Map of the California 7-day itinerary
This map shows the full route of the California 7-day itinerary, with every stop and the recommended driving order: Los Angeles, Sequoia National Park, Monterey, Big Sur, Santa Barbara and San Francisco. Use it to see the distances between stages, plan each day’s drive, and save it to your own Google Maps before you travel.
7-day California Coast Tour: From Los Angeles to San Francisco via Sequoia National Park. This is a 7-day road trip along the California coast that combines the two big cities, the giant sequoias and the most photogenic stretches of Highway 1. The itinerary works particularly well for a first visit and gives you a good sample of what California has to offer in a single week.
Day 1: Los Angeles. The trip starts in Los Angeles. We walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame and went up to the Griffith Observatory at sunset for the panoramic view of the city. The contrast between the tourist core and the surrounding hills is one of the things that gives LA its character. If time allows, add a stop at Venice Beach or Santa Monica Pier on the same day.
Day 2: Road to Sequoia National Park. The drive from LA to Sequoia takes around 4 hours. The giant sequoias are worth the detour: walking among the General Sherman Tree and the Congress Trail gives you a sense of scale that is hard to describe. Bring proper shoes, layers (it gets cold at altitude) and time to walk slowly through the groves.
Day 3: Monterey and the Central Coast. From Sequoia, the route heads back west toward Monterey. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best in the country and easily a half-day stop on its own. The coastal road from Monterey south to Carmel-by-the-Sea is one of the better photographed stretches of California, and Carmel itself is worth a stroll for the small galleries and the white sand beach.
Day 4: Big Sur. The road to Big Sur is part of the experience. Highway 1 between Carmel and San Simeon runs along cliffs that drop straight into the Pacific, with consistent viewpoints along the way. Bixby Bridge, McWay Falls and Pfeiffer Beach are the three stops we would not skip. The drive is slow and full of curves, so plan accordingly and start early.
Day 5: Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara sits between Big Sur and LA but works particularly well as a calmer stop after the intensity of the coastal drive. The Spanish architecture, the wide beach and the laid-back rhythm make it a strong contrast to the rest of the trip. We spent the afternoon walking around State Street and the harbour, and the evening at one of the seafront restaurants.
Day 6: San Francisco. The final stretch leads to San Francisco. We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin side (the view of the city is better from there), explored the Ferry Building, the Mission and Haight-Ashbury, and rode the cable car at least once just to do it. The city is dense, walkable in pockets, and very rewarding for half-day explorations.
Day 7: Wrap-up. Depending on your flight, you can finish with breakfast in one of the local cafés in San Francisco or take a half-day walk through Golden Gate Park and the Presidio. A satisfying way to close a road trip that has covered cities, mountains, redwoods and the Pacific coast in a single week.
Final note. A 7-day California itinerary built around Los Angeles, Sequoia, the Central Coast, Big Sur, Santa Barbara and San Francisco is one of the most efficient ways to get a complete picture of the state. Renting a car is essential, and we recommend reserving accommodation in Big Sur and San Francisco well in advance, since those are the segments that fill up the fastest.
