The LA to San Diego drive is one of the great road American road trips, as this spectacular route takes you through the best sights that Southern California has to offer.
If you have plenty of time for your LA to San Diego drive, then you can leave the car behind in Long Beach and catch a ferry across to Santa Catalina Island.
Dana Point is where the South Coast Highway merges with I-5, and you can choose to carry on south on your LA to San Diego drive, or you can choose to take a quick inland detour to San Juan Capistrano.