Monterey County Travel Guide

Tourist Guide

A coastal landscape with a bridge, rocky cliffs, and clear blue sea.
A coastal highway winding along cliffs, a bridge, and rocky outcrops in the ocean.
A coastal road with a bridge over a cliff, surrounded by green hills and the ocean.
A coastal landscape with rocky cliffs, turquoise waters, and dense greenery.
A coastal landscape with rocky cliffs, a grassy hillside, and a clear blue sea.

Popular cities in Monterey County

A sandy beach with footprints, a wooden fence, and a clear blue sky.
Monterey
Known for Beaches, Sea and Aquariums
Discover one of California’s most beautiful coastal cities, known for its fabulous aquarium and for being the setting for a famous John Steinbeck novel.

Reasons to visit

  • Cannery Row
  • 17-Mile Drive
  • WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
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A two-story building with a gabled roof, a flagpole with an American flag, and a sign that reads "Alain Pinel."
Carmel
Known for Beaches, Sea and Scenery
This charming oceanfront town is a perfect day-trip for art, food and relaxation.

Reasons to visit

  • Carmel Beach
  • Carmel Valley Ranch Golf Course
  • Carmel Plaza
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A coastal landscape with turquoise waters, rocky cliffs, and a waterfall.
Big Sur
Known for Sea, Hiking and Nature
If a place has one of the “best drives on earth”, you’d be mad not to check it out.

Reasons to visit

  • Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
  • Pfeiffer Beach
  • Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
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A red brick building with a white porch, a brick chimney, and an American flag.
Pacific Grove
Known for Beaches, Sea and Aquariums
The quaint little town of Pacific Grove has Victorian houses lining its streets and thousands of butterflies fluttering in its trees.

Reasons to visit

  • Monterey Bay Aquarium
  • Lovers Point
  • Point Pinos Lighthouse
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A sunset over a beach with a pier extending into the water.
Seaside
Known for Beaches, Shopping and Aquariums
Trip time! Discover the beaches, aquarium and seaside in Seaside.

Reasons to visit

  • Monterey State Beach
  • Fort Ord Dunes State Park
  • Eolian Dunes Preserve
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A vast green field with mountains in the background.
Salinas
Known for Dining, Family-friendly and Business
Discover the rich literary heritage of this agricultural city, the birthplace of Nobel Prize-winning author of The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck.

Reasons to visit

  • National Steinbeck Center
  • Toro County Park
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Stay near popular Monterey County attractions

A circular glass structure with a blue center and a patterned exterior.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

9.2/10 (5,928 reviews)
Perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, you’ll find a spectacular window into life both above and below the waves.
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