Monterey, Carmel and 17-Mile Drive: Full Day Tour from SF | La Vacanza Travel

Monterey, Carmel and 17-Mile Drive: Full Day Tour from SF

Duration: 12 hours
Destination: United States, California, San Francisco
from
157.48

Check Availability

  • 12 hours
  • San Francisco
  • E-Voucher
  • Lowest Price
  • Not-Cancellable

Overview

Cruise along California's spectacular coastline on a relaxing day trip from San Francisco. Follow Highway 1 and enjoy stops at Pigeon Point Lighthouse and in Davenport for a quick coffee and snack.
Back on the road traveling by Monterey Bay and Peninsula, to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and Steinbeck's Cannery Row. Explore Monterey's charming shops or choose to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Two hours is ample time for pictures and Instagram posts of everything you are experiencing.
See the stunning estates of 17-Mile Drive, as well as Bird Rock, Lone Cypress, and world famous, Pebble Beach Golf Course.
Arriving in Carmel-by-the-Sea, known for the museums and library of the historic Carmel Mission, and the fairytale cottages, and galleries of its village like center.
11 hours of breathtaking sightseeing, unique shopping, historical landmarks, mouth-watering culinary innovation.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Pacific Coast Highway, 147161, CA

The lighthouse, constructed in 1871, serves as a guiding beacon for ships navigating the Pacific coast of California. It proudly stands as the tallest lighthouse along the West Coast of the United States and continues to play an active role in assisting the Coast Guard in navigation.

During the journey, travelers will have the chance to disembark from the bus to capture memorable photos with the lighthouse as their backdrop or enjoy a brief stroll down to the nearby beach.

Stop At: Pigeon Point Light Station, 210 Pigeon Point Rd Hwy 1, Pescadero, CA 94060-9713

Tallest lighthouse on the west Coast of the United States. it is still an active Coast Guard aid to navigation.
Explore the lighthouse or a quick walk down to the beach.


Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Davenport, Davenport, California

The bus conveniently stops directly in front of the Davenport Cafe, which takes its name from the historical figure Captain John Pope Davenport. Captain Davenport settled at El Jarro Point, which is roughly half a mile away from the present-day town.

This cafe is an excellent spot to take a break, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy some snacks. Additionally, travelers are welcome to make use of the cafe's restroom facilities.

Duration: 20 minutes

Pass By: Monterey Bay, Monterey, CA

The Monterey Bay is situated along the California coast, to the south of the major cities of San Francisco and San Jose. At the north end of the bay lies Santa Cruz, while at the southern tip of the Monterey Peninsula, you'll find Monterey.

Pass By: Cannery Row & Wave Streets 700 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940

Cannery Row, located in the New Monterey section of Monterey along the waterfront, was once home to thriving sardine canning factories.

Today, Cannery Row has transformed into a popular tourist destination, featuring numerous restaurants and shops. As you drive through this historic district, you'll be heading towards the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is situated by the beautiful Monterey Bay.

This is the designated stopping point for the Monterey segment of the tour. Here, travelers will have a generous 2-hour window of free time to explore several attractions, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, various restaurants, and stores. This ample time allows travelers to leisurely enjoy lunch, soak in the sights, and then proceed to the next destinations of 17-Mile Drive and Carmel.

Note: Monterey Bay Aquarium (tickets must be purchased separately and reserved prior to departure date from the official Monterey Bay Aquarium website: www.montereybayaquarium.org)

Stop At: 17-Mile Drive, Monterey, CA 93953

The 17-Mile Drive is a picturesque loop that winds through the private Pebble Beach community on the Monterey Peninsula. Along the way, travelers will be treated to stunning coastal vistas featuring pristine coves and sandy beaches. While the drive itself doesn't require much time, there are numerous designated stops where you can capture breathtaking photos.

It's important to note that this attraction may be temporarily closed during certain annual events, including the PGA Tour in February and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance car show in August.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Bird Rock Vista Point, Bird Rock Rd, Pebble Beach, CA

This bustling wildlife hub is teeming with a vibrant population of birds, harbor seals, and noisy sea lions. Bird Rock, once buried under 4 to 5 feet of pelican and cormorant guano until 1930, was cleared for use as fertilizer. Subsequently, sea lions have claimed this cleared perch as their sunbathing spot, and they've been enjoying it ever since.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Lone Cypress, Pebble Beach, CA 93953

Standing proudly on a granite hillside, the Lone Cypress is a remarkable Monterey Cypress tree. This iconic tree holds the distinction of being one of the most photographed trees in all of North America. It stands sentinel between two renowned golf courses, the Cypress Point Club and the Pebble Beach Golf Links, both of which are among the world's most famous.

The Lone Cypress is estimated to be around 250 years old and bears the scars of past fires. To ensure its stability, it has been anchored in place with cables for the past six decades. Travelers will have the opportunity to disembark from the bus at this spot, offering them an excellent chance to capture memorable photographs of this enduring natural wonder.


Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Pebble Beach Golf Links, 1700 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, CA 93953

Pebble Beach Golf Links is internationally renowned as one of the most stunning golf courses globally, as it gracefully embraces the rugged coastline and offers expansive vistas of Carmel Bay, which opens up to the vast Pacific Ocean. This prestigious course hosts annual events by the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.

