From Salinas to Ventura is more than 300 miles, so getting around can be quite a proposition. The main artery of the Central Coast is undoubtedly US 101 – now a freeway virtually its entire length. 101 connects San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Oxnard with Los Angeles. The Monterey Peninsula is a few miles to the west. Outside of the Monterey Peninsula there are few towns of any size off 101, Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is an exception.
The rail route essentially follows 101, or, more accurately, 101 was built along the pre-existing rail corridor. There is only one train a day – the often unreliable Coast Starlight – that covers the whole corridor. The Pacific Surfliners to Los Angeles and San Diego go as far north as Paso Robles in northern San Luis Obispo County, there is more service from Santa Barbara south. Amtrak Thruway buses cover gaps in train service. Greyhound serves Santa Cruz, Salinas, King City, Paso Robles, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, and Oxnard (but not Ventura), connecting to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
There are commercial airports near Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and (the largest) Santa Barbara, there are no flights within the Central Coast, only flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Central Coast (California)
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Central Coast (California) - updated May 2024
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Central Coast (California) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
