San Francisco & Northern California San Francisco
A compact city of steep hills, cable cars and fog — with the Golden Gate Bridge at one end and Alcatraz in the middle of the bay.
Things to see in Big Sur & Monterey
Eight sights from the wild coast to the harbour town, listed south to north after the two Big Sur icons.
1. Bixby Creek Bridge
A graceful concrete arch of 1932 spanning a canyon about 80 m (260 ft) above the creek, 21 km (13 miles) south of Carmel. It is the emblem of Highway 1. Pull-outs at the north end are small and crowded; park only where it is legal and never stop in the carriageway.
2. McWay Falls
A 24 m (80 ft) waterfall that drops from a cliff directly onto a cove beach in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 60 km (37 miles) south of Carmel. A short path leads to the overlook; there is no access to the beach. Trails here are sometimes closed after storm damage.
3. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Just south of Carmel, a headland of cypress groves, coves and tide pools often called the jewel of the state park system. Easy trails loop the shore, with sea otters, seals and, in season, migrating whales offshore. The small car park fills early.
4. 17-Mile Drive
A private toll road through the Del Monte Forest and Pebble Beach between Pacific Grove and Carmel, passing ocean viewpoints, famous golf courses and the Lone Cypress, a solitary tree on a granite outcrop that has become a symbol of the coast.
5. Carmel-by-the-Sea and Carmel Mission
A village of fairy-tale cottages, art galleries and hidden courtyards sloping down to a white-sand beach. On its edge stands Mission San Carlos Borromeo, founded in 1770 and the burial place of Junípero Serra, with one of the most attractive mission churches in California.
6. Monterey Bay Aquarium
Housed in a former sardine cannery, the aquarium is devoted to the life of the bay outside its windows: a three-storey living kelp forest, an open-sea gallery, jellyfish and a much-loved sea otter exhibit. Tickets are timed and should be bought ahead in summer and at weekends.
7. Cannery Row and Old Fisherman’s Wharf
The canning factories Steinbeck wrote about closed long ago and now hold shops, hotels and restaurants. A waterfront walking and cycling trail links the Row with Fisherman’s Wharf, where whale-watching boats depart and sea lions bark beneath the pier.
8. Sea otters, whales and wildlife
Monterey Bay is a national marine sanctuary. Look for sea otters floating in the kelp off Cannery Row and Point Lobos, harbour seals at Pacific Grove, elephant seals further south near San Simeon and, in winter, monarch butterflies clustering in Pacific Grove’s sanctuary.
Destinations
Combine it with
San Francisco & Northern California 
Central Coast Santa Barbara
White walls, red-tile roofs and palm-lined beaches beneath the Santa Ynez Mountains — the “American Riviera”, with wine country just over the hill.
Sierra Nevada & national parks Yosemite
Granite cliffs a kilometre high, some of the tallest waterfalls in North America and groves of giant sequoias — the Sierra Nevada at its grandest.
Plan your trip
Book tours in Big Sur & Monterey
Compare real-time prices and availability on GetYourGuide. Most tours can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead.