Other foodie things to do besides wine tasting Explore Capitol Hill: Our favorite! stay for about 1 hour and leave at 6:39 pmdrive for about 1.5 hours, 8:05 pm Wildlife Safari With that in mind, you may want to avoid the drive in the winter if you don't want your access to these landmarks to be significantly limited. Napa Valley (9 mentions) Jump back on the 101 and head south to check out the Big Tree (look out for all the parked cars). The Underground Tour: A little quirky and offbeat, kind of like Seattle, the Underground Tour is worth doing while youre in Pioneer Square. If you want to see what makes the Pacific Coast a staple of US adventures, you should definitely do a road trip from Seattle to San Francisco. Roseburg. If you're having issues using the site, please enable JavaScript and refresh your browser. Tall tales, trip guides, & the world's weird & wonderful. Taking the quickest possible route, the road trip from Seattle to San Francisco takes 13 hours and spans 810 miles. Please also note that due to a giant landslide in May of 2017, a whole section of the Big Sur is inaccessible from the South, and you cannot travel the whole route. Head North back to San Francisco,andexplore the city! Past Dunnigan, hop onto Interstate 505 and either follow it south to Vacaville or detour to Sacramento. What is your favorite restaurant in Eugene? Its in Union Square, which honestly kinda sucks, but its affordable and stylish. Walk the Mendocino Headlands: The Mendocino Headlands State Park on the south side of the town of Mendocino features a great number of easy trails that take you near rugged coastlines, hidden away beaches, and spectacular sea arches. We plan (and pay for) all of our own travels, and we use our first hand knowledge to write detailed travel guides to the places we love to help, Heres a guide to the best breweries in Seattle, industrial-chic Airbnb in South Lake Union, How to Plan an Unforgettable Day Trip to Mount Rainier From Seattle, Where to Stay near Mount Rainier National Park: A Complete Guide, The Best Hikes in Mount Rainier National Park: A Helpful Hiking Guide. Wildlife Safari (3 mentions) We began our 2-week west coast road trip in Seattle, Washington. You made it! . most talked about places recommended by Trippy members. San Francisco to Seattle Road trip Google Maps San Francisco and Seattle are two eclectic peas in a pod. Mid July: 1 week with wife and kid - what should we prioritize? The road map above shows you the route to take to your destination. stay for about 4 hours and leave at 3:43 pmdrive for about 2 hours, 5:39 pm Eugene The best things to see and do between Seattle and San Francisco. Stop at Redwoods National and State Parks: Seeing the redwoods is a must when youre in Northern California. Day 1: Drive from Seattle to Mt. The rooms at this hotel offer the ideal blend of simple and elegant, and the communal areas are as extravagant as they come. Monterey Bay > Pacific Grove > 17 Mile Drive > Pebble Beach > Carmel-by-the-sea > Point Lobos > Monterey (or Seaside to sleep). This industrial-chic Airbnb in South Lake Union is a close second for the next time were looking for a place to stay in Seattle. The guide below is written with a two week trip in mind. Here are some more restaurants people talk about: Want to research more popular restaurants in San Francisco? No Seattle to San Francisco road trip would be complete without making a stop in the weird and lovable city of Portland. Driving Directions from San Francisco to Seattle The Fastest Route The easiest way to get on the road to Seattle from San Francisco is via Interstate 5. And if you know Seattle well, please help your fellow Theres been a lot of driving the past week so today, grab your swimmers, a towel and a book and get to the beach in Santa Cruz. The drive will take a few hours, but its gorgeous. Heres what we recommend doing when you stop here during your road trip. Day 7: Congrats! We hope this guide has helped make your road trip from Seattle to San Francisco as enjoyable as possible. Frankie and Jos and Molly Moons for awesome local ice cream (Frankie and Jos is 100% gluten free and vegan!). Road Trip on the 101 and 1- what to see on the way to SF from Seattle? This article shares the 15 top tips that turn your San Francisco trip into an unforgettable journey. In fact, Matt recently did this drive alone. We recommend avoiding flying out of San Jose (SJO), which is two hours south of San Francisco, because roads to get there are prone to heavy traffic that will make it an even longer journey. restaurants around Redding: Ocean View Inn and Suites. You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving If you have more time, here are some other places to stop along the way from Seattle to San Francisco. Waking up to an unprecedented view of the city's marvelous architecture is one of the best