Expert: Steve Summers - 6/12/2008

Question
My husband and I will be traveling early August from San Diego to San Francisco.  We have been to LA, so we will by pass this time,  but we do want to see San Juan Capistrano, Santa Barbara, Solvang, 17 mile drive and then on to SanFran.  Do you think that this can be done in 2 days?

Answer
Hi Karen,

Yes, you can do it in 2 days. SD to Capo is about 1.5 hours. The mission is a nice 2 hour jaunt. Capo to LA is about an hour. LA to SB is about 2 hours. You can spend a few hours in SB exploring State Street and the beach area. Then take 152 up past Lake Cachuma, which is a very nice drive. If the weather is nice, stop at the top of the hill for a view of the coastline. It's about an hour from SB to Solvang. Spend the night in Solvang.

You can have breakfast at Paula's Pancake House in Solvang. Spend a couple hours before hitting the road. It's about 4 hours to drive to the Monterey Peninsula to see 17 mile drive. Take a walk down Cannery Row. It's about 2.5 hours to SF, so you should have no problem.

It's a bit of a tight schedule, but it can be done. You're going to be driving a lot, but it's a rather pretty drive. There is coastline, rolling hills, and gentle valleys.

Have a nice time!