If you’re thinking about visiting California but want to get away from the craziness of Los Angeles, consider this 5-Day Itinerary (not counting travel days), which I did in December of 2025.
This was a spectacular trip to see the California coast and countryside. We saw cute small towns like Solvang, famous attractions like Hearst Castle, a lesser-visited national park in the Channel Islands, and A LOT of amazing wildlife like seals, dolphins, and whales.
In this article, I’ll walk you through my 5-day itinerary, which I LOVED, so you can steal it and adjust it for your travel style.
CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK: A wonderfully quiet and peaceful one-day experience.
SOLVANG, CALIFORNIA: A delightful European-style town with half-timbered homes and windmills. Very popular as a Christmas destination, and the reason why we did this trip in the first place.
HEARST CASTLE: A stunning European-style mansion built by the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst,
perched high in the mountains overlooking the ocean.
SANTA BARBARA: A Spanish-style city with the Mission Santa Barbara and an incredibly beautiful Courthouse building.
OSTRICHLAND, USA: A place to feed ostriches by hand!
MISSION SANTA INEZ: A beautifully restored mission in Solvang, one of 21 Spanish missions in California.
WILDLIFE: Seals, birds, dolphins, whales, and foxes were all a part of this amazing trip.
FOOD: So many good places to eat! Solvang is known for its Danish bakeries, and coastal towns specialize in seafood.
The Central California coast is located between San Francisco in the north and Los Angeles in the south. This trip spanned Ventura (jumping off point to Channel Islands) to San Simeon (Hearst Castle). It takes about 3 hours to drive between the two.
For context, Ventura is about an hour north of Los Angeles, and San Simeon is about 3-4 hours south of San Francisco.
This area would be good to visit on a road trip between LA and San Francisco, but we visited during Christmastime and spent 4 nights in Solvang and 2 nights in Santa Barbara.
I’ve been to LA and San Francisco several times, and I enjoy both cities. But this was a welcome escape away from the traffic and congestion of both cities to what we often imagine when we think about California: sunny (even in winter), coastal shoreline with a mountain backdrop, palm trees, and sea life.
California is also a great mix of cultures, and this trip shows off a Danish town, Spanish missions, and a hodgepodge castle literally built from remnants of old castles in Europe.
This was a 7-day trip that felt just perfect in length. We did this at Christmastime, and experienced 65 degree weather every day – just gorgeous. Mornings and evenings were jacket weather.
We did this at Christmastime, so that’s why we spent two days in Solvang, which is known for its Christmas Julefest.
Adjustments. Based on your interests, here are a few adjustments to the plan to consider:
BEST “BIG EXPERIENCE” STOP: Channel Islands day trip to Santa Cruz Island
DON’T MISS ARCHITECTURE STOP: Santa Barbara Courthouse (mural room + clock tower + viewing deck)
MOST OVER-THE-TOP STOP: Hearst Castle for sure, but don’t overlook Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo
(pink, wild, and wonderful)
FAVORITE FOOD MOMENTS: Danish pancakes & waffles at Paula’s Pancake House
Danish sausage & meatballs at Red Viking
Clam chowder in a bread bowl at Splash Café in Pismo Beach
BEST WILDLIFE VIEWING: Elephant seals near Piedras Blancas
Otters in Morro Bay
Dolphins & whales on the Channel Islands boat ride
Island Foxes on Santa Cruz
13 done‑for‑you road trip itineraries across the West so you know exactly where to go, how long to stay, and what to see.
*Ready‑made routes from 4–31 days across national parks and hidden gems
*Driving times + best stops so you don’t miss the good stuff
*Season + weather notes to avoid closed roads and peak‑crowd days
*Lodging ideas in the right spots so you cut backtracking
There are three main airports near this area:
We flew into the Santa Barbara airport and if you can do that, I highly recommend it. The airport is tiny – it only has five gates – and it’s beautifully built in the Spanish mission style.
We got a connecting flight from Las Vegas, and though we might have saved a few bucks flying into LAX, we would have had to drive 2.5 hours to Santa Barbara/Solvang and it just didn’t make sense.
