Coastal California Family Road Trip

Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, then a shared whale-watching trip turning up blue whales and orcas – thirteen nights of family driving down California’s coast.

From£2,995pp

Duration13 days

StyleSelf-guided

Best suited toDrivers who want the road to be the holiday

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An independent Stradora pick. Details from the operator's published information, last checked 28 Oct 2026. Stradora DiscoveryChosen independently by our editors because we think it's worth the drive. We're not partnered with this operator: dates, prices and booking are handled by them, and we last checked their published details on 28 Oct 2026.

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13 nights through United States

Thirteen nights down the California coast, self-drive with the flights included, built around what children will actually enjoy.

San Francisco takes the first three nights, with the sea lions at Pier 39, the audio tour of Alcatraz, which is as good as any museum of its kind, and a guided family bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. The car is collected on day four.

Monterey follows over the Santa Cruz Mountains, with two nights, an aquarium and a three-hour whale watching trip that in season turns up blue whales, humpbacks, orcas and dolphins. Pismo Beach comes next through Big Sur, then Santa Barbara for two nights with a kayak trip in the harbour, Hollywood for two with a full day at Universal Studios, and Coronado for three at the end, with Balboa Park and the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier moored in San Diego Bay and walked round from the flight deck down.

Flights, a car suited to a family, all the accommodation and the named activities are included, and the price is quoted per person on the basis of two adults and two children. Fifteen days with three-night stops at either end is the right shape for travelling with children: the long drives are broken up and nobody spends a fortnight packing and unpacking. No wildlife sighting can be promised, and the whale species on offer change with the season. Big Sur is the one stretch where the driving itself is the attraction, and the road there closes for landslips often enough to be worth checking before setting off.

Style

Self-guided

Duration

A fortnight (11-15 nights)

Region

North America

Vehicle provision

Vehicle provided

Starts/ends

San Francisco, United States → San Diego, United States

Accommodation

Hotels