Trip planner
Your road trip made to measure: choose your days, your airports and what you like. We pick the towns that fit best and put them in the route with the fewest hours behind the wheel.
Your 14-day road trip from Los Angeles
7 towns, flying home from Los Angeles.
- Length
- 14 days, 13 nights
- Driving
- 1,350 km · 18 h
- A day, on average
- About 170 km
- Costs for 2, roughly
- €5,020
- A person
- €2,510
Change the nights at each town (0 skips it) or tick tours, then:
Direct flights from Amsterdam
Flight out: AMS → LAX
Flight home: LAX → AMS
You land at 11:40 (local time); with immigration and the rental car you're on the road around 13:40.
The flight home leaves at 13:50: return the car and be at the airport around 10:50.
Your flights for this trip
Choose a start date above, and the planner looks for the flights on the first and last day.
Your rental car for this trip
Choose a start date above, and the planner looks for a car from the first day to the last.
Day 1 · Land at Los Angeles (LAX), drive to Los Angeles
1 Los Angeles, CA
Sunset Boulevard's palm trees
- Day 1 30 km · 30 min –
- Day 2 no drive –
- The Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Hollywood sign
- Griffith Observatory at sunset
- Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach
- The Getty Center
Another night here? With a second night: Universal Studios or Warner Bros., or Malibu's beaches along Highway 1.
Hotels in Los Angeles Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
FOUND Hotels, Santa Monica, Series by Marriott
★★★★★ · 9.0
from €200 a night
Residence Inn by Marriott Los Angeles LAX/Century Boulevard
★★★★★ · 8.8
from €150 a night
Holiday Inn Express Hollywood Walk of Fame by IHG
★★★★★ · 8.8
from €220 a night
Holiday Inn Express West Los Angeles by IHG
★★★★★ · 8.8
from €350 a night
Residence Inn by Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE
★★★★★ · 8.7
from €190 a night
Day 3 · Los Angeles, drive to Three Rivers
2 Three Rivers, CA
Sequoia National Park
- Day 3 320 km · 4 h –
- Day 4 no drive –
Hotels in Three Rivers Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Beautiful Retreat 4 Miles to Park Entrance Steps to Dining
★★★★★ · 9.8
Cozy Condo 4 Miles to Park Entrance with BBQ and Steps to Dining
★★★★★ · 9.7
Tranquil Retreat 4 Miles to Sequoia Park Entrance with BBQ and Balcony
★★★★★ · 9.7
Spacious sequoia Park retreat, best panoramic views
★★★★★ · 9.5
Muniz Village
★★★★★ · 9.4
Day 5 · Three Rivers, drive to Mariposa
3 Mariposa, CA
Yosemite Valley
- Day 5 230 km · 3 h 10 min –
- Day 6 no drive –
Hotels in Mariposa Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Historic Mariposa Stagecoach Stop w/ Gas Fire Pit!
★★★★★ · 10.0
Oak Meadows House - A unique home near Yosemite
★★★★★ · 10.0
Peaceful + Private Mariposa Cabin on 2 Acres!
★★★★★ · 10.0
Private Hot Tub! Pet-friendly Mariposa Retreat
★★★★★ · 10.0
Waterfront Mariposa Hideaway: Hot Tub & Mtn Views!
★★★★★ · 10.0
Day 7 · Mariposa, drive to Monterey
4 Monterey, CA
17-Mile Drive
- Day 7 250 km · 3 h 20 min –
- Day 8 no drive –
Day 9 · Monterey, drive to Big Sur
5 Big Sur, CA
Bixby Creek Bridge on the Pacific Coast Highway
- Day 9 50 km · 50 min –
- Day 10 no drive –
- Bixby Creek Bridge
- McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
- Pfeiffer Beach and its purple sand
- Point Lobos on the way from Monterey
Another night here? With a second night: hike the redwoods of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, or see Monterey's aquarium and 17-Mile Drive.
Hotels in Big Sur Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Day 11 · Big Sur, drive to San Luis Obispo
6 San Luis Obispo, CA
Hearst Castle and the elephant seals
- Day 11 170 km · 2 h 30 min –
- Day 12 no drive –
Hotels in San Luis Obispo Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Lofted Bedroom Teal Tiny Home with Creek Views
★★★★★ · 10.0
Peaceful Tiny Home Loft and Sauna
★★★★★ · 9.2
The BEST Tiny Home Loft and Private Yard
★★★★★ · 9.1
La Quinta by Wyndham San Luis Obispo
★★★★★ · 9.0
from €130 a night
TownePlace Suites by Marriott San Luis Obispo
★★★★★ · 8.9
from €170 a night
Day 13 · San Luis Obispo, drive to Santa Barbara
7 Santa Barbara, CA
The Santa Ynez wine country
- Day 13 150 km · 2 h –
Hotels in Santa Barbara Comfort: a good hotel (3 stars)
Avania Inn of Santa Barbara
★★★★★ · 9.6
from €210 a night
Harbor House Inn
★★★★★ · 9.6
from €300 a night
Pacific Crest Hotel Santa Barbara
★★★★★ · 9.4
from €130 a night
Marina Beach Hotel
★★★★★ · 9.3
from €240 a night
The Eagle Inn
★★★★★ · 9.3
Home again
Santa Barbara to Los Angeles airport (LAX), fly home to Amsterdam.