During your visit, travelers will have the opportunity to disembark from the bus and enjoy some time either in the clubhouse or exploring the souvenir shop. Please note that certain closures may occur due to annual events, such as the PGA Tour AT&T Pro-Am in February.

Duration: 15 minutes

Pass By: Carmel by the sea, San Antonio Ave, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921, USA

Small beach community on California's Monterey Peninsula. The Scenic Bluff Path runs from surf spot Carmel Beach to bird-rich Carmel River State Beach.


Stop At: Carmel Plaza, Ocean Avenue & Mission Street, Carmel, CA 93923

Situated in the charming heart of downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Plaza offers a unique blend of fashion boutiques, specialty natural brands, exceptional dining establishments, gourmet shops, wine tasting rooms, salons, wellness studios, and much more, all within a relaxed and refined environment.

During this stop, travelers will have the opportunity to disembark from the bus and enjoy a generous 60 minutes of free time to explore the offerings at Carmel Plaza at their leisure.

Duration: 1 hour

Inclusions
  • Day-trip to Monterey and Carmel
  • Entrance fee for the 17-Mile Drive Included
  • Transport by air-conditioned luxury motor-coach with a professional guide
  • 2 hours stop at Monterey Bay
  • 1.5 hour stop at Carmel by the Sea
  • Stops at Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Pebble Beach, Bird Rock and the Lone Cypress
  • Entry/Admission - Pebble Beach Golf Links
  • Entry/Admission - Bird Rock Vista Point
  • Entry/Admission - 17-Mile Drive
  • Entry/Admission - Lone Cypress

Exclusions
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel Pick-up & drop-off
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 45 travelers
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Departure Point

1: 478 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
2: 2805 Leavenworth St, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA


Return Details

Returns to original departure point

Voucher info

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Duration

12 hours


User's Reviews

K6718EBjackc

25 Apr, 2024

Really enjoyed this tour. Got to see part of the Pacific coast highway, Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach. Just enough rest stops. Lots of food choices in Monterey. Our tour guide and driver were fantastic.

Jose_A

20 Apr, 2024

Was Great Experience, the mother Nature, Is wonderful, and thanks that for have great tours to know more others Places.

David_H

20 Apr, 2024

The tour was excellent value for money allowing us to visit these must see locations far from San Francisco. It’s also important to say that due to a technical problem with the transport mid way we encountered a delay. The GrayLine Driver went above and beyond in resolving this difficult situation in a very isolated place. We made it a lunch stop and when the Coach was fixed the Driver went out of his way to make all the planned stops on the tour. We even received a reimbursement. Exceptional!!

Susan_D

18 Apr, 2024

The 4 hours that all 26 passengers were stranded on the side of the road will never be forgotten by any of us. Our poor driver/guide was not getting any help from his employer so we were all in the dark. An ineffective mechanic came out finally to try to start our BIG bus with a little battery pack. He also tried to boost it with the truck for about 30 seconds. When that didn’t work, he simply gave up & drove away. The tour company did not even suggest that our driver should buy us each a bottle of water, at the very least! FOUR HOURS after our bus stopped working, an efficient heavy-recovery tow truck arrived and was finally able to get our bus started despite the fact that one of the battery terminals was corroded. At this point, our driver asked if we wanted to take an abbreviated trip to Monterey, Carmel, etc. He even fit in a short stop at Pebble Beach when one passenger said that he had booked the entire trip for that exact reason. Our driver tried hard to make the best of a bad situation so that his passengers were happy with their trip but, unfortunately by the time we reached some of these destinations, places were closed or we couldn’t access them anymore. At one point, the passengers received an email from Gray Line stating that they would refund half the cost of our tickets. This had been quite an expensive excursion but I think that even on a good day, it was only worth half the price and we only got one third of the trip because everything was condensed. We do not fault our driver. He did his best with equipment that obviously had not been maintained properly.

Nancy_M

18 Apr, 2024

Bus broke down we were stranded for 4 hours. Bus was literally duct taped together and should not have been used for a full day tour. Stops were cancelled and others were abbreviated.

User's Picture Gallery

Image

Awesome, I keep take here more tours

Image

Exceptional!

Image

Beautiful Day

Image

Great Tour

Image

Worth the trip

Image

The best!

Image

Beautiful and relaxing

Image

Wonderful experience ever

Image

Creative Carmel

Image

Great Trip from San Francisco to Monterey down to Carmel

Image

Tremendous views!

Image

Beautiful day

Image

Hope your bus doesnt break down

Image

Okay…but not great.

Image

Amazing tour!

Image

Pros and Cons of a tour

Image

Nice day trip out to visit Monterey, Carmel and scenic spots along the way

Image

Great trip.

Image

Absolutely unforgettable

Image

Go to Pacific Grove, not the 17 mile drive

Image

Great Day Trip to Monterey and Carmel

Image

Danilo was amazing. ...

Image

Wonderful tour experience with Danilo

Image

A nice tour

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage

Similar Packages