Monterey County

California

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
  • Fisherman's Wharf
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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
Soak up the old-style charm of this small seaside city, which is famed for the monarch butterflies that stop here on their great migrations.

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 sunsets 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

  • Toro County Park
  • National Steinbeck Center
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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

9.2/5 (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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