California Coast Tour - 2 Days from Los Angeles to San Francisco via Monterey

Itinerary

Day 1: Los Angeles to Monterey along California Coast

Stop At: Pacific Coast Highway, 147161, CA
Day 1 - Los Angeles to Salinas and Monterey. 375 miles:

Coast Starlight train leave Union Station, Los Angeles at 10:15 a.m. Riding through suburbs of Los Angeles we see Simi Valley and Fillmore, orange groves and green houses, reaching the Pacific coast at Oxnard. As the train hugs the shores we see the most magnificent vistas. West through Santa Barbara and then turning north at Goleta the suburbs give way to rural land as we pass by Vandenberg Space Station on the way to Pismo Beach. Fields of strawberries and miles of new vines are all around us as we ride north to San Luis Obispo. Soon the train chugs up Cuesta Grade through six or seven tunnels and then drops down going to the horse ranches and pasture lands of Paso Robles. At Camp Roberts we enter Monterey County and run alongside the Salinas River. Oil fields give way to the Valley, one of the richest agricultural areas in California. Riding through one of the largest vineyards we come upon miles of broccoli, lettuce, flowers and berries. The train lets us off in Salinas where John Steinbeck chronicled the transformation of Monterey county from the days of depression to the wealthier times. Stay the night in Salinas or car transfer takes us past Laguna Seca to the ocean at Monterey Bay where Golf courses, mansions and scenic drives take over. It should be just after 7:15 in the evening. Check in at Merritt House Inn or similar place in historic Monterey near Fisherman's Wharf
Duration: 7 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Merritt House Inn or something similar

Day 2: Monterey Peninsula Tour to San Francisco

Stop At: Monterey Bay, Monterey, CA
Day 2 - Monterey Peninsula Tour and then to San Francisco. 154 miles:

If you spend the night in Salinas a local resident guide can take you on very interesting visits to the farms, fields, and packing plants. At Steinbeck Center see the history of Valley of the World. Meet the travelers who stayed in Monterey at about 12:30 p.m. for a tour of Monterey, Cannery Row, Pacific Grove. See the Pacific crashing on to the rocks and swirling around on the 17 Mile Drive, where the Lone Cypress stands guard. Brush with luxury at the golf courses and resorts of Pebble Beach. Time in Carmel by the Sea for shopping & browsing.

CONTINUE TO SAN FRANCISCO BY AMTRAK Coast Starlight train - leaving Monterey at about 5:15 going to Salinas and boarding the train around 6:30 go east through Castroville and miles of artichoke and strawberry fields. At Moss Beach see the interesting Elkhorn Slough and north through Morgan Hill to San Jose riding through San Jose and Silicon Valley. The salt flats and marshland and the bird sanctuaries of south San Francisco Bay give way to the industrial sprawl of Fremont to reaching Oakland around 9:30. The waiting bus takes you to San Francisco Hyatt Regency arriving by 10:00. A short five to ten minutes taxi or car ride will take you to your hotel


Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove, Monterey, CA 93953
17-Mile Drive, Monterey, California
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940-1085
Optional Monterey Bay Aquarium
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Carmel Plaza, Ocean Avenue & Mission Street, Carmel, CA 93923
Spend time in Carmel by the beach for shopping or take a walk
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.