California-Northern

XP-Advice for trip to northern Cali

Also going to post on Bay area board..


H and I are planning an anniversary trip in July, spending 4 days in San Fran and 2.5 days in the Carmel/Monterey area. I was hoping for some input from people familiar with this region.

 

Will 2 full days and a partial day be enough time to spend in Carmel/Monterey? We'd be driving down from SF probably mid-day Wed. We'd have to leave bright and early Sat morning to catch our flight. So really we'd be looking at Thurs. and Fri. We wanted to do some scenic hikes in Carmel, possibly do the 17 mile (?) drive, do some shopping and maybe some beach-going (I know it isn't a swimming type beach but we'd still like to enjoy it). Would two full days be enough? We really didn't want to stay a third night for cost issues.

 

Also, do you think Sat. afternoon-Wed. morning is enough time in SF? We've never been before. We wanted to do some touristy things like Alcatraz, Muir Woods, bike the bridge and explore Sausalito and we also really wanted to do a day tour to Napa wineries. I don't mind being on-the-go, but also don't want to miss something I had my heart set on.

 

 Any advice on our itinerary? Would you spend more or less time in either of those locations? Any other must-dos in Carmel/Monterey that I didn't mention?


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Vacation

Re: XP-Advice for trip to northern Cali

  • 2.5 days in Carmel/Monterey is plenty. Its a small town. If you like Missions, the one in Carmel is gorgeous. If you want scenic hikes, go down to Big Sur its not too far from Carmel. 

    Other things to do in SF - Golden Gate Park ( a good place to hike around with lots of things to do/see) or The Palace of Fine Arts is pretty. Ride a cable car. Go to the Pier, Go to the Ferry Building Market. 
  • edited February 2012
    That is plenty of time in Carmel/Monterey. My mom and I did a trip there for 3 days, and we actually got bored. And in that time we did Monterey and the aquarium, 17 Mile Drive, shopped around Carmel and did the beach twice. But we knew that 2/2.5 days would have been better, because like I said, we had time to spare!

    Also, that is plenty of time for SF as well. You can easily get all of that done. You can do Pier 39, Alcatraz in one day... Then the park/bridge stuff another... Everything is so close together and easy to get to with their transit or cabs.

    Have fun!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • If you look at tourist shuttle tours, you can find tours that include Alcatraz, Muir Woods and Sausalito all in one day. My Fiance took me on one for our first anniversary, it was a lot of fun!
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