ways to start your day, and St Regis' incredible suites let you do just that. Timberline Lodge (12 mentions) On top of being located in the most action-packed part of Portland, this hotel is extremely generously priced - coupled with the incredible amenities, this easily makes The Duniway the best hotel in the entire region. Planning a trip in your Tesla? Here are some of our favorite things to do. Visiting in July for 5 days with my boyfriend, where and what must we do? Read that if you want the details beyond some of our recommendations. He writes super detailed guides to the places they visit, bringing together personal experience and historical context to help YOU plan an amazing trip. Seattle to San Francisco road trip planner Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Seattle to San Francisco. What is your favorite restaurant in Redding? What makes summer an appealing time to visit The Golden City are the mild climate and the abundance of amazing events. Seattle to San Francisco Road Trip Itinerary. We are looking to plan this exact trip this summer and Im so happy to find your blog! Pigeon Point Light Station is a lighthouse located on the coast of northern California near Pescadero. Rainier as early as possible (if youre flying in, youll want to book an early flight!). You can choose from the stops below based on how much time you have to spend think of it as a choose your own adventure sort of thing (used to LOVE those Goosebumps books!). For once, I wasnt the tallest! For more information about the best places on the Seattle to San Francisco journey, you can check the 3 Best Places To Visit On The Way From Seattle To San Francisco part. Your email address will not be published. As far as the location goes, this is one of the best-situated hotels in the city - close to both the Golden Gate and San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridges, St. Regis is the perfect pivot to San Francisco's main attractions as well as the neighboring cities. . Theres nothing worse than being 100 miles from the nearest toilet! San Fran is one of the States' most iconic cities, so it should come as no surprise that it's home to some of California's fanciest hotels. Rainier National Park (the Paradise Side), More Time? What is your favorite restaurant in Redding? Artsy area with fun little shops Read: An Extensive Guide to Seattle. The best road trip route from Seattle to San Francisco is definitely the coastal one - while taking the interstate can also take you to some incredible places, nothing can match the combination of the Pacific Coast to the west and the chain of parks and forests to the east. The Chihuly Glass and Garden is a one-of-a-kind art installation featuring hand blown glass in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Parking is a nightmare in Nob Hill, which is the neighborhood we used to call home, so Id recommend avoiding that area. Crescent City. What an amazing road trip! If you are flying into San Francisco International Airport and road-tripping north, you can simply hop on US Highway 101 N. Theres not a lot going on in Roseburg, but we used this as a stopover to break up the drive en route to Crater Lake National Park the following morning. ad hoc Mendocino is a largely unspoiled area of California that has beaches, valleys, and forests. (were probably gonna do a 10-14 day trip). Jessica from asked:Best seafood restaurant in S.F.? stay for about 1 hour and leave at 1:00 pmdrive for about 1 hour, 2:04 pm Redding If you dont, either because youve already been or youre just simply not interested, spend that time somewhere else instead. The lighthouse is pretty cool, and is definitely worth the price of admission, which is simply a three mile round trip hike to get to it. This road trip is 808 miles and takes about 12 hours and 30 minutes. Download this app. Remember, you can find detailed information about these hotels in the 7 Best Hotels On The Way To San Francisco From Seattle section. If youre on a budget, check out the Found Hotel. open-ended. That being said, we would never recommend something to you that we dont stand behind 100%. Head out to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, Cypress Grove, and do a portion of the Tomales Point Trail. A city filled with unique coffee shops, breweries, restaurants, seaplanes, shopping, sculptures, parks and of course the home of Greys Anatomy (yup, Im lame). Hungry? If you are thinking of taking a break and having a nice meal on your Seattle to San Francisco journey, you can consider the five restaurants we have chosen. Road trips are F-U-N! After charging your batteries at the bar and Jackrabbit Restaurant, you can burn some calories at the incredible fitness area before heading into town. There are so many places to stop and it all depends on the time you have as well as your interests. No matter