Driving in California

Drive it southbound from San Francisco to Los Angeles: you keep the ocean on your right, the pull-outs are on your side, and the light is behind you. Northbound works, but every viewpoint becomes a left turn across traffic.

In summer, fog sits on the coast until late morning — Big Sur is often grey at 9 a.m. and glorious at 2 p.m. Leave San Francisco around 9, stop at Monterey or Carmel for lunch, sleep in Big Sur or Cambria, and finish in Los Angeles the next day. Doing it in one push means nine hours at the wheel and no stops.

Want the whole route planned? Our Highway 1 in five days gives the day-by-day version, and the Pacific Coast Highway extends it to Seattle.

San Francisco: street parking is metered, time-limited and steep in places; hills make parallel parking an event. Book a hotel with a garage, or leave the car in a public garage near your neighbourhood and walk. Do not leave anything visible inside — smash-and-grab from tourist cars is a real risk at trailheads and in the city.

Los Angeles: the city is a grid and you will drive everywhere, so a hotel with parking is worth the extra. Read the signs twice — street cleaning, permit zones and tow-away hours are enforced, and a towed car costs a day of the holiday.

Tolls: California has few toll roads, but the Bay Area bridges and some express lanes are tolled electronically. Rental companies either offer a toll pass or charge the toll plus a fee afterwards, and each company does it differently: ask at the desk before you cross a bridge.

• Download an offline map before leaving the airport: coverage in the parks is patchy.
• Fill up before entering Yosemite, Sequoia or Death Valley — stations inside are rare and expensive.
• Keep a physical credit card: some pumps ask for a US postcode, which a foreign card does not have.

In Death Valley, summer afternoons regularly pass 45 °C. Drive early, carry more water than you think you need, and never leave the tarmac for a dirt track in a normal rental car. In the Sierra, Tioga Pass and the sequoia groves sit above 2,000 m: snow can close the pass from November to May, and the road status is posted by the National Park Service.

Book early for summer and holidays, compare one-way drop-off fees if you finish elsewhere, and check what insurance is already included before buying more at the desk. Most companies require a credit card in the main driver’s name, and drivers under 25 usually pay a surcharge. Our getting around guide compares car, plane, bus and train.