Best Destinations For a California Honeymoon

For couples looking for an active honeymoon, California is the perfect choice. You’ll find deserted beaches where you can explore tide pools and spot whales or sea lions. Or sunny white sand beaches where you can swim, surf and sunbathe.

Don’t miss the hiking trails through redwood forests, oceanside parks and dusty deserts. Round off your California honeymoon with world class restaurants, shopping, hotels and a bit of celebrity spotting in LA.

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Getting Around California

If you're planning to honeymoon in California, there's two main ways to travel around the state:

Choose one or two areas to visit, then book flights and plan to use public transportation or ride shares.
Rent a car and plan a road trip to travel to all your favorite spots.

Highway 1 Road Trip

A classic road trip down Highway 1 would make a fun and interesting honeymoon. Driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles is a great way to see all the best sights in California.

If you were to drive straight through, it would only take 7 or 8 hours. But once you add in sightseeing, hiking, swimming and all the other amazing things to do, you can spend a week or more traveling.

Northern California

Northern California is a great place to begin your trip. Start with the fantastic sights of San Francisco, including the famous Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park.

San Francisco

Spend a Day at Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park is bigger than Central Park in New York and it’s got museums, monuments and a botanical garden. Don’t miss the Japanese Tea Gardens where you can see a classical Japanese garden with koi ponds and Zen gardens. There’s even a traditional tea house, where you can stop for a cup of tea and Japanese snacks.

See the Attractions at Fisherman’s Wharf

Visit Fisherman’s Wharf to see tons of museums and tourist attractions. You’ll find lots of options for hotels, restaurants and things to do. Plus it’s a great spot to join tours like a Segway tour or a boat cruise of the San Francisco Bay.

Visit Alcatraz, Muir Woods and Sausalito

Join this tour from Viator and travel across the Golden Gate Bridge. Enjoy a ferry ride to Alcatraz. After touring the island, you’ll head to Muir Woods for a walk among 1,000 year old redwoods. Enjoy lunch and sightseeing in Sausalito before returning to San Francisco: Alcatraz with Muir Woods and Sausalito Tour.

Visit the Exploratorium

Supposedly this museum is for kids. But when I went, there were just as many adults as kids, and they were having just as much fun! The Exploratorium is packed with hands on, learning exhibits that teach scientific principles, like engineering, geography and physics. But they’re all so interesting and fun that it feels more like playing than anything else. Our group was all adults and we spent an entire afternoon here trying out all the exhibits.

More Things To Do In San Francisco:

Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Go for a walk in Chinatown.
Ride on a San Francisco cable car.
Visit the Palace of Fine Arts.
Try artisanal food and drinks at the Ferry Building.

Day Trips From San Francisco

Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Park are easiest to get to from San Francisco. If you'd like to visit either, plan to head there while you're still in Northern California.

Head South on Highway 1

If you're going on a road trip, pick up your rental car and head south on Highway 1. Along the coast, you'll find lots of scenic stops and lookout points. Take your time and explore any spots that you find.

Watch for whales at Gray Whale Cove State Beach or elephant seals at Ana Nuevo State Park. Or go for a hike in one of the state parks along the way.

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is about an hour and a half driving time from San Francisco. Once you're there, there's tons of fun things to do:

Visit the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk.
Tour the Surfing Museum.
Take a surfing lesson at Cowell Beach.
Look for whales at the Natural Bridges State Beach.
Play with an interactive tide pool at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Walk through the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden

Take a Trip on the Roaring Camp Railroad

This is a short detour inland, and it's well worth the trip. The Roaring Camp Railroad is a train depot in the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park where you can hop on an old fashioned steam train for a trip through the redwood forest. If you’re there on the weekend, you can catch the train right from the Santa Cruz boardwalk.

I visited on a family trip and we all loved it. I wanted to see the redwood trees without a strenuous hike, and this was the perfect way to do it. Riding the open air train was super fun for everyone. Halfway through the ride, they made a stop for photos and we had time for a quick walk among the trees.

Central California

If you keep heading south on Highway 1, you'll pass into Central California. With cliffs and valleys galore, you'll see more beaches and parks with postcard perfect views. As you continue down Highway 1, you’ll pass by tons of small towns, scenic spots and stopping points.

Monterey

The city of Monterey has some of the most beautiful coastal views in California. Take some time to drive around the peninsula and take in the views. Stop for a walk at Lover’s Point Park. And be sure to get a honeymoon photo at the Kissing Rock.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has over 200 exhibits and 80,000 plants and animals. The aquarium is in an old fishing cannery and it juts out into the Pacific Ocean. From the deck you can spot a kelp forest and sea otters.

