Beginning of main content

Top 12 Things to do in Monterey, California

Trip Type
Flight 1
Flight 2
Flight 3
Flight 4
Flight 5

Explore thousands of activities with free cancellation and no added fees.

Design your experience with airport transfers, excursions, day tours & more.

Get an insider's look in what to book before you travel.

Top things to do in Monterey

See all 32 things to do in Monterey

#1Monterey, Carmel & Pacific Coast Highway - Full Day Tour

Cruise along California's spectacular coastline on a relaxing day trip from San Francisco. You'll follow Highway 1 to the beautiful Monterey Peninsula and vi...

recommend88% of travellers recommend

Free Cancellation Free Cancellation

C$120
per adult
Monterey, Carmel & Pacific Coast Highway - Full Day Tour

#2California Coastline: Monterey & Carmel

Cruise along roads flanked by dramatic rock formations and pounding surf as you travel down the coast in a comfortable coach. Drive by championship golf cour...

recommend94% of travellers recommend

Free Cancellation Free Cancellation

C$142
per adult
California Coastline: Monterey & Carmel

#34 Hour Summer Whale Watch

Look for whales as they spend time in the waters of the Pacific Ocean off of California on this half-day whale watching cruise from Monterey. Your naturalist...

recommend94% of travellers recommend

Free Cancellation Free Cancellation

C$69
per adult
4 Hour Summer Whale Watch

#43-Hour Sea Car Scooter Tour

Hop behind the handlebars of a quirky 3-wheeled Sea Car scooter and explore the coastal curiosities and historic sights scattered around Monterey. With a pre...

C$117
per traveller
3-Hour Sea Car Scooter Tour

#5Monterey & Carmel-by-the-Sea Explorer

The experiences you’ll have on tour from San Francisco to Monterey, Pebble Beach and Carmel-by-the-Sea are extraordinary – starting with the Pacific coastlin...

recommend82% of travellers recommend

Free Cancellation Free Cancellation

C$134
per adult
Monterey & Carmel-by-the-Sea Explorer

#62-Hour Sea Car Scooter Tour

Zip and zoom around Monterey on a curious 3-wheeled contraption, checking out historic sites and snapping photos of memorable views along the way. With a pre...

recommend88% of travellers recommend

C$81
per traveller
2-Hour Sea Car Scooter Tour

#7Scenic 17-Mile Self Drive Audio Guide from Monterey & Carmel

Welcome to the “17-mile Drive”, a driving tour around Monterey and Pebble Beach, south of San Francisco. It is a GPS enabled professionally-narrated driving ...

C$7
per traveller
Scenic 17-Mile Self Drive Audio Guide from Monterey & Carmel

#8Mystery Thrill Seekers - Monterey

Fun, Interactive game played on location with your smart phone. Your mission is to work together to solve puzzles, unlock clues and solve who dunnit. As you ...

C$48
per traveller
Mystery Thrill Seekers - Monterey

#9Self-Drive Excursion in a Convertible California Roadster

Fall madly in love with Monterey during a self-drive excursion in a compact electric car. Slide behind the wheel of a zippy convertible and travel to the sea...

recommend100% of travellers recommend

C$48
per traveller
Self-Drive Excursion in a Convertible California Roadster

#10Tastings at 400+ West Coast Wineries (Priority Wine Pass)

We are a wine tasting pass that is partnered with 400 wineries on the West Coast and is good for 365 days from date of purchase THE WINERIES we work with: 4...

C$54
per adult
Tastings at 400+ West Coast Wineries (Priority Wine Pass)

Top things to do by category

Adventures (4) Cruises & Water Tours (1) Day Trips & Excursions (10) Family friendly (10) Food & Drink (4) Likely to sell out (9) New on Expedia (7) Tours & sightseeing (20) Walking & Bike Tours (3) Water activities (2)

Located on the coast of Central California, Monterey is a paradise for whale and dolphin lovers. Sightings of these sea mammals are so commonplace in this region that those who operate Monterey tours featuring whale and dolphin watching routinely advertise that guests who fail to see ocean wildlife are free to take another tour

at no charge. Another must see for lovers of marine life is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Visitors are advised to allow themselves plenty of time to be mesmerized by enchanting exhibits featured here.

This community also provided the setting for John Steinbeck's "Cannery Row," and other well-known novels, and many popular Monterey excursions are based Steinbeck's life and writings. The National Steinbeck Center has long been one of the top attractions in Monterey. But Monterey, CA isn't known as the Language Capital of the World because it was the home of a famous novelist; the city is global leader in language instruction. The Defense Language Institute and the Monterey Institute of International Studies are both heavy players in worldwide language education.

Delighting jazz lovers since 1958, the Monterrey Jazz festival is one of the best events of its kind in the world. If jazz isn't your thing, though, you can always enjoy the Monterey Blues Festival, which has been going strong since 1986. The theater arts are also well-represented in Monterey. In fact, California's first theater was build there in 1947, which has earned the community the nickname of the "First City."

One of the newer Monterey activities sure to become a classic is the First City Festival that takes place in the latter part of the month of August. If you love playing golf, you are probably already aware that Monterey features a world-class golf course known as Pebble Beach. You will find no shortage of things to do in Monterey, and the friendly ambiance of the community will ensure you won't feel like just another tourist during your stay. Because Monterey isn't a large, sprawling metropolis, it's easy to find local spots where you'll feel right at home.

Please feel free to contact our office here at Expedia for the latest information on places to stay and things to do in Monterey. We can also provide you with a map of the local area to make sure that you won't miss out on any of the fabulous attractions in Monterey.