Thanks to a car-friendly culture and an unrivalled network of highways, taking a road trip across America is very appealing. And if you are looking for inspiration for a USA road trip look no further. Based on my own American travels I have put together this 1 month USA road trip itinerary taking you to many of the best bits of America. Of course you can’t go everywhere in one month, but we give it a good try on this road trip in America.
Where to Start this American Road Trip?
This great American road trip starts in New York and ends in San Francisco. Of course, you can do the trip in reverse or even deviate. This itinerary is a driving itinerary of the USA so you will need a car. A car or a van. If you don’t have one you can rent one, get availability and a great rate here. If you aren’t taking your accommodation with you, you will need to find accommodation at each nightly stop. Either walk in to a motel when you have pulled into town or book in advance. I always use Booking.com when pre-booking accommodation. When searching for accommodation it shows me what accommodation is available, if it is available and the price.
Unfortunately, we can’t visit every state on this road trip, but this road trip is a good start. It includes visits to many cities as you cross the USA from coast to coast. There are many routes you could take across the USA, I hope you enjoy this one.
1 Month Across USA Road Trip Itinerary at a Glance
Days
1-3 – New York
4 – driving to Washington
5-6 – Washington
7 – driving to Chicago
8-10 – Chicago
11-20 – Route 66 – Chicago to Santa Monica
21-23 – Los Angeles
24-26 – driving to San Francisco
27-29 – San Francisco
Days 1-3 – New York City, NY
Times Square, New York
New York is home to over eight million people and is where this one month USA road trip itinerary begins. There is so much to see and do here in New York to make the time to see as much as you can. After settling in to your accommodation, start making the most of your time in New York. I hope you’ve brought a good pair of walking shoes!
Where to Stay in New York
Hostel: Jazz on the Park Youth Hostel
Budget Hotel: Bowery Grand Hotel
Mid-range Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Times Square West
Splurge Hotel: Hyatt Grand Central New York
Best Things to See and Do in New York
- You may wish to purchase a New York City Pass allowing you to save on entrance fees.
- Take the New York Hop-on Hop-off Bus to all the best bests in New York. Then you can go back to those spots you want to spend longer at.
- Go on a walking tour of New York, which you can book through GetYourGuide.
- See the Statue of Liberty when you pay a visit to Ellis Island. Or take the Ferry to Staten Island and see it for free while passing by.
- Visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum – There is a park commemorating the victims of 9/11 at the base of the Freedom Tower. Head inside the museum and see over 14,000 artefacts from that that day.
- Go to the top of the Empire State Building for great views over the city. Hopefully, it is a clear day.
- Wander Central Park. This 843 acre park is one of the bet free attractions in town. Walk, hike, picnic or just people watch.
- Cross the Brooklyn Bridge for great Manhattan skyline views. It will take about 40 minutes to cross but this depends on how many photo stops you make.
- Explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) to see some of the best art collections in the world.
For more ideas of things to see and do in New York City, here’s my suggested New York itinerary.
Days 4-6 – to Washington, DC
Abraham Lincoln in the memorial
Distance: Washington is around 204 miles (329 km) from New York City and should take around four and a half hours to drive. Washington, DC, is the capital of the USA. There are plenty of iconic buildings to visit here.
Where to Stay in Washington
Hostel: DC International Hostel 2
Budget: The Westin Washington DC
Mid-range Hotel: Washington Plaza Hotel
Splurge Hotel: Sofitel Lafayette Hotel
Best Things to See and Do in Washington
- Take the Washington Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour to see all the best spots in Washington. Then you can return to those you want to stay longer at.
- Visit iconic buildings of the Capital, White House and Supreme Court.
- See the Lincoln Memorial. This is a 19-foot statue of America’s 16th president that is surrounded by 36 columns – one for each state in the union at the time of his death in 1865. It is located on the National Mall.
- Tour the Smithsonian Institution which is a group of world-class museums and research centres. Definitely visit the Air and Space Museum and the American Art Museum.
Days 7 – Drive to Chicago via Pittsburg
Distance: Chicago is a long drive from Washington. Some 700 miles (1126 km) which will take anywhere up to 11-12 hours to undertake, depending on stops you make. You may want to even stop in Pittsburg for a day or so.
Days 8-10 – Chicago, Illinois
When in Chicago eating Deep Pan Pizza is a must!
Welcome to the Windy City – Chicago. Why is it called the windy city? Two reasons. First because of strong winds that can hit the city plus, it was believed a lot of people were full of wind! Find out for yourself!
Where to Stay in Chicago
Hostel: Hi Chicago Hostel
Budget: Gateway Inn
Mid-range Hotel: Congress Plaza Hotel Chicago
Splurge Hotel: Viceroy Chicago
Best Things to See and Do in Chicago
- Start your visit to Chicago on the Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour which will take you to all the best spots in Chicago. Then you can choose which ones you wish to return to.
- Relax in Grant and Millennium Parks. Both parks are great to relax in, have a picnic or walk around.
- Enjoy a Deep-dish Pizza. Chicago is known for deep-dish pizzas so definitely try this local favourite.
Start your drive along Route 66 at the sign on the northwest corner of Adams Street and Michigan Avenue. Why not get a photo if you can to commemorate the beginning of this 1 month USA road trip journey.
