Explore so many wonderful spots in Big Sur with this self-drive audio tour that goes down the Pacific Coast Highway, California’s Highway 1. Just download the app, then get the map and password, and your route is all there, marked for you. You get to keep this information forever- it does not expire. You can go at your own pace, and choose where you want to stop and spend a little extra time.

Drive easy with your route to Big Sur already planned out
Make stops in places like Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, and many more
You can keep this map forever, it doesn’t expire
The route can take 2-3 hours, but you can vary that as you like

What's Included

App on your phone: A link to download the Tour Guide App by Action and Password for your tours.
Flexible schedule: Use any day, any time. Travel over multiple days or on next trip. Never expires.
Good value: Buy just one per car. Don’t pay for each person. Save money compared to a bus tour.
Easy to use: Stories play automatically by GPS. Hands-free. Get HELP all day: Call, Chat, or Email.
Private tour in your/rental car: No group. Take breaks for photos/ snacks/hikes. Go at your own pace
Offline use: No cell signal or wifi required. Offline GPS Map & route. Stop-to-stop direction.
Don’t miss a thing: Full itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated, videos, text, hidden gems.

Transportation, parking fee, food/drinks
National Park/attraction Passes, entry tickets, or reservation

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

1299 Del Monte Blvd
1299 Del Monte Blvd, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
After booking the tour, please make sure that you have downloaded the app and the tour in advance. For the best experience, we advise doing this while you have a strong internet connection. NOTE: This 125-mile-long tour covers the essentials of Big Sur in 2 - 3 hours

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

6/4/2020 - 4/19/2024
Monday - Sunday : 06:00 AM - 11:30 PM

End point

Pismo Beach
Pismo Beach, CA, USA

What To Expect

17-Mile Drive

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Carmel-by-the-Sea

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
How it works: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a text/email with instructions. Download the Action Tour Guide app (while in good wifi/signal) and use your unique password to access your tours. To begin touring, go to the Starting Point and launch the Action tour guide app. The audio starts automatically. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience. Please note that no one will meet you at the starting point.
Good value: Purchase only one tour for the entire vehicle instead of taking the bus and paying for each person. You will see a significant saving. Connect your phone to car speakers by a wire or bluetooth. Enjoy the tour by listening together as you drive.
Flexible Schedule: Once the app/tour is on your phone, you can use it any day and at any time. You can use it over multiple days. And, also use it on your next trip here. This tour never expires.
Preview the tour: You can use it before the trip at home (highly recommended), use it during the trip, and use it after you come back.
Most travelers can participate
Don't miss a thing: You will get everything with the app - a complete itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated audio stories, story script, images, videos, deep dives, hidden gems, exciting locations, recommendations for hikes, adventure, activities, treks, and stop-by-stop direction.

Private tour: You can use it in your car or rental car. No worries about groups or crowds. Start the tour app on your phone. And it will direct you step by step. You can stop for as many breaks as you like. Take a break for Instagram photos, and take a break for lunch/snacks. Go on a hike. The tour will wait for you and start when you start again. You can even do the tour over multiple days. Go at your own pace.
Easy to use: The stories play themselves as soon as the GPS is activated. It requires no use of your hands at all. You can get HELP by calling, chatting, or emailing any time of the day.
Offline: There is no need for a cell signal or Wi-Fi while touring. App’s GPS map works offline.
Expiration/go again: The tour will last for the rest of your life on your phone. It is available for use on any day of your next trip.
Use pictures for a photo book: Create a photo book using clean (no crowd) app images of each spot to make a memorable trip. All the photos and the correct sequence is ready in the app for you to use.
Social media: Share clean (no crowd) images with friends/family.
Devices supported include iPhones with iOS 13 & above, Android phones with version 9 & above and all cellular-enabled tablets & iPads.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

We were able to drive at our own pace, rewind if we needed to and stop when/where we wanted to.

Reviews

4.0

57 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 57 reviews

Great value

Christopher_Y, Oct 2022

App made it possible for us to listen to back stories and look out for places of interest. Well worth the price.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you so much for your feedback, Chris! I’m thrilled that my tour of Big Sur added to your learning and that you enjoyed it. I also have 100 other self-guided tours for other parks, scenic drives, cities, and historic sites in the US — hopefully, you’ll get the chance to try them next time! Also, to remind you, the tour you bought is yours for a lifetime. So, you can listen to it at home or on your next visit.

Breathtaking Views!

Dawn_Q, Oct 2022

The view of the water, mountains, & bridges. Started out foggy in Spanish Bay but that was very cool. By the time we entered Carmel/Big Sur the sun was out & landscape gorgeous.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you so much for your feedback, Dawn! Big Sur drive offers a lot to its visitors, and we do our best to provide that all. I’m so delighted that our tour of Big Sur added to your learning and that you enjoyed it. I also have 100 other self-guided tours for other parks, scenic drives, cities, and historic sites in the US — hopefully, you’ll get the chance to try them next time! Also, to remind you, the tour you bought is yours for a lifetime. So, you can listen to it at home or on your next visit.

Excellent road trip, very...

