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

Sat 19 Jul

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $134.00

Make a reservation

Sat 19 Jul

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)

Elizabeth F

Sep 2016

The planned tour was great - however - the van was not terribly comfortable. Our driver was fun, but he decided to cut our time in Monterey short to give us more time in Pebble Beach without polling the group. He got very flustered when we got to Pebble Beach as he could not park in the usual lot, thought he had lost the keys to the van, didn't close the windows on the van leaving our belongings unlocked, then got annoyed when we took the allotted time in Carmel. Not sure I would do this again!

David W

Sep 2016

Out of the three tours we took during our week in San Francisco, this was the longest, and frankly, poorest one.

Maybe they are trying to cram too much into one day. Our visits at each stop were too brief. NOTE: This tour was advertised as being 14 hours. Even with an extra hour of traffic due to brush fires, it was only 11. Most disappointing was Carmel, where we only had enough time to be seated and served lunch at a restaurant before we had to leave again, giving us no time to shop, etc. The stop at the convenience store/bakery reeked of I get a perk for bringing tourists here.

Perhaps the tour would have been different with a different driver/tour director. Frank, Im sorry, but your driving and your narration was horrible. I was riding in the front passenger seat, and counted at least four near-miss accidents due to the driving. He missed sideswiping an SUV by inches on the freeway. He cut off another car when Frank clearly ran the stop sign. Two close to rear-ending the cars in front of us. Between fiddling with the microphone connection, the radio, and his playlists on his phone, he had his eyes off the road a lot. It was a very tense ride, and the passengers in the back felt the same way, with an added bonus of motion sickness.

The first part of the day consisted of lots of brief stops, then there was the three hour drive back where were all just in the bus driving. Our return was four hours due to traffic jams/brush fires, but I know thats out of anyones control.

Frank clearly likes exotic automobiles. Lots of commentary consisted of theres a nice car over and over. Adding some personal flair to the narration can be nice, but there was too much talk about what Frank and his buddies did decades ago.

By the end of the day, we were queasy and felt lucky to have avoided a collision.

Sorry, but we cant recommend this tour.

Jennifer_P

Aug 2016

Wonderful tour! Carmel was beautiful and charming. Monterey was a fun boardwalk of sorts for time spent shopping. Everything in between was picturesque. Phil, our tour guide, was probably the most personable tour facilitator I've ever had. Would recommend this trip for a nice, relaxing day outside of the city.