the time of year, one of the prettiest drives in the country is from Seattle to San Francisco, making a Seattle to San Francisco road trip the perfect drive for a long weekend or as part of a lengthier expedition. If youre making a trip specifically for gluten free food, wed say that Boston is probably not even on the shortlist of places wed recommend. There are tons to do in this bustling city so see our post on thetop things to do in San Francisco. Spend the afternoon in Cannon Beach, spending some time on the beach near Haystack Rock and then eat lunch at Public Coast Brewing. Instagram: @just.globetrotting & @justcreative, Just Globetrotting | Jacob & Emily Cass. Before we go on to give you our 2-week itinerary, please note that there is no right or wrong way to do this trip. For dessert, ice cream is your best bet. By early afternoon, make your way to Pacific City on the Oregon coast for horseback riding, a drink at the Pelican Pub and Brewery and Cape Kiwandato see the second Haystack Rock (the first and most famous one is at Cannon Beach). It is the seat of King County, Washington. If you only have three days, youre obviously not going to be able to hit some of the far flung destinations like Crater Lake and Bend. For example, here are some questions people have asked about San Francisco. A road trip along New York state's Women's Heritage Trail, 9 stops on a Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail road trip, A cross-country road trip to U.S. presidential libraries, A road trip to filming locations featured in 'The Goonies', The top things to do on an Extraterrestrial Highway road trip, Pay Tribute and Reflect at These US Monuments and Memorials. These are some of the best resorts this incredible itinerary has to offer: Oregon's largest city is the most logical place to spend a weekend on your road trip from Seattle to San Francisco, especially if you're driving the interstate route. Rainier to Portland, stopping at Mt. We want to explain the top three destinations we recommend on the San Francisco route. In this part, we explained seven different hotels you can stay at on the road trip from Seattle to San Francisco. Redd San Francisco's hottest season is usually the fall, when the temperatures peak at around 70 degrees and there are plenty of residual tourists left over from the summer. Driving down from Seattle to San Francisco will give you a plethora of stunning natural landscapes to explore. Is there anything else you think we should have done, or not done? stay for about 1 hour. The MoPop is a must for music and culture lovers, with tons of unique and fascinating exhibits about music and pop culture you wont find anywhere else in the world. Do this road trip and you'll probably do around double that. St. Helens to check out Johnston Ridge, which gives you an amazing view of the volcano and destruction it wrought on the surrounding landscape. Surprisingly, there are no rivers or flowing water that enters the lake, the water simply comes from rain and the melting of snow making it one of the cleanest and clearest bodies of water in the world. Here's the quick answer if you have friends taking shifts as driver so that you can make the entire trip by car without stopping. You can pick one of them that suits your taste. Rather random? drive for about 1.5 hours, 9:37 am Ashland (Oregon) 9:00 am start in Seattledrive for about 2.5 hours, 11:43 am Portland If youre continuing south towards LA and be sure to stop intoPismo Beach, Solvang, Santa BarbaraandSanta Maria orcheck out thisextensive list of ideas. questions about Mount Shasta (California): The advantage of staying there is that its right in the middle of downtown. What is there not to love about snacks, blasting music, beautiful scenery and your own schedule! Youre very welcome Candice, enjoy your trip! The best resource on neighborhoods, areas, Answer 1 of 8: Hi everybody, My family and I are planning a road trip from San Francisco to Seattle for next summer. This section lists our five restaurant recommendations for you to eat on your road trip from Seattle to San Francisco. You could very easily extend your time on this route with additional nights in the aforementioned locations. Here are some fun things to do in Eugene. Here we are answering the frequently asked questions about the Seattle to San Francisco drive. Advice to avoid snowy road conditions from SF to Seattle (January). Crater Lake National Park is the only National Park in Oregon and whilst it may be slightly off course, we promise you wont regret it! Mount Shasta (California) (9 answers) With an early-morning flight booked well in advance, it's possible. Were assuming that youre treating your road trip from Seattle to San Francisco as a vacation, and budgeting a week or more so that you can see the best of the west coast along the way. After half a day