Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Los Angeles to Monterey. If you're planning a road trip to Monterey, 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.
11:00 am start in Los Angeles
drive for about 2 hours
1:08 pm Grapevine
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 2:08 pm
drive for about 32 minutes
2:40 pm Bakersfield
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 3:40 pm
drive for about 49 minutes
4:29 pm Lost Hills
stay overnight and leave the next day around 10:00 am
day 1 driving ≈ 3.5 hours
find more stops
10:00 am leave from Lost Hills
drive for about 1 hour
11:12 am Eberle Winery
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 12:12 pm
drive for about 1.5 hours
1:54 pm Big Sur
stay for about 4 hours
and leave at 5:54 pm
drive for about 47 minutes
6:41 pm arrive in Monterey
eat at Passionfish
stay at Mission Ranch Hotel
day 2 driving ≈ 3.5 hours
find more stops
Grapevine (4 answers)
Bakersfield (23 answers)
questions about Bakersfield:
Best free things to do in Bakersfield?
Lost Hills
Eberle Winery (2 mentions)
Big Sur (206 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
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
Are you going straight to a hotel, or looking for a vacation rental or Airbnb?
The best resource on neighborhoods, areas, and hotels is the Trippy page on where to stay in Monterey.
If you're looking for a quick answer, you can check out Mission Ranch Hotel, which was mentioned 4 times on Trippy.
Here are some more hotels people talk about:
Want to research more popular hotels in Monterey? Click the blue button below.
Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food?
Trippy members suggest Passionfish, which was mentioned 7 times.
Here are some more restaurants people talk about:
Want to research more popular restaurants in Monterey? 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 Monterey. Click on any question to see answers from the community!
Anne from Durham, North Carolina asked:
Restaurant recommendations for a large group dinner? (3 answers)
Joe from Sacramento asked:
What to do for a family outing in Monterey? (3 answers)
Avery from Berkeley asked:
Things to do with the kiddos besides the aquarium (2 answers)
Cheryl from asked:
hotels in Monterey, CA (2 answers)
Click the button below to explore more questions and answers related to Monterey.
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 Monterey to Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles to Monterey. Or get a full Los Angeles to Monterey 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 Los Angeles well, please help your fellow travelers and answer their questions about Los Angeles!