Monterey & Carmel Explorer in San Francisco booking from $134.00

Monterey & Carmel Explorer

Overview

This tour traverses the breathtaking scenery on the famous Pacific Coast Highway. Upon arriving in historic Monterey, you will have time to explore the fascinating sea creatures at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and stroll among the shops on Cannery Row. The tour will follow the coast through the beautiful little town of Pacific Grove on the way to the 17 Mile Drive. The drive finishes up at the enchanted town of Carmel-by-the-Sea where you’ll can explore the boutique shops on Ocean Avenue or be dazzled by the white sandy beach.

City: San Francisco

Thu 15 Jan

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Starting at $134.00

Make a reservation

Thu 15 Jan

Starting at $134.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

17-Mile Drive admission fee

Expert guide and commentary

Pickup and drop-off at a convenient location in Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf

Free Wifi on vehicle

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Meals are not included but available for purchase throughout the day.
California law requires tour guests to bring a car safety seat for all children under 8 years and under 4' 9" (1.4 meters) in height. Any guest that does not provide their child's safety seat at the time of the tour and does not inform the tour operator in advance may not be allowed to board the tour and will not be subject to refund.
Exact destinations & itinerary may differ due to weather, road conditions, and the guide's discretion.

What To Expect

Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Admission only included if option added upon checkout. Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984.

Cannery Row

Cannery Row is the waterfront street in the New Monterey section of Monterey, California. It is the site of a number of now-defunct sardine canning factories. The last cannery closed in 1973. Today it has many restaurants and hotels, several of which are located in former cannery buildings, and a few historic attractions. Some privately owned fishing companies still exist on Cannery Row, housed on piers located a short distance from the historic district frequented by tourists.

17-Mile Drive

Although the route has changed since it opened in 1881, 17-Mile Drive is still exactly 17 miles long. More than 1.5 million visitors pass through 17-Mile Drive every year. Iconic Landmarks along famous 17-Mile Drive include The Lone Cypress, as well as Spanish Bay and Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Pebble Beach Golf Links is a public golf course on the west coast of the United States, located in Pebble Beach, California.

Lone Cypress

The Lone Cypress is a Monterey cypress tree in Pebble Beach, California. Standing on a granite hillside off the 17-Mile Drive, the tree is a Western icon, and has been called one of the most photographed trees in North America.

Bird Rock Vista Point

Bird Rock Vista is stop #7 on 17-Mile Drive and a wildlife hot spot.

Carmel Beach Boardwalk

Beautiful white sandy beaches.

Cypress Point Lookout

Stop #10 on 17-Mile Drive is the wonderful Cypress Point Lookout which looks out, to the southwest, over a small, white sand beach making for an excellent sunset spot.

Lovers Point

Lovers Point State Marine Reserve is one of four small marine protected areas located near the cities of Monterey and Pacific Grove, at the southern end of Monterey Bay on California’s central coast.

Monterey Visitor Center

Tourist information center in Monterey, California.

Seal Rock Creek beach

Seal Rock Creek Beach is a small sandy beach along the 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, CA. This white sand beach is at the mouth of Seal Rock Creek which flows intermittently. Just offshore is Seal Rock and a little to the north is Bird Rock.

Show 9 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (63)

Dianne_R

Oct 2019

This trip to Carmel and Monterey was magnificent. The drive was pleasant and lots to see along the way. Our tour guide, Danilo was informative, funny and well organised. He was also a very safe driver and really took pride in showing us this gorgeous area of California. At each stop, he did a head count to make sure we were all on board. It was a full day and we saw lots. There was plenty of time to see the Aquarium at Monterey, have lunch and a stroll down the main street. Well worth the trip and I would highly recommend this tour.

