When driving highway 1 between LA and SF

Driving between LA and SF is often associated with the famous highway 1. Lots of bridges, beaches and mountains.

However if you live in one of these places you’d have probably done this zillions of time, and it’s time to find something different. Or maybe beach isn’t your thing. Maybe you like, um architecture, or smaller towns? This post is about Hearst Castle and a little town called Cambria very close to the castle.

Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle is in the San Luis Obispo area of California, roughly half-way from San Francisco and Los Angeles. This castle, built by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his architect Julia Morgan, the first woman architect licensed in California.

Hearst Castle is known for its outdoor Neptune Pool and Indoor Roman Pool, both of which are shown as a part of the tour run by the CA State Parks.

The huge dining room for guests of William Hearst

IMG_20191109_124012 — Views from the Castle

IMG_20191109_124035 — The tour of the castle begins here

Cambria

Cambria is a small village very close to the Castle. With lots of small shops, cafes with friendly people, antique shops and markets to walk around, this is perfect for an overnight stop if driving between Los Angeles and San Francisco, or for coffee and snacks if doing a day tip to Hearst Castle.

Our favorite was “The Café on Bridge St” which became the highlight of our trip, and we cannot recommend this place enough for its extremely friendly owners and delicious sandwiches. We will definitely stop here for a bite next time we drive to LA.

I’ll talk about this cafe with 10 tables more than talking about a castle full of beauty when I tell about this trip to my friends. A small cafe, or a roadside dhaaba or even a roadside vista point can build more memories and bonds over the laughs, than the famous touristy sites.