3 Days: LA and the SoCal Day Trips
Same bones as the two-day version, Malibu first, Disneyland second, plus a third day that pushes all the way to San Diego. Only got two days? Drop the San Diego stretch and see the 2-day version . Got a fourth day? The 4-day plan adds Santa Barbara.
Book these before you go
- Rental car for all three days: Discover Cars, Los Angeles
- Disneyland dated tickets: book on the official site
- LA hotel near the freeway you’ll actually use: check rates on Booking.com
Day 1: Land, Then Malibu and the PCH
Clear LAX, pick up the rental car, and get on the Pacific Coast Highway before midday. Malibu is 36 miles and about an hour out, worse on weekends. Zuma or El Matador for the beach, Neptune’s Net for fish and chips among the motorcycles. Confirm current PCH road status before you go; the January 2025 Palisades fire left lingering damage in stretches of Malibu, and rebuilding was still active into 2026. Drive back on PCH at dusk rather than cutting inland.
Day 2: Disneyland
Anaheim is 45 to 90 minutes from central LA, Orange County, not an LA neighborhood. 2026 single-day, one-park tickets run $104 to $224 by date; Park Hopper adds roughly $70-90. Parking is a separate $30-plus. Buy the dated ticket before you leave home and arrive at rope drop; you’ll beat both the lines and the evening freeway crawl.
Day 3: San Diego
120 miles south on I-5, 2 to 3 hours in light traffic, well over 4 at peak. Leave by 7am and you have a full day for Balboa Park, the Zoo, and the Gaslamp Quarter before the drive back. There’s no entrance fee because it isn’t an attraction, it’s a full city. If you’d rather not drive both directions in one day, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner runs the same coastal route and drops you close to downtown.
Do You Need the Rental Car Every Day?
Yes, for Malibu and Disneyland; San Diego has a genuine alternative in the Pacific Surfliner train if you’d rather read a book than watch I-5 traffic. Everything else on this three-day plan runs on the car from the moment you leave LAX.
Should You Stay Overnight in San Diego Instead?
If you want more than the greatest hits, yes. A single day gets you Balboa Park and a Gaslamp dinner and not much else once the drive time is subtracted; an overnight turns a rushed loop into an actual visit. This itinerary keeps it a day trip because three total days doesn’t leave room for a fourth night’s hotel bill.
What Should You Cut If You Only Have Two Days?
Cut San Diego first; it’s the newest addition and the one with a real train alternative for a future trip. Malibu and Disneyland are the two that don’t flex, one for the drive itself and one for the dated ticket, so protect those and see the 2-day version if a day gets cut.
The Distances, Side by Side
| Day trip | Distance from LA | Drive time | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malibu and the PCH | 36 miles | ~1 hour (worse weekends) | Free drive; beach parking $10-20+ |
| Disneyland (Anaheim) | 30-45 miles | 45-90 min | $104-224 single-day ticket (+$70-90 Park Hopper) |
| San Diego | ~120 miles | 2-3 hrs (4+ peak) | No entry fee; it’s a city |
| Santa Barbara | 96 miles | 1h40-2h | Free to walk; ~$30-60pp parking/food/tasting |
| Catalina Island | Ferry from Long Beach | ~1h-1h15 crossing | ~$99-106 round trip + $10 wharfage |
| Joshua Tree NP | 128-131 miles | 2h15-3h (Fri worse) | $30/vehicle (7-day) |
| Big Bear | 97-100 miles | 1h50-2h30 | Free to visit; lodging $150-350+/night in winter |
| Palm Springs | 105-110 miles | 1h45-2h30 | Free downtown; day-passes $40-75+ |
Fill the tank before the San Diego drive back; gas near the border towns runs cheaper than anything close to LAX.