Is there any sites to see in between San fransisco and Los Angeles?
I was thinking about getting a special flight to Los Angeles but I really want to see alcatraz and just want to know with a long trip as this is would I be able to stop and see any sights on the way?
San Francisco - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Alcatraz is accessed from the pier in San Francisco so you would be able to go there no matter how you intend on getting to LA. Between SF and LA, there are loads of scenic places along Highway 1. There is Santa Cruz, Monterey/ Pacific Grove/ Carmel/ Pebble Beach, San Simeon and Hearst Castle, Santa Barbara, Big Sur, and more. 1 is quite possibly the most scenic drive in California. You can make a day of it and just drive past everything, or you can take a few days and do some exploring. Other than that, I suppose you could take 101, which will still hit San Simeon and Santa Barbara, and pass by some more low key attractions like garlic in Gilroy and the Steinbeck Library in Salinas. The fastest route is going to be 5, but there is pretty much nothing to see other than Casa de Fruta, a glorified fruit market near Hollister.
2 :
Highway 1...This route offers so many sights and attractions. It passes through several small California beach towns, and some beach cities. These include Malibu, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Cambria, then for a few hours it is just the ocean to your left and the rolling hills and cliffs to your right, then Carmel, Monterey, Seaside, and Santa Cruz. This will be the most scenic and exciting, yet slowest, route. Highway 101...This route passes through all the valleys parrallel from the ocean. On this route you will drive along the busiest freeway in Los Angeles, maybe even CA, I-405. This way you will pass through Bel-Air, San Fernando Valley, Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Solvang - a very popular tourist attraction- , San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, a very long stretch of agriculture, Salinas, San Juan Batista, Gilroy. This will be a fairly quick route but with few tourist attractions other than Solvang, PismoBeach, Salinas, and Gilroy. Interstate 5...definitely the fastest way. It passes through downtown Los Angeles, and then about an hour of mountains, and 6 hours of pure agriculture (orchards, fields, etc.). Casa De Fruta is actually about a 30 minute drive off of I-5 on highway 152. Then after the Valley's Agriculture you go through Altamont Pass, which is usually swamped with extremely heavy traffic from about 4-9am and 3-7pm. This route has almost no tourist attractions except for a few "vista points" that offer great views of the Valley.
3 :
Yes Alcatraz is cool! You could also stop in San Jose at the Winchester Mystery House....then theres the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. Thats a landmark hotel.... :)
4 :
The only things to see would be like, Half Moon Bay and Maverick's beach where the world championship surfing tournament is held, and Santa Cruse with it's spectacular surfing spots plus it fun beach boardwalk and municipal pier and restaurants, Monterey and IT'S fisherman's wharf, Cannery Row and world class aquarium, Pacific Grove, 17 Mile Drive, Big Sur, Hearst's Castle, Santa Barbara and the rest of the California Coast with whale watching opportunities along the way. No, not much to do or see. Interestingly, while San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with this, and everything mentioned, in my opinion, the Alcatraz tour is one of the most boring things to do. That is, unless for some reason, you LIKE old abandoned prisons.
