17-Mile Drive Self-Guided Audio Tour from Monterey & Carmel
Description
Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! Explore the famous 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, Monterey with a self-guided audio tour! Learn about iconic landmarks like Lone Cyprus, Seal Rock, and Spanish Bay as you drive past. Discover the history behind Cannery Row, Monterey's Aquarium, and Fisherman's Wharf. Experience this ultimate scenic drive at its fullest. This self-guided audio tour allows you to explore Monterey with maximum flexibility and value. After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Pacific Grove portion of our Monterey tour is now over; the famous 17 Mile Drive portion is about to begin. This is Monterey's most famous "attraction" and one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the world. Note: The tour is over 16 miles long, with more than 35 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
We'll embark on this scenic drive in downtown Monterey, near the historic Fisherman's Wharf.
Our explorations along Monterey's Pacific Grove bring us to Cannery Row, immortalized by John Steinbeck.
Our drive down Cannery Row ends at Monterey's second most famous attraction: the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This is an optional stop, for those looking to get up close and personal with a huge variety of sea creatures.
Our drive through Monterey continues along the Pacific Grove, heading closer to the top attraction: the 17 Mile Drive. Along the way, we see beautiful waterfront properties, the scenic Lovers Point Park, and the unmistakeable Kissing Rock.
Our Monterey tour continues around the Point Pinos Bend, where we'll learn about the famous lighthouse.
Keep an eye out for our next sight: the Kissing Rock! This isn’t really a rock. It’s actually a natural formation of two granite rocks that have fused together over time. Since they appear to be kissing, this spot was officially named “The Kissing Rock” in April 1970.
The drive then takes us along Asilomar Beach, known for it's tidepools, which teem with life.
Our first vista along the 17 Mile Drive portion of this Monterey tour is at Spanish Bay. We'll explore Monterey's history as we drive.
Our 17 Mile Drive tour then brings us to Point Joe. Here we'll learn the story of two well-known shipwrecks… the St. Paul and the Celia. We'll also understand why this ocean is known as “The Restless Sea”!
Point Joe is infamous as the site of numerous shipwrecks. From the outside, this stretch of beach looks like the entrance to the Monterey Bay harbor. In reality, the beach has a rocky underwater lining that unsuspecting ships often crashed upon. And Monterey’s foggy weather certainly didn’t help matters!
The next stop on our 17 Mile Drive tour is at China Rock. This was the exact site of a small fishing village from the 1800s. We'll try to spot the marks from 1800s cooking smoke caked into the rocks!
This rock is a popular hangout spot for the local fauna when they want some downtime. Set in a small cove at one of the best vantage points in the entire bay, it’s home to harbor seals, sea lions, and of course many, many birds. If you’re visiting between November and March, you might even see the far-away spouts of migrating grey whales! Make sure your camera and binoculars are handy.
This brings us to Bird Rock and Seal Rock, both always teeming with life. We'll learn how to spot the difference between seals and sea lions, and identify a couple of the most common birds of the area.
As we continue to drive along the scenic 17 Mile Drive, we'll also be able to stop at the Fanshell Beach Overlook.
As we approach the 17 Mile Drive's most famous attraction, the Lone Cypress, we'll learn all about cypress trees -- and what makes them so resilient!
As we drive, we'll pass Crocker Grove, which honors the man who almost single-handedly built the 17 Mile Drive. Crocker put in a lot of effort into beautifying the coastal drive while preserving its natural history and terrain.
Finally we reach the Lone Cypress! The Lone Cypress stands dramatically at the edge of a cliff, shrouded in fog. Its roots are embedded in a rough outcropping on a granite hillside and it is framed by a backdrop of loud, crashing waves.
Pescadero Point is legendary with fans of the paranormal. We'll hear all about the spooky tales of this stop.
Our scenic tour of Monterey's 17 Mile Drive ends at the world-famous Pebble Beach, a paradise of pristine white sand and sensational coastal cliffs.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
- How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
- Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
- Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
- Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
- New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
- Audio Setup: Connect your phone to your car's stereo system using Bluetooth, USB, or AUX. For the best experience, consider using headphones for walking tours. Audio playback is compatible with Apple CarPlay, with navigation features coming soon. Support for Android Auto is also on the way.
- The tour requires a supported mobile device for navigation. Please use an iPhone with iOS 15 or later, an Android device with Android 9 or later, or an iPad/tablet with GPS and cellular service.
Reviews(55)
The experience was absolutely amazing!! I'd recommend it to anyone!! It was great seeing all the different little things I would've missed on my own!
Julia, I’m so glad to hear you had such an amazing experience with my 17-Mile Drive GPS Audio Tour from Monterey & Carmel! It’s wonderful to know the tour helped you discover all the little details and hidden highlights you might otherwise have missed during the drive. If you’re interested in more scenic drives, check out my California tours, including Joshua Tree and Lake Tahoe. Happy exploring!
