🚗 Euro-themed stops on this famous drive

Howdy Roadtrippers,

In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned I was kinda hooked on finding more U.S. destinations that give that European feel. And several of y’all commented on last week’s Pit Stop Poll with the same response: "check out Solvang, California."

Which got me thinking, because I know several of you have expressed interest in a Pacific Coast Highway road trip…

Plus, a previous poll showed the Southwest — which included California on the map we used — was one of the most requested regions by Roadtripper readers.

And wouldn’t you know it, you can meet all of those criteria with a single road trip.

So let’s do it.

• 🇪🇺 The Pacific Coast Highway’s Euro towns

• 💳 Which cards to save on rentals

• 🚗 Rent and save on specialty cars

• 🛑 The Pit Stop Poll: Dealer’s choice

 🇪🇺 The Pacific Coast Highway’s Euro towns

Now, our very first Roadtripper took us down the PCH and shared a few places to stay along the way. But it’s an iconic 600+ mile drive full of gorgeous views and plenty of unique towns to stop in along the way, so you could do a different version every time. 

This version is just a section of the full drive, but includes three different stops with distinct European influences.

Our starting point: Monterey, CA

San Francisco (SFO) or San Jose (SJC) are the bigger airports in the area, but you’ll drive longer and in more traffic if you opt for those routes. If possible, see if you could fly into the Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) to save yourself time, money (gas prices in California be crazy), and the headache of traffic.

Take a whale-watching tour from Old Fisherman’s Wharf, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium – one of the best in the country, and drive the private 17-Mile Drive through Pebble Beach.

The 17-Mile Drive is a much more relaxed but still famously scenic coastal drive: part forest, part coastline, part mansion neighborhood, and part golf-course circuit. It’s accessible from multiple parts of the peninsula – including Carmel, which is the first big stop on this itinerary.

An English village with a twist

If the Cotswolds of England feel out of reach, this small California village has made its own little West Coast version, complete with storybook cottages, winding pedestrian passageways, and secret courtyards.

Carmel-by-the-Sea was intentionally designed to evoke the fairytale village vibes of its southern U.K. inspiration. This quaint, romantic village sits on the Pacific Ocean, boasts over 100 art galleries, and offers something for wine sippers and nature lovers alike. And over the years, the town has maintained its whimsy by restricting commercial development, fast-food chains, streetlights, neon signs, and more.

If proximity to the Pacific Ocean isn’t enough to remind you that you’re not actually in the U.K., head to the Carmel Mission. This Spanish mission built in 1771 is one of 21 historical missions in California.  

Heading south from Carmel-by-the-Sea, you’ll wind through the breathtaking, nerve-wracking Big Sur portion of the PCH. Fill up the tank and check conditions before heading out, as this stretch has limited gas stations and cell service, and has previously been closed due to landslides and wildfires.

After you cross the iconic Bixby Bridge, past 90 miles of steep bluffs, sharp drops, and famous PCH views, you’ll reach San Luis Obispo, home to a second Spanish mission on this drive — Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.

If you want to really lean into the Euro bent of this PCH trip, a stop at Hearst Castle in San Simeon is a must. With 115 rooms of European art and architecture, plus guest houses and gardens, Hearst Castle is a massive luxury compound steeped in history—both art and celebrity, having hosted former presidents, famous playwrights, Winston Churchill, and Charlie Chaplin. (Book your visit in advance.)

An hour or so south of San Luis Obispo, is the town that sparked this whole Euro-focused itinerary: Solvang, California.

A Danish detour

A group of Danish-American educators (go teachers!) from the Midwest founded Solvang, California, in 1911. Their aim was to preserve their Danish heritage while escaping the brutal winter weather.

After WW2, the town leaned into its Danish roots, styling Solvang to look and feel like Denmark to attract tourists. Today it's known as the Danish Capital of America. Think:

• Half-timbered buildings and multiple windmills

• Authentic bakeries selling aebelskiver, puffy pancake bites covered in powdered sugar that resemble donut holes

• A replica of Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid statue

• A Hans Christian Andersen museum

The real Danish royals have even visited Solvang, and it draws over a million visitors each year, so the illusion must have earned approval. A worthwhile detour from the PCH.

The Danish town sits in the Santa Ynez Valley, a growing wine region. Add stops in Los Olivos for more tasting rooms, Santa Ynez for western-town vibes, and Buellton for Ostrichland USA to round out a visit to the valley.

Solvang is also home to a third Spanish mission on this drive: Old Mission Santa Inés, a reminder that Spanish and Chumash history there predates the Danes.