Response from Host

Oct 2019

Isn't the Monterey Bay Aquarium great. Glad you got to experience it. Travel home safely.

davieb110

Sep 2019

First, I'd like to start this review by making it clear I don't make a habit of posting negative reviews. I much prefer to praise the exceptional experiences I've had over the past 6 years - please see my profile for evidence of this. I definitely don't make a habit of "trashing" restaurants, hotels, or tour operators. However, my experience with Extranomical has been awful, and I would encourage anyone reading this NOT to book with them. ----- Lesson #1 - Extranomical's Cancellation Policy is a Lie First, let me write about the first tour I booked - Muir Woods and Winery Tour. Due to a change in vacation plans, I cancelled this tour over a week in advance and my refund was confirmed. I was glad I had booked Extranomical for this reason. However, almost 4 weeks later I have still NOT received my refund, despite being told it had been "processed". Lesson #1 - the free cancellation is turning out to be a total lie (or at best, extremely arduous), so don't rely on this. ----- Lesson #2 - Extranomical don't give you what you pay for Now, onto the second tour which we did actually take - Monterey and Carmel Explorer. A few days before the tour, we received an email from Extranomical to say we had been outsourced to their "sister company" Tower Tours. We were travelling by this point so had no choice but to go ahead with the trip. We figured it may still be okay. We were picked up on the first day at the time advised and thought "Hey, this is actually a nice coach!". Unfortunately, the coach then dropped us at the Tower Tours office near Fisherman's Wharf, where we had to queue up to "register". We were clearly the last to be dropped off, as by the time we got on the rattly old tour bus, there were only a handful of single seats left, so my wife and I had to spend the journey apart. Lesson #2 is that Extranomical don't always put you on their own tours, regardless as to whether you book directly with them. ---- Lesson #3 - Extranomical Make Promises they Don't Keep The tour was fine until we reached 17 Mile Drive. At this point the bus driver advised a belt was about to break in the engine and so we couldn't proceed with the tour. To save us waiting on the side of the road, the driver took us to Bird Rock, where we sat in the blistering heat with no shade or AC for 90 minutes while the driver tried to get updates from the operator. Please note, I do not hold the driver responsible for this, and he did try his best to rectify the situation. Updates from the operator ranged from "You'll need to wait 3 hours for a replacement coach" to "The tour may be cancelled", none of which were consistent. Eventually the tour group took it into their own hands. Some took an Uber back to San Francisco, some took an Uber across to Carmel to wait for the new coach to arrive. When the driver proposed this plan to the Operator, they promised refunds for all Ubers, which have yet to be received!! We finally made it back to San Francisco at 10.30pm, which totally ruined our final night in San Francisco and the final night of our honeymoon. Upon contacting them, Extranomical kindly agreed to provide a full refund for the tour within 7 days. However, (you'll probably see a theme here) we have yet to receive this promised refund almost 3 weeks later. I realise that the bus incident is Tower Tours' responsibility, but Extranomical are accountable for everything before and after. ----- TLDR? In summary, Extranomical have over $400 of my money and despite telling me it has been "processed" almost a week ago after repeated chasing, I haven't received a refund. If you are thinking of booking with Extranomical, I strongly suggest you reconsider. As per my opening paragraph, I am not one to scaremonger - however, I don't want anyone else to go through this same experience. My final lesson... I now find it highly suspicious that Extranomical have so many positive TripAdvisor reviews from users who have only ever posted a single review... Check it out for yourself. I can't believe I never noticed that before, I feel like such an idiot. If you do book with Extranomical, please be prepared to be outsourced, lied to, and ignored. I'm happy to be contacted directly if you want any further information or recommendations for your trip.

Response from Host

Sep 2019

David - We were sorry to hear you were disappointed by our service. However, we feel the need to straighten out the record. We completely refunded your payments for the canceled tour and Monterey (Transaction IDs 41579279867 and 41579275702) on September 13th, just days after your trip to SF. It can take up to 5-7 business days to show on your credit card account (a bank processing time that we do not control). If you do not see the credit by Monday, please contact our Guest Services department and ask for Gary. We fret over each and every guest and hope this has been sorted out to your satisfaction.

Sagene G

Aug 2019

We had a Randall as our guide from San Francisco to Monterey. We drove along the coast and learned a lot about the region during the drive. We got tickets to the aquarium though Extranomical. We got picked up by the hotel, on time. I really recomend this trip.

Response from Host

Aug 2019

Monterey & Carmel is a wonderful way to spend a day (or weekend). So glad to hear you had a great time!

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Monterey & Carmel Explorer

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