Planning Your Time

The Central Coast [1] 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 [2], Carmel [3], Big Sur [4], Cambria [5], or Santa Barbara [6]. If you’re up for more adventure, add a day of wine tasting in Paso Robles [7] to your Cambria trip, or head over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium [8] 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 [4].