What's the easiest way to get to Carmel from San Jose without having to rent a car?

Maybe a Greyhound bus?

1. private plane
2. helicopter
3. limo
4. cab
5. have your friend from Carmel pick you up

You will need a car.

You can take the new route from Carmel to Monterey to Gilroy with MST (the local bus service. Then there must be a way with Caltrain from Gilroy to San Jose.

http://www.mst.org/frame_set.html

In addition to Caltrain from San Jose to Gilroy with a connection to a Monterey/Salinas transit bus to Carmel, there are several other options that are also available on weekends:


Amtrak from San Jose to Salinas, and connect with a Monterey/Salinas Transit bus to Carmel.

Amtrak
65 Cahill St.
San Jose, CA 95110
1(800) USA-RAIL
www.amtrak.com
www.mst.org


Monterey-Salinas Airbus from San Jose International Airport to the Monterey Peninsula Airport and connect with a Monterey/Salinas Transit bus to Carmel.

http://www.montereyairbus.com/



Greyhound (www.greyhound.com) from San Jose to Monterey, and then take Monterey/Salinas Transit bus to Carmel (www.mst.org)

Greyhound Bus Station
70 S ALMADEN AVE
San Jose CA 95113
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone Numbers:
Main: (408) 295-4151
Baggage: (408) 295-6939
Greyhound Package Express: (408) 295-8276
Customer Service: (408) 295-4153
Charter: (800) 454-2487

Caltrain service between San Jose and Gilroy is very limited - commute hours only M-F. No weekend service south of Tamien station in San Jose.

Call the San Jose airport to see if they run commuter busses from and to the Monterey Peninsula/Airport. I think they do. You could also call a few hotels in the Monterey area to see what they recommend as this probably gets asked of them all the time.

I really think you need to rent a car!