Planning Your Time

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The Central Coast is a favorite of many California residents for romantic weekend getaways. If you’re coming to this part of the state for a weekend, pick an area and explore it in depth. Don’t try to get everywhere in only two days—this is a big region and driving from one spot to another can take hours.

For a relaxed weekend without much travel, focus your trip on Santa Cruz, Carmel, Big Sur, Cambria, or Santa Barbara. If you’re up for more adventure, add a day of wine tasting in Paso Robles to your Cambria trip, or head over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium from Carmel one morning.

If you’ve got a whole week, start in either Santa Cruz or Santa Barbara and work your way down or up the coast on Highway 1, with side trips into the Carmel Valley and Paso Robles.

Alternately, it’s easy to spend a whole week chilling out and becoming one with nature in Big Sur.

© Liz Hamill Scott from Moon California, 2nd Edition

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Moon Travel Guides make independent travel and outdoor exploration fun and accessible. With expert and adventurous travel writers delivering a mix of honest insight, first-rate strategic travel advice, insider travel tips and an essential dose of humor, Moon Travel Guides ensure that travelers have an uncommon and entirely satisfying experience. Each travel book is filled with unique trip ideas, easy-to-use maps, and detailed information on sights, restaurants, and accommodations. Moon Travel Guides not only point you in the right direction, they inspire new ideas and adventure. Whether you are seeking a relaxing beach trip to Hawaii, or an adventure travel trip to the rainforests of Costa Rica, Moon guidebooks—and Moon.com—are with you every step of the way. Founded in 1973, the Moon Travel Guides series includes Moon Handbooks, Moon Outdoors, Moon Metro, Moon Living Abroad and Moon Spotlight travel books. Moon is based in Berkeley, California and is a proud member of the Perseus Books Group.