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Malibu on the PCH — scenic view along the route

Narrated audio driving tour

Malibu on the PCH

California, USA

Stories on the way
21
Distance
36 mi
Drive time
1 hr 20 min
Get Getaways — freeHear the narrator

Photo: Graham · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Hear the narrator

One real story from this drive, in the voice that rides along — the same one your car hears when you reach the spot.

RAND Corporation

0:00 / 0:27

Malibu on the PCH is a narrated audio driving tour through California, USA — about 1 hour 20 minutes and 36 miles end to end. The route strings together 21 stops — Malibu on the PCH — start, Malibu on the PCH — arrival and RAND Corporation among them — each with a story that plays automatically as you reach it. Download the drive in Getaways and it rides along offline, narrating the road even where the signal drops.

Every stop on the route

21 places, 21 stories — each one starting itself as you arrive. Here's what you'll pass; the narration rides along in the app.

  1. 1

    Malibu on the PCH — start

  2. 2

    RAND Corporation

    The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm.

    More on Wikipedia
  3. 3

    Annenberg Community Beach House

    The Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach is a public beach facility, open to all.

    More on Wikipedia
  4. 4

    Bel-Air Bay Club

    The Bel-Air Bay Club is both an event venue (Upper Club) and a private beach club (Lower Club) located in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California.

    More on Wikipedia
  5. 5

    Getty Villa

    The Getty Villa is an educational center and an art museum located at the easterly end of the Malibu coast in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States.

    More on Wikipedia
  6. 6

    Topanga State Beach

    Topanga Beach is a state beach at 18700 Pacific Coast Highway, in California, United States, situated at the mouth of Topanga Canyon, approximately midway between Santa Monica and Malibu; it is known for its closeness by automobile to the San Fernando Valley, its windsurfing and SCUBA diving, and its reputation for welcoming a bohemian lifestyle.

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  7. 7

    Las Tunas Beach

    Las Tunas County Beach and Las Tunas State Beach are public beaches operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors in Malibu, California, United States.

    More on Wikipedia
  8. 8

    Malibu Pier

    The Malibu Pier is a pier located in Malibu, California.

    More on Wikipedia
  9. 9

    Malibu Historic District

    The Malibu Historic District is a 160-acre (65 ha) area that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles County, California on January 29, 2018.

    More on Wikipedia
  10. 10

    Pepperdine University School of Public Policy

    The Pepperdine University School of Public Policy (SPP) is a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree program, located in Malibu, California, with summer classes offered in Washington, D.C.

    More on Wikipedia
  11. 11

    Corral Canyon

    The Corral Canyon is a valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States in the Santa Monica Mountains, it slopes down to the diverse terrain of the Malibu coast.

    More on Wikipedia
  12. 12

    Solstice Canyon

    Solstice Canyon is a park within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Malibu, California.

    More on Wikipedia
  13. 13

    Ramirez Canyon Park

    Ramirez Canyon Park is a public park owned by the state of California.

    More on Wikipedia
  14. 14

    Zuma and Trancas Canyons

    Zuma and Trancas Canyons are an area of Federal parkland to the west of Malibu, California.

    More on Wikipedia
  15. 15

    Point Dume

    Point Dume is a promontory on the coast of Malibu, California, that juts out into the Pacific Ocean.

    More on Wikipedia
  16. 16

    Zuma Beach

    Zuma Beach is a county beach at 30000 Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, California.

    More on Wikipedia
  17. 17

    El Matador Beach

    Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach is a state beach of California, located in northern Malibu, Southern California.

    More on Wikipedia
  18. 18

    Wave House

    Wave House was designed by architect Harry Gesner for old friends and fellow surfers Gerry and Glenn Cooper.

    More on Wikipedia
  19. 19

    Leo Carrillo State Park

    Leo Carrillo State Park is a state park in Los Angeles County, California, United States.

    More on Wikipedia
  20. 20

    County Line Beach

    County Line Beach is a beach located in Solromar, California, an unincorporated community of Ventura County.

    More on Wikipedia
  21. 21

    Malibu on the PCH — arrival

Good to know before you go

  • Annenberg Community Beach House

    In summer you can take a dip in the historic pool if you book ahead, and you can tour the old Marion Davies guest house — bring a towel and make an afternoon of it.

  • Bel-Air Bay Club

    This isn't a drop-in. The Lower Club is a private beach club for members, and the Upper Club is a private event venue — mostly weddings and corporate gatherings. Admire it from the road; the public beaches are just ahead.

  • Getty Villa

    Parking is $25 a car, or $15 after 3 p.m., and it's cashless — cards only. One heads-up: you must enter from the northbound, right-hand lane of PCH, so you'll pass it, turn around, and come back.

  • Topanga State Beach

    A paid county lot right on the sand, plus some street parking along PCH. The lot only holds about 96 cars, so on a good surf morning it's gone early — get there ahead of the crowd.

  • Malibu Pier

    The pier has its own lot right at the entrance, open sunrise to sunset. It fills fast on warm weekends and through summer, so arrive early or be ready to hunt for a spot along the highway shoulder nearby.

  • Point Dume

    Park at the end of Westward Beach Road — turn toward the ocean and go beyond the fee-collection station to the very end. Day-use runs sunrise to sunset. The bluff-top lot is small, so an early start helps.

  • Zuma Beach

    The county beach has a big paid lot right off PCH plus meters. Rates shift with the season, so check the county's parking page before you bank on a number.

  • El Matador Beach

    The blufftop lot is small, and limited parking is the honest reality — it fills fast on warm weekends and stops taking cars once it's full. Arrive early or come midweek, and if it's packed, wait it out rather than risking the fast highway shoulder.

  • Wave House

    This is a private home right on the sand, not a stop — no gate, no tour, nothing to pull over for. Admire that roofline as it slides by and keep your eyes on the road; the folks who live here value their quiet.

  • Leo Carrillo State Park

    Day-use parking stays open late — until 10:00 PM, well past most beaches — which makes an evening here easy. The lot is real and paved, but summer weekends still fill it, so early or midweek beats circling.

  • County Line Beach

    Parking is roadside — County Line sits right off the Pacific Coast Highway, so people pull onto the shoulder and the dirt strips beside the road. It fills early on good surf mornings, and the highway moves fast, so open your doors and cross with real care.

Take Malibu on the PCH with you.

Download it once and someone in the car knows things the whole way — narration, map and stops, offline, so it keeps talking where the signal drops. Getting there is the getaway.

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Plan this with friends

Every friendship dies the same death: the group chat. Start a trip instead — send one link, and everyone votes on the day and sees the same schedule, from the thread, on any phone, with nothing to install. When the weekend lands, this drive is already loaded, and every car of the caravan hears the same narrator.

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