From the Bay to L.A.: The Perfect Road Trip for Soccer Fans

Hop on Highway 17 and head south from Santa Clara, stopping for a stroll and lunch in downtown Los Gatos. Surrounded by charming boutiques on Main Street, Parkside serves farm-to-table fare such as grain bowls, wild mushroom ravioli, and avocado bruschetta.

Continue to Santa Cruz, a fun-loving city where everyone seems to have a surfboard strapped to their car. Channel your inner kid and enjoy a nostalgic afternoon at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk—munch on saltwater taffy, play arcade games, and scream your head off on the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster. 

Save time to visit the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, only 1 mile away, to learn about the longboard-riding pioneers who first conquered California’s waves.

As the sun sinks low in the sky, head over to Dream Inn Santa Cruz for a cozy bed and tasty dinner—Jack O’Neill Restaurant serves fresh-caught seafood with a sparkling blue-water view. Dine on bigeye tuna, black cod, or oysters, then head to your retro-chic room and fall asleep to the sound of the waves.

The next morning, zip over to Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz for a Cuban-style latte or Vietnamese-style coffee at Mariposa Coffee Bar. Take a cup to go and sip it as you walk along the 111-year-old Santa Cruz Wharf, the West's longest wooden pier. The ocean views are divine, but the sea lions splashing and barking around the pier pilings are the biggest crowd-pleasers. 

Back in the car, cruise south along Highway 1 to Moss Landing, a bustling fishing harbor surrounded by art and antique galleries. Look for sea otters floating on their backs near the moored boats, or join a whale-watching tour with Sanctuary Cruises. (Note: Always check with the California Travel Association for the most current road conditions before departing).

After fueling up with a grilled calamari sandwich at Phil’s Snack Shack, veer inland on Highway 183 to Salinas. Stop into the National Steinbeck Center to learn about the literary legacy of John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath.

Next, take the onramp for U.S. 101, which will be your road for the next 250 miles. As you zoom south, pause to visit the Soledad Mission, 13th in the chain of 21 Spanish-built California missions. Step inside the rustic chapel, visit the gift shop and museum, and savor the courtyard’s vistas of serene hills that haven’t changed much since the late-1700s mission era.

Your driving goal is to reach Paso Robles before sunset. Once you arrive, check in at the upscale Allegretto Vineyard Resort, a luxurious spot with an onsite tasting room and vineyard, then head to Sensorio for a dazzling outdoor light show. Plan on at least two hours to fully explore and appreciate the 35-acre site that artist Bruce Munro has illuminated with more than 100,000 colored lights. In addition to the glowing, immersive light sculptures, there’s food, cocktails, fire pits, and a friendly resident kitty named Ghost.

Start the morning with a cortado and breakfast sando at Amstrdm coffeehouse in Paso Robles, then head south on U.S. 101 to Pismo Beach, a classic beach town blessed with a broad shoreline and soft sand. This is a great spot for surf lessons, so chat with the pros at Pismo Beach Surf Academy, who can teach you about ocean currents and basic surfing techniques.

Back on U.S. 101, your next stop is Los Alamos, a town that looks like it’s stuck in the 1880s—until you see what the local chefs are making. You’ll be tempted to nosh at every alluring eatery on the five-block-long main drag, but you’d need a week to do it. Narrow down your choices with a first stop at Bob’s Well Bread to buy whatever treat is baking in the wood-fired ovens. Then if it’s lunchtime, get a table on the covered porch at Full of Life Flatbread and order a savory pizza baked in its 20-ton stone hearth.

To burn off some calories, drive south on U.S. 101 to Santa Barbara. This beautiful coastal city is tucked up against the Santa Ynez Mountains, and hiking trails wind through the canyons. Set out on the 5-mile trek from Skofield Park through Rattlesnake Canyon, which shows off a shaded creek and spring wildflowers.

For a more urban walk, wander along palm-lined State Street, where several blocks are closed to cars, so pedestrians get first dibs at bars, restaurants, and shops. Stop by The Funk Zone to taste locally made wines, then head to Dune Coffee Roasters for a flash brew or macchiato.

The caffeine will spur you on to your day’s final destination, Oxnard’s Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach. Dine on perfectly seared burgers at Ox & Ocean while the sun sets over the Pacific, then retire to your spacious suite. Before you fall asleep, decide how you’ll spend the morning—volleying at the tennis courts, lounging in the cozy cabanas by the pool, or just meandering along Mandalay Beach’s gorgeous dunes.

For your final day, stick to Highway 1 as it skirts along the coast from Oxnard to the Malibu coast. Brake for any beach that strikes your fancy: At Surfrider, Zuma, Point Dume, or El Matador, you can plop down in the sand and watch the surfers do their tricks, or strip down to your swimsuit and wade in.

Across Highway 1 from Surfrider Beach (formerly known as Malibu Lagoon State Beach), you’ll find another worthy food stop at the wildly popular Broad Street Oyster Company. The menu includes not only briny bivalves but also fresh uni sourced from nearby Santa Barbara. Adventurous eaters should try the caviar-topped hot dog.

Highway 1 winds its way to Pacific Palisades and The Getty Villa, a stunning re-creation of an ancient Roman country estate that houses more than 40,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. Don’t miss a visit here—the building and its gardens are as over-the-top as the priceless collection inside, plus admission is free.

Before heading inland to Inglewood and SoFi Stadium, make a final coastal stop in Santa Monica, a city celebrated for sunny beaches and first-rate shopping.  Browse the boutiques on Montana Avenue and Third Street Promenade, or pick up classic SoCal souvenirs—lifeguard sweatshirts, Route 66 shot glasses, and more—at the Santa Monica Pier.