California Road Trip Itinerary: 10 Days from San Francisco to Los Angeles with a 4-Year-Old

The Golden Gate from Battery Spencer — our first stop on Day 1.

Ten days, one rental car, two parents and a four-year-old — this is our complete California road trip plan, from San Francisco down the coast to Los Angeles, November 21–30, 2026. Every day below is planned hour by hour: drive times checked for that day and hour, sunset times built into the plan, and a full budget at the end. If you are planning a similar family trip, steal this plan — that is what it is here for.

The trip at a glance

• Route: San Francisco → Monterey → Morro Bay → Los Angeles (El Monte base) → fly home from LAX
• Flights: Air Canada Toronto–San Francisco (AC739) and Los Angeles–Toronto (AC794)
• Car: Enterprise SUV, picked up at SFO, returned at LAX — about 1,628 km of driving in total
• Stays: 1 night San Francisco, 1 night Monterey, 1 night Morro Bay, 5 nights in an El Monte Airbnb
• Family rhythm: 6:30 AM starts, back at the hotel by about 8:00 PM. One late night (Nov 25).
• Sunset rule for the whole week: sunset falls between 4:36 PM and 4:55 PM every day. Any stop labelled "sunset" means being in place by about 4:30 PM.

Trip timeline

Sat Nov 21 · Day 1 — San Francisco

Land at SFO → Battery Spencer → Alcatraz Night Tour → Chinatown dinner

Sun Nov 22 · Day 2 — SF to Monterey

Lombard Street & Painted Ladies → Golden Gate Overlook → Capitola → Monterey Aquarium → Lovers Point sunset

Mon Nov 23 · Day 3 — Big Sur coast

17-Mile Drive → Bixby Bridge → Elephant Seals → Morro Rock sunset

Tue Nov 24 · Day 4 — Coast to Los Angeles

Solvang → Santa Barbara → Venice Canals → Santa Monica sunset

Wed Nov 25 · Day 5 — Hollywood

Warner Bros → Walk of Fame → Dolby Theatre → Griffith sunset → IMAX night

Thu Nov 26 · Day 6 — Universal Studios

Thanksgiving Day — through the gates at 9 AM

Fri Nov 27 · Day 7 — LA, Getty and Downtown

Getty Center → Beverly Hills → The Broad → Grand Central Market → The Last Bookstore

Sat Nov 28 · Day 8 — Joshua Tree

North Entrance → Skull Rock → Keys View → Cabazon outlets

Sun Nov 29 · Day 9 — LA, then fly home

La Brea Tar Pits → Santa Monica sunset → LAX, 10:55 PM flight

Mon Nov 30 · Home

Land in Toronto, 6:41 AM

Tap any day to jump straight to its plan.

Day 1 — Saturday Nov 21: Toronto to San Francisco, Alcatraz Night Tour

Alcatraz Island — we land on it at sunset.

The whole day is sequenced backwards from one fixed point: the 3:50 PM Alcatraz ferry.

4:00 AMWake up in Toronto.

4:45 AMOur friend picks us up at home and drops us at Pearson (28.9 km, about 20 minutes at that hour).

~5:10 AMTerminal 1 — check-in and bag drop (closes 7:20 AM), security, then US preclearance: US immigration happens here in Toronto, so landing in San Francisco is a domestic arrival — straight to baggage claim.

8:20 AMFlight AC739 → land SFO 11:10 AM (Terminal 2). Lunch is the food we carried on the flight — free snacks and drinks on this route, hot food is buy-on-board.

~12:00 PMBags, car seat and stroller on a $9 airport cart (carts are allowed on the AirTrain), then the free AirTrain Blue Line to the Rental Car Center, 780 N. McDonnell Road — Enterprise counter, 4th floor, and on the road. Two checked bags, one under each parent's name — with a TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite linked to the booking, each traveller's first bag is free.

12:10 PMCostco, South San Francisco (451 S Airport Blvd) — a short stop: water, fruit and snacks for the week.

~1:25 PMBattery Spencer — the closest, most dramatic Golden Gate viewpoint there is (33.8 km from Costco, 50 minutes to 1 hour 40 on a Saturday). Short stop, and wheels rolling back by 2:30 PM at the latest.

~2:50 PMRoyal Pacific Motor Inn (661 Broadway) — quick check-in, park the car (free on-site parking). Pier 33 has no parking, so the car stays here all evening.

