Pacific Coast Highway Tours 2026: Prices, Big Sur & Booking

Coast tours

Choose your Pacific Coast Highway tour

In the centre, the most booked coast day from San Francisco: Pigeon Point, Monterey, the 17-Mile Drive and Carmel with twelve guests at most. On the left, the day that carries on into Big Sur; on the right, the big-coach version with the most reviews.

Reaches Big Sur ★ 4.912 hours52 reviewsFree cancellation

Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel Tour from San Francisco

Hotel pickupBixby Bridge14 guests max

One of the few San Francisco day tours that carries on past Carmel into Big Sur, with an hour on the coast around Bixby Bridge.

What's included

About 12 hours with hotel pickup from 6:30 am (within the operator's zones)
17-Mile Drive entrance fee included
Cannery Row, Pebble Beach and Carmel, then about an hour in Big Sur
Fourteen guests at most, child rate from 1 to 15
Not included: meals and tips

From$193per person Reserve

Most booked ★ 4.811 hours511 reviewsFree cancellation

Monterey, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel Small-Group Tour

12 guests maxPigeon PointLone Cypress

Down the coast on Highway 1 to Pigeon Point lighthouse, then Cannery Row, the 17-Mile Drive and Pebble Beach, with an hour and a half in Carmel.

What's included

About 11 hours from San Francisco, starting at 8 am
17-Mile Drive fee, Bird Rock, the Lone Cypress and Pebble Beach included
Stops at Pigeon Point Light Station, Cannery Row and Carmel-by-the-Sea
Water and light snacks, twelve guests at most
Not included: meals and tips

From$118per person Reserve

Big coach ★ 4.211 hours2,239 reviewsFree cancellation

Monterey, Carmel and 17-Mile Drive Day Trip by Coach

CoachSeal RockCannery Row

The most reviewed coast day from San Francisco: Gray Line's coach down Highway 1, two hours in Monterey, the 17-Mile Drive and an hour in Carmel.

What's included

About 11 hours from central San Francisco at 7:40 am
17-Mile Drive fee, Pigeon Point, Pebble Beach, Bird Rock and the Lone Cypress
Two hours on your own in Monterey, one in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Air-conditioned coach with a professional guide, child rate from 5 to 11
Not included: hotel pickup, food, the aquarium, tips

From$119per person Reserve

More ways to see the coast

McWay Falls from Monterey, an e-bike on the 17-Mile Drive, an audio guide for your car, the redwood coast north

McWay Falls ★ 4.94 hours62 reviews

Compare

Which option suits you

The big difference is how far down the coast each tour goes. The San Francisco day tours all drive Highway 1 to the Monterey Peninsula; only one keeps going into Big Sur. For McWay Falls you need a Monterey base or your own car.

Option	How far down the coast	Best for	Length	Rating	From
Monterey, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel Small-Group Tour	Pigeon Point, Monterey, 17-Mile Drive, Carmel	A first coast day without a car	11 hours	★ 4.8 (511)	$118	Book
Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel Tour from San Francisco	Past Carmel into Big Sur, about an hour	Seeing Bixby Bridge on a day from SF	12 hours	★ 4.9 (52)	$193	Book
Monterey, Carmel and 17-Mile Drive Day Trip by Coach	Pigeon Point, Monterey, 17-Mile Drive, Carmel	The longest Monterey stop	11 hours	★ 4.2 (2,239)	$119	Book
Big Sur and McWay Falls Private Tour from Monterey	Bixby Bridge, Big Sur, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park	Seeing the real Big Sur from a Monterey base	4 hours	★ 4.9 (62)	$328	Book
17-Mile Drive Guided E-Bike Tour from Carmel	The 17-Mile Drive by e-bike, Carmel to Pebble Beach	Active travellers already in Carmel	2.5 hours	★ 4.9 (475)	$75	Book
Big Sur Highway 1 Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour	All of Big Sur, as far as you drive	Road-trippers with a rental car	At your pace	★ 5.0 (9)	$17	Book
Redwoods, Bodega Bay and Highway 1 North from San Francisco	North instead: Sausalito, Bodega Bay, redwoods	Redwoods and the quieter coast north of SF	10 hours	★ 4.9 (186)	$119	Book
Monterey, Carmel and Pacific Coast Explorer from San Francisco	Davenport, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Carmel	A Davenport stop and Wi-Fi on board	12 hours	★ 4.2 (82)	$139	Book

Every tour here refunds in full if you cancel up to 24 hours before. The San Francisco day tours include the $12.50 17-Mile Drive fee. Child rates: 1 to 12 on the small-group day, 5 to 11 on the coach.

