andyc

I am doing a California tour from the UK in September - got most of my route worked out - have been to San Francisco before - so wanted to spend 2-3 somewhere else before our flight back (from SFO) - which of the above towns would you suggest for these 2-3 days.

We are looking for some place you can walk around - not like LA ;-) - with a sea front - nice bars and restaurants - touristy is probably good - since we are tourists.

Lastly - seen "gold towns" mentioned - can anyone tell me which are the best ones.

sillysara495

I've never been to Santa Cruz, but i've heard it is lots of fun. I enjoy monterey a lot, and i've just driven through carmel before. So any of them that you decide on you will be happy. Monterey and Carmel are really close to one another so you could visit both.

Since you are going to SF, one of my favorite places, have you been or thought of going to Alcatraz? I heard that it is amazing

J_Correa

I would probably choose Monterey or Carmel since they are next to each other and then drive up to Santa Cruz on one of the days if you want to. Santa Cruz is only about 45 minutes away.

Between Carmel and Monterey, it really depends on what your interests are and your budget. Carmel is more upscale, has a lot of shops and galeries, and golf. Monterey is more diverse and touristy and you can find more moderate lodging than Carmel. Pacific Grove is a really cute town right in between with bunches of Bed and Breakfasts.

Santa Cruz is more of a beach town with the Boardwalk, the wharf, surfing, an interesting downtown with lots of strange characters and interesting shops.

J_Correa

Oops, forgot to answer the Gold Country question. The gold country is basically all along Hwy 49, which is a north-south highway through the Sierra foothills. My favorite gold rush towns are Nevada City, Downieville, and Sierra City, but they are along the north end of 49 so they might be too far out of your way. Nevada City is reasonably convinient if you are going to Lake Tahoe.

kimamom

The Carmel/Monterey area is beautiful. You can walk the wharf in Monterey and maybe visit the aquarium. You can easily do both, the towns are very close together.

I would recommend Domenico's or Cafe Fina for a nice meal on the wharf in Monterey. Try the sand dabs! ***kim***

MLT

I haven't been to Santa Cruz or any gold towns, so can't comment on those. However, I stayed in Monterey last Oct, and thought the area was beautiful. My husband attended a conference in Monterey, so that's why we stayed there. But after visiting Carmel during our stay, we decided that the next time we go to that area, we'd stay in Carmel instead. It's more our style, with it's elegant shops, art galleries and nice restaurants. And it's more romantic than Monterey which, IMHO, is more touristy in a cheesy kind of way.

Both places are great for walking, but in different ways. Monterey has a wonderful recreation trail that stretches along the coastline for miles. It's great for jogging, walking, biking and roller blading -- beautiful scenery along the route. There's also a downtown area, Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row -- the latter 2 being good for sea front bars and restaurants. I'll also say that Monterey is nice if you're traveling with kids because of the Aquarium and the really cool Dennis the Menace playground, both of which we visited with our then 18-month-old son.

Walking in Carmel reminded me of being in a European town with it's interesting storefronts, side streets and small nooks and crannies. I think there was even an Arcade there. The architecture is an odd but charming blend of English country, Spanish and California Coast. We dined at the Park Hyatt Carmel Highlands Inn which offered spectacular views of the rugged N. CA coast and great food.

Also, we never made it, but I hear Big Sur which is not far from Monterey/Carmel is very nice as well.

LoveItaly

Hello andyc, I tend to agree with J_Correa. I would stay at Carmel or Monterey and then visit the other.

I personally would not stay at Santa Cruz but if you wanted to visit it you might find it fun.

Hwy 49 is wonderful and I was interested in J_Correa's comments on Nevada City, Downieville and Sierra City as a lot of my family members own a lot of houses and cabins in Sierra City. That certainly is a beautiful area but I think with the time element that you have you would be more relaxed with the Carmel/Monterey area. If you get back to California in the future I think Hwy 49 is something you might think about doing.

I see others have now posted their thoughts too so I seems the vote is for Monterey/Carmel. Welcome to California and have a wonderful trip.

J_Correa

LoveItaly - It's great to hear about someone else who is familiar with the Sierra City area. It's one of those tucked away areas that most people don't seem to know about. My family always spent summer vacations up there - mostly at Sardine and Packer Lakes and when I was about 12 we started going to Salmon Lake.

I haven't been up there in quite awhile. I think I am overdue for a trip.

SFImporter

Santa Cruz is very much like the sterotypical view outsiders have of California - sun, beach, boardwalk amusement park, surfers. It's kind of like a Frankie & Annette beach movie. Sort of a mini-L.A. beach experience. The only difference is that the water is much colder.

It's definitely more youthful than Monterey and Carmel.

Monterey has got all of the Steinbeck History (Cannery Row) going for it - and the Aquarium is one of the best in the world.

Carmel has never really been my thing - a bit too pricey/snooty/conservative for my taste.

xkenx

Carmel is an incredibly charming, intimate town, where if you stay in the town itself, you can walk to many galleries, restaurants, shops, beach. It caters to tourists and weekenders, without feeling touristy. Vagabond's House is a wonderful B&B in a great location for leaving your car in their lot and walking everywhere. A lovely romantic restaurant with a European feel is Casanova. We have gone there, off and on, for 25 years and never had other than a perfect meal.