Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Cambria to Santa Cruz. If you're planning a road trip to Santa Cruz, you can research locations to stop along the way. Make sure you check road conditions to double check the weather. Traveling with a dog or cat? Find pet-friendly stops. Camping along the way? Search for RV campgrounds. Find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions based on the most talked about places recommended by Trippy members.
10:00 am start in Cambria
drive for about 3 hours
1:01 pm Big Sur
stay for about 4 hours
and leave at 5:01 pm
drive for about 1.5 hours
6:26 pm arrive in Santa Cruz
eat at Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria
driving ≈ 4.5 hours
Big Sur (203 answers)
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (22 mentions)
McWay Falls (16 mentions)
Pfeiffer State Beach (9 mentions)
Pfeiffer Beach (6 mentions)
Andrew Molera State Park (5 mentions)
restaurants around Big Sur:
Nepenthe
Post Ranch Inn
Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant
Coast Gallery & Cafe
Big Sur River Inn
hotels around Big Sur:
Fernwood Resort
Deetjen's Big Sur Inn
Ventana Inn & Spa
Deetjen's Big Sur Inn
questions about Big Sur:
Whats the best hike in Big Sur? Best beach?
First-come, first-serve camping sites in Big Sur?
how far is the drive to sequoia national aprk
Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food?
Trippy members suggest Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria, which was mentioned 3 times.
Here are some more restaurants people talk about:
Want to research more popular restaurants in Santa Cruz? Click the blue button below.
This section could be endless, so rather than trying to suggest every local activity or attraction, we'll leave it open-ended.
These are some of the places people talk about on Trippy:
Of course, Trippy is the perfect place to ask questions because there's an entire community of travelers talking to each other and sharing tips and advice. Trippy is where you can get answers personalized for your tastes, budgets, trip dates & more!
For example, here are some questions people have asked about Santa Cruz. Click on any question to see answers from the community!
Drew from Angelika Film Center & Cafe asked:
Activities during reunion in santa cruz (4 answers)
Allysia from Boston asked:
What are some must places to go to in Santa Cruz, CA (2 answers)
Paul from Redmond (Washington) asked:
Are there any good restaurants in Santa Cruz? (2 answers)
Lily from asked:
Names of beaches that aren't so crowded (1 answer)
Eddie from Bronx asked:
Best Things To Do In Santa Cruz? (1 answer)
Click the button below to explore more questions and answers related to Santa Cruz.
Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation who wants the trip to end? It's okay, you can start planning your next trip!
Want to plan the trip back? Get the reverse directions for a Santa Cruz to Cambria drive, or go to the main page to plan a new road trip.
You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving by calculating the distance from Cambria to Santa Cruz. Or get a full Cambria to Santa Cruz flight plan.
Don't forget about exploring your own hometown with a staycation. You can also find some cool day trips or get away for a weekend. Maybe try typing in a faraway location like London, Hong Kong, or Sydney, and get inspired for your dream trip around the world.
And if you know Cambria well, please help your fellow travelers and answer their questions about Cambria!