Driving the West Coast USA

Traveling sixty miles northwest of  Los Angeles your first stop will be the seaside city of Oxnard  has restaurants, hotels, cafes and shops, and you can visit the historic Heritage Square.

From its breathtaking sunny shores to its diverse cultural activities, Oxnard is a welcome retreat. With its miles of golden beaches and friendly seaside city, it is alive with activities and events.

The Channel Islands Harbor offers a great site seeing day out, two miles from the historic downtown. Kayaking, electric boat rentals, private yacht and sailing charters, sport-fishing and scuba diving are among the many activities Oxnard's outdoors activities. And, if you prefer land based activities, Oxnard is an ideal venue for golf, biking, hiking and sightseeing.

Mission Santa Barbara, "The Queen of the Missions," is located on a rise about two miles inland from the harbour. Thi salong with other historic buildings measn you can enjoy the authentic Spanish architecture dating back to the town's early colonial roots.

Santa Barbara is equally well known for its Arts and Entertainment, with the Arts and Crafts show held on Cabrillo Blvd., east of Stearns Wharf every Sunday featuring artwork made by artists and crafts people that live in Santa Barbara County.

Performing arts also feature highlight in the town with venues, including the Arlington Theatre, the Lobero Theatre or the Granada Theatre, where event listings can be found at the Santa Barbara Performing Arts League.

The route then takes you to the seaside town of Carmel, which is a perfect place for a stopover, past the city of Monterey and on to Santa Cruz, which is famous for its beach boardwalk.

From here, you’ll enter the San Francisco Bay. The bay area has so much to explore, including Silicon Valley’s innovations, Marin’s Headlands, Napa’s vineyards, and Berkeley’s free spirit. You can view some wonderful picturesque coastal towns, along the way into San Francisco itself.

There are many attractions to see in San Francsico, from cable cars, steep streets, to the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge. The city holds a high concentration of fine restaurants, shopping centres, activities and attractions.

Discover the sights by visiting the East Bay where you can find the unique Lake Marritt, Jack London Square, and the Oakland Museum of California. An hours drive north is Vallejo, which holds the Six Flags Marine World theme park, and with Napa County nearby you can visit America’s best known wine region.

The South Bay holds the infamous Silicon Valley, home to the state-of-the-art The Tech Museum of Innovation, the intriguing Victorian era Winchester Mystery House, and the new Mexican Cultural Heritage Gardens and Plaza.

After exploring the city, you can then either drive back to Los Angeles, return your hire car and fly back to Los Angeles, or finish your holiday here and fly home.

If you’re thinking of taking a roadtrip along the Pacific Coast Highway, car hire firm Easycar will allow you to pick up your hire car in Los Angeles and drop it off at San Francisco Airport.