My Carmel-by-the-sea Itinerary for the perfect weekend

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Carmel-by-the-sea (saying just Carmel is fine too!) is only a 2-hour drive for me and a perfect weekend getaway.

I have been to Carmel with my family several times. Once, hubby and I visited Carmel-by-the-sea for our wedding anniversary getaway.

I love walking around Ocean Ave, the main shopping and dining hub in Carmel. It is brimming with art galleries, restaurants, and cute souvenir shops.

Carmel is the perfect quaint coastal town, just 5 miles away from Monterey. You can even call it a village, as it’s only one square mile in area! Plus, the name Carmel-by-the-Sea is so beautiful and unique!

Join me as I share my Carmel itinerary, which is perfect for a lovely weekend or as a stop on your California road trip!

Carmel Itinerary Overview

This Carmel-by-the-sea itinerary is for two days, but you can use it for an extended stay as well. It’s the perfect place to relax and unwind and not rush.

Start the first day with an invigorating hike at Point Lobos State Park, spend the afternoon exploring the town of Carmel, and finally watch a beautiful sunset at Carmel Beach in the evening.

On the second day, explore the scenic 17-mile drive and the nearby coastal town of Monterey.

If you only have one day to spend in Carmel, I would recommend exploring Carmel town, which is the Day 1 of this itinerary.

Day 1: Point Lobos, Ocean Ave, Carmel Beach

Start your day by hiking at Point Lobos and taking in the breathtaking ocean views and wildlife. Later, have a nice brunch or lunch at Ocean Ave and explore the town of Carmel.

End your perfect day in Carmel by watching the sunset at Carmel Beach. Can you imagine a more perfect day? I cannot!

Before starting south of Carmel to reach Point Lobos, we had a delicious breakfast at From Scratch. I highly recommend it. It was very busy on a Monday morning, and the place seemed like a local favorite. This is not in Carmel downtown but in Barnyard Shopping Village, in South Carmel.

Morning hike in Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

After breakfast, we drove 10 miles south of Carmel on the famous Hwy 1 to Point Lobos State Park, for some hiking.

Point Lobos has an extensive network of well-maintained coastal and forest trails and is really beautiful. you would need at least 2-3 hours to explore some of its main trails.

There is limited parking inside the park, and there is a per-vehicle park entrance fee. Parking was full when we arrived, so we had to park on Hwy 1 and walk our way through the park.

We did a 4-mile loop trail starting with Lace Linchen Trail, continuing on the South Shore Trail, Bird Island Trail, and finally back via the South Plateau Trail.

Lace Lichen Trail and South Plateau Trail are forest trails, while South Shore Trail is parallel to the ocean and offers spectacular ocean views.

The best and most popular trail in the park is the Bird Island Trail. The trail is wheelchair and stroller accessible. The trail takes you to the Bird Island viewpoint, where we saw a large colony of Brandt’s Cormorant birds.

This trail leads to China Cove, my favorite section of the park. This protected cove is where harbor seals nest. We saw a couple of mama seals and pups on the beach. The cove’s aqua-blue water was really beautiful.

We spent around 3 hours in the park, and it was a very refreshing way to start the morning with amazing coastal views.

Ocean Ave and Carmel Village

After a beautiful morning hike, spend the afternoon exploring Carmel and getting your heart filled with its simplicity and charm.

Ocean Ave is the main street here, where most of the restaurants, galleries, and shopping are. Walking around Ocean Ave is my favorite thing to do in Carmel! Ocean Ave ends at Carmel Beach.

Carmel-by-the-sea village has several cute fairy tale cottages that were built by Hugh Comstock in the 1920s, and they are still there! The Tuck Box and The Hansel and Gretel Houses are popular ones.

You can pick up a historic walking tour map from the Visitor Center in Carmel Plaza and explore all the historic buildings in Carmel Village. I have to still do this, hopefully on my next visit to Carmel.

When researching Carmel, I found these fun facts about Carmel, which I thought were very interesting! Did you know that Clint Eastwood was the mayor of Carmel long ago?

The homes here have no street addresses and are described by landmarks or their unique features. This is similar to how we used to have addresses back in India for small towns and villages.

There are also no fast-food restaurants here. Most interesting is that wearing high heels here requires a permit! Although I don’t think the heels thing is enforced, so don’t worry too much about it.

I don’t have a dog, but I found the entire Carmel village to be very dog-friendly. Most stores and restaurants had treats for dogs and water bowls. The Carmel bakery even had pet treats on sale which honestly looked really good!

The Carmel bakery on Ocean Ave is popular here, and the cookies and treats here are really good. We got several kinds to take back home.

Dametra Cafe is a great Greek restaurant next to it, where we had dinner on our anniversary. They had live music and dancing and encouraged everyone to dance. It was really fun! If you are planning to dine here, get reservations around the time they have music and dancing.

Carmel Beach

In the evening, head over to Carmel Beach at the end of Ocean Ave, just in time for sunset. There is public parking on Ocean Ave near the beach, but if you don’t find parking there you can park in the nearby streets and walk to the beach.

Here you can either just chill on the beach or walk the coastal trail south on Scenic Road that goes all the way to Carmel River State Beach.

I have always found the water in Monterey and Carmel beaches to be cold, just like Northern California beaches. So I am just content admiring the ocean views!

