I’m sharing this Monterey County travel guide to show you all the amazing spots my boyfriend and I visited on our road trip vacation in July! It had been awhile since we went on vacation just the two of us so we decided to take a road trip to Monterey County to explore the coastline and adore its beauty. I feel so grateful for this beautiful Earth we live on. If you decide to travel to Monterey County, remember to leave no trace and take care of our planet! Let’s get into today’s travel guide:

17 Mile Drive

The 17 mile drive is located between Monterey and Carmel in Pebble Beach. The 17 mile drive takes you along historic spots on the coast ending at a famous golf course. To tour, you have to pay $10.75 per vehicle and they give you a pamphlet with all the cool spots. There are 17 noteworthy stops along the drive, although I’d argue not all of them are worth the stop. Our favorite spots were Point Joe, Seal Rock, and the Cypress Point Lookout. It took us about 2 hours to drive. None of the stops require hiking which makes for a pretty chill day! We saw beautiful cypress trees, otters, seals, and deer along the way. 

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best aquariums in North America because they specialize in the diverse marine life of the Monterey area and advocate for ocean conservation. We were very grateful to get free passes to the aquarium through our Air bnb hosts because they are members with the aquarium. If we hadn’t gotten the free passes, we probably wouldn’t have been able to visit because the tickets are pricey for our student budget ($50 per person).

If you’re visiting during covid, you must make a reservation ahead of time and purchase tickets online. I was hoping the aquarium wouldn’t be so busy because of the reservations, but it was just as busy as it was pre-pandemic. Cullen and I felt a little overwhelmed due to the amount of people so we left the aquarium for a few hours to calm down. If you are overwhelmed by loud noises, I’d highly recommend bringing some noise cancelling headphones to the aquarium. Also, please note masks are required in the aquarium right now which made us feel more at peace health wise. 

When we returned to the aquarium around 3:30, it was significantly quieter and easier to enjoy the beautiful animals and fish in the aquarium. We especially loved seeing the otters, octopus, and jellyfish. I would recommend going around 3:30 to have a quieter, less crowded experience of the aquarium.

Carmel

If you love the cottage core aesthetic and good food, Carmel is for you! Carmel is located just 20 minutes outside of Monterey and offers cozy oceanside vibes. We actually stayed in an Airbnb in Carmel which was located just 15 minutes away from all the restaurants. We loved staying in Carmel because it’s very quiet and the restaurants are out of this world delicious. Just be warned that the restaurants are on the pricier side. If you’re planning a visit to Monterey County, I’d highly recommend staying in Carmel because it plants you between Big Sur and Monterey minimizing driving time.

Restaurants to Check Out in Carmel

Toro– fresh sushi with an incredible sake selection

Cultura– high end Mexican food with an exquisite tequila and mezcal selection. We had roasted grasshoppers (yes, you read that right lol!), margaritas, and the best tacos I’ve ever had in my entire life. This was such a memorable meal!

Pangea Grill– Korean-American fusion restaurant. We had some yummy kimchi tofu soup and mandu (Korean dumpling) soup at this spot. Plus, the business is female owned!

Big Sur

We had four full days to explore Monterey County and we saved two of them for exploring Big Sur! Big Sur has some of the most stunning views along highway 1 with coastline hikes. I had been to Big Sur prior to this trip, but it was Cullen’s first time visiting. I loved seeing his face light up while we drove along the highway admiring the California coast. We were blown away by Garrapata state park, Bixby Bridge, and Point Lobos. I wish we had had a third day for Big Sur because there was so much to see. 

*I’m in the process of writing a full travel guide just for Big Sur so stay tuned! 

I hope you enjoyed my Monterey County travel guide. Have you ever visited any of these spots in California?