3:20 PMPier 33 by rideshare — check in for the 3:50 PM Alcatraz Night Tour: the ranger-led walk up, the 45-minute cellhouse audio tour, sunset over the bay at 4:57 PM. Cold and windy after dark (about 9–11°C, and the cellhouse is unheated stone) — warm layers, hat and gloves for our four-year-old.

6:30 PMReturn ferry — back at Pier 33 by about 6:50 PM. Then Pier 39 (650 m away) for the sea lions, and dinner in Chinatown — our hotel sits right on its edge. Lights out about 9:45 PM.

Day 2 — Sunday Nov 22: San Francisco icons, Capitola, Monterey Aquarium

The Kelp Forest at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

6:40 AMLombard Street at dawn, when the queue is shortest → Painted Ladies → Palace of Fine Arts → Fort Point exterior, under the Golden Gate (a short stop) → Golden Gate Overlook in the Presidio — 15–20 minutes, the bridge framed between two Monterey cypress trees, and our last San Francisco stop before driving south.

9:15 AMDrive south to Capitola (about 1 hr 40).

10:55 AMCapitola — beach houses, coffee and a beach walk, until 12:45 PM.

2:00 PMMonterey Bay Aquarium, 2:00–4:30 PM — out before the 5:00 PM close. Aquarium tip: children aged 4 and under are free.

4:49 PMSunset at Lovers Point — be in place by about 4:40 PM.

EveningNight in Monterey. Before bed: check the highway conditions for tomorrow's Big Sur drive.

Day 3 — Monday Nov 23: 17-Mile Drive, Big Sur, Morro Bay

Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur.

7:30 AM17-Mile Drive highlights — Spanish Bay, the Lone Cypress — out the Carmel Gate.

MorningBixby Creek Bridge photo stop → Pfeiffer Beach (purple sand, keyhole rock — arrive early, the lot is small).

MiddayLunch in the Big Sur valley.

AfternoonElephant Seal Vista Point, San Simeon → check in at Morro Bay.

4:52 PMSunset at Morro Rock — be in place by about 4:25 PM. Dinner on the Embarcadero.

All dayNo phone signal on this coast — offline maps downloaded the night before, full tank, Costco snacks in the car.

Day 4 — Tuesday Nov 24: Coast drive to Los Angeles

Solvang — California's Danish town, dressed for the season.

The longest driving day (about 340 km) — and a vegetarian day for us, which every stop below handles easily.

EarlyPismo Monarch Butterfly Grove — the butterflies cluster in the trees at that hour.

MorningSolvang — a Danish pastry breakfast while the streets are quiet → OstrichLand in Buellton.

MiddaySanta Barbara — Stearns Wharf and lunch → a quick Malibu stop.

AfternoonVenice Canals in daylight — the quiet canal bridges after the boardwalk.

4:46 PMSunset at Santa Monica Pier and the pier lights.

EveningCheck in to our El Monte Airbnb — home base for the next five nights.

Day 5 — Wednesday Nov 25: Warner Bros, Hollywood, Griffith at sunset

The Hollywood Sign — best seen from Lake Hollywood Park.

9:00 AMWarner Bros Studio Tour (Burbank) — one parent solo (children under 5 cannot take the tour), the full tour, nothing trimmed.

12:00 PMMeet in Hollywood → lunch.

12:45 PMWalk of Fame and the TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt in daylight.

2:00 PMDolby Theatre tour (30 minutes).

3:00 PMLake Hollywood Park — the best front-on Hollywood Sign view (visitor parking is legal on a Wednesday here; it is permit-only on Fridays).

3:45 PMGriffith Observatory — for the 4:44 PM sunset, exhibits after dark. The building and grounds are free. We are skipping the planetarium show: its tickets are sold on site, same day only, and children under 5 are admitted only to the first show of the day. Parking: the top lot is paid by the hour (card only); the free alternative is the Greek Theatre lot plus the DASH Observatory bus up the hill.

~7:00 PMA film at the TCL Chinese IMAX → home about 10:30 PM — the one late night of the trip.

Day 6 — Thursday Nov 26: Universal Studios on Thanksgiving

The Universal globe — through the gates before 9 AM.

7:05 AMLeave El Monte.

