That doesnt mean youre not going to have a great time, though! I (Matt) grew up in Seattle, and lived there for 15+ years before relocating to San Francisco, where I met Alysha, who grew up in the Bay Area. Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation We spent the past two years traveling, which included 18 national parks here in the United States, and an extended trip to Europe. This hotel is located right on the beach with gorgeous views of the boardwalk/beach. 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. This is another city we know REALLY well, and we have all sorts of thoughts, tips, and tricks that only locals would know to help you plan an amazing few days in San Francisco. Restaurants in Napa for girls outing? Agreed! Rainier National Park is jaw-droppingly beautiful. From Seattle, drive straight to Mt. Add anything that looks interesting! All the rooms are the same, so theres no presidential suite or choices between deluxe and superior rooms. The drive will take a few hours, but its gorgeous. The drive's signature stops include the cities of Portland and Sacramento, Mt. Saint Helens. Road Trip on the 101 and 1- what to see on the way to SF from Seattle? Day 1: Drive from Seattle to Mt. and was formed by the eruption and collapsing of a volcano, Mount Mazama 7,700 years ago. Yep, the name speaks for itself! Here are a few estimates of what to expect. We loved this modern guesthouse right off of Hawthorne Blvd (the best street in Portland) and this cozy apartment in the hip Alberta Arts District, which is a cool spot to base yourself. Hiking the Skyline Trail: Is This the Best Hike in the Entire State? It does cost $8 per car but where else can you drive through a tree? Trinidad: Hike the Trinidad Head trail to enjoy stunning 360-degree panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. travelers and answer their questions about Seattle! Your email address will not be published. Ashland (Oregon) (29 answers) Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ (11 mentions) We have also given you detailed information about each place so that you can make an informed choice about where to stay, eat, and what to see. Day 1: Arrive Seattle, rest Day 2: Seattle Day 3: Seattle, leave for Portland Day 4: Portland, leave for Newport OR Day 5: Newport to Bandon OR Day 6: Bandon to Trinidad CA Day 7: Redwood National Park, go to Healdsburg CA Day 8: Healdsburg/Sonoma/Napa Day 9: Wine country to Yosemite Day 10: Yosemite Day 11: Yosemite to SF Day 12: SF There are many excellent hotels during your Seattle to San Francisco road trip. Eugene (16 answers) Search for RV campgrounds. Stop by Rachels Ginger Beer, Beechers Cheese (their flagship cheese is one of my top three all time favorites), and Ellenos Frozen Greek Yogurt while youre there. The Ultimate Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Itinerary (2022) Continue south past Willamette and Umpqua National Forests before pulling into Medford. If youre continuing south towards LA and be sure to stop intoPismo Beach, Solvang, Santa BarbaraandSanta Maria orcheck out thisextensive list of ideas. Last, but certainly not least (the opposite, in fact) is to head inland and hit Mt. If there's no coastal fog obscuring it, which there probably is. This section lists our five restaurant recommendations for you to eat on your road trip from Seattle to San Francisco. 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. The road map above shows you the route to take to your destination. The Pacific Science Center is a great stop for kids, with interactive exhibits that make for a perfect rainy day activity in Seattle. To visit all of these areas, we recommend taking the first exit to Monterey off the freeway and work your way around. Sightseeing in Napa? The hike out to Cascade Head near Lincoln City is worth it if you have the time, otherwise continue on to spend the night in Newport at the wonderful Inn at Nye Beach. Tip: Stop into Safeway (large grocery store) prior to your arrival and pick up a variety of cheese, meats, crackers and fig jam to create your own charcuterie plate. 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. stay for about 1 hour. 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. Seattle Center: I actually dont really recommend you go up to the top of the Space Needle. Drive to Port Angeles, with a stop at Nourish Sequim along the way for a delicious (and gluten free) lunch. Leave Roseburg after breakfast and head directly towards Crater Lake National Park. 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. San Francisco to Seattle drive, or go to the main page to plan a new road trip. Breakfast was included, it was clean and surrounded by shops, places to eat and gas stations. Here are our picks for where to eat, drink, stay, and play while youre in Seattle. Of course, you can choose a suitable restaurant from the list according to your preference. Get our latest blog posts, updates and deals. Our travel philosophy, in general, is eat-walk-drink-walk-eat-repeat. And Portland is an amazing place to do that. 1. drive for about 41 minutes. It can be hard to decide which iconic spots to see . Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Seattle to San Francisco. Enter a city to drive through, or find all. The western side of Mt. by Emily Cass | Oct 18, 2017 | Most Popular, North America | 3 comments. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA. Im a foodie at, Read More Gluten Free San Francisco: A Complete Guide for CeliacsContinue. Rainier. Unfortunately, this is our last stop on this incredible road trip. If youre lucky, you may spot the local bald eagles. In our opinion, the two best areas to stay in Seattle are Belltown and Capitol Hill (though we also like South Lake Union). Were Matt and Alysha, the two endlessly curious travelers behind this site. Its a beautiful place to visit while on your road trip. Monterey Bay > Pacific Grove > 17 Mile Drive > Pebble Beach > Carmel-by-the-sea > Point Lobos > Monterey (or Seaside to sleep). The two best hotels in Seattle are actually in South Lake Union, which happens to be between Belltown and Capitol Hill. 