10 Best Stops LA to SF Coastal Road Trip There are several routes to take when driving between Los Angeles and San Francisco depending on how much travel time you have or want to endure. Your trip begins in Los Angeles, California. The total driving distance from Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA is 381 miles or 613 kilometers. You might be more interested in calculating the flight time from San Francisco, CA to Los Angeles, CA. Stretching 442 miles / 711 kms and taking around 8 to 9 hours non-stop to drive, the San Francisco to Los Angeles drive down Route 1 is scenic beyond belief. The San Francisco to Los Angeles road trip down Highway 1 is an iconic drive through some of the most beautiful parts of California. 3 days then here is what we recommend – Day 1: Carmel By the Sea (or Monterey) Day 2: San Luis Obispo (or Morro Bay) Day 3: Los Angeles; Here you go, these were our favorite pit-stops on Pacific Coast Highway … We would like to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Many thanks San Francisco to Los Angeles - Sixt One-Way Car Hire Sixt offers the opportunity of affordable rates on one-way car rental to destinations such as driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It ends in San Francisco, California. How long should the drive take, we intend to leave LA at 8am, and what is the best route to take ? Answer 1 of 24: We are travelling to Los Angeles in the summer for 7 nights then driving up to San Francisco for 5 nights. This service from Sixt allows you the chance and freedom to pick up a rental car … San Francisco and Los Angeles are important gateways to tourist attractions in California. It's a beautiful drive; you could finish it all in a day from San Francisco to Los Angeles, but it's best to go softly into this one: with all the incredible wine stops and California-breezy lounge and hike spots, drivers will want to book a few days to a week – or forever. In 2014, Los Angeles had 44.2 million overnight and day visitors according to Discover Los Angeles. I thought we could spend a day in San Francisco and two days in the Los Angeles area but I am lost as to what we should do on the drive. If you are doing this drive between LA and San Francisco over a long weekend i.e. The quickest and most popular route will be to take the Interstate 5 Freeway which would be the most boring and less hurdle route. Planning to fly a plane instead?