Tours and Tickets
Driving the California Coast: A Self-Guided Audio Tour from Carmel to Santa Cruz
3.5

Driving the California Coast: A Self-Guided Audio Tour from Carmel to Santa Cruz

By VoiceMap Monterey Peninsula
About
from
$9.99
per group (up to 15)

Lowest price guarantee

Ages 0-120
Duration: 120–180 minutes
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
English


  • Lifetime access to this tour in English
  • Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
  • VoiceMap App for Android and iOS
What's not included
  • Food/Drink
  • Smartphone and headphones
  • Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
  • Transportation


Departure details
  • Mission Ranch Restaurant, 26270 Dolores St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA Starts at Mission Ranch in Carmel by the Sea. Before arrival, please install the VoiceMap mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart at any time and complete at your own pace.
Return details
  • Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA This self-guided driving tour ends in front of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Near public transportation
  • Stroller accessible
  • Not wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 110804P462

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

  • All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.

A note from Driving the California Coast: A Self-Guided Audio Tour from Carmel to Santa Cruz
  • All of VoiceMap's audio tours are self-guided and users must bring their own smartphone and headphones to take the tour. We urge all our users to wear facemasks and carry hand sanitiser with them to ensure their own protection and the protection of others.
  • Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.

If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 110804P462

Reserve your spot

Similar experiences

Itinerary
  • You'll start at
    Mission Ranch Restaurant
    26270 Dolores St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA
    Starts at Mission Ranch in Carmel by the Sea. Before arrival, please install the VoiceMap mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart at any time and complete at your own pace.
    See address & details
  • Pass by
    Mission Ranch Restaurant
    Fairy Tale Cottages of Hugh Comstock
    Fort Ord Dunes State Park
    Pezzini Farms
    Capitola Historical Museum
    Esplanade
    Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
    Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
  • You'll end at
    Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
    400 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
    This self-guided driving tour ends in front of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
    See address & details
+
About the operator
VoiceMap Monterey Peninsula
90
Monterey, California
Joined in October 2018

#24 of 62 Tours & Activities in Monterey
  • 534carynf
    534carynf
    0
    0
    exasberating
    I just felt it was long winded and the audio didn't always go off so struggled with getting the right segment with the location. great more frustrating than enjoying.
  • pecanpie2205
    pecanpie2205
    0
    0
    Not a great tour
    Firstly we had trouble downloading the audio. When it finally downloaded, the directions didn’t make much sense so we gave up. What we can say is it appears the houses are not together and spread over a large area so if you are not mobile, this is not the tour for you. Would be easier to just drive around and spot them.
  • D6775NHmichaelr
    D6775NHmichaelr
    0
    0
    Interesting subject matter, underwhelming tour
    The cottages and their histories are interesting, but the tour was lacking, both in terms of technical details, and as a visitor experience. Some of the mentioned landmarks have changed, and locations where you are on the tour was at times confusing. But for me, an even worse shortfall was the lack of humor in the narrative. When the amount of available factual info is limited, it's even more important to use some humor to amplify the experience, and there just wasn't any in this tour. At a minimum, the changes in landmarks need to be updated.
  • SOQ2010
    SOQ2010
    0
    0
    Caramel city
    Nice artsy town with souveniour shops , chocholate garden and a unique experience.Alot of tourists there. We did the 17 mile drive followed by late seafood in the city . Recommended.
  • dparker1322
    dparker1322
    0
    0
    Only worked about half the time
    I guess Carmel is just too hard to keep the audio tour on track. We kept getting lost, not knowing where to turn, and got off the course. We ended up only hearing about half. We have used Audio Tours in our car in other areas, which worked great. It may be the closeness of each road in Carmel.
  • Almira K
    Almira K
    0
    0
    Good product
    Great product! Very helpful. It gives you a detailed map and descriptions of every cottage. Very happy customer. Thank you!
  • csund3
    csund3
    0
    0
    Nice outing
    This was a very interesting walking tour. Good narration. Clear directions. Nice to get outside and exercise.
  • mikemD1746TT
    mikemD1746TT
    0
    0
    Driving tour along the most beautiful stretch of highway in the world.
    Just a gorgeous drive and a really fun and educational tour. Love how the tour is able to trigger important spots as you drive along. Really enjoyed learning a bit about the history of the area. Fun little day trip for my wife and I. Highly recommend this tour for anyone looking for a little weekend adventure.
  • 816ilianb
    816ilianb
    0
    0
    Dream ocean views
    We so Gapoy for doing this tour it's soooo beautiful the places we saw is like a nice dream...I was in love with the ocean views , I got lots of pictures
  • L2274XQjamesc
    L2274XQjamesc
    0
    0
    Off the beaten path, good, but some history not so interesting
    - Pros: Takes you out of the touristy downtown of Carmel and into some of the back streets. Takes you by interesting houses and down by the ocean. - Cons: Some of the history wasn't that interesting to me (lots of detail about authors I'd never heard of). Some content needs update - one of the houses is in the process of being moved.
  • GoPlaces740045
    GoPlaces740045
    0
    0
    Very informational!!!
    We loved the audio tour! The first part of the tour was the only part we had trouble with since there is no longer a Carmel Winery at the first location. Thanks!!
  • Betty J
    Betty J
    0
    0
    Storybook Cottage
    Overall, a very nice experience. The cottages were totally charming! We are locals and it was something different to do in Carmel. When we had to cross Ocean Avenue, it was a little dangerous because there was no crosswalk. There should be a warning that some parts of the walk are steep. People not in shape shouldn’t attempt this tour. The guide was really helpful and warned if you went the wrong way. Those in decent shape should try it once!
  • MaryP1717
    MaryP1717
    0
    0
    Excellent and informative audio tour of Carmel homes around Carmel Beach area.
    This was an excellent audio tour of the homes in Carmel. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery around Carmel beach and the surrounding homes. The architecture was interesting and the information provided informative. The GPS worked great!
  • Sarah S
    Sarah S
    0
    0
    A little confusing
    It was fun seeing the houses but the directions were a little confusing. I was hoping the map would be more like Google maps where it would also show where I was at all times, and it didn’t. One of the houses has since been painted another color which made that one hard to find. Make sure you take a friend if you are directionally challenged like I am.
  • Alma G
    Alma G
    0
    0
    Lovely walk!
    My two adult daughters and I did this walk and loved it. It’s pretty easy to follow and gives some great information about the homes. No need to stop and start the audio tour because it works using GPS.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

