Cruising Big Sur: User Trip Plan and Vacation Idea for California at Concierge.com

Cruising Big Sur

By dwright

Trip Plan Tags:: arts + culture,; adventure,; road trip,; outdoors + nature

Destinations:: California,; Carmel-by-the-Sea,; Monterey,; North America,; Point Lobos State Reserve,; San Simeon,; United States

A winding journey down the infamous Pacific Route 1

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Hotel L'Auberge Carmel, Big Sur + Monterey

Built around a flower-filled brick courtyard with a fountain, this classic Carmel inn has hidden staircases, gabled windows, and a tiny dining room that's one... more

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Editor's Pick

See + Do Point Lobos State Reserve, Big Sur + Monterey

This blustery jewel of a state park is famous for its wind-blown cypress trees clinging to the rocky cliffs, and for its hundreds of barking, braying,... more

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See + Do Kayaking, Big Sur + Monterey

Monterey Bay supports one of the world's most diverse ecosystems and spans a whopping 5,300 square miles. A National Marine Sanctuary since 1992, it's an... more

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See + Do Hiking, Big Sur + Monterey

The best hiking in Big Sur isn't right along the coastline. Because the cliffs here tower a thousand feet high and drop precipitously to the pounding surf... more

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See + Do Henry Miller Memorial Library, Big Sur + Monterey

The brilliant and controversial writer was a native New Yorker, but his archive is here, in the town where he lived for 18 years and wrote some of his best... more

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See + Do Hearst Castle, Big Sur + Monterey

Publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst's monument to himself is by far the best-known attraction on the California coast. Perched high atop La Cuesta... more

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See + Do Carmel Mission, Big Sur + Monterey

Though currently surrounded by ranch-house subdivisions, the Carmel Mission was once the only building for miles around. Spanish missionary Father Junípero... more

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See + Do Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur + Monterey

Originally founded as an artists' colony in the early 20th century, Carmel (also known as Carmel-by-the-Sea) has the look and feel of a Christmas snow-globe... more

Editor's Pick

Eating La Bicyclette, Big Sur + Monterey

Styled after a French country café, La Bicyclette serves hearty European comfort food in a tiny 30-seat dining room, perfect for a romantic evening without... more

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Eating Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant, Big Sur + Monterey

Hidden behind a gas station, this comfort food spot's only view is of a pretty cactus garden (and, okay, a big Shell sign pointing into the sky). But the... more

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Eating Nepenthe & Café Kevah, Big Sur + Monterey

Perched 800 feet above the Pacific on a spectacular promontory (once owned—at separate times—by Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth), this place has been a... more

Editor's Pick