 |
A Guide for Romantic Central California Beach Vacations
California beach vacations have always been the classic American beach holiday. The state is blessed with hundreds of miles of superb coastline, excellent weather, and plenty of great roads, restaurants and accommodation along the way.
California also has excellent air connections with most major cities in the U.S. and many countries overseas. For cheap flights to SFO and LAX, see our guide to help find the Best Airfare Search Engine.
Central California Beach VacationsThe central California coast (south of San Francisco) has, in our opinion, some of the most exciting, least crowded and romantic beaches in the state. We chose this area for our honeymoon, and it was just terrific.
Best time to the Visit Central California Coast: April to October is the sunniest.
California Coast Vacation Activities: The water is cool and probably only for die-hard swimmers, but sailing, kayaking, surfing, hiking, beachcombing and scenic drives are excellent.
Driving: It’s best to do your scenic driving south-to-north on Pacific Highway 1 for the best viewing. Exercise care on the winding curves and steep hills!
Carmel & The Big Sur
Carmel: Quaint Carmel, CA is a must-see, with it’s bistros, guesthouses and beach accessible right from main street. There must be more art galleries per capita here than anywhere else!
Nearby Monterey has great seafood and one of the largest aquariums in the world. Romantic California beach hotels, inns, B&B’s, and resorts can be found all along the coastline. For rentals by owner, check out Central California Coast Vacation Rentals
Big Sur Coastline: This scenic drive is just fantastic - both Maureen and I agree that it has to be one of the most spectacular pieces of oceanside highway we have ever driven. It begins just a few short miles south of Carmel. The rugged coast has powerful surf, jagged cliffs and beautiful cypress and redwood trees. The views of the Pacific with the strong breeze in your hair are unforgettable!
Because of steep terrain, much of the waters edge is not easy to get to. These Big Sur beaches are accessible, very scenic and excellent places to unwind:
Romantic Tip: A great idea for a beach visit – put together a delicious picnic lunch at a nearby deli or supermarket, grab a blanket, rent a kite and you have a romantic mid-day excursion for two!
17 Mile Drive: This very romantic and legendary road winds its way past scenic lookouts, rugged coast and thick forest (not to mention Pebble Beach Golf Course!). Whales, sea lions and sea otters make their home in the waters here. It’s a toll road, but the nominal fee is well worth it. Take your time and really enjoy this enchanting journey.
Not quite in Big Sur but we just can’t leave it out: charming Half Moon Bay, just 30 miles south of downtown San Francisco. With about two miles of sandy beaches, it’s a nice place to picnic, kayak, or just browse the shops in the small town.
Nearby are whale watching, kayaking, horseback riding and deep-sea fishing.
California Beach Vacations - Travel InfoFlights to central California are easy to arrange, as many major airlines fly into San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose airports.
Renting a car gives you the freedom to sightsee, relax and go at your own pace. San Francisco is a fairly straightforward city to drive in and out of, but traffic does slow considerably during morning and evening rush hours. Driving time from San Francisco to Carmel is about 1.5 hours. Find out more about the top Car Rental Search Engines here.
California highways are generally in excellent condition and easy to navigate.
Return from Central California Beach Vacations to California Vacation page
|
On this page we’re going to focus on one of our favorite areas of the California coast and the romantic California beach vacations packages available there: The rugged Central California coast, and the great areas around Carmel and the Big Sur.