The coast

A road blasted into the cliffs, one bridge at a time.

Before the 1930s, Big Sur was reached by horse trail and a rough wagon road. Convict crews and engineers spent eighteen years cutting a two-lane highway into the mountains, with concrete arches over every canyon. The best known, Bixby Creek Bridge, was finished in October 1932: about 714 feet long and some 280 feet above the creek. The road through Big Sur opened in 1937.

Strictly, the name Pacific Coast Highway belongs to the Southern California stretch of State Route 1, from Dana Point to near Oxnard. Up here it is simply Highway 1, the Cabrillo Highway. Tour sellers use "PCH" for all of it, and so does everyone planning the drive. The coast itself does not care: fog in the morning, sea lions on the rocks, and light that turns gold an hour before sunset.

1932

The year Bixby Creek Bridge was finished, the concrete arch on every Big Sur postcard.

State Route 1Cypress grovesSea lionsConcrete arches

McWay Falls dropping onto a small turquoise cove framed by cypress-covered cliffs in Big Sur — McWay Falls, about 37 miles south of Carmel.

01

How long is the day?

11 to 12 hours from San Francisco; four on the private Big Sur tour from Monterey.

02

Does it reach Big Sur?

Only one San Francisco day does, for about an hour. The rest turn round in Carmel.

03

Is the road open?

Yes, end to end since Regent's Slide reopened on 14 January 2026. Overnight repairs still happen.

04

Who should skip a tour?

Anyone with a car and two days. Drive it yourself and add the $17 audio guide.

The day

How a coast day works

This is the shape of the small-group day from San Francisco, the most booked option here. The Big Sur day leaves earlier and swaps some Monterey time for the coast south of Carmel.

01

South on Highway 1

Out of San Francisco past Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, on the coast road where the fog allows.

From 6:30 to 8 am

02

Pigeon Point and Monterey

A stop at the lighthouse, then Cannery Row for lunch at your own cost, or the aquarium.

About 2 hours

03

The 17-Mile Drive

Bird Rock and its sea lions, the Lone Cypress and Pebble Beach, fee included.

About 1 to 1.5 hours

04

Carmel, then home

Ocean Avenue, the cottages and the white beach, then the inland freeway back to the city.

Back around 7 pm

Bixby Creek Bridge

Monterey cypress trees on a rocky point above the ocean on the Monterey Peninsula

Cypress on the peninsula

The Cannery Row Company footbridge over the street on Cannery Row in Monterey

Cannery Row, Monterey

A storybook cottage with a steep roof and a red-and-white awning in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Storybook Carmel

A rock arch standing in the surf on a sunny beach on the Big Sur coast

Keyhole Arch, Pfeiffer Beach

Green hills and a dirt path above a sea of fog on the Big Sur coast

Above the fog in Big Sur

The Lone Cypress

Yellow wildflowers and dunes beside a wide beach on the Monterey Peninsula

Dunes near Pacific Grove

Layered headlands of the Big Sur coast fading into soft light over the ocean

Big Sur headlands

Plan your day

Plan your coast day

What the tours cost, what they include, what you pay on the day and what to bring.

From San Francisco: $118 to $139 for the Monterey and Carmel days, $193 for the day into Big Sur.
From Monterey or Carmel: the 17-Mile Drive e-bike ride from $75, the private Big Sur tour from $328.
From San Jose: a private Big Sur and Monterey day from $498.
Self-drive: the GuideAlong audio tour for Big Sur is $17 and works offline in your own car.
Prices are Viator from-prices in US dollars and move with the season.

Start times: 6:30 am hotel pickup on the Big Sur day, 7:30 to 8 am for the others.
Pickup: the Big Sur day and the redwoods day collect from hotels; the coach and small-group days start from central meeting points.
Group size: twelve on the small-group day, fourteen on the Big Sur day, thirty on the Explorer coach.
Included: the 17-Mile Drive fee on every San Francisco day; water and snacks on the small-group tour.
Not included: lunch and tips on all of them.

17-Mile Drive: $12.50 per car if you drive yourself, refunded with $35 spent at a Pebble Beach Resorts restaurant.
McWay Falls: $10 per car to park at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park; the lot is small.
Pfeiffer Beach: $15 per car, down a narrow lane where trailers and RVs are not allowed.
Monterey Bay Aquarium: $65 for adults in 2026, booked online in advance.
Tips: not included on any tour; guides who drive all day appreciate them.

