Booking choice: The small-group Monterey and Carmel day, from $118 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
The tours sold as "Pacific Coast Highway" days from San Francisco cost between about $120 and $200 a person. Private Big Sur tours from Monterey and San Jose cost more, and two shorter options cost much less: a guided e-bike ride on the 17-Mile Drive and an audio app for your own car.
Below: every option on this site with its from-price and what it includes, the gate and parking fees along the coast, what lunch and tips add, and where the money is best spent.
The quick answer
Day tours from San Francisco start at $118 for the small-group Monterey and Carmel day and $119 for the Gray Line coach; the Big Sur day costs $193 and is the one that goes past Carmel. Private Big Sur tours start at $328 from Monterey and $498 from San Jose. The cheapest guided option is the 17-Mile Drive e-bike tour at $75. All San Francisco day tours include the $12.50 17-Mile Drive fee; meals, tips and the $65 aquarium ticket are extra.
How much does a Pacific Coast Highway tour cost?
From $75 for a 2.5-hour e-bike ride to $498 for a private day from San Jose. Day tours from San Francisco sit between $118 and $193.
All prices are per person, from-prices in US dollars as listed on Viator in November 2026. They move with the season and the day of the week. Children pay less on most tours, and each operator sets its own age bands.
| Option | From | Length | Reaches Big Sur? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small-group Monterey and Carmel day | $118 | 11 hours | No, turns round in Carmel |
| Gray Line coach day | $119 | 11 hours | No |
| Pacific Coast Explorer coach | $139 | 12 hours | No |
| Big Sur day from San Francisco | $193 | 12 hours | Yes, about 1 hour |
| Private Big Sur tour from Monterey | $328 | 4 hours | Yes, about 2 hours |
| Private coast day from San Jose | $498 | 8 hours | Yes, about 3 hours |
| 17-Mile Drive e-bike tour | $75 | 2.5 hours | No, Pebble Beach only |
| Big Sur audio driving app | $17 | At your pace | Yes, in your own car |
Want the coast with twelve guests at most and the snacks handled? The small-group day stops at Pigeon Point, Cannery Row, the 17-Mile Drive and Carmel, from $118.
Check dates for the small-group Monterey and Carmel dayWhat is included in a coast day tour from San Francisco?
Transport, a driver-guide and the 17-Mile Drive gate fee on every one. Water and snacks on the small-group day, hotel pickup on the Big Sur day, nothing to eat on the coaches.
- The small-group day ($118): an 8 am start, twelve guests at most, water and light snacks, the Pigeon Point lighthouse stop and the 17-Mile Drive with Bird Rock, the Lone Cypress and Pebble Beach.
- The Gray Line coach ($119): leaves central San Francisco at 7:40 am. No hotel pickup. Two hours in Monterey, one in Carmel.
- The Explorer coach ($139): pickup at Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf, up to 30 guests, Wi-Fi on board and a stop in Davenport.
- The Big Sur day ($193): hotel pickup from 6:30 am within the operator's zones, fourteen guests at most, and the only one that drives on into Big Sur.
How much is the 17-Mile Drive fee, and do tours include it?
$12.50 per vehicle in 2026, paid at the gate. Every San Francisco day tour on this site and the e-bike tour include it.
Pebble Beach Company charges the fee per car, not per person, and refunds it if you spend $35 or more at one of the Pebble Beach Resorts restaurants (not the Pebble Beach Market), according to pebblebeach.com. The gates open from sunrise to sunset, and motorcycles are not allowed. For four people in a rental car, the gate is the smallest cost of the day. More in the 17-Mile Drive guide.
What extra fees should you budget for?
Park and parking fees in Big Sur, the aquarium, lunch and tips. None of the San Francisco day tours include meals.