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. Our favorites would be Becks Motor Lodge (close to the Mission) and Hotel Kabuki (in Japantown). This is a 31 mile scenic stretch of road that runs through the Red Wood Forest parallel to the highway. Youre in luck. Hike Fern Canyon if you want to go through a narrow canyon whose walls are entirely lined with ferns and moss. I have experience of roadtrips only in Finland (where I live) and South Africa (the country I am in love with). We lived in San Francisco for almost a decade before quitting our jobs and leaving the city on our year long worldwide adventure. This route was intriguing to us because the arrival time was almost 3 hours faster than the Highway 101 alternative, but we decided that this drive was once in a lifetime and we had to take the longer option if it meant we'd be driving the Oregon coast the entire day. You could very easily extend your time on this route with additional nights in the aforementioned locations. This route has a total of 24 hours of driving split up between 10-14 days when you follow our recommendations below. Standing on the rim of the canyon, youll be staring thousands of feet down into crags and crevices winding through the world-famous chasm that millions of people flock to every year. 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. We think the best way to do Portland is to eat and drink your way through the city. If youre planning on doing this drive in the winter, avoid snow and tricky road conditions by going the coastal route on the famous Highway 101, which is amazing in its own right. The road trio from Seattle to San Francisco is full of incredible activities and experiences. Weve got you covered with our guide to the best coffee in Seattle (according to three self-proclaimed coffee snobs). This is the one where you can drive your car through actual living redwoods! Youll immediately gasp at the size of these Red Wood trees! Learn how your comment data is processed. Seattle to San Francisco road trip planner Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Seattle to San Francisco. If there was one thing on this whole trip that we really wanted to see, it was Big Sur. Domaine Chandon Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food? Drive to Port Angeles, with a stop at Nourish Sequim along the way for a delicious (and gluten free) lunch. suggest every local activity or attraction, we'll leave it We spent the day driving around the lake, taking photo after photo! Once you're up, you can kick off your morning with a visit to the amazing Remede Spa. Japanese Gardens (15 mentions) Want more awesome west coast travel guides to inspire your next trip, and empower you with all the information you need to plan it? eg. The guide below is written with a two week trip in mind. to each other and sharing tips and advice. During our brief stop, we took a trip down memory lane on behalf of her and went and visited her old host family an adorable couplewho arenow 90 and 93 years old! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. One other note were also assuming you want to spend time in Seattle and San Francisco too. On a random side note: 41 years ago my mum lived in Oregon on a Rotary Exchange. I have been multiple times, mostly with family growing up, and I joked to Alysha on our last trip that, Read More Where to Stay in Zion National Park: Best Hotels + B&BsContinue, The scale of the Grand Canyon is absolutely mind-blowing. Rainier as early as possible (if youre flying in, youll want to book an early flight!). Roadtrippers helps you find the most epic destinations and detoursfrom roadside attractions to natural wonders and beyond. You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving Hotels: The Hoxton and the Society Hotel (weve stayed there) are our top hotel picks in Portland. Day 4: Eugene to Ashland. You can also see most people recommend as the best amount of time to visit. Make quick stops at Cape Ferelo and Natural Bridges, then cross over into California, where youll immediately be confronted with redwoods some of the biggest and best in the state! We wouldnt recommend spending the night here instead, continue south to Portland for the night, which is just a couple of hours south. Pok Pok Restaurant The first thing we want to get out of the way is that your experience is largely going to be dictated by the amount of time you have. Visiting in July for 5 days with my boyfriend, where and what must we do? If you're driving from Seattle WA to San Francisco CA check the weather conditions for a safer trip. Today, we split time between San Francisco and Seattle. 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. One of the liveliest, most accessible neighbourhoods. 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. Its packed full of interesting spots to stop in, whether youre looking for vegan ice cream or a unique boutique selling who knows what. Driving non-stop from Seattle to San Francisco How far is San Francisco from Seattle? Keep your eye out for the Elks! day 2 driving 6.5 hours. Here are some more restaurants people talk about: Want to research more popular restaurants in San Francisco? This seaside town has one of the most historic boardwalks in the state. Advice to avoid snowy road conditions from SF to Seattle (January). After the volcano erupted around 8,000 years ago, the collapsed summit eventually stored enough water to create the lake. Id start in Washington and move south in hopes that you get the last pieces of good weather in the Northwest, but its hard to say what youre going to get at that time of year. A trip from San Francisco to Seattle involves driving for around 800 miles along the Pacific Northwest and watching the most attractive views while on the way. 