A Spanish presidio

Rounding out our taste-of-Europe trio is Santa Barbara, originally a Spanish presidio (fortified military settlement) and mission in the 1700s. An earthquake in 1925 destroyed much of the town, and the rebuilding borrowed heavily from the Spanish Colonial Revival style:

The crown jewel is Old Mission Santa Barbara, known as “Queen of the Missions” and widely touted as the most beautiful of California’s missions. It’s the only one with two matching bell towers, which adds to its striking appearance.

Beyond the mission, Santa Barbara is known as the “American Riviera” for its Mediterranean climate and coastal mountains reminiscent of France and Italy.

The resemblance doesn’t stop there: stroll boulevards lined with palm trees, spot luxury yachts in the harbor, sample upscale local cuisine, and sip wines you can’t afford not to finish.

One of America's most expensive housing markets, Santa Barbara is a stop for a luxuriously good time, not a long one. After a ritzy, relaxing stay, you can either wrap up your drive and fly home from the Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) or keep heading south to LA and beyond to the southern terminus of the PCH.

💳 Which cards to save on rentals

Let’s take a look at renting this Corolla and see what two different cards can do for us. It’s priced at $485 or 48,492 miles for a week-long rental with pick-up at the Monterey Airport and drop off at the Santa Barbara Airport.

Now if you saw Mike’s email on Monday, you saw an example of how you can use the annual $300 travel credit that comes with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to save on rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

This credit is super flexible on all travel, so you could use it for flights, hotels, vacation rentals, or rental cars — basically anything that you can book through Capital One Travel.

So you could knock the price down to just $185 for this rental, with different pick up/drop off locations on the coast of California.

The Venture X is a fantastic card for car rentals anyways, as it’s one of the few cards that comes with primary car rental coverage (so it kicks in before your personal car insurance). 👇

But if you’re not into the higher annual fee, never fear.

If you have the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (read: lower annual fee), you can always redeem miles for your rental through Capital One Travel at 1 cents-per-mile.

Is it the best deal? No. Your miles are usually worth more when transferring them to partners and booking flights or hotels. But if you’re a diehard road tripper and just want to save on your next rental, your Capital One Miles can be used for car rentals in the travel portal.

The elevated welcome offer comes in handy too. You’ll earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, so you could use part of that and redeem 48,492 miles for the same week-long trip, meaning this rental car would cost you nothing.

Then use the one-time $300 Capital One Stays credit from the welcome offer to book hotels and vacation rentals along the way. You gotta use it within your first cardholder year anyways, so there’s no time like the present. Suddenly this PCH trip is starting to look a lot more reasonable.👀

Obviously, weigh the other pros and cons of these cards, and shop around to see if the cost is comparable elsewhere. But if your focus is to save on car rentals, either of these cards would do the trick. 💪

🚗 Rent and save on specialty cars

Now, if you want to drive a specific car down the PCH — like a classic convertible or a self-driving Tesla — you might be out of luck with traditional car rental agencies.

Enter Turo, a peer-to-peer car rental agency that functions a lot like Airbnb. Car owners — many of whom use the platform as a business and own a fleet of rental cars — rent out their cars, so you have plenty of unique options.

You can find everything from Toyota Priuses and Sprinter vans to high-end luxury vehicles that this girl will not be touching. And because Southern California is their biggest market, there's plenty to choose from for a trip like this.

The prices below look crazy, but they’re for a weeklong rental. Not sure I’d trust myself with that Dodge Dart for a week, but it’d make for one hell of a classic drive.

And it gets better: if you have a card that earns UR points or MR points, you might have an offer for Turo to spend $150 and get $30 back on your rental.

All you have to do is add the offer to your card in the app, make a qualifying reservation, and pay with the card at checkout. You’ll later receive a statement credit for $30.

A few things to consider:

• Find a host with good reviews to avoid low-quality or last-minute cancellations

• Pick up/drop off in different locations can only be done after booking and is subject to host approval

• Credit card rental insurance may not apply (and your personal car insurance might not either, so definitely double check this before booking)

But wait, there’s more

Because this is a credit card offer, you can stack it with a shopping portal like Rakuten to earn an additional 2x points on your rental.

Bottom line

Is this a groundbreaking deal? No. Is this a reason to go out of your way to try Turo? Probably not. But if you want to see the sights on the PCH while a Tesla does the driving or rent a classic car for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, this might be for you.

🛑 The Pit Stop Poll: Dealer’s choice

🚘 The Dashboard 🚘

While there’s plenty more to say about the PCH, I hoped this scratched that itch for some of y’all.

Lemme know where ya want this Roadtripper to head next!

Until next time! ❤️

Katie Begnoche
Writer, Daily Drop
29.7604° N , 95.3698° W

with contributions by Sam Anthony.