We stayed the first four nights just 5 minutes away from Solvang at the beautiful Chumash Casino Resort (book here). This was much cheaper than the hotels in Solvang, and was very nice for the price. It has restaurants on site. We really enjoyed their sports bar, which had tons of options like Asian, Mexican, and more.
There’s A LOT more to know about Solvang, including why it looks European, and why it’s a Christmas town, and I’ve covered this in a more detailed 2-Day Solvang Itinerary (good at Christmas or any time), so check that out as well. For now, I’ll just cover the highlights.
We started our morning at Paula’s Pancake House, one of the most popular breakfast spots in town.
Danish pancakes are thinner than American pancakes. They’re more like crepes and aren’t made with buttermilk. The fruit on top makes them delicious. I actually liked the waffles a little more, but you have to try the Danish pancakes, of course. My sister got the Danish pancakes and I got the waffle and we split them.
The Solvang Visitor Center is tiny, but the workers were great and they have a scavenger hunt designed to help you explore Solvang beyond the obvious streets. It takes about two hours, but you can go at your own pace and do it when you want.
If you complete the scavenger hunt, you get a small Christmas ornament at the end. More importantly, it gets you noticing details: nisse houses, roof décor, courtyard fountains, carved doors, and hidden corners you’d otherwise miss.
Solvang is an absolute danger zone if you like sweets. We explored the town and stopped in a few bakeries.
There are six bakeries in town, and five are officially certified Danish bakeries, indicated by a crown symbol above the door. All of them are amazing.
For sweets and chocolate shops, check out:
A few shops I especially liked:
If you want a quick overview of town history, the Solvang Trolley Tour runs about 25 minutes. This is not a hop-on, hop-off trolley. It starts in one location and makes a loop through the town.
The narrator was knowledgeable but pretty dry in delivering her memorized script. That said, I still learned a lot about the architecture, Danish symbolism, and how Solvang intentionally rebuilt itself after World War II to reflect its heritage.
If you do the walking tour later, this becomes optional.
For dinner, we ate at Red Viking Restaurant, one of three Danish restaurants in town.
Meals are on the pricey side (around $30), and you don’t need to do more than one Danish dinner while you’re here, but you should do one. The Danish sausage and pork meatballs were the biggest hits at our table. The red pepper soup was excellent.
I did the Evening Solvang Walking Tour (about 2 hours). This was far better than the trolley and went much deeper into town history. It was given by the visitor center, and the guide dressed in Danish attire.
It was an interesting mix of Danish culture (including Christmas traditions) and Solvang history. You could tell they were passionate about it all. This tour was especially good at Christmas, when the town is lit up at night. They told me that at other times of the year, you can request a tour with them directly prior to your visit.
This bakery is known for its gingerbread houses, and is a must-stop just to see them. But of course, it had delicious pastries as well.
I thought the Almond Butter Ring was fantastic. I also got a small gingerbread man and ate him limb by limb.
Who knew there were ostrich farms? OstrichLand USA has a small entry fee and an additional small fee for the food to feed the ostriches and emus. And yes, you’ll feed ostriches and emus up close. It’s quirky, fun, and set in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains.
I recommend buying at least five bowls of food because it gets gobbled up fast. Also, hold the handle tight, because they like to try to pull it out of your hands (they got me on one of the bowls!).
About 20 minutes from Solvang, Nojoqui Falls is a short 0.9-mile round-trip walk to a waterfall tucked into the hills. It’s a pretty drive to reach it and an easy and beautiful walk to reach the waterfall. The waterfall was kind of a trickle; I imagine it flows more in the spring.
This isn’t a must-do, but it’s a pleasant way to spend an hour if you want some light nature time.
There are 21 Spanish missions in California, and this one was the 19th constructed. I really didn’t know what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The chapel is long and narrow, with 14 images of the Stations of the Cross on the walls. The beautiful gardens alone make this worthwhile. And there is a small museum inside with basic but helpful exhibits that add helpful context to California’s mission history.