I could not get the app to recognize my movement so it was basically useless. I ended up using Google Maps and went solo
Anthony, can you confirm that you hit “allow” for location permissions? That’s a necessary function for the tour and without it, the app won’t recognize your movements as you mentioned. Since you weren’t really able to take this tour, I’d be happy to exchange it for you.
Couldn't get app to work properly. Very confusing. Ended up turning it off and just following the signs beside the road.
Holly, I’m really sorry to hear that my 17-Mile Drive GPS Audio Tour didn’t work properly for you. I’d love to understand what went wrong. Was the issue during setup, during tour download, or with the GPS audio not triggering? Starting from the recommended point and having the tour fully downloaded usually helps everything run smoothly. My team is always available to walk you through the setup step by step so you can have a seamless experience. Please feel free to reach out—I’m available daily from 9 AM to 6 PM EST and happy to help.
Directions were great. Description of each attraction was very good. Took you to see guided and other sites along trail. Pleasant narration voice during tour.
James, great to hear you enjoyed my 17-Mile Drive self-guided audio tour. I’m glad the directions were clear, the attraction descriptions were helpful, and the tour led you to both well-known highlights and lesser-seen spots along the route. Happy to hear the narration voice worked well for you, too. If you’re interested in more scenic drives, check out my California tours, including Joshua Tree and Lake Tahoe. Happy exploring!
Easy to use app. We started in Monterey. Very detailed info to drive to Starting point and each stop. Clear instructions where to turn etc Highly recommend to use
I’m so glad you had a smooth experience with the 17-Mile Drive Self-Guided Audio Tour. I’m so happy the app made it easy to reach the Monterey starting point, and that the turn-by-turn directions and detailed stop guidance were helpful throughout your drive. If you’re planning more California adventures, don’t miss my All-In-One California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle, which includes Pacific Coast Highway, Big Sur, Yosemite, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Napa Valley, San Francisco, and many more. Happy exploring!
The system was always lagging behind the car.. became annoying, turned it off halfway. The route itself was nothing special, compared to what is available outside ‘the gates.’
I’m sorry to hear that your experience with my 17-Mile Drive Self-Guided Audio Tour didn’t meet expectations, Scott. Could you tell me more about the lag you experienced? Sometimes the audio can fall out of sync if the speed limit isn’t followed or if a detour is taken. Please also note that there are two versions of this tour, so choosing the correct one based on your starting location will provide the best experience. I’d love to learn more so I can pass your feedback to my team and make improvements. Feel free to reach out if you’d like me to process a refund or offer a replacement — I’m available daily from 9 to 6 EST and happy to help.
Don't bother. Just pay $12 at the gate and get the map. Inadvertently paid the money thinking that it included the entrance fee. Silly me.
Alexander, thank you for your feedback. I want to clarify that, as stated in our Viator listing, the tour only includes the self-guided audio tour and does not cover the entrance fee, which must be purchased separately. I've checked, and it appears that you've successfully used the provided password. My app works offline, allowing you to download the tour ahead of time. Our audio tours are valid for a whole year, providing you with ample time to utilize them. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out—I'm available daily from 9-6. If you'd prefer, I can assist with a replacement.
The app was hard to use and when it did play audio, it was a quarter mile behind us. It would tell us about points of interest we had passed 5 to 10 min prior
Scott, I’m sorry to hear that the audio on my 17-Mile Drive Self-Guided Tour didn’t stay in sync during your drive. The narration usually plays on time when the route and speed limit are followed correctly, as the app triggers stories based on your GPS location. Did you happen to take any detours or drive at a higher speed? That can sometimes cause delays in playback. I’ll share this with my team for review. Please reach out — I’m available daily from 9 to 6 EST and would be happy to help you troubleshoot or provide a replacement so you can enjoy the full experience.
The narration for the stops were a little delayed, however the information was helpful. This audio tour was for Monterey also but we did not make it to that part of the tour. We will use it if there is a return trip.
Dennis, I’m glad you found my 17-Mile Drive audio tour informative and enjoyed the beautiful drive! The narration delay can sometimes happen if the speed limit isn’t followed, so I always recommend staying within the speed limits shown on the app to keep the audio in sync. I’m happy to hear you plan to revisit the Monterey portion next time. If you’re planning more California adventures, don’t miss my All-In-One California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle, which includes Pacific Coast Highway, Big Sur, Yosemite, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Napa Valley, San Francisco, and many more. Happy exploring!
The audio is the perfect way to learn about each stop on The 17-Mile Drive. It’s easy to use, allows you as much time as you wish to spend at each stop, and gives interesting facts about the sites. Highly recommend!
I’m glad you enjoyed my 17-Mile Drive audio tour. It’s wonderful to hear that you found it easy to use, informative, and flexible enough to take your time at each stop. If you’re interested in more scenic drives, check out my California tours, including Joshua Tree and Lake Tahoe. Happy exploring!
