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Best Things to Do
Top 10 Best Things to Do in Monterey County [2025]
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17 Mile Dr
4.5
/5
291 reviews
6.9
Based on 12,755 reviews
61.9 km from downtown
Phone +1-800-6549300
Address: California, USA
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5-1 hour
No.1 of Water fun & Cool Retreats in Monterey County
Highlights:
Pebble Beach & 17-Mile Drive
17-Mile Drive around Pebble Beach
Verified User Reviews
The 17-mile toll road is highly recommended. It costs about $12 and includes Bird Rock, a stunning private residence, a golf course, and a sapphire blue coastline. Every time you visit a photo spot, you will be amazed.
It is a privately owned coastline that requires money to enter. The scenery is not too beautiful. It is best to go on a sunny day. We are always cloudy and sunny. There are several attractions inside. It takes half a day to drive and stop. Although it belongs to the scenic spot that costs very little to enter along Highway 1, it is also worth it. Inside is a rich area, and you can see many rich people building luxury houses along the coast.
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CA-1
4.9
/5
498 reviews
6.8
Based on 1,682 reviews
61.3 km from downtown
Address: California, USA
Recommended sightseeing time: 2-4 days
Featured in 2025 Americas 50 – Night Attractions
Highlights:
Parking & scenic views available
Unique purple beach in the world
Saved by 110 users144 positive reviews
Verified User Reviews
The essence section is the section from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and it must be opened from San Francisco to Los Angeles, because the road on the right is facing the sea, this direction is open, and the scenery is beautiful. It is really the most beautiful road. We drove for 3 days, the first day from San Francisco to Monterey, the second day to Pismo Beach, the third day to Los Angeles, all the way to stop, while walking, playing, the sea view is invincible, a lot of flowers that have not been seen in China, really beautiful. The main attractions passing by are Half Moon Bay, Dove Point Lighthouse, Monterey Town, Carmel Town, 17 Mile Bay, Big Sur McVeigh Falls, Bixby River Bridge, Elephant Seal Beach, Pismo Beach, Solvan Danish Town, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica Beach, etc.
Highway 1 in California, USA, connects San Francisco and Los Angeles from north to south. It winds along the west coast of the United States from San Diego in the south to Leggett in the northernmost part of California, where it joins Highway 101. It is over 1,000 kilometers long. On one side is the vast sea and sky and the waves crashing on the shore, with sails dotted and gray whales cruising; on the other side are steep cliffs and mountains, lush pastures, herds of cattle and horses, and the beauty is breathtaking. This road is known as the most beautiful road in the world and was also rated as one of the 50 places you must visit in your life by the National Geographic Magazine of the United States.
If Highway 1 is divided into three sections, we just walked the middle section, San Francisco-Los Angeles, a total of more than 800 kilometers.
First day check-in attractions: Stanford University, Monterey Pier, 17 Mile, Purple Sand Beach, Bixby Bridge, Elephant Seal Beach.
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Monterey Bay Aquarium
4.7
/5
203 reviews
5.2
Based on 14,558 reviews
59.6 km from downtown
Phone +1 831-648-4800
Address: 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940, United States
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-3 hours
Featured in 2025 Americas 50 – Family-Friendly Attractions
Highlights:
Family-friendly marine life interaction
Unique jellyfish & manta ray exhibit
133 positive reviews
Verified User Reviews
First purchase on here and the ticket sounded almost too good to be true. Took my chance on them, and they worked without issue. Got scanned into the aquarium and had a blast with the kiddo. Took a family of 5 for the price of 2 people. Very good deal. Will buy from again.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium was a birthday gift from David Packard (co-founder of Hewlett-Packard) to his daughter, Julie Packard, who is still the Executive Director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
No.
4
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Monterey Bay
4.5
/5
94 reviews
4.8
75.8 km from downtown
Phone +1-831-8992441
Address: California, USA
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-2 days
No.2 of Family-Friendly Attractions in Monterey County
Highlights:
Explore historic cannery district
Sea lions & seals frolicking
Verified User Reviews
Monterey Bay is located on the Pacific coast of California, USA, between the two major cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Monterey Canyon is one of the largest underwater canyons in the world, and Asilomar State Marine Sanctuary is a marine sanctuary in Monterey Bay. Like underwater parks, these marine sanctuaries help protect marine wildlife and marine ecosystems.
Monterey Bay is located on the Pacific coast of California, USA, between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Monterey Canyon is one of the largest underwater canyons in the world, 400 kilometers long. There are several marine protected areas in Monterey Bay. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help protect marine wildlife and marine ecosystems.
No.
