United States to United States
Highway 1 through Big Sur, the coast drive every other coast drive gets compared with.
Direct
615 km
382.1 mi
Scenic route
750 km
466 mi
Days
2
about 6.5 hr direct
Tolls
£8
one way, per car
The drive
Los Angeles to San Francisco is 615 km on Interstate 5, a straight six hours through farmland. Take Highway 1 instead and it becomes 750 km of cliff edge coast.
Big Sur is the centrepiece, roughly 145 km of bridges and blind curves between San Simeon and Carmel. Check for closures before you commit, since landslides shut sections regularly.
Two days is the minimum. Three lets you drive Big Sur in morning light rather than afternoon fog.
September and October for the clearest coastal weather.
Where to break the drive
Santa Barbara
Easy first evening out of Los Angeles.
Cambria or San Simeon
At the southern gate of Big Sur.
Carmel
Northern end, with Seventeen Mile Drive next door.
Questions
About 615 km, roughly 382.1 miles, by the most direct route. The scenic version described here runs closer to 750 km.
Around 6.5 hours of driving on the direct route, which most people split over two days. The scenic route takes 2 days without rushing.
Budget about £8 one way per car in tolls, vignettes and crossings, before fuel and hotels.
September and October for the clearest coastal weather.
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