1

Yes, Start in San Francisco at Cliff House and stay on the 1 to the bitter end Joining the I-5 at Dana point...Let your interests determine the stops and overnights ... carracar

2

If you just have to get there, you can do it in one long day, so 4-5 days would be ample.

It does depend on what "some sightseeing stops" would be. With 4-5 days you would be able to stop for two nights in one or two places, for example, to spend a whole day hiking in the Big Sur area, checking out wineries near SAn Luis Obispo, or exploring Los Angeles..

3

It's about 500 miles. Can be done in a day or take your time. 3 routes are available. The boring I-5 , the longer less boring 101 or the much longer but lovely Hwy 1. Since you have 4-5 I'd opt for a combination of the 101 and 1 depending on what you want to see. Day 1 leave The City taking 280 South to the 92. Take the 92 west to Half Moon Bay. Stop and explore. Leave Half Moon Bay via Hwy 1.south of Poponio State Beach, take Pescadero Road East to Pescardero at have lunch at Duarte's Tavern. Back to 1 going south. Stop at Ano Nuevo State Park (entry fee) to view the Elephant Seals. Back on Hwy 1 to Santa Cruz. Can stop and vista the Boardwalk, shop in Santa Cruz, etc. While in this area you have two state parks where you can see the California Redwoods, Henry Cowell in Felton or Nisene Marks in Aptos. Both quite lovely. From Santa Cruz follow Hwy 1 south toward Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove. Stay over night. Day 2 Explore which ever place you chose (the Aquarium in Monterey, downtown Carmel, Asilomar (the dunes and beach are nice) Personally I wouldn't cough up the money to tour 17 mile drive but some folks do. I also prefer Pacific Grove as a place to overnight. Can make a day of staying in this area. Day 3, up early, don't want to ge stuck behind a Winnebago. Off on Hwy 1 to Pt. Lobos, then to Big Sur, then to Hearst Castle, then farther south to stay overnight in either Cayucos or Morrow Bay. Day 4, follow 1 to where it intersects with 101. 101 south to Pismo Beach and then follow 1 again down to Lompoc. Visit the La Purisima Mission in Lompoc. Back on 1 where it will intersect the 101 again and follow it to Santa Barbara. Overnight there. Spend a good portion of the next day exploring Santa Barbara then back on the road to San Diego. If you desire you can take 1 outside of Ventura along the coast into Malibu, Santa Monica and Venice Beach. Choice is yours. If weather is stellar traffic will be horrific. It's August. It's Summer. It's LA. OR stay on the 101, pass through Thousand Oaks. You can visit the old West set of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman of off Kanan Rd (on Cornell) at Paramount Ranch if that's any interest. Stay on 101 which will intersect with the 134 which takes you to I-5. OR stay on the 101 (a.k.a the Hollywood Fwy) and head into and past downtown Los Angeles. It will intersect the 5 a few miles past downtown. Just follow the signs that say San Diego. BIG state. Lots to see.

4

Guys thanks v much indeed!

5

Btw on accomodation i guess i should be planning all this in advance and booking the accomodation?

6

You may want to book accommodation between, say,Monterey and San Luis Obispo. In summer, some places can book up and some places have 2-night minimums in summer or on weekends.

By the way, I see your profile says you are in Ethiopia. I'll bet you are one of those people who got relocated from the UK to Ethiopia by a Thorntree bug. You might want to go into your profile & change it.

7

Many thanks indeed!

8

I now live in the UK!