5
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Old Fisherman's Wharf
4.0
/5
10 reviews
4.5
Based on 2,796 reviews
58 km from downtown
Phone +1 831-238-0777
Address: 1 Old Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey, CA 93940, United States
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-2 hours
Highlights:
Colorful boats & vintage shops
Statue commemorates past prosperity
Verified User Reviews
The old Fisherman's Wharf is like two different worlds from the Fisherman's Wharf in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is very comfortable here. There are many private yachts moored at the pier, and there are also many seagulls flying, which makes people feel particularly comfortable.
Yesterday, the California sun was blazing, and the scenery was as clear as water. The air seemed transparent and had a shape, and a faint milky white was diffused in the vague waves. This time, perhaps out of nostalgia, I deliberately came here to continue the trip on Highway 1 that was interrupted last year. From the old fisherman's wharf to Monterey Bay, passing through the 17-mile road known as the most beautiful in the world, and crossing the Bixby Bridge, to the Cape Seal Lighthouse, Bird Rock, Pebble Beach, etc. Shuttled along the edge of the blue sea, there were low-rise mansions of different styles everywhere, scattered among the trees and grass that were blown by the sea breeze all year round. The sea was deep, and the sky was shining, but it was just as blue as dye. Where the sun was at its best, it was shimmering and swaying, forming a dazzling piece. The magnificence along the way seemed to be inferior to the Great Ocean Road in Australia, especially the reefs on the seaside, scattered and dark, the waves rushed from here layer by layer, and the white foam on the beach was like snow, which lasted for a long time. Strolling in Monterey during the day, thousands of sails stood in a row, and looking into the distance seemed to be an expedition just beginning. Staying overnight in Carmel is like entering the Shire, and it seems that a Hobbit might come out at any time. This town is quite clean, with exquisite houses, hidden in the lush greenery. There are often walls full of bougainvillea that are as warm as fire, or a ground of hanging fuchsias that are dotted like lights. Especially various kinds of succulents, as tall as buildings and as big as bowls, can be seen everywhere. This day is like the mountains and the sea, the sun is high, the waves and rocks collide, eagles and birds soar, the heart is focused and the mind is relaxed, and I don’t feel crazy. This is a record.
No.
6
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Rocky Creek Bridge
4.0
/5
54 reviews
4.2
Based on 18 reviews
49.6 km from downtown
Address: CA-1, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, United States
Recommended sightseeing time: 1 hour
Highlights:
Bridge & coastline scenic view
218-yard bridge spans gorge
25% positive reviews
Verified User Reviews
The Bixby River Bridge is the most famous bridge on Highway 1 in California on the west coast of the United States. The bridge is located on the coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco, surrounded by mountains and water, and has beautiful scenery.
The Bixby Bridge is an open single arch bridge with a span of about 100 meters, making it the longest concrete arch bridge in the California highway system. It is located in Big Sur, California, about 190 kilometers south of San Francisco. The budget for the construction of the bridge was nearly $200,000. Before the bridge opened in 1932, residents of the Big Sur area were almost cut off from the outside world during the winter. The Bixby River under the bridge was named after Charles Henry Bixby, who came from Livingston County, New York, and came to the Monterey Peninsula in 1868. He bought a large piece of land in the Big Sur area and worked in the production of railroad sleepers.
No.
7
Carmel Beach
4.4
/5
85 reviews
4.1
Carmel Beach | 57.8 km from downtown
Phone +1-831-6202070
Address: Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921, United States
Recommended sightseeing time: 2-3 hours
No.2 of Water fun & Cool Retreats in Monterey County
Highlights:
Surfer's paradise & artist's haven
White sandy beach & activities
Verified User Reviews
The full name of Carmel by the Sea is a small town in Monterey County, California, founded in 1902, Carmel is located on the Monterey Peninsula, known for its natural scenery on the coast. Carmel has a wide, fine sandy beach, and the Carmel River enters the sea on the edge of the town.
There aren't many people playing at Carmel Beach, and it looks like most of the people here are white. The scenery is very good. There is a resort nearby where we stayed. It's very convenient to get here. The sea and the beach are great.
No.
8
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Lone Cypress
5.0
/5
12 reviews
4.0
Based on 183 reviews
61.6 km from downtown
Address: Pebble Beach, CA 93953, United States
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5-1 day
Highlights:
360° platform for sea views
Blue sea & white waves
Verified User Reviews
Recommended index:
Just go to see a lonely cypress tree, which is said to be more than 200 years old, and is considered the symbol of 17 Mile Bay. The lonely cypress tree quietly watches the tides, the clouds, and the people coming and going... Stay here for 30 minutes to take pictures and feel that life is enough.
Lone Cypress is a scenic spot along the 17-kilometer coastline. There is a parking lot and a viewing platform, which is very suitable for sea view. It is said that the Lone Cypress tree is more than 400 years old and worth a visit.
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