Monterey & Carmel ​

Monterey and Carmel sit at NorCal's southern edge, where the coastline gets dramatic enough to make Big Sur jealous and the marine life is so abundant that sea otters floating in the kelp beds have become the region's unofficial mascots. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is consistently ranked the best in the country — the Open Sea exhibit and kelp forest tank are worth the price of admission alone, and the fact that the actual ocean is doing the same thing right outside the windows is almost unfair.

Cannery Row has traded its sardine-packing past for restaurants and shops, but the waterfront itself is still spectacular. Fisherman's Wharf (the real one, not the SF tourist trap) has fresh clam chowder and barking sea lions. And the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail runs 18 miles along the waterfront — flat, paved, and gorgeous.

Carmel-by-the-Sea is the village where Clint Eastwood was once mayor, houses don't have street numbers, and the white sand beach at the bottom of Ocean Avenue looks like it was imported from the Caribbean. 17-Mile Drive through Pebble Beach connects Monterey to Carmel through some of the most photographed coastline in California — the Lone Cypress, Bird Rock, and views of the Pacific that have been separating golfers from their money for over a century.

Photo Gallery ​

Good to Know ​

Aquarium: Book tickets online in advance. Weekday mornings are the move — weekends are packed. Allow 3–4 hours minimum.

17-Mile Drive: $11.50 per car. Worth it. Go in the late afternoon for the best light on the cypress trees and coastline.

Fog: Monterey Bay fog is legendary. Summer can be socked in while the rest of NorCal bakes. Bring layers regardless of season.

Whale Watching: Year-round. Humpbacks in summer, gray whales in winter, orcas and blue whales possible. Monterey Bay's submarine canyon brings deep-water nutrients close to shore, making it one of the best marine wildlife spots on the planet.