Las Vegas vs Pacific Coast Highway

Las Vegas built an entire city around entertainment — the Strip's casino resorts recreate Paris, Venice, and New York within walking distance of each other, staging residencies, fountain shows, and round-the-clock dining. Beyond the neon, Red Rock Canyon and the Grand Canyon are both feasible day trips from a city that never fully turns its lights off.

Driving the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to San Francisco is the classic American road trip, a roughly 450-mile ribbon of asphalt that clings to cliffs, dips into surf towns and threads some of the most dramatic coastline on Earth. Start with the beach cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, then roll north to Santa Barbara's red-tile roofs and its graceful Spanish mission. Next come the laid-back college town of San Luis Obispo and the wide sands of Pismo Beach, followed by the hilltop opulence of Hearst Castle and hundreds of elephant seals lounging on the beach at Piedras Blancas. The highlight is Big Sur, where Highway 1 winds high above the ocean past McWay Falls and the arching Bixby Creek Bridge before reaching storybook Carmel-by-the-Sea and the world-class Monterey Bay Aquarium. Five days is the sweet spot for the drive, with extra days for San Francisco, Napa Valley wine country and the coast south of the city. One important warning: landslides regularly close sections of Highway 1 in Big Sur, so check Caltrans QuickMap before you set out and be ready to detour inland on US-101 or do Big Sur as an out-and-back from Carmel.