SF to Monterey & Carmel: Breathtaking 17-Mile Scenic Tour
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Cruise along California's spectacular coastline on a relaxing day trip from San Francisco. Follow Highway 1 and enjoy stops at Pigeon Point Lighthouse and in Davenport for a quick coffee and snack. Back on the road traveling by Monterey Bay and Peninsula, to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and Steinbeck's Cannery Row. Explore Monterey's charming shops or choose to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Two hours is ample time for pictures and Instagram posts of everything you are experiencing. See the stunning estates of 17-Mile Drive, as well as Bird Rock, Lone Cypress, and world famous, Pebble Beach Golf Course. Arriving in Carmel-by-the-Sea, known for the museums and library of the historic Carmel Mission, and the fairytale cottages, and galleries of its village like center. 11 hours of breathtaking sightseeing, unique shopping, historical landmarks, mouth-watering culinary innovation.
Reviews
Reviews and Rating (Tripadvisor)
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Reviews by Tripadvisor travelers
MaryEllen_H, 10/19/2025 1:04:20 PM
Our driver/guide, George, was an excellent driver, was very knowledgeable and kept an informative patter going during the entire long drive down to Monterey, Carmel, and back. I learned quite a bit and this kept the long drive interesting. The coach was clean and comfortable (I didn't use the on-board restroom so can't comment on that). Folks considering this tour need to be aware you will be doing most of your viewing from inside the coach. If your hope is to stop and see the seabirds, seals, sea lions, crashing surf, and so forth, this may not be your tour. Most stops (Bird Rock, Pigeon Point Lighthouse--?) are 15 minutes, time to jump out and take a few photos. The longer stops (Cannery Row/Monterey and Carmel) are in the center of town near high-end shopping. Finding lunch along Cannery Row left no time to walk the pretty trail along Monterey Bay. In Carmel, an hour in the shopping area was not sufficient to walk down to the water and enjoy the view. Overall, this long day tour gives an overview of the high-end shopping and mansions along Pebble Beach and the Seventeen-Mile Drive, but don't expect to spend time out enjoying the coastal beauty. That would be a different tour.
lam917, 10/19/2025 11:09:15 AM
Enjoyable day! George was our driver/tour guide, and he did an exceptional job of giving us history, data, points, and other general information. The drive is spectacular. Period. I would recommend sitting on the right hand side of the bus. Perfect amount of time in both Carmel and Monterey. Would’ve liked another 15 minutes at Pebble.
Elena_S, 10/15/2025 11:28:22 PM
Worth it! A must-do!! Beautiful views and plenty of opportunities to take it all the sights along the way.
laurahQ5735SR, 10/13/2025 7:41:54 PM
Great tour. Our driver included a lot of his personal experiences in relating what were we seeing along the way. Enough time at the stops to enjoy the places we saw.
Byron_R, 10/13/2025 1:37:34 AM
George our driver was great. Covered so much history and fun facts of the area we traveled. Scenery was great too.
JoseFabio_S, 10/12/2025 8:01:36 PM
The description of the tour says it lasts 11 hours. So, if we departed at 8 am it should have finished at 7 pm, but we arrived at Union Square at 8:30 pm. No reason was given for the different arrival time (there was no traffic), which is a problem when you have dinner plans after the tour. The tour picks up passengers at 2 places: Union Square and Fisherman's Warf. Given that all the places visited were south of San Francisco, it would make sense for the tour to depart from Fisherman's Warf, go to Union Square to pick up the other passengers and then head south, but for some reason it was done the other way around: they asked the Union Square passengers to arrive at Union Square at 7:40 am, the bus then went north to Fisherman's Warf and departed from this second point at 8 am. This means that the Union Square passengers had to be on the bus for 30 minutes more than necessary, which is inconvenient on a tour this long. One thing that can delay a tour is guests returning to the bus after the alloted time on each stop, which is why it's important for the driver/guide to be firm about the times. This is also out of respect and consideration for the guests that arrive on time. Unfortunately, this didn't happen with our guide: on every stop someone was late and he never said anything. On the other hand, the guide gave many information and facts about the locations we went to or passed by, and the places we visited were very nice.
Joyce C, 10/12/2025 10:16:15 AM
George was a very good, professional tour guide. Best we've experienced. The trip is long but it offers a good overview of that area of California. If we could improve one part of the trip we'd allocate 2 hours to Carmel since there's barely time to scratch the surface of this beautiful little town.
Tracy_L, 10/10/2025 2:45:57 PM
Nice views of the coast. Monterey we had enough time in. We would recommend changing the Carmel stop sine not enough time to really eat and would have been better seeing the beach. Thomas our driver is 5 stars. He did a great job narrating and expertly driving. If you want to see the coast and don’t have a car it’s a good tour.
ruirV326KS, 10/10/2025 2:01:30 PM
Beautiful views with great knowledgeable input from our driver/tour guide Thomas which made the day flow well as we took in the sites and the history of this beautiful place…
katenB9779CC, 10/9/2025 10:26:36 AM
Fabulous full day tour, with carefully planned and well-explained stops along the way. Our guide, Thomas, could not have been more helpful. He made sure everyone on the coach knew exactly where all the comfort stops were going to be. He gave clear directions as to where to pick up food and drinks. He gave several different options for sightseeing at each stop, depending on passengers’ mobility. His commentary was informative and entertaining. Beautiful route and even though it was a long drive it was broken up with several breaks. We felt we had just the right amount of time in both Monterey and Carmel. We’re returning to San Francisco next year and will book this tour again, as well as considering others with the same company. Highly recommended.
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Departure point
Gray Line Fisherman’s Wharf Departure Location 2805 Leavenworth St. Arrive by 7:45 AM to check-in Bus Departs at 8:00 AM Although there is no physical location, you'll easily spot Pomegranate Café directly across the street. Simply wait there, and our representative will meet you.Return details
Cruise along California's spectacular coastline on a relaxing day trip from San Francisco. Follow Highway 1 and enjoy stops at Pigeon Point Lighthouse and in Davenport for a quick coffee and snack. Back on the road traveling by Monterey Bay and Peninsula, to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and Steinbeck's Cannery Row. Explore Monterey's charming shops or choose to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Two hours is ample time for pictures and Instagram posts of everything you are experiencing. See the stunning estates of 17-Mile Drive, as well as Bird Rock, Lone Cypress, and world famous, Pebble Beach Golf Course. Arriving in Carmel-by-the-Sea, known for the museums and library of the historic Carmel Mission, and the fairytale cottages, and galleries of its village like center. 11 hours of breathtaking sightseeing, unique shopping, historical landmarks, mouth-watering culinary innovation.Redemption
• We offer 2 departure locations for your pick-up. Please arrive at the one closest to your hotel/stay: 478 Post Street S.F. (Union Square Area - Downtown San Francisco) Although there is no physical location, you'll find Encore Café situated right next door. For boarding the bus, simply head across the street to meet our representative and board the bus. - Arrive by 7:25 AM to check-in - Bus Departs at 7:40 AM 2805 Leavenworth St (Fisherman's Wharf Area) Although there is no physical location, you'll easily spot Pomegranate Café directly across the street. Simply wait there, and our representative will meet you. - Arrive by 7:45 AM to check-in - Bus Departs at 8:00 AM • There will be a Gray Line San Francisco representative to assist with boarding the bus and check-in. • You can reach us at tours@graylineofsanfrancisco.com or (415) 353-5310 between 07:00 to 18:00. • Please bring your paper or electronic voucher with you on the day of your tour to be redeemed upon check-in.24 hours before travel date - 100% refund
Less than 24 hours before travel date - 0% refund