here, we made our way down HWY 199 through some interesting towns, en route to Crescent City on HWY 101. United States. You can also visit the town of Fort Bragg, which has plenty of experiences to offer, both adventure-wise and when it comes to eating and drinking. One of our all-time favourite things to eat! Start Your Trip. 1. Well, thats it for us! Capitol Cider for a huge selection of Pacific Northwest ciders and a 100% gluten free kitchen. We basically spent a full two months on this route last summer, and it was every bit as memorable, beautiful, and amazing as you might imagine. Sightseeing in Napa? Alexander Valley Wine Region: Take a drive through the Alexander Valley Wine Region to enjoy some of the tastiest (and most affordable) wines in California. Choosing which vineyards to visit can be rather overwhelming, so we strongly recommend spending at least a night at one of the magnificent Bed and Breakfasts to get the full experience. Wilda's Grill It does cost $8 per car but where else can you drive through a tree? Wed recommend Rainier if you only have time to visit one. Your email address will not be published. Time. Here are some of our favorite things to do in Hood River. Read our road, Discover hidden gems & the hot spots of Oahu, from hiking trails to beautiful beaches., See the places we stopped on our road trip from Greece to Croatia, going via, This was everything I needed! There are a few places to spend a night in the Big Sur, Glen Oaks,Fernwood Resort,Big Sur River Inn, as well as campsites inPfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation It's one of the most spectacular road trips in the USA. Pine Ridge Vineyards eat at Voodoo Doughnuts Domaine Carneros (14 mentions) Book early for any weekend trips. Visit some of the numerous waterfalls namely Myrtle and Christine. Today is a long but good day of driving. to double check the weather. If youre craving a drink, here are a few of our favorite bars in Seattle. Came across this article and this looks amazing. Mileage: It's 808 miles from Seattle to San Francisco. You should also know going in that San Francisco is generally an expensive place to visit expect to pay over $100 a night to stay in the city, and usually much more than that. What is your favorite restaurant in Portland? Click the blue button below. If youre coming from somewhere too far away to drive to Seattle, then youll want to fly into Seattle Tacoma Intl Airport (SEA). Don't forget about exploring your own hometown with a staycation. Overview of a 4 week 2015 Seattle, San Francisco, and Sierra with Travel Itinerary, Travel Road Map, and Tips for Cross Country travelers with Kids 2015 Seattle, San Francisco, and Sierra | Lolo's Extreme Cross Country RV Trips The drive's signature stops include the cities of Portland and Sacramento, Mt. Point Reyes is a long peninsula just north of San Francisco with unforgettable views of the Pacific Ocean and unique wildlife viewing opportunities (Elk!). Restaurants in Napa for girls outing? So it is time to explore something new! However, a new bridge ismeant to be opening in October 2017. If you're looking for a quick answer, you can check out Top of the Mark, which was mentioned 13 times on Trippy. Here are some more hotels people talk about: Want to research more popular hotels in San Francisco? One other note were also assuming you want to spend time in Seattle and San Francisco too. Day 5: Home Stretch! Here are our favorite things to do on the Northern California Coast. Pass through Salt Point and Sonoma Coast State Parks, then explore Point Reyes National Seashore. Hi, first of all thank you so so much for this amazing post. If you dont already live in the Seattle area, then you can fly in and rent a car to take the Seattle to San Francisco drive. Now, its time to discover the best restaurants from Seattle to San Francisco. where to stay in San Francisco. It's okay, you can start planning your If you're driving from Seattle WA to San Francisco CA check the weather conditions for a safer trip. You'll cover three states, at least three national parks, and see sweeping coastal views and no end of charming towns. Day 1: There's a lot to do on this trip, so get started the moment you arrive. Ashland is a cool little town known for hosting the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Limited time in Napa, help with my itinerary! Visiting both cities is a must if you're in the area and doing so in an RV is particularly beneficial as you get to see some excellent sights along the way. Keep reading. Head to Redwood National and State Parks and explore Stout Memorial Grove, Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway, and Fern Canyon. Portland Saturday Market (13 mentions) The travelplan so far. When venturing from the i5 highway, the trip takes approximately 12 hours and 45 minutes of non-stop driving.