Days 11-20 – Route 66
Route 66 is one of the world’s most iconic drives. It starts in Chicago and ends at Santa Monica Pier in California. Travelling some 2200 miles, if you drive direct it would take a couple of days. On this 1 month USA road trip, I have budgeted 10 days for the drive where you will take in some of the best things in the USA to see along the way. Head over to my post The Best Things to See and Do on Route 66 for this part of the road trip USA itinerary. Starting in Chicago, Illinois you will travel across 8 states. Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona before arriving in California and the end of the road at Santa Monica Pier.
There is plenty to see along Route 66 and you can deviate off the road to visit iconic places like the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.
Days 21-23 – Los Angeles
See Disneyland Castle in Disneyland, Anaheim, Los Angeles
Route 66 ends at Santa Monica Pier in California. You could stay here and use it as your base to discover Los Angeles.
Where to Stay in Los Angeles
Hostel: Samesun Hollywood
Budget Hotel: Metro Plaza Hotel
Mid-range Hotel: Tuscon Garden Inn
Splurge Hotel: Beverly Whilshire
Best Things to See and Do in Los Angeles
- Take the Hop on Hop off LA Sightseeing Bus and be driven to all the best sights in Los Angeles.
- Visit the Hollywood Sign high in Hollywood Hills.
- Take a tour of Paramount Studios and or Warner Bros Studios or Universal Studios.
- Spend the day or two at Disneyland.
- Shop till you drop along Rodeo Drive.
- Hit the beach at Malibu – or wait and visit on your drive up to San Francisco.
Days 24-26 drive to San Francisco
Bixby Creek Bridge
The drive between Los Angeles and San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway is approximately 445 miles (716 km) long. If you were to drive directly without deviating you could complete the drive in about nine hours. However, there is plenty to see along this scenic drive and I have budgeted 3 days to drive it. Places to stop along the Pacific Coast Highway could include:
- Santa Monica. Home of the Santa Monica Pier where Route 66 ends, if you didn’t finish Route 66 here, then you might want to visit. Walk along the pier and get that tourist shot of you on the pier!
- Next stop could be Malibu. Check out some of the multi-million dollar homes or visit some of the beautiful beaches. Depending on the weather you might want to relax at the beach for a couple of hours or enjoy a good meal.
- Santa Barbara could be next on your list to visit. Stroll along the harbour or go one of Santa Barbara’s Urban Wine Trails. You will discover some of the best wine in California!
- On leaving Santa Barbara pass a few beaches and deviate to Hearst Castle outside of San Simeon. This caslte was built by the newspaper mogul William Hearst. If you ever wanted to feel like you are in Europe, visit this castle!
- Elephant Seal Vista Point could be your next stop. See elephant seals relaxing on the beach.
- A highlight along the LA to San Francisco drive is Big Sur. You may want to spend a full day or more here enjoying the walks in the spectacular natural scenery. Ensure to stop at the iconic sites of Bixby Creek Bridge and McWay Waterfall.
- Stop in towns of Carmel, Monterey and Santa Cruz where you might want to spend the night!
- Half Moon Bay is around 30 minutes south of San Francisco and is worth a stop to stretch your legs and grab a coffee before arriving in San Francisco.
Days 27-29 San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Ah, San Francisco, famous for its cable cars, Golden Gate Bridge and great restaurants. A stay of a few days is a must.
Where to Stay in San Francisco
Hostel: Hi San Francisco Downtown Hostel
Budget Hotel: Hotel Amari
Mid-range Hotel: Queen Anne
Splurge Hotel: The Ritz Carlton, San Francisco
Best Things to See and Do in San Francisco
- Take the Hop on Hop off Bus tour of San Francisco. Get taken to all the iconic spots that you can revisit at your leisure.
- Go to the Golden Gate Bridge. Opened in 1937, it is one of the longest suspension bridges ever created. It links San Francisco Bay and Marin County.
- Spend some time at San Francisco’s most famous waterfront community – Fisherman’s Wharf.
- Visit Alcatraz Island and discover for yourself how hard it would be to escape from.
- Take a ride on a cable car.
- Disney lovers may want to visit The Walt Disney Family Museum and learn about the life of Walt Disney.
And so ends this 1 month across USA road trip itinerary.
Where to next? What about 1 month in Hawaiian Island Hopping?
I would love to do this trip one day. You have given great tips to do this one month and I wish I had this years ago when I was over there. Thanks for sharing.
We have done quite a few road trips in the US but usually take the route more north than you followed. We would love to follow Route 66 all the way from Chicago to Santa Monica. I love that you planned long enough stops in key places to get to enjoy them along the way.
Clever idea..you’ve chosen some great spots.. but I wish there was more time for the Midwest!
What an epic trip! I have never driven a fraction of this distance before, but at least you split it up with loooads of time for exploring and adventures. It sounds fab!
Great road trip ideas! We would love to take some time and really explore the US more. There are so many stops and detours that you can see along Route 66. It should be a fun trip.
I think 1 month should be the minimum amount of time to explore the USA. But not everyone gets that much holiday time! So you can only visit what you can in the timeframe you have.