Big Sur

As soon as you get to the section of the Pacific Coast Highway, which connects Carmel-by-the-Sea to Big Sur on your central California coastal road trip, you’ll start seeing many vista points where you’ll want to pull over and snap some pics.

Be sure to catch the one approaching Bixby Bridge. Even though you’ll find many other tourists getting out of their cars to take selfies with a stunning view like that, can you blame them? While in the area, stop and check out Hearst Castle, off Highway 1 in San Simeon.

This Mediterranean Revival-style mansion, perched on a hilltop above Highway 1, is well-known for its extreme luxury, which is on full display in the mansion’s private library, its Neptune Pool, and the international antiquities that Hearst cultivated primarily through Sotheby’s auction house.

At one point, Hearst Castle was even home to the world’s largest private zoo.

Nowadays, the property is part of the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, and visitors on this central California coastal road trip have many Must-See landmarks to choose from, including “Designing the Dream” and “Art of San Simeon.”