7 Days: LA and the SoCal Day Trips
Same six days as the shorter version, Malibu, Disneyland, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Catalina, Joshua Tree, plus a seventh day that picks a climate instead of adding a new one. Only got six days? Drop the last day and see the 6-day version . This is the longest plan in the family; there’s no 8-day version because seven gateway trips already covers what LA can reach and return from in a day.
Book these before you go
- Rental car for the whole trip: 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
- Catalina Island day trip, if you’d rather skip managing the ferry yourself: book a bundled tour
Day 1: Land, Then Malibu and the PCH
Clear LAX, pick up the rental car, get on PCH before midday. Malibu is 36 miles, about an hour out. Zuma or El Matador for the beach, Neptune’s Net for dinner. Confirm current PCH road status before you go; fire-related damage from January 2025 lingered into 2026 in stretches of Malibu.
Day 2: Disneyland
Anaheim, 45 to 90 minutes out. 2026 single-day tickets run $104 to $224 by date; Park Hopper adds $70-90. Parking is a separate $30-plus. Buy the dated ticket ahead and arrive at rope drop.
Day 3: San Diego
120 miles south on I-5, 2 to 3 hours light traffic. A full day for Balboa Park, the Zoo, and the Gaslamp Quarter if you leave by 7am, or take the Pacific Surfliner instead.
Day 4: Santa Barbara
96 miles up the 101, 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours. State Street and the Funk Zone cost nothing to walk; budget $30-60 a person for parking, lunch, and a stop at one of the rooms Santa Barbara’s tourism site lists.
Day 5: Catalina Island
Drive to Long Beach and catch Catalina Express , a 1-hour-to-75-minute crossing, roughly $99-106 round trip plus a $10 wharfage fee. Confirm your return sailing before doing anything else in Avalon.
Day 6: Joshua Tree
128 to 131 miles east, 2 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours, worse on Friday. Entrance runs $30 per vehicle for 7 days; no non-resident surcharge here and no timed-entry reservation for day use as of 2026, per NPS’s current fee page . Fuel up first, cell service and gas are both scarce inside the park.
Day 7: Big Bear or Palm Springs, Pick One
Two genuinely different last days, both roughly two hours out in opposite directions, and trying to combine them wastes the whole day driving between them instead of doing either one properly. Big Bear is 97-100 miles into the San Bernardino Mountains, 1 hour 50 to 2 hours 30; the lake and village cost nothing to visit, and winter lodging with lift tickets runs $150-350-plus a night once snow season hits. Palm Springs is 105-110 miles east, 1 hour 45 to 2 hours 30 depending on Inland Empire traffic; downtown is free to walk and a resort day pass with pool access runs $40-75-plus. Pick Palm Springs October through April; pick Big Bear in winter if snow is the point, and skip both in July when the desert clears 100F and the mountain town loses its main draw.
Do You Need the Rental Car on Day Seven?
Yes, for either choice. Neither Big Bear nor Palm Springs has a practical transit link from LA, and the mountain roads into Big Bear, CA-18 and CA-330, can close or require chains in winter storms, which is itself a reason to have your own car rather than a rideshare stranded at the base.
Big Bear or Palm Springs, Which Do You Actually Pick?
Match it to the season, not a coin flip. Big Bear in December through March rewards you with snow most visitors don’t expect from a Southern California trip; Palm Springs from October through April gives you a warm desert day when the mountain is either closed or just cold and wet. In peak summer, both are compromised, one by heat, one by a slow off-season.
What Should You Cut If You Only Have Six Days?
Cut day seven entirely, not one of the earlier six. Big Bear and Palm Springs are the only bonus-round options that duplicate each other’s slot, so dropping the pair costs you the least relative to the other days. See the 6-day version if that’s your call.
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+ |
A week here is a Southern California trip that happens to start in LA. Book the rental car for all seven days, not just the far-flung ones; day one needs it just as badly as day six.