West Coast · CA
Big Sur & Carmel-by-the-Sea
CouplesModerate
Getting there
Gateway airport
Monterey, CA (MRY)
8 U.S. cities fly here nonstop, most heavily from Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, San Diego.
See every nonstop into MRY →Nonstop route data from the U.S. Department of Transportation (BTS T-100), covering 2025-06..2026-05, last updated 2026-09-02. Domestic routes only. Airlines change schedules, so an advisor confirms before you book.
From the airport
Monterey is fifteen minutes from Carmel and the obvious choice. San Jose is about ninety minutes with many more options.
Alternate gateways
- Trip shape
- Two nights: one on Highway 1, one in Carmel
- When to go
- Fog season: June to August
- Where to base
- Split the stay between Highway 1 and Carmel
Best months: April, May, September, October
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