The experience is a self-guided one. They offer guided tours, but you need to contact them 2 weeks in advance.
The parking lot has a great view of the valley as well.
Solvang has several small museums. These are small and mostly uninteresting, but I did find a few things I liked.
California Nature Art Museum. The main thing here is the large troll, one of several around the world created by the well-known Thomas Dambo, who is in fact Danish. The troll is named Lulu and she ate so many Danishes that she got stuck inside the building. The museum has two other art gallery rooms.
Elverhøj Museum. This is a Danish farmhouse built in the 1940s by two artists. They passed on and it has been turned into a museum. It is a gorgeous home – notice the wood carving on the door and the interesting brickwork. The kitchen is wonderfully colorful, and there is an educational room about Danish immigration (they mostly came to the Midwest and Utah, then some of them moved to Solvang). I had a hard time getting into this museum, though.
Hans Christian Andersen Museum. This is located on the top floor of The Book Loft, a delightful bookstore. This is only one room, but it’s free, and I learned quite a bit about the famous Danish fairy tale author.
We ate outdoors at this fun beer garden. They have several different kinds of sausage, so we got two of the sampler platters and tried several of them. They were all delicious.
Fries come in massive baskets, and the atmosphere is relaxed and fun.
On day 3, we drove two hours north to see the famous Hearst Castle perched in the mountains above the ocean.
We scheduled our Hearst Castle tour for noon, which gave us time to stop at…
Yet another bakery in Solvang with delicious pastries. They had a massive gingerbread house in the bakery, which was awesome.
We got some yummy butter cookies and scarfed them down throughout the day.
You don’t start at the castle itself. You begin at a large visitor center near Highway 1. It’s more substantial than many national park visitor centers and includes:
You’ll check in for your tour here. They recommend checking in 20–30 minutes early, as there can be school groups and tour buses milling around.
From the visitor center, you’ll board a shuttle bus that takes you up the hill to the castle. This is not just a boring transfer; it’s actually a nice part of the experience.
The ride is about 15 minutes each way, and passes through a working cattle ranch that still belongs to the Hearst family.
Depending on the season, you may see wildlife. We saw deer and the interesting Himalayan Tahr. In summer, it’s more common to spot zebras, a leftover from Hearst’s private zoo.
There are fruit trees, rolling hills, and occasional glimpses of the castle as you climb.
You’ll also get ocean views in places, which really adds to the experience.
The shuttle narration is done by Alex Trebek (from Jeopardy!), and it’s excellent. It gives you a quick overview of the history of the ranch, Hearst’s background, and what you’re about to see.
Between the scenery and the narration, the shuttle ride feels like a nicely produced prologue to the tour.
I chose the most popular introductory tour: The Grand Rooms Tour. The tour is led by a docent the entire time, and you must stay with your tour group.
Our docent was brand new, which I didn’t know until afterwards, but I suspected on the tour because she seemed nervous. I was actually really proud of her because she did a great job on only her 2nd tour!
The main building is called Casa Grande, and it’s where William Randolph Hearst’s bedroom was. It’s 68,000 square feet and has 38 bedrooms, 42 bathrooms, and 30 fireplaces.
Julia Morgan was the lead architect and designer, and she and William Randolph Hearst worked together for 28 years in a constantly-changing building process (based on his whims).
It’s surrounded by three guest houses that are huge mansions themselves. The whole complex sits high above the ocean with views in multiple directions.
On the Grand Rooms tour, you’ll:
The architecture and décor are eclectic European. It feels like someone raided castles and churches across Europe and assembled them into one big California hilltop fantasy, which is more or less what happened.
If you like that kind of over-the-top, collected-over-decades aesthetic, it’s fascinating. It’s definitely not your modern “minimalist” design.
For much more about Hearst Castle, see my full Hearst Castle article so you can decide what tour is for you and be better prepared.
