3 Days: LA and Southern California
Three days keeps LA itself as your base and turns every day into a proper Southern California day trip: Disneyland, a Malibu coast run, and a full push up the 101 to Santa Barbara. Same spine as our 2-day plan , one more full day added. Going longer? The 4-day version adds Catalina Island.
Book these before you go
- A rental car for all three days: compare cars in Los Angeles
- Disneyland’s dated one-day ticket: book directly on the official site
- A Santa Barbara wine tasting slot for weekends: browse tours on GetYourGuide
| Day | Trip | Distance / Drive Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disneyland, Anaheim | 30-45 mi / 45-90 min southeast |
| 2 | Malibu + PCH | 36 mi / ~1 hr northwest |
| 3 | Santa Barbara | 96 mi / 1h40-2h up the 101 |
Day 1: Disneyland, Anaheim
Morning
Leave before 8am, Disneyland sits in Anaheim, 45 to 90 minutes from central LA depending on traffic, and this is a full-day commitment, not a lunch-hour detour. Single-day 2026 tickets run roughly $104 to $224 depending on the date.
Afternoon
Disneyland Park and California Adventure sit next to each other and share one ticket, budget the whole day if you want both. Lightning Lane passes cut down on standing in line and are worth the add if you’re only doing this once.
Evening
Dinner in Downtown Disney, then the drive back. Nothing else scheduled after this day, it’s the longest single stretch of driving in the whole three days.
Is Disneyland Worth a Full Day From LA?
Yes, and it’s the day this itinerary is built around. Treat it as an early-start, full-effort day: leave ahead of traffic, decide upfront if both parks are on the agenda, and don’t try to bolt anything else onto the evening.
Day 2: Malibu and the Coast
Morning
North on PCH, a free and scenic drive the whole way. There’s a 25 mph zone through the Palisades fire-repair area between Temescal Canyon Road and Carbon Beach Terrace, with work continuing into fall 2026, so pace this stretch as slow, not fast. Current closures are posted on Caltrans’ PCH recovery page .
Afternoon
Zuma Beach or Point Dume, budget $10-20+ for parking. This is the payoff for renting the car in the first place, open stretches of sand that most day-trippers never reach.
Evening
Dinner at a pier-adjacent spot in Malibu, or head back toward Santa Monica for an earlier night. Weekend and Sunday-evening return traffic on PCH is real, budget extra time for it.
How Long Do You Actually Need for Malibu?
Half a day covers the beach and drive; a full day lets you linger longer on the sand or add a slower lunch. It’s the most flexible day of the three, easy to trim if Day 3’s Santa Barbara push needs an earlier start the next morning.
Day 3: Santa Barbara
Morning
Ninety minutes to two hours north on the 101, a genuinely pretty drive once you clear the Valley. Arrive by mid-morning for coffee on State Street.
Midday
In June 2026 the city council voted to keep State Street’s downtown blocks closed to regular vehicle traffic through the interim period, so park in a garage off State Street and walk from there, don’t circle looking for curbside parking that no longer exists. Current closures are posted on the city’s State Street project page . Lunch downtown near the Arts District blocks by the Arlington and Granada theatres.
Afternoon
Santa Barbara wine country sits just inland if you booked a tasting, or stick to the waterfront and harbor for a slower pace. Either way, this day is meant to feel unhurried after two fuller ones.
Is Santa Barbara a Long Day Trip or Worth an Overnight?
A day trip works fine and is what this itinerary uses, but it’s a long one: figure 4-5 hours of driving round trip on top of however long you spend in town. If you’d rather not do that round trip in one day, it’s the easiest of the eight California day trips to convert into a one-night stay instead.
Things to know: rent at LAX , not downtown, cheaper and you’ll want it from Day 1 onward. Parking adds up everywhere, $10-25 depending on the neighborhood, more in Santa Barbara’s paid garages. Pack sunscreen regardless of any coastal haze, the sun burns through it by afternoon, and pack a layer too, since mornings on the water run cooler than the “sunny California” reputation implies.
Check your rental’s return policy against your flight time before you go. A late Day 3 return from Santa Barbara, with weekend 101 traffic thrown in, has derailed more than one departure. For the version of this trip that adds Catalina Island and the desert, see our full LA day trip guide .