This private tour of California's Pacific Coast is ideal for travelers who enjoy the convenience of guided tours and the freedom of independent travel. Your driver-guide will act as a guide but you can tailor the itinerary to suit your needs and interests. Focus on the views rather than the road when traveling along one of the country's most scenic routes.

Stop at Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur, and more
Return transfers from San Jose are included
Travel in comfort in an air-conditioned SUV or sedan
Ideal for travelers who prefer flexibility on their tours

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle
WiFi on board
Private transportation
All Fees and Taxes
Trasnsportation by Town Car
Return trip ticket from Salinas to San Jose Diridon Station by Coast Starlight train

Lunch
Dinner
Gratuity

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

San Jose
65 Cahill St, San Jose, CA 95110, USA
65 Cahill Street, San Jose

Pickup point

San Jose Diridon Station Parking Lot
4S S Montgomery St, San Jose, CA 95110, USA

Start time

09:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

We can arrange pick up and drop off service at any hotels and private residences in San Jose area at nominal cost. If you like to be picked up from Monterey or Carmel area we can do that. Please search product title, Big Sur McWay Falls California Coast One Day Tour From Monterey Carmel.

What To Expect

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Monterey

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Bixby Bridge

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

McWay Falls

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infant seats available
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
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.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Roxanna_P

What an incredible tour! So many amazing views and things to do and see! Views were breath taking! Definitely would recommend this tour! 100% worth the price! And Carlos was absolutely fantastic! Cannot fault him, what an incredible man and tour guide! Thank you so much for a fabulous day :)

Reviews

5.0

22 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 22 reviews

Simply Beautiful sites!

Erica_H, May 2023

We had a great time on this tour! Carlos was the perfect host. He was very kind and knowledgeable of the area! Will definitely use them again!

Response from Host, Jun 2023

We are glad that you enjoyed the trip to Big Sur from San Jose with Carlos. We do our best to make our customers happy and meet their expectations. :) Thank you for traveling with us. Best regards, Ben

Chill and fun

Joel_C, Oct 2022

It was perfect, thats it, Carlos was a gem of a person, so professional, yet friendly. Other than performing his duties flawlessly, he wasnt overly charming to get gratuity brownie pts, thats what impressed me the most!

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you for your positive feedback. We do our best to provide enjoyable trips for our customers. So glad to hear that you enjoyed the trip with Carlos. :) Best regards, Ben

Great day great guide

Patricia_E, Aug 2022

Carlos was a terrific guide. Not being from the area, we didn’t know all the places to see and stop but he knew all the best spots and gave us a tour to remember.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thanks so much for your nice comments. It was our pleasure to arrange the trip to Big Sur and the surrounding areas for your family. Everyone here, including Carlos, is so happy to hear that you enjoyed the trip and appreciate your review. Thanks again for the feedback and for choosing our service. Best regards, Ben

Wonderful experience!

Nelly_P, Aug 2022

Perfect way to tour this beautiful Carmel-Big Sur area! Carlos was very kind and did an amazing job driving and taking us to all the beautiful places along the coast! We got soo many awesome pictures! The best part was seeing relaxing and enjoying the scenery and not having to drive!!

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you for sharing your good experience on this trip to the Big Sur with an amazing image of McWay Falls. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the trip. All of us here, including Carlos, appreciate your comments very much. :) Thank you. Best regards, Ben

Carlos was a great guide and was a great trip

James_S, Jul 2022

Comfort and convenience and the driver really knows where to go. We saw sights we would not have seen otherwise

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hi James, Thank you for your great feedback. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the trip to Big Sur with Carlos. We look forward to arranging another trip in the future. :) Best regards, Ben

Amazing!!!!!!!

Roxanna_P, May 2022

Response from Host, May 2022

Thank you for the great comments. We do our best, and are glad that you enjoyed the trip. Ben

Carlos gave an excellent tour

James_H, May 2022

Carlos found several places not covered by the guide books that were really wonderful. He was a friendly and gracious host.

Response from Host, May 2022

We are glad to read that you are happy with the trip and Carlos. The Big Sur may stay in your memory for a long time. Thank you very much. Ben

Fantastic time

Lyndon_G, Apr 2022

Bixby Bridge, Lunch at Post Ranch Inn. Dominico was an excellent guide, knows the area well, wealth of info.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

We are happy that you enjoyed the trip. Thank you very much. Best regards, Ben

Quick tour of CA coast

Cathy, Mar 2022

Pfeiffer Beach and having lunch at the pebble beach clubhouse were definitely the highlights. Carlos took us all up and down highway one past the Bixby Bridge. We did 17 mile drive and saw Carmel. We loved it! It was a one day trip from SF. I would recommend a few days in Big Sur and Carmel, but if you only have one day, this works well!

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank you very much for the excellent review of the trip. Your recommendation of spending a night or two will be very helpful. Thank you again. Sincerely, Christina

Worth every penny..amazing trip

Robin_C, Aug 2020

Best experience . Carlos, the driver was kind and so knowlegeable. The person setting up everything was also so kind and made everything smooth. Even sent me an article about how to reduce risk of contracting corona virus with the various modes of travel. Car travel with minimal and short travel in Amtrak with everyone spaced out was a good option. Just take some serious disinfecting wipes for the train portion and wipe everything before you sit, stay away from other people and you can travel this way with reduced risk. Plus you can see all the sites and not have to worry about keeping ets on the road. Worth every penny. I only wish it was a full day instead of half day, but the earliest arrival to Salinas is not availablr vis amtrak until after 11:00 a.m. but ad says train departs at 7:30 a.m.

Day trip to big sur

ashishpjoseph, Nov 2019

It was amazing. We both had a great time. Carlos our guide was very polite and very friendly. He took us to so many places in a short time. We had an awesome time.