North of the visitor center, about a few miles, is a free and awesome viewpoint where Elephant Seals like to hang out. They were lounging on the beach and making noises. December to February is their mating time, and they are here in larger numbers during that time. Two docents were at the viewing area and spent a lot of time teaching us about the seals. They said the seals are here year-round, but in lesser numbers in the summer.
We stopped at the pier in Morro Bay because we heard you could see otters here – and we did! We only saw a mom and her baby, which was still awesome. But we heard they are often here in large numbers. The pier also offers great views of the impressive Morro Rock.
We were unable to make it to Pismo Beach Butterfly Grove before dark (darn early sunset in California!), but we heard this was the best of multiple butterfly groves in the area to see Monarch Butterflies as they migrate in winter.
The Madonna Inn is kind of a bizarre roadside attraction. It’s a hotel, restaurant, coffee shop, bakery, gift shop (actually 3 gift shops), and fantastically tacky and over-the-top roadside stop! Make sure to go downstairs to the waterfall urinal, and get a slice of pink cake – it is DELICIOUS.
We finished our day at Splash Café in Pismo Beach, which is known for clam chowder. Pismo used to be called the clam capital of the world, and chowder is still a big deal here. The clam chowder at Splash Café was some of the best I’ve ever had and it was served in the best bread bowl I’ve had anywhere.
On day 4, I drove my parents and sisters to the Santa Barbara airport for them to fly home. I added two days to see the Channel Islands. But the Channel Islands are a full day. So, with the leftover day after dropping them off at the airport, I explored Santa Barbara. What a great city.
Before going to the airport, we stopped at Goleta Pier. What we loved about this stop was seeing the long-billed curlew birds poking holes in the beach sand and the many surfers in the ocean. The pier is a lovely walk and there are beautiful parks and picnic areas along the uncrowded beachfront.
No one thinks about Goleta Pier when visiting California, which is what made this such a nice, peaceful stop.
The Santa Barbara Courthouse was built in 1925 after a big earthquake destroyed the town. Prior to this, the city looked like any other Western town.
But with a chance to rebuild, they decided to embrace the Spanish heritage of the area. They built a really gorgeous courthouse in the Spanish mission style. And wow, did they do a great job!
You wouldn’t think a courthouse would be a tourist attraction, but I can absolutely confirm that you really need to visit this cool building.
It’s very popular for weddings, and I saw 4-5 going on during the gorgeous and warm winter day.
The grounds are beautiful, and people like to just hang out on the grass.
Inside, they offer self-guided tours and free guided tours daily at 2:00 pm. They have several docents on hand to teach about the building. I did the free guided tour and loved it.
There are three must-see things here.
The Mural Room has a massive mural on all four sides of the room to teach about the history of California from the Native Americans to the Spanish to the American explorers and settlers.
The clock tower allows you to see the inner workings of the clock and has great displays about clocks and time.
Above the clock tower is the observation deck, where you get wide views of the city. This is great because you can see how all the nearby buildings have red roofs and are built in the Spanish style. Once the courthouse was built, they made an ordinance that all nearby buildings needed to be in the same style.
There are 21 missions in California. I saw Mission Santa Inez earlier, so I had to check this one out for comparison.
Mission Santa Barbara is known as the Queen of the Missions – the most beautifully restored mission in the state.
Unfortunately for me, they were doing construction work in front of it, so I didn’t get an up-close view of the outside of the chapel, but fortunately for me, it was a “get in free” day. I explored the museum, the gardens, the chapel, and the interesting cemetery behind the chapel.
Mass was about to begin, so I didn’t get to spend much time in the chapel or cemetery.
The front has two bell towers that are beautiful.
I can’t quite pinpoint why, but I have to say that I enjoyed the Mission Santa Inez a little more. Maybe it was because I had to speed through it, or maybe because I thought the gardens were nicer at Santa Inez. Not sure.
Downtown Santa Barbara is known as the Funk Zone, and it has a ton of restaurants and shops, live music, and a very lively atmosphere. I was there on a Saturday night and it was a party.
Stearns Wharf and the Pier Santa Barbara are next to the Funk Zone, and I took a walk out to the end of the pier. They have several restaurants and an aquarium on the pier.
