The 10 Best Cultural Tours in Monterey County, Monterey County

Walk in the footsteps of Steinbeck's characters as we explore the Monterey waterfront and Cannery Row, from the breakwater to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Inclusions: Guide

Exclusions: gratuities

This self-guided, self-paced audio walking tour explores Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey California. It includes the Portola Plaza & Hotel, Custom House Plaza & Museum, the Pacific House Museum & gardens, and more. During this tour, we will explore the Monterey's Fisherman’s Wharf and fishing industry history. You will be able to explore three museums in the Monterey State Historic Park. There will also be numerous opportunities for shopping or dining. And we will be showing you some of the filming locations for Big Little Lies season 1, including the Blue Blues Café. This tour is ready whenever you are. It plays automatically at exactly the right time and place using your smart phone’s GPS and the VoiceMap mobile app, which works offline. The tour begins at the Monterey History & Art Association Salvador Dali Museum also known as the Stanton Center and ends at the Pacific House Museum. There is a fee for the Salvador Dali Museum, but all three other museums are free.

Inclusions: Lifetime access to this tour in English, VoiceMap App for Android and iOS, Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata

Exclusions: Smartphone and headphones, Transportation, Food and drink, Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route

This self-guided, self-paced audio walking tour will explore Cannery Row in Monterey California and the surrounding area as well as a number of hotels and historic sites. There's a separate admission charge for entrance to Monterey Bay Aquarium. On this tour, you'll hear how the area served as the industrial heart of Monterey in the first half of the 1900s. Its seemingly inexhaustible number of Pacific sardine attracted fishermen, investors and inventors from around the world seeking their fortune. But, (spoiler alert!) overfishing would decimate the industry by the 1950s. You will also discover the connection between John Steinbeck and this area as you meet some of the colorful characters that were immortalized in his novel Cannery Row and its sequel Sweet Thursday. Finally, you'll discover the incredible story of how Cannery Row quite literally rose from the ashes to what is now a welcoming waterfront of world-class hotels, wine rooms, restaurants and shopping opportunities.

Inclusions: Lifetime access to this tour in English, VoiceMap App for Android and iOS, Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata

Exclusions: Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route, Smartphone and headphones, Transportation, Food and drink

Experience some of the most well known sites of the West Coast on this 8 day, 7 night tour from Los Angeles. Visit Santa Barbara, Cruise San Francisco's bay, Hoover Dam, Yosemite National Park, and more! One way transportation, continental breakfast and 7-nights accommodations are included. Tour concludes in Las Vegas.

Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast, Professional tour guide, Transport by air-conditioned bus or van, 7 nights of hotel accommodation including tax and continental breakfast, Bay cruise in San Francisco, Sightseeing in Santa Barbara, Carmel, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Jeep tour in Monument Valley and lunch

Exclusions: Gratuities, Food and drinks (unless specified), Hotel pickup and drop-off

This self-guided, self-paced audio walking tour will explore Historic Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. This 60-minute tour is designed to keep you on the move while walking at a reasonably slow pace, and still see all of the main sites. You can pause the tour at any time to get a bite to eat or a refreshing drink to quench your thirst. This tour will cover about 15 square blocks of the downtown Carmel to give you a “lay of the land”. You'll explore some of Carmel’s quaint courtyards and passageways and walk by a number of wine rooms, art galleries, restaurants and hotels. You'll also learn about Carmel’s founding fathers, distinctive architecture and storied past and provides numerous photo opportunities. The tour begins and ends at the Carmel Plaza. En route, you'll pass two public restrooms and four ATM’s. So start your tour with the app, put your phone in your pocket, and let us direct you on this adventure of downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Inclusions: Lifetime access to this tour in English, VoiceMap App for Android and iOS, Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata

Exclusions: Smartphone and headphones, Transportation, Food and drink, Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route

Want to discover the best of the West Coast over three memorable days? This unique tour by van or motorcoach will take you from Los Angeles to the must-see destinations of central and northern California: Santa Barbara, Solvang, Carmel, San Francisco, and Yosemite National Park or Hearst Castle. Sit back and relax as you are transported from one fabulous California destination to the next!