Roger_K, Oct 2022

Excellent road trip, very informative which addressed areas of the route we would not have known or for that matter found.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you so much for your feedback, Roger! I’m thrilled that my tour of Big Sur added to your learning and that you enjoyed it. I also have 100 other self-guided tours for other parks, scenic drives, cities, and historic sites in the US — hopefully, you’ll get the chance to try them next time! Also, just to remind you, the tour you bought is yours for a lifetime. So, you can listen to it at home or on your next visit.

Informative narration...

Roy_K, Jul 2022

Informative narration that led us through Big Sur. The best part was that the various narrative segments would automatically begin once you reach that particular site.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Wonderful! Thanks so much Roy! I also have self-guided tours for other parks as well as scenic drives, cities, and historic sites — hopefully you’ll get the chance to try them next time!

Disappointed

Nancy_L, May 2022

Couldn’t get the app to start in Carmel. Needed to go backwards to Monterey to start??!! Terrible experience.

Response from Host, May 2022

The starting point in Monterey is only a few minutes from Carmel, and we do mention it in several places so that it’s not a surprise. While you could technically start anywhere, we’ve found people run into a lot of questions when they haven’t started from the recommended spot.

Great audio tour

Kendra_P, May 2022

This was a great way to see the coast and learn about the area along the way! There were fairly big areas with few audio clips and I think they could add in even more info for curious minds. I would have liked to know more details about the back stories on some of the things they mentioned. Also, it is unnecessary to repeat the same phrase about following the map after every single clip and it got very annoying.

Response from Host, May 2022

Thanks so much Kendra! I’m thrilled you enjoyed exploring Big Sur with my tour. I’m in the process of continually adding more stories and updated insights — and I’ll trim some of those repeated phrases where appropriate. Please feel free to check out my other self-guided tours on your future travels!

Simple to use your guide in your car - download before trip.

Rosalind_L, Apr 2022

We loved the review! But download it before you start the tour as most of the route has no reception on phone and no wifi/ data between Carmel and SLO. We listened to it after our drive and it took about 1 hour.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the stories, and I’m thrilled that you had a great Big Sur experience. Excellent reminder to download ahead of time. Please check out my other tours across the country for your future travels. Thanks again!

Unforgettable drive down Big Sur

John_B, Mar 2022

Great weather, very little traffic and interesting and informative commentary. It all made for a perfect drive down Big Sur. I would recommend north to south due to being on the side of the road for best views and easier stops. Would also recommend a weekday..

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thanks so much John!! I’m thrilled you enjoyed our Big Sur tour experience and I hope you get the chance to check out our other tours wherever your next adventure takes you!

A good tour option that will be great to have with improved tech, for cities

Subhasish_G, Nov 2021

This tour option made our drive on Coastal Highway memorable with a guide that was available only when we needed it. The tech is scratchy for but the idea is absolutely great! Hope this service is available for city tours, of course the tech needs a lot of improvement.

Response from Host, Nov 2021

Thanks, Subhas! I’m glad you enjoyed the tour! We are constantly working on improving the app’s functionality and interface and would love to hear your detailed feedback to make sure it gets incorporated. Please contact us at ActionTourGuide.com (where you can also find our other tours across the country). Thanks again!

The beautiful northern...

Darice_J, Sep 2021

The beautiful northern California coastline. Our day was overcast and misty but still enjoyable. We learned many new things.

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Wonderful! Big Sur is gorgeous (in nearly any kind of weather) and I’m thrilled that this tour was able to add to that experience. We have more tours at ActionTourGuide.com for your future travels. Thank you so much!

Disappointed

SHERRI_N, Sep 2021

Tips were not very helpful, vague and often started to late so you couldn’t actually stop in time. Not very well put together and nothing useful

Response from Host, Sep 2021

We appreciate your feedback! Would you mind sharing which points you felt were too vague or started too late? We’re always workshopping our tours to give listeners the best possible experience, so we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Glad we used this audio tour to find awesome spots along PCH where I would never have known where to actually stop.

Isabel_M, May 2021

This was a great self-driving tour. We were able to drive at our own pace, rewind if we needed to and stop when/where we wanted to. The only bad thing (not really bad per say) is that the first few stops in Carmel were very confusing and didn’t get to see much there but I just kept driving along the route and eventually caught on. People need to understand that the audio will start automatically as you are coming up on the location. I made the mistake of pressing playlet or fast forward when I didn’t need to. I just recommended this to my boss who will be headed up Big Sur from San Diego in June. Too bad there aren’t any tours in Texas besides Houston.

Response from Host, May 2021

Awesome, we’re so thrilled you enjoyed the tour! We will definitely add more directions around Carmel in our next update. And great tips on how best to use our app! We’re also excited to learn that there’s interest in Texas tours beyond Houston!! We’d LOVE to hear from you. Can you contact us via our website with your ideas?

Didn’t work

Carolyn_H, Jul 2020

Website Crashed Didn’t work, not able to use on the road to Big Sir at all. Very disappointed. I was really looking forward to this app. Had trouble with it from the beginning and it couldn’t keep up or stay on track with the drive.

Response from Host, Jul 2020

Sorry for the inconvenience. I am not sure what went wrong here. Which website is being referred here? Because of the limited cellular connectivity on Big Sur, we recommend users to download the tour in advance. Please connect. Please connect with us and we will initiate a refund. Thanks.

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