What city is halfway between San Jose and San Diego?

Hi everyone, I need some good advice on my upcoming 8 day trip to CA in mid-October. I want to drive down Highway 1/PCH from San Fran toSan Diego. Does anyone know how long it takes if I wanted to do a straight non-stop drive on Highway 1 from SF to SD? If I wanted to do SF to SD in 2 days, whats the best half-way point to spend a night between SF and SD on Highway 1? Also, in mid-oct, is it worth it for me to rent a convertible to drive or would it be too cold for the top to be down?

Here's what I'm planning on doing:

Mon - Fly into san fran..spend day in San Jose/silicon valley area

Tue - start the drive on Highway 1 from SF to 1/2 way point.....any recommendations??

Wed - Get to San diego

Thur - San diego

Fri - San diego

Sat - go to LA

Sun - LA

Mon - LA

Tue - fly home

Thanks for your help!

NH

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Kibbles16

Grover Beach...

Destination Expert

for Pismo Beach, Cambria, Big Sur

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1. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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With this plan you'll be cheating yourself out of the best part ofCalifornia!!

Oh well... your choice.

Halfway point between SF & SD could include either Pismo Beach or Santa Barbara.

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MK_Cal

No. California

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2. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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What are your interests? If you like scenic drive & want to see the coastline then consider adding more time to the drive and cut back on the SD or LA time. If you want to get a flavor of the coast without the driving I suggestSan jose to Monterey and Carmel spend one night in Monterey /Carmel area then take and evening flight to San Diego. When you are in LA drive up the coast for a day.

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Bryan Tsunoda

Torrance, California

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3. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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Ditto on providing your interests.

For example,Pismo Beach and Santa Barbara are very different. Pismo is a smaller town that has less things to do at night. Santa Barbara, OHTH, has more tourists and more things to do because of it's population and proximity to UC Santa Barbara.

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HopSkipJump

West Hollywood...

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4. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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A few things....

1. From north to south: it's SF, LA, SD. Why not fly home from SD so you don't have to back track to LA to fly home?

2. Route 1 is scenic during much of the portion between SF & LA (actually,San Francisco & Santa Monica). Once you get to the L.A. metro area, it becomes a commercial corridor and is inland as much as a mile. You'll be driving past shopping centers, gasoline stations, office buildings, etc and you'll be on a 6-lane road with traffic lights on every corner and NO view of the coastline. I would recommend getting onto either the 405 or 5 freeways in the L.A. area and either taking the freeway route to SD or resuming the coastal route in Orange County, say Huntington Beach.

From the sound of your itinerary, it almost sounds like you're anxious to get the driving "out of the way". If you're not really into driving, then don't take Route 1 since it will take a lot longer than driving the interstate (5). You could easily make the drive from SF to SD in 2 days -- taking Route 1 during part of it and the freeway during the L.A. and/or sourhtern portions.

3. As mentioned above, what are your interests? L.A. is extremely spread out so in order to determine where you want to stay, it's helpful to know what you're interested in, e.g. natural beauty, architecture, history, museums (l.A. has over 100 of them from modern art of Radio & Television), celebrity-spotting, shopping, etc.

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NH112

NJ/NYC

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5. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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Thanks for all the quick replies. My main goal is to see a few places inSan Diego and in LA. I'm flying out of LAX, so thats why I have LA as the last stop. I'm flying into San Fran and want to drive down Highway 1 to see the amazing/breaktaking scenery.

Assuming I start my drive from SF in the morning around 9am, can I make it down to Santa Barbara on Highway 1 by 7pm? (including a couple stops on the way to take in the scenery).

Anyone know what type of weather to expect in mid-Oct? Is it convertible weather?

Thanks!

NH

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Kibbles16

Grover Beach...

Destination Expert

for Pismo Beach, Cambria, Big Sur

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6. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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It's do-able, but your stops will have to be brief. Figure on 3 hours toMonterey. Another 3 1/2 - 4 hours to Pismo Beach and 1 - 1/2 hours to Santa Barbara. These times are without stops, so plan accordingly.

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Kibbles16

Grover Beach...

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for Pismo Beach, Cambria, Big Sur

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7. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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Re: Your weather question.

Weather should be fairly nice, but can't guarantee "top down" kind of temps. We could also have an early encounter with rain, but not likely.

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NH112

NJ/NYC

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8. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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Ok, I've decided after reading the replies, that I'm trying to do to much in only a weeks worth of time. So I'm going to skip san diego and focus on the Highway 1 drive from San Fran to LA and then spend a few days in LA.

So if I give myself 2 days from San Fran to LA on Highway 1, which 2 towns should I spend the night at? I definitely want to spend one night in Santa Barabara.

Thanks!

NH

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Kibbles16

Grover Beach...

Destination Expert

for Pismo Beach, Cambria, Big Sur

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9. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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Hi, NH

EitherMonterey/Carmel or Cambria.

Here's what they both have to offer:

Monterey/Carmel- the Monterey Bay Aquarium (world class, BTW) , which currently has a young great white shark in their Outer Bay exhibit. Don't get to see those creatures up close and personal very often and worth a look. 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach, Carmel, Point Lobos SR and much more!

Big Sur is between Monterey and Cambria. If you spend your first night in Monterey, you'll have more time to explore this area.

Cambria- Hearst Castle/Paso Robles wine country. More relaxed and laid back than Monterey/Carmel, but puts you closer to Santa Barbara. From Cambria you'll pass through Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach.

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NH112

NJ/NYC

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10. Re: Half way point/stop from San Fran to San Diego on Highway 1

15 years ago

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Is there any nice nearby town or area I can crash for one night before flying out of ONT the next day? Or should I just spend the night inOntario? Is there anything thats worth checking out nearby the ONT airport?

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