8 Day California Road Trip: San Francisco to San Diego
As a child, I always dreamed of visiting California. The beaches, the stardom, the cities… the list of reasons to visit was endless. After convincing my family to make a road trip from San Francisco to San Diego, I can confirm I loved the state even more than I thought I would. Read below to see my entire 8-day California road trip itinerary in order to help you plan out your own road trip. Enjoy!
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Where to Start Your California Road Trip
Day One – San Francisco
Welcome to San Francisco! This quirky city lives up its hype. On day one of your road trip from San Francisco to San Diego, you’ll want to see some of the city’s highlights. There is so much to see and explore! Just beware, the hills are no joke. If you’ll be walking around the city, be prepared to get quite a workout. If you’re not feeling like risking having sore legs the following day, however, you can always opt for an Uber or one of San Francisco’s iconic cable cars instead.
Explore Pier 39 & Watch the Sea Lions
Pier 39 had some of the cutest shops and restaurants! I am a sucker for all the boardwalk vibes, and Pier 39 definitely delivered. A favorite store of mine was The Shell Cellar, which had the cutest souvenirs. I could have explored the pier for hours. It is quite a touristy spot, but worth visiting. At the end of the pier, there is a lookout spot where you can view Alcatraz. Another highlight of Pier 39 is all the sea lions. The sea lions created quite an amusing scene, attracting a large crowd of people standing around to watch them interact with each other. Don’t miss out on this free source of entertainment. It will be a highlight of your trip!
Ghirardelli Square
If you have sweet tooth as I do, then you will not want to miss out on Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. This is chocolate heaven! You can’t go wrong with what you order here.
Lombard Street
After indulging in chocolate, you’ll either want to work off the extra calories or sit down in an Uber. Whichever mode of transportation you choose, Lombard Street should be your next stop. Lombard Street is a famous curvy one-way street with the cutest houses. Earlier in the day, we had our Uber driver go down this street. It definitely is a tricky street to drive down! I was glad to come back and walk down the street, taking in the pretty scenery.
Day Two – San Francisco
Brunch at Lori’s Diner
You’ll need to fuel up for a long day of exploring! If you’re a fan of cute diners, then Lori’s Diner is the perfect brunch spot. This 24-hour diner had such delicious items to choose from. Not only did it have amazing food, but the inside décor was also giving off the best retro vibes.
See the Painted Ladies
I knew my family and I had to see the famous Painted Ladies in San Francisco. If these houses look familiar to you, it’s because they’re featured in the Full House theme song. They are definitely a must-see in San Francisco. But you should also be aware that even though these are featured in the Full House theme song, the actual house the Tanner family lived in is located elsewhere. While you can find the actual house’s location if you search on Google, I do not want to advertise it. There is an actual family that lives here, and they do not appreciate the number of tourists that crowd around their front door to take photos. If you do visit the house, just make sure to be respectful of the family that lives there and give them their privacy.
Drive to the Twin Peaks Lookout Point
With some extra time in our schedule, my family and I decided to drive to the Twin Peaks lookout point. It ended up being a lot windier up here, so I did not spend much time out of the car. But my brief time spent standing at the lookout point was well spent. It was a nice small break from the inner city without feeling too far removed.
Need a rental car for San Francisco? See below!
Explore Union Square
Union Square is located in the heart of San Francisco. If you want to spend some cash, this is the place to do your shopping. My family and I explored a few shops before deciding to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. I love the food here, but we do not have one of these restaurants in our hometown. Therefore, we took advantage of the restaurant’s location and treated ourselves to some comfort food. The Cheesecake Factory in Union Square also had cute outdoor seating we just couldn’t resist.
Day 3 – San Francisco
Fort Point
For your last day in San Francisco, you will want to see the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. This beauty is even more stunning in person. I have such a fascination with bridges, and this is hands down my favorite of them all! For a gorgeous view, you’ll want to head to Fort Point. There are some fun trails to walk around here as well, so take your time exploring.
Walk Across the Golden Gate Bridge
That’s right, you heard it correctly. WALK across the Golden Gate Bridge! This is such a cool experience. An employee at the hotel we were staying at tried to advise us against this. She said it would be too far of a walk, but I can definitely say she was wrong. Of course, there are other ways to get across the bridge. You can drive across or rent bikes. But if you like to take your time and absorb the scenery, walking across the Golden Gate Bridge is the best way to experience this landmark. There were lots of other people walking across as well, so we did not feel so crazy after all. This will forever be my favorite memory from San Francisco.
Explore Sausalito and Take the Ferry Back
On the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge is a cute bayside town called Sausalito. After crossing over the bridge, we took an Uber to the main street of shops and restaurants. Take your time walking around and exploring before taking the ferry back over to the Port of San Francisco. The ferry ride back is cheap, and a great way to see Alcatraz up close! The ferry went right past it. We sat on the top deck and had amazing views the whole way back.
