California's Central Coast runs roughly 400 miles between Los Angeles and San Francisco, taking in a landscape that shifts from Ventura's agricultural plains through the mission towns of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, past the dramatic cliffs of Big Sur, to the Monterey Peninsula in the north. It is one of the most scenically varied stretches of coastline in North America.
Santa Barbara is the region's most polished city — Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, a functioning mission, excellent food, and wineries in the nearby Santa Ynez Valley. Monterey has its famous aquarium and Cannery Row, plus easy access to 17-Mile Drive and the Carmel-by-the-Sea. Big Sur, the rugged cliff-edge stretch of Highway 1 between San Simeon and Carmel, is one of the finest coastal drives in California and rewards those who stop and walk rather than simply passing through.
Hearst Castle at San Simeon — William Randolph Hearst's extraordinary hilltop estate — is worth a detour: tours run daily and the scale of the place is genuinely staggering. Paso Robles, inland, has become one of California's most serious wine regions, with Zinfandel and Rhône varieties the local specialities.
The coast is reliably cool in summer due to fog and marine influence. The best weather for beach visits is September and October, when the fog clears and temperatures rise.