These are the fees you meet along the coast if you drive yourself, or add during the time on your own on a tour. The private Big Sur tours from Monterey and San Jose list parking and park fees as included.
| Stop | Fee in 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Mile Drive | $12.50 per vehicle | Included on every tour here |
| McWay Falls (Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park) | $10 per car | Small lot, fills early |
| Pfeiffer Beach | $15 per vehicle | Narrow road, no RVs or trailers |
| Point Lobos | $10 per car inside | Lot is small; arrive early |
| Monterey Bay Aquarium | $65 adults, $50 youth and seniors | Book online before you go |
Want McWay Falls and Bixby Bridge without three parking fees and a hairpin road? The private Big Sur tour picks you up at your Monterey or Carmel lodging, parking included.
Explore the private Big Sur tour from MontereyIs the Monterey Bay Aquarium included on tours?
No. The coach days list it as your own expense, and the two hours in Monterey on the Gray Line day are the only realistic window for it.
An adult ticket costs $65 in 2026, with youth and seniors at $50. The aquarium sells tickets online, so book before you travel rather than counting on the door. Two hours is enough for the kelp forest and the open-sea tank if you skip lunch. On the small-group day, the 1.5 hours on Cannery Row is tighter. Guests who want the aquarium properly usually stay a night in Monterey.
How much are the private Big Sur tours, and are they worth it?
$328 per person from Monterey for 4 hours, $498 from San Jose for 8 hours. For a family or a group of friends, the private car changes the sums.
The private Big Sur tour from Monterey is rated 4.9 from 62 reviews and carries one to twelve people in your own group, with a local driver-guide and parking fees included. One guest in July 2026 felt four hours was too short for the distance and suggested five to six. Others praise how the guide tailored the stops.
The San Jose coast day (4.8 from 37 reviews) spends about three hours in Big Sur and two in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and you can ride home on the Coast Starlight train from Salinas. Check the listing for how the price scales with your group size before you book.
Staying in Silicon Valley? The private coast day picks you up in San Jose and spends most of it in Big Sur, from $498.
Check dates for the private coast day from San JoseWhat is the cheapest way to see the coast?
The e-bike ride at $75 if you are already in Carmel, the audio app at $17 if you have a car, a coach day at $119 if you start in San Francisco.
The e-bike tour covers the 17-Mile Drive with the gate fee, helmet and bike included, rated 4.9 from 475 reviews. The audio app is a one-time purchase that plays 170 stories by GPS as you drive Big Sur, though park fees stay on you. Weigh those against the rental car, the fuel and a night in Monterey; for one person from San Francisco, a coach day is hard to beat on price. Read drive it or take a tour for the full trade-off.
Do you tip on a Pacific Coast Highway tour?
Yes. Tips are excluded on every tour here, and the driver-guide earns them over a long day.
The listings all list gratuities as not included. US custom for a full-day guide is a tip per person at the end of the day. Factor lunch in too: Cannery Row and Carmel have everything from sandwiches to seafood dining rooms. For what each day actually covers on the road, see the Big Sur day trip guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Pacific Coast Highway tour from San Francisco?
From $118 for the small-group day to $193 for the Big Sur day, per person, with the 17-Mile Drive fee included.
What is the cheapest Pacific Coast Highway tour?
The 17-Mile Drive e-bike tour from Carmel at $75. From San Francisco, the small-group day at $118.
Do tours include the Monterey Bay Aquarium?
No. The aquarium costs $65 for adults in 2026 and is your own expense on every tour.
Can I cancel a coast tour?
Yes. Every tour on this site gives a full refund up to 24 hours before the start.
Ready to book
Choose your coast day
Every option here can be cancelled for a full refund; the deadline is on each listing. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Monterey, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel Small-Group Tour
- About 11 hours from San Francisco, starting at 8 am
- 17-Mile Drive fee, Bird Rock, the Lone Cypress and Pebble Beach included
- Stops at Pigeon Point Light Station, Cannery Row and Carmel-by-the-Sea
Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel Tour from San Francisco
- About 12 hours with hotel pickup from 6:30 am (within the operator's zones)
- 17-Mile Drive entrance fee included
- Cannery Row, Pebble Beach and Carmel, then about an hour in Big Sur
Big Sur and McWay Falls Private Tour from Monterey
Seeing the real Big Sur from a Monterey base