Ride a Cable Car
To close out what will be your favorite day in San Francisco, I highly recommend riding a cable car. We waited in a very long line, but it was so worth it! I got lucky and was able to snag a coveted spot on the outside of the car, standing and holding onto the handles. Such a great experience.
Day 4 Morning – Drive Down to Big Sur
After leaving San Francisco, we took a day to drive down to Big Sur. I am so glad we decided to drive there. The area had unbelievable views of the Pacific Coast. We ate at the Rocky Point restaurant, drove along the coast, and visited the iconic Bixby Creek Bridge. Such a fun morning and afternoon!
Day 4 Evening – Santa Monica
Santa Monica Pier
After a scenic morning, we continued our drive down to Santa Monica, where we would be staying for the next couple of nights. It was dark out by the time we got there, but we decided to venture out to the Santa Monica Pier. This is a very fun and lively place! We did not ride any of the rides but got some food from Whac-A-Mole Tacos and enjoyed the atmosphere before heading back to the hotel.
Day 5 – Beverly Hills and Downtown Los Angeles
Visit the Spadena House
I had not heard about this house until I thankfully came across a photo on Instagram a few days before visiting Beverly Hills. This house looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale! We loved being able to stop by briefly to admire and snap a photo or two. If you have time for a quick detour in your day, make sure you stop by this mystical house.
Visit the Beverly Hills Hotel
This hotel is so cute! I had seen photos of it on Instagram and knew I had to visit. We decided to walk through the hotel and its grounds. I was a little nervous since we were not staying there, but we did not get in trouble at all. Just explore at your own risk.
Shop on Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive is the place to be for high-end shopping. While I certainly cannot afford anything in the shops on this street, it sure is fun to window shop!
Hollywood Walk of Fame
When I was little, I had always dreamed of walking the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I even wanted my own star to boast about. That’s why I was devastatingly disappointed when we actually visited. I’m sad to report the Walk of Fame is highly overrated. Most of the stars are dirty or cracked, and all the surrounding shops are just tourist traps. It was not located in the nicest area, and I grew increasingly excited to leave. If you still want to visit, then go for it! But if you’re looking to avoid touristy places, then I would stay away.
See the Hollywood Sign
We did not have the energy to hike to the Hollywood sign, but we did drive through a residential area to a lookout point. It was cool to see, but I was ready to leave shortly after seeing it. The streets by the lookout point were packed with parked cars, and those trying to drive in and out of the area. It was more stressful than fun.
Visit the LACMA Lamps
To close out our time in Los Angeles, we drove to the LACMA lamps. We snapped some quick photos and left, but it was cool seeing them in person after seeing them featured on many travel bloggers’ Instagram accounts.
Day 6 – San Diego
While it had always been on my bucket list to visit Los Angeles, it, unfortunately, did not live up to what I had imagined it to be in my mind. There were some cool areas, but overall, the day spent there just made me glad I did not choose to attend college there, as I had once been considering doing. After our day in the big city, I was ready to travel to San Diego, which ended up being my favorite spot in California! Now, THIS is a California town I could see myself moving to someday. Read below to find out why.
Seaport Village
To start off our time in San Diego, we headed to Seaport Village, a cute waterfront area with shops and restaurants. We found a Greek place to grab some gyros and wandered through the different shops. I was picturing myself coming here to relax and unwind after a day of work in the future.
Gaslamp Quarter
The next area you should explore is the Gaslamp Quarter. The streets here are so cute, and they offer many more shops and restaurants to explore. You can definitely spend a good amount of time here. We found a restaurant named Seville, which served authentic Spanish food, transporting me back to the three weeks I had spent in Spain one year prior.
Balboa Park
Balboa Park is a must-see while in San Diego. The architecture is amazing. The whole park is so picturesque and diverse. We even stumbled upon a graduation ceremony that was going on. Imagine graduating in such a beautiful venue!
Day 7 – San Diego
La Jolla Cove & Swim with the Sea Lions
You will definitely want to visit La Jolla Cove while in San Diego. This is what made me dream of moving to San Diego in the future. The coast is so beautiful. Even better yet, there are sea lions basking on the beach in La Jolla Cove! We ventured down to the beach and were able to swim pretty close to the sea lions. It was so cool being able to be so close to them.
Drive to Anaheim
After your fun beach day, I recommend driving to Anaheim so you can have a full day at Disneyland the next day! If you do not have a desire to go to Disneyland, then it’s the perfect excuse to spend some extra time in San Diego.
Day 8 – Disneyland
Close your time out in California by spending the day at the happiest place on earth – Disneyland! As a young adult, I am still such a lover of all things Disney, so this was the perfect ending to our trip. Spend your day loading your FastPass with new rides, visiting the various Disney characters throughout the park, and snacking on some Mickey-themed food! We stayed at the park from open-close so that we could ride Space Mountain as many times as our hearts desired. You’ll be rewarded with a fun firework show at the end of the day to finish out your ideal California road trip.
