on the time of the day you can explore the Pier and Third Street Promenade, which is a pedestrian street full of stores or have dinner! As a general tip, I suggest that you always book in advance in restaurants and Open Table became my best friend in LA.

Day 2: Getty Center, Malibu, LACMA, The Grove

We started the day by visiting the Getty Center. Entrance is free, you just pay for the parking. The view is amazing and there are lots to explore. After exploring for a while, drive north to Malibu. There are many beaches to explore and we chose Zuma beach, where we kicked off our shoes and dipped our toes in the Ocean. It was freezing, as it was March after all!

Early in the evening, we stopped by LACMA were we took photos with the Urban Light sculpture. We got enough photos to last us a lifetime and then headed to The Grove for dessert. The Grove is an outdoor mall with stores and restaurants, which celebrities sometimes frequent. We ended the day with 3 cheesecake slices at the Cheesecake Factory!

Related: 12 fun things I did in Los Angeles

Day 3: Hollywood Sign, Hollywood Boulevard, Beverly Hills, The Griffith Observatory

This day was all about Hollywood and views. We started off with a hike to the Hollywood sign. It took us about 2 hours to walk up and then down from the sign. The trail isn’t steep but you must wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and a hat! Next, we drove down towards Hollywood Boulevard were we spotted our favorite stars.

It wouldn’t be a proper visit in LA if we skipped Beverly Hills (Rodeo Drive included) would it? The last stor for the day was Griffith Observatory! We got there after sundown and the view was amazing nonetheless, but it’s better to be there at sunset/dusk.

Day 4: Paramount Studios, Downtown Los Angeles, Venice

A true visit in LA wouldn’t be complete without visiting an old-school Hollywood studio, right? We decided on Paramount because it’s one of the oldest studios and the only one in the Hollywood area! Next up we visited the up and coming area of Downtown LA, where we saw the Walt Disney Music Hall and tried Bottega Louie’s delicious desserts.

Upon returning to Venice beach, we explored the canals and it’s an area I absolutely loved. It is a residential area, but it was very quiet so I guess, these are summer houses mostly. After the walk (and a little bit of shopping) in Abbot Kinney yet again we called it a day.

Related: A walk in Downtown Los Angeles

Day 5: Sequoia National Park

Next up on our California road trip itinerary was a visit to the Sequoia National Park. We saw the largest tree on earth (in trunk volume): General Sherman. The drive up there lasted 5 hours with a small break in Lindsay. We spent about an hour around the General Sherman trail before driving back towards the coast. We spent the night at Cayucos Beach Inn, which was very nice and has large and well-equipped rooms.

Related: Visiting the Sequoia National Park

Day 6: Pacific Coast Highway

We spent the 6th day of our trip driving north towards San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway making stops along the way.  This part of our California road trip itinerary is documented on my post: Road Trip along the Pacific Coast Highway.

Day 7: Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, Sutro baths/Cliff House, Twin Peaks, Chinatown, Ferry building Market Place, City Lights bookstore

On our first full day in San Francisco, we covered a lot of ground. We crossed the Golden Gate bridge, had ice cream in Sausalito, and marveled at the views from the Cliff House and Twin Peaks. the city is relatively small and you can get around by public transport. We kept the car only for the first day and then dropped it off.

The rental company was near Chinatown, so that’s was the area we explored just after leaving the car. We then walked toward the Ferry Building Marketplace where we had lunch. The Embarcadero area was so beautiful at dusk so we explored it while waking north and then took Broadway street so as to reach the City Lights Bookstore.

Book a room for your stay in San Francisco!

Related: 15 Things you shouldn’t miss in San Francisco

Day 8: Painted Ladies, Golden Gate Park, Mission District

We started the day with a hearty breakfast at Golo cafe before walking up to see the Painted Ladies. We continued our walk to the Golden Gate Park where we visited the Japanese Tea Garden and had some ice green tea! A visit to San Francisco isn’t complete without checking out the Mission District, which is where the original San Francisco settlement was actually located. The area is famous for its murals, especially those on Balmy street.

Related: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Day 9: Filbert Steps, Fillmore street, Union Square, Pier 39, Ghirardelli square

We started our day by walking towards Filbert steps in search of a view that I’ve seen on Pinterest. A few photos later we took the trolley to Fillmore street for some window shopping. Our next stop was Union Square and weended our walk at Pier 39 and dined at Fog Harbor Fish House. To cap off our visit to San Francisco we stopped for dessert at the Ghirardelli store on the namesake square!

So that pretty much sums up our (epic, tiring but so amazing) road trip in California! I hope it inspired you to add Golden State to your to-visit list!

Have you visited California? If yes, which was the best part of your trip?

 

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