San Diego to Santa Monica drive

Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from San Diego to Santa Monica. If you're planning a road trip to Santa Monica, 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 San Diego
drive for about 36 minutes

10:36 am  Carlsbad (California)
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 11:36 am
drive for about 51 minutes

12:27 pm  Laguna Beach
eat at Javier's Restaurant - Newport Beach
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 1:27 pm
drive for about 1 hour

2:29 pm  Manhattan Beach
stay for about 3 hours
and leave at 5:29 pm
drive for about 32 minutes

6:01 pm  arrive in Santa Monica
eat at Gjelina
stay at Shutters On the Beach

driving ≈ 3 hours

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 Santa Monica.

If you're looking for a quick answer, you can check out Shutters On the Beach, which was mentioned 36 times on Trippy.

Here are some more hotels people talk about:

Want to research more popular hotels in Santa Monica? Click the blue button below.

Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food?

Trippy members suggest Gjelina, which was mentioned 44 times.

Here are some more restaurants people talk about:

Want to research more popular restaurants in Santa Monica? 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 Monica. Click on any question to see answers from the community!

 Courtney from Los Angeles asked:
Drinks in SM?  (4 answers)

 Allie from Portland asked:
Fun things to do in Santa Monica?  (3 answers)

 Andrea from Rockville Centre asked:
Fun Santa Monica hotels under $400/night?  (3 answers)

 Brew from Manhattan Beach asked:
Good breakfast spot for a business meeting?  (3 answers)

 Pat from Cambria asked:
Avoiding sticker shock in Santa Monica  (3 answers)

Click the button below to explore more questions and answers related to Santa Monica.

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 Monica to San Diego drive, or go to the main page to plan a new road trip.

Looking for ideas for more destinations within driving distance of San Diego? Try searching for places within 2 hours of San Diego.

You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving by calculating the distance from San Diego to Santa Monica. Or get a full San Diego to Santa Monica 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 San Diego well, please help your fellow travelers and answer their questions about San Diego!