a revelatory road trip down the california coast, taking on big cities and big sur

It’s one of the most beautiful drives in the world, and is packed with big cities, bridges and national parks that will drop jaws. Welcome to the California coast.

San Francisco

Could there be any better place to kick off a road trip than the steep hills of San Fran? If you’re driving manual, careful not to stall. This is a baptism of fire for the uninitiated – as soon as you get your head around driving on the wrong side of the road, you’ll be exploring ascents and descents that seem vertical as well as the tram network. The reward is the liberating portal of escape that is the Golden Gate Bridge, frequently hemmed by cloud and delivering you to the redwood forests that typify this American coastline.

San Jose

This is Silicon Valley territory. Prepare for hipper than hipster set-up’s and billionaires in shorts and flip-flops. A drive-by of Facebook and Google headquarters are a must. Arguably the crucible of cutting edge technology, it also surprisingly offers some of the oldest history. As California’s first Spanish settlement, it boasts a plethora of colonial architecture. There’s also a mystery house that ranks as one of the top tourist destinations. There are 160 rooms in the Winchester Mystery House and it looks as impressive in as it does out. The story goes that Sarah Winchester built the mansion on instruction from her psychic medium and to appease the spirits killed by her husband’s gun company. 

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz has a hippie, new-age aesthetic that is understandable given its natural blessings, sandwiched between the redwood forests behind and the beaches up front. The beach boardwalk is famous, with its retro amusements including a wood rollercoaster and a carousel dating back to 1911. Drive to Mystery Spot, dating back to 1940, and self-described as a gravitational anomaly. It’s a kitsch and it’s definitely touristy. Santa Cruz itself is a classic Cali beach town, and surfers are aplenty. This is the place the wetsuit was invented, even though the water is usually as warm as the ambient temperature. 

Monterey

Who has seen Big Little Lies? If you haven’t, this is indulgent homework for this destination. The HBO TV series starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon is filmed in Monterey and it sells itself. Haunting and broody by turns, then glamorous and golden by others, the setting makes this book turned TV series sing. Written by Australian author Lianne Moriarty and originally set in Sydney, the parallels are evident between coastal towns. Bixby Creek Bridge would have to be one of the most photogenic coastal crosses in the world – the name creek does it a disservice. This is staggering rock-strewn coastline that whips and weaves around the wave dented shore. 

Big Sur

Technically, this region runs the gamut of coast between Carmel and San Simeon. This will likely be the driving scenery highlight, as the two lane State Route One highway is seemingly tucked into the crevasses of the mountains that lean into the Pacific Ocean. It’s dramatic and rugged. There’s hardly any human development. Big Sur is more haunting than other parts of California. The image of Cali is big, brash and beautiful. Big Sur is often misty, mostly rugged and wild. Garrapata State Park has hiking trails through redwood forests and beside the jagged cliffs. There’s also Point Lobos State Reserve, where you can take to the waters amongst orcas, otters and sea lions. 

San Simeon

San Simeon is renowned for mansion mecca Hearst Castle. In one of the most ostentatious displays of wealth, this estate will saturate the senses. The home of newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst – back when newspapers didn’t struggle to rake in the cash. It’s a neo-classical mansion inspired by Spanish design. The Gothic Study is something from a monastery, and this is where Hearst would review the next day’s newspapers. It’s not short on abundance, with 250,000 acres with the castle, cottages and land. The view from the Neptune Pool could be Tuscany, while the high view from the front of the mansion is classic California coast, with ocean views to boot. It is one of the most popular attractions in the United States. 

San Luis Obispo

This is an instagram stop. For this town is typical of the other coastal towns en route, however Pismo Beach is worth of a mention as it is touted as the clam capital of the world. But to really garner social cache and also add to the list of quirky destinations, take the car  to Bubblegum Alley. It’s exactly as advertised. Over decades, gum has been stuck to every surface in the alley. It’s almost five metres high and runs for more than 20 metres. It’s saccharine and bright and unusual enough to warrant a road trip pit stop. 

Ventura

Skip Santa Barbara and instead head to the place touted as Little Santa Barbara, and be oh the more cool for it. It’s all about retro here. A smattering of vintage shops, antique stores and urban design boutiques own the main strips of this city. It has a long pier, or boardwalk in ‘Merica, much like it’s neighbouring beachside sleeper towns. Ventura is also the departure point for Channel Islands national park, five islands that you’ll have to ditch the wheels for. Take to a kayak or swim or hike and be rewarded with sea lion speckled sands and crystalline waters. 

Malibu

Its reputation precedes it as a bastion of the wealthy and famous. The subject of songs from Courtney Love to Miley Cyrus, the houses are built right on the sand, on stilts. Not so great with rising sea levels, but it remains some of the most coveted real estate. But if you’re a little over exposed to the ocean views, head inland to the Topanga Canyon. It’s the bohemian end of town, a counterbalance to the glamour of Malibu. More down to earth, pedal to the metal to Seventh Ray, a restaurant touted as angelic and ringed by fairy lights. Plenty of locals and celebrities frequent it. 

LA

It would be impossible not to stop here, although you’re well within your rights if nature is more your jam. Being a city of neighborhoods, rather than having one focal point, means it is the best city in the States to drive around. Spread out widely, the suburbs on offer include Hollywood, Bel Air, Pasadena, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach and Catalina Island. It’s funny, isn’t it: you know the places from movies and television before having stepped foot in them – or wheels, for that matter. The usual tourist sights are all here: Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios and the Kodak Theatre. 

Long Beach

A minor detour to extend this road trip – at this point, no-one would want it to end, and the big lights of San Diego is all that awaits next. Long Beach boasts some of the state’s most photogenic beaches and houses: think Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. For anyone whose ever seen The OC or Laguna Beach, these locations will be alarmingly familiar. This is a landscape of bays and lagoons and one epic bridge to drive over: the Coronado Bridge, which runs for more than three kilometres, bridging piers and fishing shacks and yacht docks to one another.

San Diego

It’s a big city, but it’s as close to a beachside hang-ten vibe as a city can get. It’s enduringly sunny and built around the beach, as opposed to the last two big cities you’ve driven through: Los Angeles and San Francisco. Despite very unassuming appearances, it is America’s eighth largest city. Which is mind-boggling when you see how relaxed everyone is. Mission and Pacific Beaches are the outdoor hubs, and the Ocean Front Walk is the type of American beachside culture you’d expect: think lycra, neon, dogs on leads and roller-skaters. It’s the ultimate city to round off your mellowing road trip.