Inside you’ll find interactive exhibits and touch pools. Plus the chance to join behind the scene tours. If you have time, I highly recommend watching feeding time for the African penguin colony.

17 Mile Drive

This is a famous drive that passes through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove. Entry costs $11.25 per car, but if you spend $35 at one of the restaurant, you’ll be given a credit to cover the entry cost. If you decide to pack a picnic instead, the entry fee is totally worth it for the views.

Along the drive you’ll see sandy beaches, coves and tons of wildlife. Don’t miss Bird Rock, Seal Rock and the Lone Cypress.

Carmel By the Sea

The Carmel city council describes their city as “a village in a forest overlooking a white sand beach”. It is exactly as charming as it sounds. In Carmel you’ll find picturesque streets with galleries and shops. Gorgeous little cafes and restaurants. Plus historic homes that are straight out of a fairy tale.

Big Sur

South of Carmel you’ll find Big Sur, a mountainous, rustic section of California. If you’re continuing on Highway 1, you’ll find the iconic Bixby Bridge and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. If you go for a hike in the state park, you can see the famous waterfall that pours directly into the Pacific Ocean.

San Simeon

South of Big Sur you’ll find San Simeon, where you can stop for a tour of Hearst Castle. In 1919 William Randolph Hearst purchased thousands of acres of land to build his dream resort. He called it La Cuesta Encantada, or the Enchanted Hill in Spanish.

It took nearly 30 years to complete and included 2 pools, wine cellars, art galleries and a personal zoo. Today, you can visit and see the spectacular rooms, gardens and art.

Southern California

If you keep heading south on Highway 1 you’ll reach sunny SoCal! Beginning at Santa Barbara, you’ll find countless beaches, parks and exciting cities with lots of things to do.

Santa Barbara

If you’re looking for upscale activities, Santa Barbara is the place to find wine tours and boutique hotel stays. You could plan a beach day at one of the many beaches in Santa Barbara. Or book a kayaking tour through the Channel Islands.

Join this e-bike tour and you’ll enjoy biking between wineries for wine tasting, olive oil tasting and a picnic lunch: Santa Barbara Vineyard to Table Taste Tour by E-Bike.

Malibu

Malibu is renowned for it’s beautiful beaches. For the best beaches, check out Zuma Beach, Surfrider Beach and the Malibu Pier. If you’d like to take a surfing lesson, Malibu is the perfect place to try it out.

Before you leave town, take a tour of the Getty Villa. And for one more spectacular view, make some time to hike to the waterfall at Escondido Falls.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the quintessential California experience. Here you’ll find everything from upscale shopping to quirky street performers and Hollywood shows.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

For a classic LA activity, take a walk down Hollywood Boulevard and check out your favorite stars. Stop in at the Chinese Theater for one of their daily IMAX movies.

Santa Monica Pier

For a fun beach day, head down to the Santa Monica Pier. The Pier juts out into the Pacific Ocean and has fun games, rides and carnival food. End the day with a romantic view of the sunset from the top of the ferris wheel.

Venice Beach

Spend a day at Venice beach. You can go swimming, surfing and sunbathing. Take a walk on the Venice Beach Boardwalk to see quirky street performers and souvenir shops. Stop by the Muscle Beach Gym and see where Arnold Schwarzenegger began his training.

When you’re tired of the beach, the nearby Abbot Kinney Boulevard offers top tier shopping, restaurants and food trucks.

Rodeo Drive

Take a walk down Rodeo Drive, the 2 mile stretch of designer shops. The street is home to the most expensive hotels and boutiques in the world. Don’t worry if you can’t afford a souvenir - you can always head around the corner to Sprinkles for a cupcake and a possible celebrity sighting.

Griffith Park and Observatory

Take a walk in Griffith Park for an amazing view of LA. If you stop to visit the Griffith Park Observatory you can see exhibits, shows and films. Griffith Park is also the starting point for the Mount Hollywood Trail if you’re going to hike up to the Hollywood sign.

Spot Some Celebrities

Don’t leave LA without taking a classic celebrity bus tour! This tour from Viator will take you on an open air bus to see the most iconic sights in LA. You’ll also see filming locations and past and present mansions of the rich and famous: Hollywood Sightseeing and Celebrity Homes Tour by Open Bus tours.

Palm Springs

If you’d like to extend your road trip, Palm Springs is a 2 hour and 45 minute drive from LA. In Palm Spring you’ll find colorful hotels, shops and restaurants.

Joshua Tree National Park

From Palm Springs, Joshua Tree is a one hour drive. To see the famous trees, you can take a hike along the Barker Dam Trail or hike to the Lost Horse Mine. Stop to see the rock formations at Skull Rock, Arch Rock and Split Rock.