Monterey Travel Forum

Hi All,
Myself and my wife plan to spend around 4-5 days around the place of Monterey, BigSur and Hearst castle. I plan to drive down from LA to Monterey and spend the night there...
On first day, take the 17 mile drive(need booking?), walk around cannery row, visit aquarium for the day..then move on to BigSur.
Second day, just do some hiking around Bigsur's Point Lobos SR..and plan to relax here for 2 days.
On the final day, drive towards Hearst castle(obviously need to book in advance) and drive back to LA.

Since I am visiting the place the first time, want to know :
a) Is there something else am missing out in Monterey/Carmel..like a visit/hiking trip to Garland Ranch Regional Park worth ?
b) I thought of doing hiking in Bigsur,we are just begineers and want to get some nice views around BigSur and dont want to miss em..any suggestions you have here?
c) Since am planning to spend 2 days in BigSur want to know if its worth and could I do something more there?

Any pointers would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Bookmark

You meant to give any feedback, I just see "Bookmark"?

There is a ton to see and do in the area around Monterey. Check out the event calendar for some ideas of unique things that might be happening during your visit: http://www.monterey.com/mc6/mc6_aug.html

No booking is needed for 17 Mile Drive, just pay when you enter. It's $9 and you can use your receipt as a $9 voucher at any Pebble Beach store or restaurant. Pebble Beach has some of the foggiest weather around, so you might want to be flexible as to when you do the drive. Other areas of shoreline that are just as nice (and free) include downtown Carmel and the area around Pacific Grove.

Speaking of Carmel, you might enjoy the expensive shops and fine dining available downtown... and don't forget the beautiful and historic Carmel Mission!

Speaking of downtowns, Monterey's downtown is full of some great restaurants and historic buildings such as many houses from the 1800s and California's first capitol building. Be warned that Cannery Row and Fishermans Wharf in Monterey can be pretty touristy, but certainly worth a short visit.

Point Lobos is really just outside of Carmel, not really down in Big Sur. It's only 5 miles south of Monterey.

I have never hiked Big Sur, visited Garland Ranch, nor made it to Hearst Castle, so I can't help you there! The Best Hearst Castle info is on VT member Atufft's page here: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/611ff/b7d86/

Take a look at my Monterey, Pebble Beach, and Carmel pages for more info and ideas, and let me know if you have any further questions.

Joes