Trivia: Monterey was the capital of California from 1777 to 1849, under the flags of Spain, Mexico, and the United States. It was also the site of the July 7, 1846 Battle of Monterey during the Mexican-American War. It was on this date that John D. Sloat, commodore in the United States Navy, raised the U.S. flag over the Monterey Customs House and claimed California for the United States. The city calls itself "The Cradle of History."

Transport I Car Hire I Hotels I Entertainment I Food & Drink I Nightlife I Tourist Tips

Transport:

Located in the heart of California's Central Coast, Monterey County's borders lie 250 miles north of Los Angeles and 100 miles south of San Francisco.

It's simple to reach the county via state Highway 101 or the coastal Highway 1. There are daily commercial flights into Monterey Peninsula Airport, which is just 10 minutes from downtown Monterey. Flight time from Los Angeles is approximately one hour.

Helicopter charters service both Monterey and Salinas airports. The San Jose International Airport is just an hour's drive north of Monterey County, and San Francisco International Airport is a two-hour drive north.

Public Bus Transportation:

Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST), provide public transportation throughout Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula. MST’s 32 routes, provide service primarily in the Monterey Peninsula jurisdictions and in the Salinas Valley. Intercity service is provided via Highway 68 and Highway 1 between these two urban areas of Monterey County. In addition, intercity routes connect MST with the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District at their Transit Centre in Watsonville. Further, MST provides rural transit service to Carmel Valley and seasonal service to Big Sur, and along the Monterey and Pacific Grove waterfronts (The MST Trolleys).

By Car:

Travel along the Big Sur coastline is via Hwy. 1, sometimes called the Pacific Coast Highway. Big Sur refers to a 90-mile stretch of rugged and awesomely beautiful coastline that runs south from Carmel beyond Monterey County's southern border to end around San Simeon. The two-lane road twists dramatically and offers numerous vista point turnoffs. Driving speeds are limited for safety.

Getting around the county is easy on excellent roads and state highways.

Getting There:

Monterey Peninsula Airport (MRY) is a regional airport located 3 miles (5 km) southeast of the city of Monterey in Monterey County, California. The airport is owned by the citizens of the several municipalities that comprise the Monterey Peninsula Airport District. Its goal is to draw the Monterey Peninsula market away from Bay Area Airports, but flight fares can be higher.

Direct flights from the UK go via Los Angeles with British Airways and the American carriers.  

Car Hire:

Whatever size or type of vehicle you require, Travel Places can assist you. You can email a request to Leanne or Issie, or call on 01903 832888.  

Hotels:

There are three types of accommodations in Monterey: lace-and-flowers B&Bs, large corporate hotels with only a slight beachy feel, or run-of-the-mill motel digs. Consider which area you'd like to be in: beach, Cannery Row, wharf, secluded, central, and we can help you find the right property.

5 Star Options:

• Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort
• Monterey Marriott
• Hotel Pacific
• Old Monterey Inn
• Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa
• Portola Plaza Hotel at Monterey Bay
  

4 Star Options:

• Hilton Monterey
• Spindrift Inn
• Monterey Fireside Lodge
• Casa Munras Garden Hotel
• Doubletree Hotel
• Monterey Bay Lodge
• Cypress Gardens Inn
• Beach Resort Monterey
• Clarion Hotel Monterey
• Embassy Suites

Entertainment:

The city is now famous for its abundant sea habitat, including kelp seaweed forests, sea otters and sea lions. The large diversity of sealife draws thousands of scuba divers each year to Monterey, which is considered one of the best regions for the sport in Northern California.

Monterey is also the location of one of the largest aquariums in North America, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and hosts several important marine science laboratories. Monterey's geographic location gives scientists access to the deep sea within hours. Just miles off the shores of Monterey is Monterey Canyon, an underwater canyon two miles deep.

Official seal of Monterey, The Larkin House, a part of the Monterey State Historic Park and a National Historic Landmark, was built in the Mexican period by Thomas Oliver Larkin and is an early example of Monterey Colonial architecture. The Old Customhouse, the Old Town Historic District, and the Royal Presidio Chapel are also National Historic Landmarks. The Cooper-Molera Adobe is a National Trust Historic Site.

Monterey Bay Aquarium:

Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is located in a former sardine cannery and a former brewery on Cannery Row in Monterey, California, is one of the largest aquariums in the world. It has an annual attendance of 1.8 million and holds 35,000 plants and animals of 623 species.
 