Layers. Mornings on the coast are cool and grey even in July; afternoons can be warm.
A windproof jacket and gloves for the e-bike tour, which one rider recommended.
Motion-sickness tablets if curves bother you. Highway 1 bends all the way.
Snacks and water: Big Sur has few shops, and lunch stops are short.
Your Viator voucher on your phone, downloaded. Mobile signal fades south of Carmel.

Sep to OctClearest weeksLeast fog and warm afternoons on the coast.

Jun to AugFog seasonGrey mornings that often lift by afternoon.

Mar to MayGreen hillsWildflowers on the cliffs and full waterfalls.

Nov to FebStorm seasonRain can close Big Sur for a night or more.

13 to 16 Aug 2026Concours week17-Mile Drive closed to other traffic.

14 Jan 2026Big Sur reopenedRegent's Slide repaired, the road runs end to end.

Where it is

Where the tours start

San Francisco, Monterey or Carmel

Carmel-by-the-Sea is about 120 miles south of San Francisco

The day tours start in San Francisco: the Big Sur day and the redwoods day pick you up at hotels, the coach leaves from a central meeting point, and the Explorer collects at Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf. The drive to Monterey takes about two and a half hours each way. If Big Sur is the point of your trip, sleep in Monterey or Carmel: the private Big Sur tour collects from lodging there, and Bixby Bridge is about 13 miles south of Carmel. The e-bike tour meets at Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Ocean Avenue at Mission Street, Carmel.

San Francisco day tours: hotel pickup or central SF
Big Sur private tour: your Monterey or Carmel lodging
E-bike tour: Ocean Ave and Mission St, Carmel

Open the map

Around your trip

Everything else worth knowing

Timing, what riders wish they had known, what is nearby and the fine print.

September and October: the best months. Clear skies, warm afternoons, thinner crowds after Labor Day.
Spring: green hills, wildflowers and full waterfalls, with the odd storm.
Summer: busy, and the marine layer often hides the coast until noon. Pick a tour that spends the afternoon on the water.
Weekdays: fewer cars at the Bixby Bridge pull-outs and in Carmel.

Read the itinerary, not the title. "Big Sur" in a tour name can mean an hour near Bixby Bridge.
Sit on the right-hand side going south for the ocean view.
Pack lunch or buy it fast in Monterey; the Carmel stop is better spent walking to the beach.
On a private Big Sur tour, ask for Pfeiffer Beach and grab snacks at the general store instead of a long lunch, as one guest advised.
Driving yourself? Download maps and the audio guide before you leave Carmel. There is little signal in Big Sur.

Point Lobos: a state reserve just south of Carmel with sea otters and cypress coves.
Monterey Bay Aquarium: at the end of Cannery Row, one of the best in the country.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park: redwood trails and a river, the heart of Big Sur.
Hearst Castle: further south at San Simeon, a separate long day from Monterey.
Santa Cruz: the boardwalk and surf town at the north end of Monterey Bay.

Every Viator tour here refunds in full if you cancel up to 24 hours before.
If a storm or a closure stops the tour, the operator offers a new date or a refund.
Caltrans posts closures on QuickMap. Overnight work in Big Sur usually runs from 11 pm to 5 am.
Fog does not close the road, but it can hide the view. Morning fog often burns off by afternoon.

Guest reviews

What guests say

4.8 ★★★★★
511 reviews · Monterey, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel small-group tour
live Viator & Tripadvisor figure

★★★★★
Incredible trip getting to experience the Pacific Coast from San Francisco, especially the Pebble Beach area! Tony was very knowledgeable & educated us as well as entertained us. We highly recommend!
Nelda B. · Monterey and Carmel small-group tour, Oct 2026

★★★★★
Stephen was great! We covered a lot of ground and saw a ton of sights. Absolutely recommend this tour - you get your money's worth. Bonus stop on the way back to SF at a farm stand to shop and use bathrooms.
JoAnne P. · Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel tour, Oct 2026

★★★★★
Cristin, with Gray Line, was our guide and driver. She is an excellent driver. Maneuvering through traffic, she handled skillfully. She is very knowledgeable about the different places we visited or passed on our Monterey and Carmel trip.
Michael O. · Monterey and Carmel coach day, Oct 2026