Inclusions: Breakfast, Breakfast, Professional tour guide, Transportation by 15-passenger van or a full-sized bus, Sightseeing in Santa Barbara, Carmel and San Francisco, 2-night hotel accommodation including tax and Continental Breakfast, Bay cruise in San Francisco, Wifi on bus only

Exclusions: Gratuities, Hotel pickup and drop-off

Carmel by the Sea is a story of unmatchable beauty and history that can be explored on this self-guided audio drive. This one of a kind village of less than 5,000 was founded by writers, poets, artists and musicians over 100 years ago. It was that artist colony vibe, along with the beauty of the ocean, that brought multi-media producer Bob Hamilton here from LA and New York over 40 years ago. Over those years, he proudly took visiting friends to all the hidden story locations that the average tourist may never see.  Now, the VoiceMap app lets him take you on your own private trip through the town with over a hundred art galleries, wine tasting rooms, high-end restaurants and shops and then to the beaches and around the point, ending at the 230-year-old Carmel Mission. From start to finish the tour takes less than an hour, but you travel at your own pace. The tour is ready whenever you are and the audio plays automatically at exactly the right time and place using your smartphone's GPS and the VoiceMap mobile app, which also works offline.

Inclusions: Lifetime access to Carmel by the Sea tour, VoiceMap Application, Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata

Exclusions: Smartphone, Transportation, Food/Drink, Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route

Experience the U.S West Coast's most well known sites on this 6 day tour from San Francisco. Visit Santa Barbara, Cruise San Francisco's bay, Yosemite National Park, tour the Grand Canyon and more! Round-trip transportation, continental breakfast and 5-nights accommodations are included.

Inclusions: Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast, Professional tour guide, Transport by air-conditioned bus or van, 5 nights of hotel accommodation including tax and continental breakfast, Bay cruise in San Francisco, Sightseeing in San Francisco and Las Vegas, Cruise on Lake Powell

Exclusions: Gratuities, Hotel pickup and drop-off

This self guided audio tour of Monterey I take friends and family on, when they come to visit. Monterey’s story is as beautiful as its scenery. When European explorer Juan Cabrillo first laid eyes on the bay 500 years ago, he was astounded by it, and he wrote such a glowing description that other explorers followed. Eventually, Monterey became a city. Whether this is your first time here or you visit the Peninsula regularly – and even if you live here – you’ll discover something new on this tour of California’s second oldest city. After all, there are more historical buildings in Monterey than any other city west of Santa Fe, New Mexico. You’ll see both sides of Fisherman’s Wharf, take in the actual locations in John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row and end the tour at the Monterey’s most visited attraction, The Aquarium.

Inclusions: Lifetime access to this tour in English, VoiceMap App for Android and iOS, Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata

Exclusions: Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route, Smartphone and headphones, Transportation, Food/Drink

This self-guided audio walking tour covers Carmel-by-the-Sea’s three mission areas: Mission Ranch, Carmel Mission Basilica, and the Mission Trail Nature Preserve. Our tour begins and ends at the Mission Ranch Hotel, owned by actor and former mayor of Carmel, Clint Eastwood. From there, we’ll wind our way through the southern end of this charming village of Carmel-by-the-Sea to the Mission Basilica, and then on to the Mission Trail Nature Preserve. Along the way, you will learn about early local California and Carmel history, view Carmel’s different architectural styles, from mission to modern, and hear stories about some of its interesting residents. This two-hour walking tour is two miles long. Please note: This tour does not include a visit to the interior of the Mission Basilica. To access the Basilica, its five museums, cemetery and courtyard grounds, purchase a ticket inside the Gift Store.

Inclusions: Lifetime access to this tour in English, Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata, VoiceMap App for Android and iOS

Exclusions: Food/Drink, Smartphone and headphones, Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route, Transportation