I didn’t spend a lot of time here, and it got dark early (5:00 in winter), so I just turned in early for the night.
I stayed at the De La Vina Inn (book here) for the next two nights. Somehow, I found this vacation rental online and decided to try it.
It’s an old Victorian home located in a suburban neighborhood, but it really does feel quiet and isolated. The front yard has a water fountain, and the back yard has a nice patio to hang out.
The inside had a great TV room for hanging out, also. My room was on the second floor and was called the Nicole Room.
The owner was either not on site or kept an invisible profile, only communicating through text. All check in was done online.
On Day 5, I did a day trip to Channel Islands National Park, and it was AWESOME!
There’s a lot to know about this park and how to visit it, so I’ve written a very detailed post all about it.
For now, I’ll just provide the highlights.
I booked a 9:00 am ride to Santa Cruz Island through Island Packers from Ventura Harbor. I stayed in Santa Barbara the night before, so it was a 35-minute drive to Island Packers.
The boat has outdoor seating up top and on the back, as well as inside seating. You’re free to wander where you’d like during the ride.
The outside seating was full when I got on, so I sat inside. It was a little chilly on a December morning, and everyone was wearing coats and jackets. Inside was fine for me.
The ride out is about 1 hour and 15 minutes, and it’s bouncy. I later learned this is normal, as you’re going against the waves on the way out. I normally don’t get seasick as long as the boat is moving forward, but I was feeling woozy towards the end. I was definitely ready for the ride to end by the time we landed. Consider taking some Dramamine if you get seasick easily.
Wildlife Sightings. This is where the magic of the day began. Although the priority is to get to the island, the boat operator will try to track down dolphins and whales and stop for a few minutes to see them.
We saw dolphins jumping out of the water right next to the ship; I guess they like to play around as the ships pass by.
We also saw a humpback whale spouting water – it was incredible!
While sightings aren’t guaranteed, I believe it’s quite common to see on the ride out. If so, this makes the park one of the more magical “wildlife” national parks out there.
I arrived at Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island at about 10:15 am. It has a large pier to disembark.
While many people skipped this, I stopped here first while I waited for the restroom lines to clear out.
The island was once a working cattle ranch, and the visitor center is housed in the Scorpion Ranch House, which was built in the late 1800s.
There is farming equipment on display all around, and interpretive displays inside and outside the visitor center that teach about how the island was once inhabited by the Chumash Indians, and later by ranchers and the US military.
I hiked this 8.2-mile loop for much of the rest of my time on the island. This loop was a combination of three hikes, and I’m really glad I did it. It got me to cliffside viewpoints, valleys, and mountain tops, providing an incredible variety of views.
Cavern Point (0.8 miles from the visitor center to Cavern Point)
Cavern Point is a 2-mile loop leading out to Cavern Point, a section that juts out on the cliffside for great views of the ocean.
I did it counter-clockwise, which started next to the visitor center and had a fairly steep hill at the beginning.
Soon, I was up on top of the hillside looking down on the pier where I had just landed.
Once on top, the mostly flat trail hugs the edge of the island the rest of the way to Cavern Point. One thing I loved about it was the sweeping grassland vegetation. There were few trees, making for wide views. I could see the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.
I did not complete the full 2-mile loop; instead, I merged into the Potato Harbor Overlook trail.
Potato Harbor Overlook (2 miles from Cavern Point to Potato Harbor Overlook)
This trail was mostly the same walk through open grasslands with ocean and mountain views.
I loved seeing the grasslands, old ranching fences, and mountains; it felt a little like the old west.
It ends at an overlook of Potato Harbor, a gorgeous alcove full of turquoise water, birds, and either seals or sea lions barking (I couldn’t see them and couldn’t tell which species it was).
By the time I reached the overlook, it was noon. There were others at the overlook, and everyone began to eat their lunch.
This is a great overlook and one you’ll want to spend some time at, so I thought it was just perfect to arrive here around noon. I’m glad I did the Cavern Point portion first instead of going straight to Potato Harbor because the timing worked out perfectly.