★★★★★
Absolutely fantastic day exploring incredible sites along the coast. Robert was a great guide and driver. He made sure we had plenty of time at each stop but also kept the schedule to make sure we had time to do it all.
Michael A. · Monterey and Carmel small-group tour, Oct 2026

★★★★★
This was an amazing experience for me and my mother. Our guide Tina was very nice, very knowledgeable and knew all the perfect spots where we were able to take beautiful photos to remind us of the beautiful time we had visiting this part of California.
Marcela C. · Big Sur and McWay Falls private tour, May 2026

★★★★★
This is a great way to see Carmel. Very enjoyable tour. This was my first time on an e-bike and I found them very easy to use. They required minimal effort. Leslie was a great guide!
Dana C. · 17-Mile Drive e-bike tour, Sep 2026

★★★★★
Every stop was amazing!! The trip was a day well spent with so much Information and great stops along the way. Brian was so knowledgeable about all of the locations, and even had awesome videos to watch along the way.
Tiffany S. · Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel tour, Oct 2026

★★★★★
Very much worth it, great information and the guide was very accurate. There were some stops we would've missed if we didn't have this guide.
Marianne L. · Big Sur audio driving tour, Aug 2026

★★★★★
Brian was an excellent tour guide. He gave us plenty of time at Armstrong Redwood State Reserve. He took us to a deli where we could get our lunch and then he gave us time to enjoy our lunch at the beach.
Sherri H. · Redwoods and coast day trip, Oct 2026

Beyond the day tours

The Big Sur the buses never reach

The San Francisco coaches turn round in Carmel. The cliffs, the redwood canyons and the waterfalls start a few miles further south.

Private Big Sur and Monterey Coast Day from San Jose

★ 4.8 · 37 reviews · 8 hours

Staying in Silicon Valley? California Pacific Excursions picks you up anywhere in the San Jose area in a full-size SUV and spends most of the day where the San Francisco coaches never go: Garrapata, Bixby Bridge, Hurricane Point, three hours in Big Sur and two in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. You can ride home by SUV or on the Coast Starlight train from Salinas.

Private SUVThree hours in Big SurTrain option

From$498per personReserve

The guide

Pacific Coast Highway tours, explained

Most people searching for a Pacific Coast Highway tour picture Bixby Bridge. Most of the tours they find spend the day in Monterey and Carmel instead. Both are good days. They are not the same day.

What a day tour from San Francisco covers

The classic day leaves the city early and takes Highway 1 south past Pacifica, Half Moon Bay and the farm coast to Pigeon Point, a 115-foot lighthouse on a rocky point. Then it is Monterey: Cannery Row, the old sardine street John Steinbeck wrote about, and lunch at your own cost. The afternoon is the 17-Mile Drive through Pebble Beach, with sea lions on Bird Rock and the Lone Cypress on its granite knob, and an hour or more in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The ride home takes the inland freeway.

Twelve guests and snacks, or a full coach with a longer stop in Monterey: that is the main choice. Both include the 17-Mile Drive fee.

Three travellers at a cliff-top pullout looking at Bixby Creek Bridge, with a white tour van parked on the gravel — A pullout above Bixby Creek, the stop everyone wants.

Getting to Big Sur

Bixby Bridge is about 13 miles south of Carmel, and McWay Falls about 37. From San Francisco, that extra distance means a 6:30 am start and a 12-hour day, which is why only one listing here, the Best Bay Area Tours day, goes there, and for about an hour. Guests love it, though one wrote it suits adults more than restless teens.

The better way to see Big Sur properly is to sleep in Monterey or Carmel. The private tour from there spends most of its four hours south of Carmel: Bixby Bridge, the coast, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. One guest felt four hours was short for the distance, so ask the operator about a longer day.

Sea lions resting on granite rocks beside white surf with cypress trees on the shore — Sea lions on the rocks, a regular sight on the 17-Mile Drive.

Before you book: check three things in the itinerary. Does it go south of Carmel? How long is the Big Sur stop? And does it include hotel pickup, or do you need to reach a meeting point by 7:30 am?

Driving it yourself

With a rental car and two days, you can do more than any tour: Monterey and the 17-Mile Drive on day one, Big Sur to San Simeon on day two. Drive south so the ocean is on your side and the pull-outs are easy to turn into. The road is narrow, with long drops and no shoulder in places, and signal disappears. The $17 audio app fills the silence with stories and points out stops you would miss.

A sunny residential lane in Carmel-by-the-Sea with storybook cottages, flowering gardens and cypress trees — Carmel-by-the-Sea, the last stop on most day tours.