A surface supplied diver interacts with viewers while feeding the fish There are many special exhibits presented — such as these jellyfish Schooling fish in the Outer Bay exhibit.It includes a 33-foot (10m) high aquarium for viewing California coastal marine life and a one million gallon aquarium, the Outer Bay exhibit, which also features one of the largest windows in the world. Beginning in September 2004, the Outer Bay exhibit was the home to the first Great White Shark kept alive in captivity for a prolonged period of time (the previous record was 16 days). The shark was released on 31 March 2005 after she killed two other sharks in the exhibit.

Much of the biologic diversity and density seen in Monterey Bay (and in the aquarium) is the result of cold and nutrient-rich water upwelling from the ocean depths via the canyon.  Sealife on exhibit includes stingrays, jellyfish, and sea otters, which can be viewed above and below the waterline. The MBA developed a circular aquarium called a Kreisel to keep fragile sea jellies. In addition, there is an exhibit featuring a kelp forest, the first ever successfully grown in captivity, in a multi-story tank at the centre of the building, open to the elements at the surface. Visitors are able to inspect the creatures of the kelp forest at several levels in the building.

Cannery Row:

This waterfront street was immortalised as the setting of John Steinbeck's novels Cannery Row (1945) and Sweet Thursday (1954). The former was the basis for the 1982 movie Cannery Row, starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger.

Pacific Biological Laboratories, a biological supply house, was located at 800 Cannery Row from 1928 to 1948 and operated by Edward F. Ricketts, who is said to resemble the character "Doc" in the Steinbeck novels.

The canneries failed after the collapse of the fishing industry in the Monterey Bay in the mid-1950s. Before the collapse, the fishery was one of the most productive in the world due to the upwelling of cold, yet nutrient-rich water from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean that is funneled to the surface via the vast underwater Monterey Canyon.

Today the area around Cannery Row is a marine sanctuary and is home to a large resurgent population of California sea lions. The street is now a tourist attraction with many restaurants and hotels, and a few historical attractions. A few privately owned and operated fishing companies still exist on Cannery Row, housed on piers located a short distance from the historic district frequented by tourists.

In recent years, Cannery Row has become increasingly popular among sport fisherman due to extensive public fishing facilities (sinks, countertops, ice, docking).

Fisherman's Wharf:

Fisherman’s Wharf and pier is a collection of shops, tours and everything seaworthy. Restaurants and stalls blend in with this marina area, making Fisherman’s Wharf a unique place to visit. Hop onto a sightseeing tour of Monterey Bay or a whale-watching tour.

Also in the Fisherman’s Wharf area is the Stanton Centre – Maritime Museum and History Centre, home to a lens from Point Sur Lighthouse weighing some 10,000 pounds.

Shopping:

Nearby Carmel is the place for some retail therapy, and is an all day expereience! The eclectic selection of shops in and around Carmel, from small boutique shops to large factory outlet malls to art galleries and antique shops, makes this an unrivaled shopping adventure for even the most experienced shopper.

Carmel Plaza features both internationally known shops and local merchants. Located within the Carmel shopping district, across from the park on Ocean Avenue in Carmel, parking for this Carmel shopping experience is on Mission Street.

Closer to Carmel River Inn at Highway One and Rio Road is The Barnyard Shopping Village, fifty shops and restaurants in a unique setting. Look for the windmill to guide you to The Barnyard Shopping Centre.

Venture away from the main Carmel shopping district and discover Outlet Shopping in Monterey. With over 40 stores, these outlets are in a prime location on Cannery Row and are a shopper’s paradise.
 
Slightly further away from Carmel, but definitely worth the trip, is Gilroy Premium Outlets. With 145 stores and all the famous names discounted to outlet prices, this mall should be on every shopper’s do-not-miss list.

Mueseums & Galleries:

• Monterey Museum of Art - exhibits from early California, in addition to contemporary and traditional American artists.
• National Steinbeck Centre - Salinas
• Tor House & Hawker Tower
• Museum of Natural History in Pacific Grove
• Highlands Sculpture Galleries - Carmel's oldest modern art gallery presenting contemporary fine art
• The Lewis Gallery - European art, particularly original works from Italy and Spain. Carmel
• Gallery Sur, Inc. - Photographs of Big Sur and Mexico along with other photograph work.
• Carmel Art Association Galleries - Carmel's oldest gallery presenting local artists work in a variety of media and style.