Monterey (California)

From Wikitravel

Monterey is a town in the Monterey Bay area of California.

Table of contents
1 Understand
2 Get in
3 Get around
4 See
5 Do
6 Buy
7 Eat
8 Drink
9 Sleep
10 Get out

Understand

Get in

Monterey is located on State Highway 1, which meanders slowly along the coast. It's not far from US 101.

  • From the North, take US 101 south to Prunedale. At Prunedale go west 5 miles west on State Highway 156 until it merges onto southbound Highway 1. Then 15 miles along Highway 1 to Monterey. If you are heading to Cannery Row or the Aquarium, look for a brown sign which which will advise you about which exit to take. If Highway 1 ceases to be a freeway, you've gone past Monterey.
  • From San Francisco, if you have a lot of time to spend, you could consider travelling south along the coast on State Route 1. It's a slow road until you get to Santa Cruz, but the views are fantastic.
  • From the South, take US 101 north to Salinas, then State Route 68 west to Monterey.
  • Warning: from the Bay Area internet map sites, mapping software, and GPS systems will advise you to take State Route 17 to Santa Cruz and then take State Route 1 south. Under no circumstances should you follow this advice. State Route 17 through the Santa Cruz mountains is highly congested with insane drivers, filled with blind curves and corners you are expected to take at high speed, and is often blocked with accidents. Try to convince your mapping system to route you through Gilroy in order to get the right route.

Get around

See

Jellyfish in the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Enlarge
Jellyfish in the Monterey Bay Aquarium
  • The Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row. ph 831 648 4888 (24 hour information), 831 648 4800 (switchboard) or 800 555 3656 (Spanish). This large aquarium specializes in exhibiting local sea life. The best exhibits include a large tank of silver anchovies that swim around and around your head and three sea otters raised in the aquarium and now too tame to live in the wild. Best of all, perhaps, are the tanks of large jellyfish lit up so that they fluoresce. Admission is $20 adults, $18 seniors, $16 students, $9 children and disabled. Open 9:30am - 6pm May 29-Sept 6 and all holidays, 10am - 6pm at other times. http://www.mbayaq.org/

Do

  • Play on the dunes and the shore at one of the city's five public beaches.
  • Walk or bike along part of the 29 mile-long Monterey Bay Coastal Trail.
  • Explore the unique estuary environment of Elkhorn Slough, either on foot or by kayak. http://www.elkhornslough.org/
  • Get a panoramic view of the Monterey Bay (and Carmel to the south) from Jack's Peak, the highest point in Monterey County.

Buy

Eat

Clam Chowder in sourdough bread. You can get it at Fisherman´s Wharf.

Drink

Sleep

  • Best Western Beach Resort Monterey, 2600 Sand Dunes Drive, (831) 394-3321, Toll-free: (800) 242-8627, Fax: (831) 393-1912, [1] (http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05468).
  • Best Western De Anza Inn, 2141 Fremont Street, (831) 646-8300, Fax: (831) 646-8130, [2] (http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05345).
  • Best Western Monterey Inn, 825 Abrego Street, (831) 373-5345, Toll-free: (877) 373-5345, Fax: (831) 373-3246, [3] (http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05398).
  • Best Western Park Crest Motel, 1100 Munras Avenue, (831) 372-4576, Fax: (831) 372-2317, [4] (http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05067).
  • Best Western Ramona Inn, 2332 Fremont Street, (831) 373-2445, Fax: (831) 373-6358, [5] (http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05284).
  • Best Western Victorian Inn, 487 Foam Street, (831) 373-8000, Toll-free: (800) 232-4141, Fax: (831) 373-4815, [6] (http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05370).
  • Holiday Inn Express, 443 Wave Street, (831) 372-1800, [7] (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/1/en/hd/mryex).
  • Monterey Marriott, 350 Calle Principal, (831) 649-4234, Fax: (831) 372-2968, [8] (http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/MRYCA).
  • Motel 6, 2124 North Fremont Street, (831) 646-8585, Fax: (831) 372-7429, [9] (http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.asp?MotelId=0005&state=CA&full=California&city=Monterey).
  • Sand Dollar Inn, 755 Abrego Street.

Get out

Drive along the coast to Santa Cruz on the Northern end of Monterey Bay, or continue South down to Big Sur and Carmel.