Compare the tours

FAQ

Questions before you book

Straight answers to what travellers ask most about Pacific Coast Highway tours.

Can you do a Pacific Coast Highway tour from San Francisco?

Yes, as a long day. The tours leave San Francisco between 6:30 and 8 am, drive south on Highway 1 past Half Moon Bay and Pigeon Point, and spend the day in Monterey, on the 17-Mile Drive and in Carmel. Expect 11 to 12 hours. See the Big Sur day trip guide.

Do Pacific Coast Highway tours from San Francisco go to Big Sur?

Most do not. The popular coach and small-group days turn round in Carmel, about 13 miles short of Bixby Bridge. The Best Bay Area Tours day goes on into Big Sur for about an hour. For McWay Falls, base yourself in Monterey and take the private Big Sur tour from there.

How much does a Pacific Coast Highway tour cost?

On Viator in 2026: the guided 17-Mile Drive e-bike ride from $75, coach and small-group days from San Francisco from $118 to $139, the Big Sur day from $193, and private Big Sur tours from $328. A self-guided audio app for your own car is $17. Read the price guide.

Is Highway 1 open through Big Sur in 2026?

Yes. Caltrans reopened Regent's Slide in south Big Sur on 14 January 2026, and the road runs end to end again. Short overnight closures for repairs still happen, as in October 2026 near Nepenthe and Point Sur. Check Caltrans QuickMap the day before. See the road conditions guide.

Is the 17-Mile Drive worth it?

Yes, if you like coast and cypress. It costs $12.50 per car in 2026, refunded if you spend $35 at a Pebble Beach Resorts restaurant, and every day tour on this page includes the fee. Read the 17-Mile Drive guide.

Is "Pacific Coast Highway" the same road as Highway 1?

It is the same road, State Route 1, but the name Pacific Coast Highway officially belongs only to the Southern California stretch from Dana Point to near Oxnard. Around Monterey and Big Sur locals call it Highway 1. Tour sellers use "PCH" for the whole coast.

Should I drive the Pacific Coast Highway myself or take a tour?

Drive if you have two or more days and enjoy curves; take a tour if you only have one day from San Francisco or do not want a rental car. Compare both in drive it or take a tour.

What is the best time of year for a Pacific Coast Highway tour?

September and October. Summer mornings often bring thick fog that hides the coast, and winter storms can close Big Sur for a night or longer. Spring is green, with wildflowers on the cliffs.

Can you see McWay Falls on a tour?

Not on the day tours from San Francisco: McWay Falls is about 37 miles south of Carmel. The private Big Sur tour from Monterey and the San Jose coast day include Pfeiffer Big Sur, and guides route to the falls overlook. Read Bixby Bridge and McWay Falls.

Are Pacific Coast Highway tours good for kids?

For older children, yes. Twelve hours is a lot for small kids, and one guest on the Big Sur day wrote that their teens got bored. The 17-Mile Drive e-bike tour takes riders from 10, and the coach day has a child rate from 5 to 11.

What if a tour is cancelled for weather or road closures?

Every tour on this page cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before. If the operator calls the day off for a closure or storm, Viator offers a new date or a refund.

Pacific Coast Highway Tours

Choose your Pacific Coast Highway tour

Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel Tour from San Francisco

Monterey, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel Small-Group Tour

Monterey, Carmel and 17-Mile Drive Day Trip by Coach

More ways to see the coast

Big Sur and McWay Falls Private Tour from Monterey

17-Mile Drive Guided E-Bike Tour from Carmel

Big Sur Highway 1 Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour

Redwoods, Bodega Bay and Highway 1 North from San Francisco

Monterey, Carmel and Pacific Coast Explorer from San Francisco

Which option suits you

A road blasted into the cliffs, one bridge at a time.

How long is the day?

Does it reach Big Sur?

Is the road open?

Who should skip a tour?

How a coast day works

South on Highway 1

Pigeon Point and Monterey

The 17-Mile Drive

Carmel, then home

Plan your coast day

Where the tours start

San Francisco, Monterey or Carmel

Everything else worth knowing

Headland after headland, all the way to Big Sur.

What guests say

The Big Sur the buses never reach

Private Big Sur and Monterey Coast Day from San Jose

Pacific Coast Highway tours, explained

What a day tour from San Francisco covers

Getting to Big Sur

Driving it yourself

Plan it properly

Questions before you book

Pick your date, follow the coast.