Day 2: 17-Mile Drive, Monterey

The next morning, have a nice breakfast at one of the many cafes in Carmel.

If on Ocean Ave, we go to Carmel bakery for our caffeine fix and a breakfast sandwich or burrito. Their pretzels are very popular as well. This is a historic bakery founded in 1899!

On this day, you can choose to continue exploring Carmel’s charming downtown and boutiques or take the scenic 17-mile drive to the nearby town of Monterey.

Whenever we do a weekend getaway, we explore both Monterey and Carmel.

17-mile Drive

After breakfast, take the famous 17-mile Drive through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach. Enjoy stunning views of the ocean, cliffs, and cypress forests along the way.

You can start the 17-mile tour from the Hwy 1 Carmel Gate entrance, which is only 0.5 miles from Carmel village.

The 17-mile drive is exactly 17 miles long and costs $12 to enter. There are 17 marked stops on the drive to enjoy the scenery. At the entrance you will get a map with stop locations, and a red line on the road makes it easy to follow.

You’ll pass beautiful golf courses, luxury homes, and landmarks like the Lone Cypress.

I recommend this drive if you’re nearby. We’ve enjoyed it many times, as we often bring visiting family and friends here.

The drive can take just 2 hours or a whole day if you explore the beaches and trails.

If you are short on time and only wish to see the best stops, I recommend these stops:

Spanish Bay Beach – a white sandy but rocky beach with picnic tables and ocean views.

Bird Rock – a rocky island in the ocean with wildlife like birds, seals, and sea lions.

Seal Rock – a nice beach cove here, a unique gingerbread house, and a forest trail.

Crocker Grove – My favorite stop on this drive. Here, you will find the largest and oldest collection of cypress trees.

Lone Cypress Tree – A famous landmark of 17-mile drive, lone cypress tree is a single tree on a rock in the ocean, withstanding the elements since 250+ years!

Pebble Beach Visitor Center—Stop here to learn about the history of Pebble Beach Golf Links and buy souvenirs and snacks. This place has the cleanest restrooms.

Monterey

After 17-mile drive make your way to Cannery Row. We park here at one of the paid parking lots.

Have lunch at one of the several excellent restaurants on Cannery Row. We recently tried El Torrito, and it was good Mexican food, but the ocean views were better! Ask for a window booth.

Our favorite things to do in Monterey are:

Cannery Row – The bustling shopping and dining waterfront hub at Monterey. Our visit to Monterey always starts here.

Monterey Bay Aquarium – This is the most popular thing to do in Monterey, and we were annual pass holders for a couple of years. The kelp forest here is amazing, and it has many unique marine life exhibits. This place is not just for kids; adults will enjoy it, too.

Monterey Bay Coastal Trail – Walk or bike along the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail. We like to rent a family bike at Cannery Row and bike all the way to Lovers Point Beach, which is around a mile one way. The coastal views are phenomenal and you might see some seals napping along the coast.

Old Fishermans Wharf – A little bit of a walk from Cannery Row but worthy of a stroll, Old Fishermans Wharf has several restaurants, shops, and water activities and tours. Rent a kayak or take a whale-watching tour, which is a popular activity to do here.

Monterey State Beach – A very large white sandy beach perfect for watching a Pacific Coast sunset. In the summer we do day trips to hang out at this beach.

Where to stay in Carmel?

Carmel has several cute boutique hotels and inns for an overnight stay. The entire Carmel, Pacific Grove, and Monterey area is safe and within 5 miles of each other, so you can stay anywhere.

Normandy Inn (mid-range) – Right on Ocean Ave, this is a cute little place full of old world charm. Walk to Carmel Beach and the restaurants and art galleries.

Carmel River Inn (budget) – We recently stayed here as we were only there for a night and wanted a place close of Point Lobos. The property has an Inn and independent cabins. We stayed in a new wooden cabin which was comfortable. It also had a kitchenette. Note this is not walking distance to Ocean Ave.

L’ Auberge Carmel (luxury) – A luxury boutique hotel in a great location, walking distance to Ocean Ave shopping and restaurants.

Top Tours in Carmel

• 3 hour Carmel small group Walking Food & Cultural Tour
• Guided 2-Hour Walking Tour in Carmel by the Sea
• Guided small group Carmel-by-the-Sea 2.5 Hour Electric Bike Tour

How many days do you need in Carmel?

2 days and an overnight stay should be perfect to experience the charm of Carmel Village.

Of course, you can even just stop by for a day trip or spend a week exploring Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, and the Pacific Coast Highway.

Note: When planning for your trip, make sure to check the current Highway 1 road closures. When we visited Carmel in April 2024, we couldn’t get to Big Sur as a section of Hwy 1 had collapsed south of Garrapata State Park.

What else is nearby?

• Coastal town of Monterey
• Scenic 17-mile Drive and Pacific Grove
• Point Lobos State Park for hiking
• Big Sur scenic drive with amazing ocean views and famous landmarks like Bixby Bridge and McWay Falls
• Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk

Final Takeaways: Carmel Itinerary

Carmel-by-the-sea (I can’t get enough of this unique name!) is a charming coastal town perfect for a romantic getaway or as a stop on our California road trip. I hope you enjoy exploring it as much as I do!