9:00 AMGates open — Thanksgiving is one of the park's busiest days. Gate rule: Studio Tour first only if its wait is 10 minutes or less; otherwise Super Nintendo World and the Lower Lot first, Studio Tour before 11 AM or after 4 PM.

MiddayShows and a sit-down lunch while the queues peak.

After 4 PMSecond pass at anything missed, as families leave for Thanksgiving dinner.

EveningCityWalk dinner → home about 8:10 PM.

Day 7 — Friday Nov 27: Getty, Beverly Hills, Downtown, The Broad

The Getty Center — free admission, book the timed entry.

10:00 AMGetty Center timed entry (admission free, parking $25) — highlights in about 2 hours, leaving by about 12:15 PM.

~1:00 PMBeverly Hills — Rodeo Drive and the Canon Gardens, a shortened highlights stop (about 30 minutes).

2:00 PMThe Broad, Downtown — booked timed entry (free; Infinity Mirrored Room + General Admission), about 1–1.5 hours.

3:30 PMGrand Central Market, Downtown — a late lunch after The Broad (plenty of vegetarian stalls).

4:35 PMThe Last Bookstore — about 25–30 minutes among the book tunnels, then a Downtown evening and home about 8:00 PM — and pack tonight.

Day 8 — Saturday Nov 28: Joshua Tree and Cabazon

Skull Rock, Joshua Tree National Park.

6:00 AMStart — enter Joshua Tree by the North Entrance (Twentynine Palms): on Thanksgiving Saturday the West Entrance queue can run 1–2 hours, the north usually has none. Vehicle pass bought online in advance ($30).

MorningSkull Rock → Hidden Valley.

MiddayKeys View → out the West Entrance for lunch in Joshua Tree town. No food, fuel, water or phone signal inside the park — carry a litre per person.

AfternoonCabazon Dinosaurs and the Desert Hills Premium Outlets (Black Friday weekend — the two together capped at about 90 minutes). Home about 6:30 PM.

Day 9 — Sunday Nov 29: Last day in LA, sunset, fly home

Santa Monica Pier at sunset — our last evening in California.

MorningCheckout, then the La Brea Tar Pits — the outdoor pits and grounds (the indoor museum is closed for a long renovation, reopening in 2028) — and LACMA's Urban Light next door.

MiddayLunch at The Grove / Original Farmers Market.

AfternoonSanta Monica — beach and pier, early dinner.

4:43 PMSunset at the pier.

6:00 PMDepart → return the car at the new LAX Rental Car Center (all brands moved there in 2026) → Terminal 6 check-in by about 7:55 PM.

10:55 PMFlight AC794 — landing in Toronto Monday 6:41 AM.

What it costs

All-in target: about C$5,800 for two adults and a four-year-old (flights, car, stays, tickets, food, fuel, parking). Figures in Canadian dollars.

Item	Cost
Flights (booked)	C$1,687
Lodging (booked)	about C$1,370
Alcatraz Night Tour (booked)	about C$165
Rental car	about C$555
Attraction tickets	about C$1,080
Parking and park fees	about C$390
Fuel	about C$285
Food	about C$670

Three small savings we found while planning: at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, ages 4 and under are free; the Dolby Theatre's family pack costs more than three individual tickets for a family of three — buy the singles; and Joshua Tree's vehicle pass is the standard $30 — there is no extra surcharge for this park.

Five things this plan taught us

1. Plan backwards from the fixed points. Ferries, timed entries and sunsets do not move — everything else arranges itself around them.
2. Drive times depend on the day and the hour. The same road is 20 minutes at dawn and an hour at noon. Check each leg for the actual time you will drive it.
3. US immigration can happen before you fly. Toronto's preclearance turned our San Francisco arrival into a walk straight to baggage claim.
4. Sunset is a deadline, not a mood. In late November it is dark before 5 PM — the best views of the day all sit in one narrow golden hour.
5. A four-year-old changes the plan, not the trip. Early starts, early dinners, a stroller, snacks always in the car — the trip still covers everything we wanted.

We will update this post after the trip with what actually happened — what held, what slipped, and what we would change. Follow along on Instagram: @maheshhhh_karanam.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Golden Gate from Battery Spencer · Alcatraz aerial · Kelp Forest · Bixby Bridge · Solvang · Hollywood Sign · Universal globe · Getty Center · Skull Rock · Santa Monica Pier.