Back to the Campground Area (1.5 miles back)
To finish the Cave Point-Potato Harbor Overlook Loop, I hiked back on the Potato Harbor Road, which descends back down the hillside to the upper campground.
Scorpion Canyon Loop (3.5 miles, with 0.4 added on for the Scorpion Rock Overlook spur trail)
From here, I hiked the Scorpion Canyon Loop.
Scorpion Canyon is a lovely canyon – not dramatic or amazing, but it was just a nice valley that I had all to myself.
Once through the canyon, I had to climb the hill that leads out of the canyon to the ridge up top.
From there, it was a gradual downhill the rest of the way to the pier, with only one more section – a left-hand turn at Smugglers Road.
I’ve never been to Ireland, but this is kind of what I imagined it would be like: grasslands, ranch fences, and wide-open views of the hillsides and the ocean. I’m sure Ireland is greener, but I loved this hike.
There was a 0.2-mile spur trail for Scorpion Rock Overlook on the way, and by then, I figured out I had plenty of time to do it, so I did. I was glad, as it was one of the best views of the cliffs and sea stacks I saw all day.
Here again, the cliffs made me think about the Cliffs of Insanity in The Princess Bride, which were filmed in Ireland.
The Island Fox is unique to these islands, and it is one of the smallest canine species in the world.
They are about as large as a large cat or a small dog.
The volunteer on the boat told me I was practically guaranteed to see one during my visit.
But after hiking 8.2 miles, I still hadn’t seen one. And I was getting a little nervous.
So with the last amount of time I had available, I walked back and forth between the upper campground, lower campground, and picnic area. I knew they liked to hang out here in hopes of getting some food scraps or something.
Finally, I turned the corner, and one was standing there staring at me. I was pumped!
He walked right by me as I filmed him. Satisfied, I started back to the pier and ran into another one at the picnic area. They are cute little animals.
I thought that was the finishing touch on an amazing day, but there was more in store.
My boat left at 4:00 pm. Days are short in winter in California, with the sun setting at 4:50 pm. So this was essentially a 1.5-hour sunset ride back to the mainland.
It was absolutely beautiful, and not really cold at all. And the ride was MUCH SMOOTHER than the ride out. I heard this is always the case, as it goes with the waves.
On the ride back, we saw two humpback whales swimming together. The boat was able to get quite close to them, and the money shot was when we saw them take a deeper dive, which meant their tails popped out of the water as they were diving. The entire boat was gasping in amazement.
THIS was the finishing touch on an amazing day, AND an AMAZING TRIP!
On the last day, I flew out of Santa Barbara early.
Santa Barbara Airport is actually located closer to Goleta, California. If you didn’t get to visit the pier or the butterfly grove, now would be a good chance if your flight is later in the day.
By Plane
By Car
If you’re driving from elsewhere in California:
We stayed in Solvang (actually at the Chumash Casino Resort (book here), just 5 minutes away) so we could soak in all the Christmas vibes, and felt it was a great home base in a pretty valley. It was central to all the sites we wanted to see.
But on the last two days, I moved to Santa Barbara to make the Channel Islands visit easier and because I had an insanely early flight home (5:30 am).
If you don’t want to change locations at all, Santa Barbara or Solvang both work.
Santa Barbara is a 40-minute drive to Solvang, and 2.5 hour drive to Hearst Castle, making for more driving on those days.
Solvang is actually a little more central. You’ll have to make the 1-hour and 15-minute drive to Ventura Harbor on the Channel Islands day (not that bad, really).
Here are a few helpful tips:
One PERFECT Day in Kings Canyon National Park (+ Where to Eat and Stay)
One PERFECT Day in Sequoia National Park (+ Where to Eat and Stay)
Hearst Castle: Our Honest Review + Helpful Tips (Is It Worth Visiting?)
A Perfect 2-Day Itinerary for Solvang, California (Christmas or Anytime!)
How to Spend One Day in Channel Islands National Park (What You Can Actually Do)
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