California road tripping

When booking our USA trip no one had mentioned we would need more than one day to drive the Californian coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles. I must admit I was part to blame as when I checked Google maps, the route time I went off was the freeway one, not the coast one. It wasn't until we were on our Napa Valley tour that the bus driver laughed and told us we would need at least two days to drive the coast.

So we decided we would need to prioritise what part of the coast we wanted to drive, and that for me, was the Big Sur. It was a blissful two hours for me (as passenger) admiring the amazing natural cliff edges and ocean views.

Big Sur

Big Sur cliff edges

Following the Big Sur, we returned to the freeway as quick as we could as day time was already ticking away. We stopped into Santa Maria for some much needed lunch and refuelling and continued on the freeway until Malibu where we hit the coast again. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to stop in Santa Barbara like I was hoping for... next time!

The weather in LA was a also complete contrast to the first visit in mid April, being cold and rainy now.

Driving through Malibu

Driving towards Santa Monica

Tips
-Fill up your vehicle in a major city before hitting the Big Sur region as petrol/gas prices increase by up to $2 a gallon the more remote you go
-Have a map as back up as your GPS loses service along the Big Sur route
-Spend 2-3 days driving the coast between San francisco and Los Angeles so you can enjoy the drive and don't have to rush
-Share the driving and make lots of stops at the allocated areas so everyone enjoys the view

Last stop San Fran

San Francisco was the last stop of our America trip. We flew in from Miami (6.5 hours later) and stayed downtown near Union Square. It was a much quieter city with an evident homeless problem. There were definitely prettier spots such as Lombard's crooked street and the hilly views but I'm definitely a big city girl.

Union Square

Must dos in San Francisco include:

Alcatraz
This former prison which housed the likes of Al Capone and Robert Stroud (The Birdman) is a 15 minute ferry ride from Pier 33. Visiting Alcatraz Island includes an audio tour on the history of the prison, views of San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge, and access to the gardens of Alcatraz. Those wanting to visit Alcatraz should book tickets at least two months in advance. We also booked the 8.45am ferry time which was the first ferry of the day and is well worth it as you are the first people on the island and it's the least number of people that will be on the island the whole day.

Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Prison

Alcatraz prison cells

Fisherman's Wharf
Famous for fishing and seafood, Fisherman's Wharf is full of piers, restaurants, cafes, markets and tourist attractions such as Ripley's and Ghirardelli chocolate. It also provides nice views of Alcatraz Island and Golden Gate Bridge. We enjoyed a nice clam chowder at the famous Boudin Bakery for lunch (a must!) following our Alcatraz trip.

Fisherman's Wharf

Pier 39 

Boudin Bakery

Ride a cable car
Take in the chilly air as you ride on the side of a San Francisco cable car - so much fun! Buy a day pass ticket for $17 to get unlimited rides and stop off at key attractions along the way such as Lombard Street's crooked section and Chinatown. You can also watch how the cable cars turn around at the end of each line.

Cable car

Visit Lombard Street
Lombard Street's crooked section is between Hyde and Jones. Whether you walk it or drive it, it's definitely something that has to be seen and makes for a great photo with all the pretty gardens.

Lombard Street - world's crookedest street

Day tour to Sonoma and Napa Valley

We spent our second day in San Francisco on a day tour to Sonoma and Napa Valley. Our tour included the wineries Nicholson Ranch (Sonoma), Madonna Estate (Napa Valley) and Sutter Home (Napa Valley). We received three tastings at each, which was a lot different to the 8 or so on a Yarra Valley tour in Melbourne. We also visited the cute town of Yountville for lunch.

Nicholson Ranch

Madonna Estate

Sutter Home

So even though our trip ended in a quieter city of the US, it was still a busy two full days!