3.5
4 reviews
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Nick G
Kemsing, UK106 contributions
We started off in Carmel and it was a bit foggy. Carmel beach is very pretty and nice to walk on and admire the beachfront houses. The freeway past Monterey is very confusing but a diversion into Monterey is a must to see Canary Row and the aquarium although the aquarium is quite expensive. Parking is also expensive in the main car parks set behind Canary Row but we went about half a mile along the beach road towards Lovers Point and parked there free. On the walk back into town we saw harbour seals sunbathing on the beach.
Continuing north we stopped for a coffee by a huge power plant at Moss Landing, you can’t miss the two giant chimneys which we later found out we could see from our hotel in Santa Cruz. In fact the coffee house is called The Power Plant and the coffee is good plus it’s an interesting shop. Would also recommend a short diversion to see Moss Landing where there is a sculpture museum.
Our trip was enhanced by having a convertible Mustang and it was a nice drive taking about 4 hours to get to Santa Cruz.
Written November 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stephen P
Portland, OR1 contribution
May 2023
First, this is very well done for what it is. Overall, the VoiceMap tech largely works and the narration is well done for driving. There were a few "gotchas" like the tour guiding us through the Carmel Farmer's Market which we had to circumnavigate and the road it wanted us to go on to get to Fort Ord Dunes State Park was closed.

We learned some interesting history about things like artichoke production in Castroville or the Hirahara Farmstead. That said, there was just a lot of history, and my adult daughter and I ended up bailing on the tour. We decided instead to just hang out in Capitola for the afternoon instead of finishing it. My wife and I had the opportunity to finish the tour after my daughter left the area, but after hearing about how the beginning of the tour went, my wife opted not to finish the tour with me either.
Written June 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TrailBlazer640492
1 contribution
Feb 2022
Great audio tour if you like to learn new things! Makes your drive more interesting. Saw things like the World's Largest Artichoke and learned interesting history of things we would have otherwise missed. This is our second tour by Lynne and it was great. The VoiceMap app is amazing how it knows where you are with the GPS features and Lynne starts talking just at the right spot. Very helpful navigation cues.

Highly recommended.
Written February 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gracet392
Pleasanton, CA2 contributions
Jun 2023
There was so much closures in our route. The routes needs to be refreshed and reviewed. The two stars was for the audio and when you hit the mark, it does speaks and narrates on point.
Written July 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alicia_G_Chamaille
Hi Grace We're sorry to hear that road closures affected your experience. while our tours are published by local journalists, filmmakers, historians and tour guides in over 300 destinations, we don’t always know about sudden road works or business closures. This is hardly ever a problem, but if it becomes one for you, please get in touch and tell us. We’re passionate about our tours, and it’s important to us that you enjoy your experience with VoiceMap. Thanks, Alicia
Written July 6, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Driving the California Coast: A Self-Guided Audio Tour from Carmel to Santa Cruz provided by VoiceMap Monterey Peninsula

Product Overview: Driving the California Coast: A Self-Guided Audio Tour from Carmel to Santa Cruz

Prices From$10
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