Paso Robles

Understand

Tourist information

• Travel Paso Robles website

Climate

Get in

By plane

San Luis Obispo County Regional (SBP is the nearest airport served by regional airlines through Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix.

Paso Robles is about halfway between the Los Angeles area and the Bay Area—about three to four hours of drive time from each—and cheaper flights may be available into airports in those areas. Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) is the closest major airport (about two and a half hours by car) and is served by discount airlines (keeping prices fairly low). Other airports in the Bay Area are Oakland International Airport (OAK) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

In the Los Angeles area, Hollywood Burbank Airport(BUR) in Burbank is the closest and most convenient for driving north. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner trains stop at a station adjacent to Burbank Airport, so you may be able to connect from plane to train there. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is larger and may feature lower fares and lower car rental prices. Other airports in the Los Angeles area are Long Beach Airport (LGB), LA/Ontario International Airport(ONT), and John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Santa Ana; however, these are farther away from Paso (in other words, they involve driving through more Los Angeles traffic) and may be more expensive.

Other options are Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT) which is about two hours driving from Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) also about a two-hour drive from Paso Robles.

By train

• Route stopping in Paso Robles:

• Coast Starlight operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Lacey, Centralia, Kelso, Vancouver, WA, Portland, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank.

By bus

Amtrak Thruway bus has connections lead to the Gold Runner train service via Hanford and bus connections to the Pacific Surfliner in San Luis Obispo.

By car

Paso Robles sits at the intersection of U.S. 101, which runs mostly along the coast between Los Angeles and Seattle, and CA 46, which runs from the coast west of Paso into the San Joaquin Valley. Although Paso Robles is reached more quickly from the Los Angeles area via Interstate 5 to Highway 46, the drive up the coast on Highway 101 is only marginally longer and passes through or near dozens of interesting towns (such as Santa Barbara, Solvang, Pismo Beach, and San Luis Obispo) and gorgeous scenery. From the Bay Area, the main route is on Highway 101, which is less interesting than the approach from the south, although it is slightly shorter. Alternatively, the beautiful but slow Pacific Coast Highway (CA 1) can be accessed just off of Highway 101 near Salinas. The drive follows the coast through Monterey, and Big Sur, and intersects Highway 46 near Cambria and San Simeon (near the famous Hearst Castle).

Highway 46 runs concurrently with Highway 101 for a few miles through the area. Highway 46 leaves Highway 101 to the east in the northern area of town at the 24th Street exit and leaves Highway 101 to the west at the southern edge of town.

Get around

By car

Downtown Paso Robles is laid out in a grid to the west of Highway 101, which runs north/south along the Salinas River. Streets running east/west are numbered from south to north (e.g. First Street is the southernmost street). North/south streets are named in no particular fashion. Spring Street, the main street, runs north/south. The historic core of Paso Robles is centered around 12th and 13th streets near City Park.

The historic core features several locally-owned shops and restaurants. Outside of that area, the main commercial developments with chain stores are south of town at the intersection of Highway 101 and Highway 46 West, at the intersection of Niblick Road and River Road, and at the intersection of 24th Street and Highway 101.

Most of the area's vineyards are strewn along Highway 46 on both sides of town. Connoisseurs differentiate the area's wines between those along Highway 46 to the west, which has a cooler and wetter coastal climate, and Highway 46 to the east, which is hotter and drier.

The large area to the east of Highway 101 along Creston and Niblick Roads is mostly residential development.

By bus

Paso Express covers some parts of the city. Buses run every hour.

By bicycle

Getting around Paso Robles on a bicycle is easy. The downtown area, with most of the sights and restaurants, is compact. Take a ride down Vine Street and see the restored Victorian homes. During Christmas, Vine Street is ablaze with decorations on the houses and amateur theater performances in the front yards.

During the spring and fall, you can ride to San Miguel, about seven miles up North River Road, and visit the historic Mission San Miguel Arcángel. The road meanders by the Salinas River and then crosses over to the mission in San Miguel.

During the summer, you can escape Paso heat by taking Santa Rita Creek Road over the coastal range to Morro Bay, starting at Templeton, about a 30-mile ride. This is a dirt road part of the way, and a mountain-type bike is best. Ride into Morro Bay and load up on fish and chips at the bay. Paso Robles is a bike mecca for many enthusiasts throughout the year. There are many hilly and deserted roads around the area with few cars or people.

Go next

• Cambria - Located 31 miles west via Highway 46, Cambria offers visitors Moonstone Beach, home to tide pools and the semi-precious stones that give the beach its name. The town also offers an abundance of inns and hotels for those seeking a quiet weekend away.
• Atascadero - 15 miles to the south of Paso Robles, this town was founded in 1913 as a planned utopian colony, complete with an Italian Renaissance-style town hall surrounded by an expansive Sunken Gardens. The town hall and gardens remain today, and have been joined by the tiny Charles Paddock Zoo, home to 45 species including a pair of red pandas, Malayan tiger, and lemurs.