Whatto see between Carmel and Big Sur
 

Will be spending 2 nights in MOnterey and will plan to drive down To Big Sur. Would like to see Julia Pfeiffer Burns Park, Point Lobos and McVey Falls in Big Sur. ARe there other things to see along the way? IS there anything just past Big Sur that we should not miss?

South of Monterey the places to go and the things to do are:

Carmel and its downtown

Point Lobos, walk the easy walks and try to see the seals that you hear barking along the shore

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, short one hour hike to Pfeiffer Falls

Nepenthe, a private restaurant, but spectacular views from its terraces

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, short hike to see McWay Falls

The above will carry you to about 30 miles south of Monterey

If you want to continue, you will be driving the curvy part of Highway 1 that has a lot of view points to see the spectacular coastline. About another 50 miles. Slow drive.

Next stop is Cambria. Most people plan on staying in Cambria overnight because of Hearst Castle. You can catch either the evening tour or the morning tour at the castle.

It is not advisable to drive Highway 1 the Big Sur stretch at night, so plan accordingly.

Have a good trip!

I prefer Rocky Point Restaurant to Nepenthe. I think the food is far more interesting and it's less crowded. You can sit inside or out. Both options have fantastic views. It is just a few curves south of Point Lobos.

The elephant seals on a beach a few miles north of Hearst Castle.

Point Lobos is very picturesque with several nice hikes. When I was there several years ago they closed at 5pm so don't plan on seeing a sunset from there.