With an early flight, spend the last night near the airport.
Arrange something yourself
A few days with family or friends, a train ride, local transport: a part of the trip you arrange yourself. No hotel and no tours of ours; without the car, no kilometres and no hire those days. Enter what it costs and it counts in the total.
On the road with Google Maps or Waze
Your trip from airport to airport, with the hotels you chose (or else the towns).
- No account needed: find it again under My trips.
- Take it on the road Your trip day by day on your phone, also without signal.
- Download for Google My Maps (KML) In My Maps: create a map, Import, and choose the file. It works in Google Earth too.
- The route in Google Maps
Drive there with Waze one destination at a time
What it costs, roughly
For 2 travelling together: the flights, the rental car, a room for every two at every stop, and the tours you tick in the plan above.
| Day | Date | Night in | °C | Km | Driving | Hotel | Tours | Car hire | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | – | 30 | 30 min | €200 | – | €60 | €260 | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | – | – | – | €200 | – | €60 | €260 | |
| 3 | Three Rivers | – | 320 | 4 h | €160 | – | €60 | €220 | |
| 4 | Three Rivers | – | – | – | €160 | – | €60 | €220 | |
| 5 | Mariposa | – | 230 | 3 h 10 min | €160 | – | €60 | €220 | |
| 6 | Mariposa | – | – | – | €160 | – | €60 | €220 | |
| 7 | Monterey | – | 250 | 3 h 20 min | €160 | – | €60 | €220 | |
| 8 | Monterey | – | – | – | €160 | – | €60 | €220 | |
| 9 | Big Sur | – | 50 | 50 min | €320 | – | €60 | €380 | |
| 10 | Big Sur | – | – | – | €320 | – | €60 | €380 | |
| 11 | San Luis Obispo | – | 170 | 2 h 30 min | €160 | – | €60 | €220 | |
| 12 | San Luis Obispo | – | – | – | €160 | – | €60 | €220 | |
| 13 | Santa Barbara | – | 150 | 2 h | €160 | – | €60 | €220 | |
| 14 | Flight home from LAX | – | 150 | 2 h | – | – | €60 | €60 | |
| On the road | €2,480 | – | €840 | €3,320 | |||||
| Flights, 2 return | €1,700 | ||||||||
| Total | €5,020 | ||||||||
| A person | €2,510 | ||||||||
Estimates in euros, to plan with: a return flight from Amsterdam, a mid-size car with insurance, a room for two at each stop, and the tours' usual prices. Fuel and meals are not included. The hotels' real prices are a click away at every stop. Check the flights: not every airport has a direct flight from Amsterdam all year. Prices as of 2026-10.
Add your own budget a day: food, fuel, parking, …
Fill in an amount for every day, or change a single day in the table. Empty is nothing: only what you fill in goes into the total.
| Day | Night in | Food and drink | Fuel | Parking | Entrance fees | Souvenirs | Other | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every day | Set in the form above | |||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles | €0 | ||||||
| 2 | Los Angeles | €0 | ||||||
| 3 | Three Rivers | €0 | ||||||
| 4 | Three Rivers | €0 | ||||||
| 5 | Mariposa | €0 | ||||||
| 6 | Mariposa | €0 | ||||||
| 7 | Monterey | €0 | ||||||
| 8 | Monterey | €0 | ||||||
| 9 | Big Sur | €0 | ||||||
| 10 | Big Sur | €0 | ||||||
| 11 | San Luis Obispo | €0 | ||||||
| 12 | San Luis Obispo | €0 | ||||||
| 13 | Santa Barbara | €0 | ||||||
| 14 | Flight home from LAX | €0 | ||||||
| Your budget | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | €0 | |
Our suggestions are estimates a day, greyed in the empty fields: food and souvenirs a person, the rest for everyone, and fuel by the kilometres you drive that day. Change them to what suits you. Prices as of 2026-10.
Your trip as a booklet
The route map, every day with its drive and what to see, the excursions, the costs, a packing list and room for notes: print it yourself, or have it printed and sent as a book.
Have it printed Download (A5, PDF) A4
For a print shop
With 3 mm bleed and crop marks, the fonts embedded, the map in vectors. The whole booklet · The pages inside · The cover (add &spine= and the spine's width in mm from your printer)