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. 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. Dont miss these! Sleep at the Graduate Hotel or the Inn at the Fifth, both in downtown Eugene. westcoastbound. We usually prefer Airbnb for stays longer than a day or two, and Seattle has some awesome Airbnb options. Hood, Willamette, and Siuslaw National Forests, and Redwood National and State Parks. Dont forget to stop at the iconicBixby Bridge (40 minutes from Monterey). During the summer, the inland route through the Hood River, Bend, and Crater Lake have some of the best hikes and gorgeous scenery we have ever seen. GNIS feature ID. eat at Voodoo Doughnuts Continue south, stopping in Humboldt Redwoods State Park to drive the Avenue of the Giants, one of the most scenic drives in all of California. For dessert, ice cream is your best bet. We recommend Sandcastle Inn. Dont forget to share your experience by writing a comment to this post. Ocean View Inn and Suites. When venturing from the i5 highway, the trip takes approximately 12 hours and 45 minutes of non-stop driving. In the next section, we list the destinations worth seeing along the route from Seattle to San Francisco. This is your best bet if you only have 3-5 days, since youre on I-5 basically the whole way (and theres plenty to do and see along the way). Highway 101 Road Trip. And our favorite spots to drink, whether youre looking for a flight of craft beer or a $20 cocktail (were joking kind of). Your email address will not be published. The best resource on neighborhoods, areas, It is the seat of King County, Washington. Napa Valley (9 mentions) Spend some time on the coast and check out the things to do in Monterey. Worth the Time Investment Last time, we stayed at this Treehouse on Airbnb, which was also fantastic, but you probably want a hotel given youll only be in town for one night, and the Airbnb cleaning fee will make it more expensive. You made it to San Francisco! This section could be endless, so rather than trying to Second at Rialto Beach to do the hike out to Hole in the Wall (one of our favorite hikes in Olympic National Park). Jump back in your car and follow the signs towardsThe Avenue of the Giants. Budget Tip: If Monterey or the surrounding areas are too expensive or unavailable, consider the town Seaside. Day 2: Drive from Mt. Day 6: Continue your coastal journey by heading to Point Reyes National Seashore, another one of our favorite spots in California (and 30 minutes from where Alysha grew up). Over the course of 2 weeks, we drove approximately 1650 miles (2330km) at a moderate pace. Today, an island called Wizard Island juts up from beneath the surface of the water. Hood River Hotel is a close second. 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 YOU plan an amazing trip. stay overnight and leave the next day around 8:00 am, 8:00 am leave from Wildlife Safari You could also drive down the coast, which is gorgeous, and would be our choice if youre making the trip outside of the summer months. Heres what we suggest doing in this stunning national park, which you can pretty easily tackle in a full day. If you're having issues using the site, please enable JavaScript and refresh your browser. Today is a long but good day of driving. Since then, Matt and his wife Alysha have visited 18 national parks, spent three months in Europe and six weeks in Colombia, and have explored every corner of the Pacific Northwest, which is where Matt grew up. Rainier to Portland, stopping at Mt. This article shares the 15 top tips that turn your San Francisco trip into an unforgettable journey. We left Santa Cruz after a walk along the beach and continued our way down the coastal HWY 1 towards the gorgeous Monterey Bay + surrounding areas. Hood River also makes a great overnight stay, with plenty to do and see to occupy a day of your time. Its an incredible conglomeration of neighborhoods, all with their own unique style and vibe. Early November is when the weather really starts to turn. Point Reyes is a long peninsula just north of San Francisco with unforgettable views of the Pacific Ocean and unique wildlife viewing opportunities (Elk!). Miles and miles of rugged, unspoiled coastline that hugs the oceans edge. A somewhat sleepy, somewhat rowdy college town, home of the University of Oregon, Eugene is quirky, creative, and a fun weekend getaway from Portland. Make sure to go to La Marzocco Cafe and Espresso Vivace at the very least. Read that for the details behind the picks below! The Drive Weather map shows the next 6 hours of weather forecast, wind, temperatures and radar for the the Seattle to San Francisco drive. Navarro Vineyards and Roederer Estate are our favorites. Here are some more hotels people talk about: Want to research more popular hotels in San Francisco? This route never strays from the interstate, so aside from some highly recommended detours, the drive is extremely straightforward and beginner-friendly. 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. By joining our email list, you give LazyTrips permission to use your email for sending you newsletters, emails and updates including for marketing purposes. Instead, we suggest spending AT LEAST 7-10 days. If you're looking to have some fun, nothing can beat the relaxing view from the terrace, especially when it's coupled with an incredible live performance by top-of-the-line musicians.